What is ZenMarket? How do I use the service?
ZenMarket is a Japanese proxy service that makes it possible to buy from almost any online Japanese store and Japanese auctions. You can watch our short informative video about our service down below.
Please see our quick guide or our responsibility page that explains precisely what ZenMarket is and how we can help you. We also recommend checking out the Pitfalls of Japan online shopping and how to avoid them so you can have the best possible shopping experience with ZenMarket.
Can I use Guest Checkout when ordering with ZenMarket?
No. All users require an account to place orders through ZenMarket so that we can manage all your parcels when they arrive at our warehouse. Signing up for an account is free and there are zero account maintenance fees.
No account yet? Sign up for free & get 500 yen!
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How do I purchase items?
There are three ways to purchase items from Japan through our service, through the designated stores on our site, on Yahoo! Auctions or other stores.
Purchasing from the designated stores on our site:
This is probably one of the easiest ways to buy what you want from Amazon Japan, Rakuten Japan, ZenMarketPlace & Yahoo Shopping.
- Find an item that you like.
- Add it to your cart.
- Wait for your item to be checked.
- Add funds.
- Click "Pay" and wait for your item to arrive at our warehouse.
- Make a package with all the items you want to send, enter your address and select your preferred shipping method.
- Wait for your items to be packed and pay for international shipping.
- Wait for your item to arrive at your house.
Here's a quick video guiding you step-by-step through our service:
Bidding on Yahoo! Auctions:
- Find an item that you like.
- Add funds.
- Place a bid on the item. There are two types of bids that you can place:
- An Automatic Bid is set on the maximum bid that you indicate. The price will keep increasing automatically from the minimum increment as soon as you have been overbid. If the maximum bid is reached, you will be automatically refunded.
- A Sniper Bid is an auto-bid placed within 5-6 minutes before the end of an auction in the case of automatic extensions, and 2 -1 minute in the case of classic bids. Some Yahoo bids have an automatic 5-minute extension, which you can see on the item's page for when someone tries to place a sniper bid at the last minute. The bid price will increase according to the minimum increment set. If there are equal bids between several bidders, the first bidder wins.
- Wait for your item to arrive at our warehouse.
- Make a package with all the items you want to send, enter your address and select your preferred shipping method.
- Wait for your items to be packed and pay for international shipping.
- Wait for your item to arrive at your house.
Here's an informative video telling you how to bid on Yahoo! Auctions:
Purchasing from other stores:
If you want to buy from a Japanese store that is not on our site, please copy and paste the link into our search bar then specify the color, model and size of the item that you would like to purchase. Then follow the steps below:
- Wait for your item to be checked.
- Add funds.
- Click "Pay" and wait for your item to arrive at our warehouse.
- Make a package with all the items you want to send, enter your address and select your preferred shipping method.
- Wait for your items to be packed and pay for international shipping.
- Wait for your item to arrive at the designated address.
Remember to specify the color, model and/or size of the item that you want if necessary.
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Shipping Tip:
We offer about ten different types of shipping methods, all prices and delivery times differ. We recommend that you look at the limitations and advantages of each shipping method before choosing your preferred shipping method. To do this, you can use our Shipping Simulator.
Unlike other proxy services, we work with Japan Post, so all our parcels include free insurance and tracking. We also have commercial arrangements with UPS, DHL, and FedEx that gives us a significant discount when sending, and thus we offer the cheapest and safest shipping.
Why should I trust ZenMarket?
After more than five years of ZenMarket helping users get almost whatever they want from Japan, we have received thousands of reviews and recommendations on Facebook, our site and Trustpilot. We have five stars on Trustpilot; you can read all of our happy customer reviews here.
We also have our testimonial page where you can see not only what our customers are saying, but you can also see the tracking pages of their delivered packages.
Unlike other proxy services, we provide complete personalized support in 19 languages. They are:
Also, we always include tracking and insurance to protect your parcel from getting lost by the postal services.
We also have the support of dozens of online personalities, YouTubers, Instagrammers, Livestreamers, etc. Here are some of their videos:
You can also check out what people are saying about us on Twitter:
What are the advantages of buying through ZenMarket? How can I take advantage of the service?
1. Asking sellers questions
You can send us questions that you want to ask sellers, and we will translate not only your question but also the response of the seller. Translators from English to Japanese (and vice versa) can be very expensive, but we offer this service for free. We give you the convenience of buying from Japan without having to understand the language.
2. Japan auctions in real-time
Our service is not only limited to buying from Japanese online stores, but you can also bid on auctions. In Japan, there are fines for getting rid of things you don't need. Usually, you have to call a recycling company that will charge money for taking the items. Besides, the items maybe sentimental or have value, so they feel that throwing them away would be a waste. This is why many Japanese choose to sell their possessions via internet auctions at reduced prices.
3. Multilingual customer support
Some other Japanese proxy services have their website in other languages, but they do not offer customer support in those languages. ZenMarket does. For example, if you want to shop Japan in Spanish or French, we have native Spanish and French speakers ready to help you at no extra cost.
