Japanese fishing tackle: Shimano, Daiwa, Megabass, Yamaga Blanks
Reels, rods, lures, lines and gear from Japanese shops and auctions. We buy where the Japanese buy, at the same price.
Why people buy tackle from Japan
The best Shimano and Daiwa series are made for the Japanese market. Only part of the range leaves the country, a year or two later and in a different build, and many reels and blanks are never exported at all. Japan is the only place to buy them.
The second reason is price. Shops in Japan compete with each other, and there is no chain of importers between the factory and the buyer. Tackle changes hands often here, so the second-hand market is a big one.
What it costs
A Shimano 22 Stella 4000XG costs around 76,000 yen in Japanese shops. The same reel sells in Russia for 69,000 to 105,000 roubles depending on the dealer and the discount, and half the sizes are simply out of stock. You see the order total before you pay. Shipping is counted separately, once the parcel is packed and weighed at the warehouse: the weight is unknown until then, so that is when we name the figure.
Shimano reels
See all →Daiwa reels
See all →Rods
See all →New reels from Rakuten
See all →New rods
See all →Lines and braids
See all →Apparel and gear
See all →Shimano reels at auction
See all →Daiwa reels at auction
See all →JDM rarities and limited runs
See all →Lures
See all →How it works in Japan
Shops and auctions are different purchases
Yahoo Shopping and Rakuten are ordinary shops: new goods, a price on the tag, bought the same day. Yahoo Auction is bidding with a closing date. It turns up what the shops no longer have — discontinued series, limited runs, lures from old batches. Tackle is mostly bought new, so the shop sets come first and the auction follows.
JDM is a market, not a label
JDM means the item was made to be sold inside Japan. Such a reel may have a different spool, a different gear ratio, Japanese lettering on the body and a manual with no English. It is the same model, built for a Japanese angler — and it is not sold outside Japan.
How the bidding goes
You name your limit — the sum we should not go above. We place the bid in the last seconds: until the very end a lot often stays cheap, because everyone is waiting for the close. If the lot is lost, the money stays on your balance and we bid on the next one like it.
About fakes
A Japanese seller holds on to their account: sell one copy and there is nowhere left to trade. There are noticeably fewer fakes here than on the big platforms, so second-hand is bought without much worry. Second-hand trade in Japan is licensed, and everyone selling abroad holds that licence.
How an order goes
- 1Pick a model from the sets above or send a link — to a Japanese shop or to an auction lot. A model name is enough too, we will find it.
- 2We count the cost and show it before payment. For an auction lot there is no price yet, only your limit: we will not go above it.
- 3You pay by card on the site. Shop items we buy straight away; for a lot we wait for the bidding to close.
- 4The purchase arrives at our warehouse in Toyama. We check the contents and pack the parcel.
- 5We weigh the parcel, invoice you for shipping and send it off. To Russia we ship by sea via Vladivostok or by air via Kazakhstan — there has been no direct mail from Japan since 2022.
Worth knowing before you order
- Fishing tackle is not covered by the Japanese export limits on shipments to Russia: reels, rods, lures, lines and clothing all leave freely.
- A rod is a separate conversation because of its length: the post office does not take every size. Two-piece and telescopic rods cause no trouble; a long one-piece blank sometimes does. For rods we say in advance how the parcel will travel — a long tube costs more than an ordinary box.
- Duty-free is €200 and 31 kg per parcel; above that, 15% on the excess plus a customs charge. One reel fits inside the limit; a reel with a rod and a box of lures may go over. If it does, we say so in advance and split the shipment.
- A second-hand lot is sold as is. The seller describes the condition and posts photos, but there is no returning something that did not suit you at a Japanese auction: it is bidding, not a shop.
Frequent questions
How long does an order take?
Shop items are bought within one to three working days. An auction lot waits for the bidding to close, usually a few days. After that it depends on how quickly the seller delivers to our warehouse and on the next shipment date. For your order we give the dates once we see the list.
What does "used" mean at a Japanese auction?
The condition is stated with a single word: 新品 — new, 未使用 — unused but the box was opened, 中古 — used, ジャンク — "junk": sold as is and usually not working. You will not have to deal with Japanese: the listing is translated right on the product page.
How do I judge the condition from photos?
Look at how many shots there are and what is on them. A careful seller photographs the lot from every side, spool, foot and rotor included, and describes scratches and missing parts in detail, down to a spare spool that is gone. Three distant photos are a reason to walk past. Play and the feel of the mechanism do not show in photos, so an expensive reel is safer bought new or marked as unused.
What if the lot is lost?
You lose nothing: the money stays on your balance. We bid on the next lot like it or refund the balance — whichever you say.
Who pays the customs duty?
The recipient. Duty starts past €200 and 31 kg per parcel: 15% on the excess plus a customs charge. If the order goes over the limit, we warn you in advance and offer to split it into two parcels.
Can I return a purchase?
New goods go by the rules of the Japanese shop, and those differ from shop to shop — returning something from abroad rarely works out. Second-hand and auction lots are not returned at all. If the wrong item arrives, or it is damaged on the way, that is on us and we sort it out.
Did not find the model you need?
Send us a link to a lot or a shop — we will price it and tell you in advance how the item will travel and where duty on it may start.
See also: Table tennis