What is "JDirectItems Auction"?
"JDirectItems Auction" is the largest online auction site in Japan and also among the biggest in the world. There are around 5 million items sold every day. Both individuals and companies can participate in auctions. The site "JDirectItems Auction" offers a huge number of goods for every taste and budget. Check out our quick explainer video below!
Pros and cons of auctions
Pros:
- Can be significantly cheaper compared to online shops.
- You can find rare items that can't be found in online shops.
Cons:
- Winning is not guaranteed. It is an auction after all.
- Once a bid is submitted, you can't cancel it.
- You can't refuse to pay after winning an auction.
- You can't return your item and get a refund if something is wrong.
How to lower risks when bidding on auctions
- Check seller's rating before bidding. Avoid sellers with many negative reviews.
- Don't buy items for 1 yen or at an unreasonably low price. The seller will probably charge you extra for the shipping within Japan.
- If you have doubts about an item, feel free to ask ZenMarket.
How to bid on "JDirectItems Auction" in ZenMarket
First, make sure you have enough funds in your ZenMarket account to cover your maximum bid for an item. If it’s not enough, please make a deposit. Then, open the auction page in ZenMarket website, or find the corresponding page in JDirectItems Auction, copy and paste the URL into your ZenMarket account.
What happens when I’m the first bidder?
Bid in the same price or higher of the current price, which is your “maximum bid”. If someone bids on the same item afterwards, JDirectItems automatically raises your bid until the price reaches your maximum bid. This is called “Automatic Bidding”.
If you’re the only bidder and nobody bids for the item, you will win with the initial current price.
What happens when I bid in an auction with other bidders?
Bid a higher price than the current price. JDirectItems automatically overbids it up to the price the other bidder set as their maximum bid and the current price goes up accordingly.
The maximum bid of the other bidder cannot be found unless yours overbids it.
What is “Automatic Bidding”?
It’s an automated system that bids in an auction on your behalf. Once you set the maximum price or your budget, the system keeps an eye on the auction and if the price goes up, it automatically places a new bid up to your maximum price.
※ In case you bid on an auction with a "Buyout Price" set.
If there is a "Buyout Price" set for the auction, and your bid is equal to or higher than the "Buyout Price", you will automatically win the auction at that point. The "Automatic Bidding" won't work in this case, so if you wish for the system to take part in bidding on your behalf starting from current price, you need to make sure to bid less than the "Buyout Price".
What is “Minimum Increment”?
“Minimum Increment” refers to the minimum amount an auction bid must be raised each time the current highest bid is surpassed. The increment is determined as per below.
|
Price (JPY)
|
Minimum Increment (JPY)
|
|
1 to 1,000
|
10
|
|
1,000 to 5,000
|
100
|
|
5,000 to 10,000
|
250
|
|
10,000 to 50,000
|
500
|
|
50,000 and more
|
1,000
|
What if my bid happens to be the same as the other bidder’s?
The one who bids earlier will win the auction.
About shopping-type listings
In April of 2021 JDirectItems Auction introduced a new type of listings.
These listings have a set price; the buyers do not place competitive bids, but rather purchase the items in the same way you would purchase one from a webstore.
On ZenMarket's website these listings have a single "Buy out" button (standard auctions with a buy-out price have two). After it's clicked, the item will be displayed as an auction won, and its cost deducted from your account.
Please kindly note that this does not mean the item is rightfully yours. The auction will be finalized only after our purchasing department places an order with the seller manually; until then, it is available for anyone else. Please kindly note that (as of August 2021) these auctions cannot be bundled even if they are purchased from the same seller; at the moment JDirectItems is not considering provision of this option.
What do I pay apart from the item price and service fee?
You will have to pay only for shipping within Japan and 10% of consumption tax if item was purchased from a company (not private seller). You can confirm whether the consumption tax applies on the auction page, next to the VAT information.
How much is shipping within Japan (to ZenMarket warehouse)?
Domestic shipping fees depend on the seller’s location, item size, and delivery method. Most sellers don’t specify shipping fees in advance, as they don’t know the buyer’s address. The exact fee will be confirmed after you win the auction, and we provide the seller with our warehouse address.
Check the item description for phrases like 送料 or 配送料 on the Japanese version of the item page. The section labeled 配送方法一覧 may also list shipping fees. Common terms include:
- 送料未定 (shipping unknown): Fee calculated after the auction is won.
- 一律 (flat fee): Fixed shipping cost regardless of location.
- 大阪府 (Osaka prefecture): Our warehouses are in Osaka; selecting this option gives accurate fee details for medium/large items.
Unless shipping to the warehouse is listed as "free", shipping fees are typically:
- 100-700 yen for small items.
- 700-1500 yen for figurines, plushies, or bags.
- 2000-5000 yen for larger items like fishing rods or guitars.
Please be aware: shipping costs can be very high if:
- Large or heavy items incur domestic shipping costs of 10,000 yen or more.
- The seller is located outside Japan (e.g., China or South Korea), requiring international shipping.
- Unusually cheap items include high shipping fees to offset their low prices.
*Customers in the EU or the UK may be unable to access the original Japanese page due to website restrictions. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our customer support team.
I want you to choose the cheapest domestic shipping. How do I do that?
Shipping methods cannot be chosen by customers, as they are automatically determined by our system. The system prioritizes cost, tracking availability, and loss/damage coverage for items over 30,000 yen.