4. Special orders
If you want us to assemble your parcel for shipment in a specific way, we are more than happy to help you. Inform us of your specifications, and we will assemble it for you. For example, we can help you get rid of some of the item's packaging and/or put more bubble wrap in your parcel. Unlike other companies, we respond directly to our customers' needs.
Do you have what I'm looking for?
We are not a store; therefore, we do not have our own stock. We buy from Japanese online stores or auctions. This means that the possibilities of buying almost anything from Japan are endless; if something is sold in Japan, it is highly likely that we can purchase it for you.
Through our website, you can see items automatically translated from the three biggest online stores in Japan: Amazon, Yahoo Shopping and Rakuten. You can also bid on Yahoo! Auctions in real time (learn how to use auctions here).
If you can't find what you're looking for, try searching in Japanese. Here are some tips on how to search on ZenMarket without knowing any Japanese.
For example, if you are looking for a released phone, you can add the words "SIM FREE" to your search. If you still do not find what you're looking for, ask us. If it is possible, please provide a photograph and/or the name of the item you are looking for. The better the information we receive, the better the chance that we will be able to find it.
How much does it cost?
All the original prices are in Japanese yen, and your balance will also be shown in Japanese yen. However, you can see estimates of rates in many other currencies by using the top left currency menu. The site, by default, will try to show you the prices in your most relevant currency, but the system is not always perfect, and not all currencies are available, To estimate the conversion value between your currency and foreign currency, you can use the following free currency converter tool.
How can I pay for goods? Do you accept dollars? Do you accept cash?
ZenMarket uses a balance system. You can add a balance to your ZenMarket account in any currency, and it will automatically be converted to Japanese yen. You can see your account balance in the top right menu, or from My Account. You can use your account balance for all your payments on the site and withdraw it at any time without any inconvenience.
You can easily add balance to your account by using PayPal, a credit or debit card, a cash deposit or bank payment. To learn more about our payment policies, read more here: https://zenmarket.jp/en/payment.aspx
To estimate the conversion value between your currency and foreign currency, you can use this free currency converter tool.
Can I cancel my order?
Yes, you can cancel your order before and after your item arrives at our warehouse if the seller agrees to it. However, you will have to pay 1000 JPY to cancel your item and any domestic shipping fees to send the item back to the seller. In regards to auctions, you can not cancel your bid or purchased item for any reason. Please check our fee summary for more information.
For Rakuma and Mercari purchases, we are unable to cancel your purchase once it has been paid for. As a result we recommend removing items you do not want anymore from your cart before you pay for an item.
Do you ship to my country/city?
We have customers all over the world, and we ship to all countries, except for North Korea and Crimea. So do not worry, your country is covered as long as it has a mail system. Estimate the cost of shipping to your country with our shipping calculator.
Do you change the value on the invoice to avoid customs?
No. This practice is illegal in most countries/regions as it is considered a form of tax evasion. However, we do have an IOSS system in place for eligible destinations that allows prepayment of VAT upfront so you don't get any nasty surprises from your customs agents.
Please note that certain orders may incur additional customs fees in addition to the VAT payment depending on the destination and the exact product being ordered (e.g Alcohol, Tobacco).
Do you mark items as 'Gift' on the customs declaration?
No. We are unable to mark items as 'Gift' on the customs declaration.
How much is international shipping? How long will it take?
Some stores offer "free shipping" by inflating the prices of their products to disguise the cost of shipping, and they do not let you choose the domestic shipping method. As we are a proxy service and not a store, we cannot inflate the price of the products. The prices shown on our website are the prices set by Japanese stores/sellers. We always show you the lowest possible price available; we also let you choose your preferred shipping method.
Like all proxy service, the cost of shipping is always paid by the buyer. However, we have commercial agreements with Japan Post, FedEx, UPS, and DHL to guarantee the lowest international shipping price, with insurance and tracking. You can use our shipping estimator to estimate the delivery time and cost to your country.
Also, at no additional cost, we can combine several orders of items from different stores in one package to save you a lot in international shipping fees.
How do I know how much my parcel will weigh?
Unfortunately, we do not know the exact weight of all the products of all stores in Japan until we buy them and receive them at our warehouse. We are also unaware of how many items you are going to ship together in the same package or where you are planning to send them. You can see an estimate of the weight of different types of products here.
Where is my package? I don't understand tracking.
You can know exactly where your package is throughout international delivery by following our quick tracking guide here.
My package is missing/damaged! How can I get a refund?
To file a claim, please contact your local postal service for the declared value of your parcel. They may ask you to contact us for additional information - in this case ensure you obtain a claim number from them so we can follow up your enquiry with the post office.
Please note that we cannot cover any parcels that exceed the value of 700,000 JPY.
For 2nd hand items such as those purchased from Yahoo! Auctions, Rakuma, or Mercari, claims can only be made on the condition for items for which you have ordered our photo service. This ensures we can process claims while the item is still in Japan which will increase the likelihood of a claim being successful as well as ensure you do not have to pay to ship an item back to Japan.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you to understand how ZenMarket works and how you can take advantage of using our service. If you have any other questions, please contact our support team from the messages tab on your account.
Happy shopping!
