ZenMarket vs Buyee, for a parcel to the US
Last checked 19 September 2026. Every claim below links to the document it came from; where nothing official says it, this page says so instead.
The short version
The two charge for different units. ZenMarket charges per item: ¥500 at most shops, ¥300 at its recommended stores, ¥800 on Mercari and auction bids, with no cap. Buyee charges per order: ¥500 whatever the item count, plus a plan fee of ¥0 to ¥500. One item from a shop costs about the same either way. Five different items in one shop order are ¥2,500 of fees at ZenMarket and ¥500–1,000 at Buyee; five Mercari listings are ¥4,000 at ZenMarket and, since each listing is its own purchase, ¥2,500–5,000 at Buyee.
On customs there is nothing to choose. Since 24 July 2026 a US-bound parcel of bought goods leaves Japan only with the duty prepaid by the sender, and the duty on goods of Japan is 12.5% of the value for anything normally under 12.5%, 0% for books and recorded media. Both proxies are the sender. The difference is only in how clearly each shows it.
Fees, from each service's own page
- Service fee
- ZenMarket: ¥300–800 per item — ¥500 standard (Amazon, Rakuten, most stores), ¥300
at recommended stores, ¥800 for every Mercari item and JDirectItems Auction bid. Three identical items
in one order are charged once; three sizes or colours are three fees.
Buyee: ¥500 per order since 1 April 2026 — one successful bid or one shop order, however many items — plus the plan: Standard ¥500, Insured Delivery ¥500, Inspection ¥300, Lite ¥0. - Included
- ZenMarket: buying, initial consolidation, insurance on parcels under ¥5,000,000,
domestic bank fees, contacting sellers. Not included: inspection on arrival (photos are ¥500 per item).
Buyee: depends on the plan chosen for the order — Standard, Insured Delivery, Inspection or Lite; its plan page says what each covers. - Domestic shipping in Japan
- Both pass on the seller's charge. Buyee bills it per order even from the same seller and gives ¥150–1,500 as the usual range; ZenMarket lists it as something you "sometimes pay", depending on the seller.
- Also on the ZenMarket bill
- A funds deposit fee on every top-up; storage beyond 60 days at ¥50 a day per item; photos before shipping at ¥500 per item if you want them.
- Customs on a US parcel
- Buyee: documented in its notices — DDP since 28 August 2025, a per-category duty
rate since 21 April 2026, and the customs clearance fee billed as its own line.
Line by line.
ZenMarket: its fee page, read 19 September 2026, says only that customs fees "may apply upon delivery", which is the generic wording for every destination. Since 24 July 2026 a posted US parcel cannot leave Japan without the duty prepaid, so ask ZenMarket for the duty and the operator's fee itemised before you pay for shipping.
The rule neither can change
Japan Post accepts a US-bound parcel of bought goods, up to $2,500, only from a designated post office with the duty prepaid through a CBP-approved operator and the label marked DDP. The operator — Japan Post names Zonos — charges its own fee. The duty itself, since 24 July 2026, is 12.5% of the value for goods of Japan whose normal rate is below 12.5% (figures, toys, plush, stationery), the normal rate alone for goods already at 12.5% or more, and 0% for books and recorded media. Nobody collects at your door.
So the customs column is the same number at both proxies, plus an operator fee that is the same operator, plus whatever each proxy adds for handling it. That last line is the only one worth comparing, and it is on the invoice, not on either fee page.
Which is cheaper
This page will not say, because the answer depends on how many items, from how many sellers, on which platform, in how many parcels — and the parcel is not priced until it is weighed. Put both fee structures into the comparison as a range and let the arithmetic pick. What can be said: many items from one seller favour a per-order fee; single items from many sellers favour whichever per-item fee is lower for that platform; and the customs line is a wash.
Sources
- ZenMarket, Fees — ¥300–800 per item by platform, what is and is not included, optional fees. Read 19 September 2026
- Buyee, Usage Fees — purchase fee ¥500 per order, plan fees, the ¥2,800 customs clearance commission over ¥200,000. Read 19 September 2026
- Buyee, Notices — "Application of Duty Prepaid (DDP) for Shipments to the United States" (17 September 2025, updated), "Changes to the Calculation and Billing Methods for Prepaid Duties and Customs Clearance Fees for Shipments to the United States" (9 April 2026), "Notice of Revision to the Buyee Purchase Fee" (13 March 2026). Read 19 September 2026
- USTR, Notice of Actions in Section 301 Investigations, 91 FR 47318, published 28 July 2026, effective 24 July 2026 — "12.5 percent tariffs net of MFN on products of Japan", and the rule that the two together come to 12.5%
- USTR, Fact sheet on the Section 301 action, July 2026 — the exemption for informational materials, donations and accompanied baggage
- Japan Post, 米国宛て郵便物の引受再開に関するお知らせ（続報2）, 14 July 2026 — duty prepaid before posting for anything bought, up to $2,500
- Japan Post, 米国宛て郵便物の引受再開について, 13 April 2026 — the prepayment operator (Zonos) and that it charges its own fee