Please note that some sellers only include the item itself and may omit accessories or fold original boxes when cheaper shipping methods are chosen, so please check the item's description carefully.
We cannot manually choose specific methods but aim to balance cost and safety. Thank you for your understanding.
Can I ask to combine shipping if I won several items from the same seller?
In the beginning of 2017 we introduced an automatic system for purchasing items on "JDirectItems Auction". This system automatically asks seller for combined shipping, in order to make shipping fee less for you. Thus, you no longer need to worry about this matter. However, due to its limitations, the system will only ask sellers to combine shipping for items, purchased from 5 am JST (Japanese Standard Time) till 5 am of the next day. All the items purchased after 5 am of the next day will be treated as purchased on the next day, and won't be eligible for combined shipping.
Please note that sellers do not always agree to combined shipping. Also, on rare occasions JDirectItems prevents our system from sending automatic requests. In addition, unfortunately this automated system does not apply to shopping-type listings. We hope for your understanding.
How much are bank transfer fees?
Unlike many other proxy services, Zenmarket covers fully all domestic payment fees.
Will you refund me the money if I got outbid?
Yes, once you are outbid we will instantly refund to your account the bid amount and our service fee.
What items am I not allowed to bid for on auctions?
"JDirectItems Auction" is a huge marketplace that includes sellers who offer not only goods but also services. Please be careful when you choose items. For example, you may intend to purchase a camera but accidentally order a camera rental service, or may intend to purchase a laptop but unintentionally order an Internet service plan. Item photos might also be misleading. Be cautious when you see an unreasonably good deal. Please check in advance the current price, seller's reputation, number of bidders for the listing etc. If you have any doubts please feel free to contact us, we will do our best to answer all your questions.
You are not allowed to purchase the following on JDirectItems Auction:
- services (rental and others)
- goods that can't be shipped within Japan (e.g. when you are required to pick up items at a seller's place)
- goods prohibited by law (drugs, guns, knives etc.)
- goods prohibited by the post office (sprays, nail polish, perfumes, greases, plants, seeds, animals, oversized items etc.)
Can I ask seller to separate lots and send only part of it to the warehouse?
Unfortunately, we cannot ask sellers to separate lots into parts. However, we can dispose of some of the items you won after they arrive at our warehouse. Please note that we may charge additional fees for this depending on the volume/size of the items, difficulty of the procedure, etc.
I have changed my mind. Can I cancel my bid?
According to Auction rules, you cannot cancel your bid. You cannot also refuse to pay after winning an auction. The only exception is delayed bid, which can be cancelled 20 minutes before auction ends.
Do you have delayed bid functionality (auction sniper)?
Yes, you can make delayed bid (sniper bid) by clicking the checkbox on the bid screen. Please note that a lot of auctions on JDirectItems are extended automatically on 5 minutes if someone places a bid at the last minutes. Such automatic extension reduces the chances of sniper bids.
How does delayed bid (sniper) system work?
We deduct funds (bid and commission) from your deposit as soon as you order delayed bid. Delayed bid is made automatically by our system 5-6 minutes before auctions with automatic extensions ends (or 1-2 minutes before auctions without automatic extension ends) if your bid meets auction status at the moment of bidding. You can change bid amount or cancel it 20 minutes before the auction ends. If two or more of our clients make bids on the same auction, priority will be given to the client who made a bid earlier.
How does "Add to watchlist" function work?
You can use "Add to watchlist" button to keep an eye on auction you are interested in without bidding on them. You will see updated information about added items each time you refresh the watchlist page. An item is removed from the watchlist page after you make an actual bid for the item on your your account page. Auctions are removed from watchlist 7 days after an auction ends.
Why was my sniper bid not placed?
Unfortunately your sniper bid could not be placed due to one or more of the following reasons.
Please note that ZenMarket shall not be liable for any of the reasons listed below.
- Your sniper bid was less than the Current Price when it was made.
- Your sniper bid was more than the Maximum Bid, which is a hundred times as much as the Current Price.
- The seller closed or deleted the auction.
- The seller doesn’t deal with any proxy services.
I was outbid but still won the auction. How is this possible?
If, for various reasons, the seller removes the highest bidder before the auction ends, the second-highest bidder automatically becomes the highest and can win the auction.
Please note that, regardless of the seller's reasons, removing the highest bidder is permitted under
JDirectItems Auction rules
(see original page in Japanese). Therefore, the auction you won cannot be canceled, even if you were previously outbid.
I lost an auction, but the seller offered to sell it to me. Why, and what should I do?
If the auction winner fails to pay on time or requests a cancellation, the seller can either delete the auction entirely or remove the winner and offer the item to the next highest bidder. For details, see the
JDirectItems Help page (in Japanese).
When this happens, JDirectItems notifies us, and we pass the information to you. You can choose to accept or decline the offer at your discretion. If you decide to purchase the item, please respond promptly, as the seller may change their mind or offer it to the next bidder.
Please note that it is not possible to message the seller at this stage. Therefore, we cannot inquire why the winner was removed or negotiate the price. You can only choose to accept or decline the offer.
Can I bid on other Japanese auctions?
Yes, you can bid on Rakuten Auction and so on. We deal with them manually. To start, add an auction URL to My Account.