TL;DR
Proxy fees at a glance (public rates, June 2026)
| Service | Proxy fee | Inspection | Notes for card buyers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kangaroo Japan | from ~¥300–350 / item (estimated) | Paid photo inspection (front/back/corners) | TCG-safe packing standard: sleeve + toploader + rigid mailer; reinforced boxes for slabs. |
| Buyee | ~¥500 / order | Inspection plan ~¥300 | Official Mercari partner; broad general-goods platform, packing is generic by default. |
| ZenMarket | ~¥800 / Mercari purchase; ~¥300 recommended stores; ~¥500 others | Varies by store tier | Famous for flat per-item pricing; Mercari purchases now carry the higher tier. |
| Neokyo | ~¥350 / item | Not standard | Lean and cheap; fewer card-specific services. |
| FromJapan | ~¥500 / item (protection plan) | Covered by protection plan | Two-step payment model; established general proxy. |
Rates are the services' public figures as researched in June 2026 and change over time — always confirm on their sites. Ours are estimates finalized at checkout; the full breakdown is on the fees page.
What actually matters for cards
1. Packing standards
A ¥50,000 alt-art arriving with a bent corner erases every yen you saved on fees. General proxies pack cards like any small good unless you pay for extras. We pack every card sleeve + toploader + rigid mailer as the default, and graded slabs go in reinforced boxes.
2. Pre-shipment inspection
Secondhand Japanese listings are graded by the seller's subjective standard (美品 "excellent", 傷あり "with damage"). A photo inspection — front, back, corners — before international shipping is the only way to catch a misdescribed card while it can still be disputed. We offer it as a paid add-on and recommend it for anything high-value.
3. Consolidation
International shipping and the U.S. customs clearance fee (~$9–17) are per-parcel costs. Buying five cards and shipping once is dramatically cheaper than five parcels — whichever proxy you use, consolidate. Since 2026 every U.S. import also pays a flat 10% duty; the details are in our 2026 import tax guide.
When each service is the right call
- Choose Buyeeif you want the biggest brand with official Mercari integration and you're buying general goods alongside the occasional card.
- Choose ZenMarket if you value one predictable per-item fee and mostly buy from regular shops rather than Mercari.
- Choose Neokyoif you want the leanest fee on cheap items and don't need inspection or card-specific packing.
- Choose Kangaroo Japan if cards are the point: TCG-safe packing by default, photo inspection before shipping, Mercari + Yahoo! Auctions + Japanese card shops in one place, and honest customs declaration every time.
Quick answers
Which Japan proxy is cheapest for a single cheap card?
For one low-value card, per-item fees matter less than shipping — every service's international shipping dwarfs the proxy fee. Consolidating several cards into one parcel matters far more than which proxy you pick.
Which proxy is safest for expensive cards?
Look for TCG-specific packing (sleeve, toploader, rigid mailer), pre-shipment photo inspection, and honest customs declaration — insurance claims are capped at the declared value, so a service that under-declares is a risk, not a discount.
Can I use these services for Yahoo! Auctions, not just Mercari?
Yes — Buyee, ZenMarket and Kangaroo Japan all support Yahoo! Auctions bidding as well as Mercari purchases. Auction wins can't be cancelled, so set your maximum bid deliberately.