Amazon Japan

Amazon.co.jp is Japan's biggest marketplace. Everything is new, sold both by Amazon itself and by Japanese shops on its storefront. It is not a Japanese view of the Amazon you know: the catalogue here is its own, and much of it is never shipped outside Japan.

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What Japanese Amazon is and how to order from it

What Japanese Amazon is

Amazon.co.jp is not the Japanese window of the American Amazon — it is a separate store. The two have little in common: Japanese brands, Japanese sizes, Japanese versions of the same models. Some goods are sold by Amazon itself, others by Japanese shops on its marketplace.

Japanese makers release the domestic version first, and often only for Japan. What people order from here most are table-tennis rubbers and blades — Butterfly, Nittaku, Yasaka — manga and art books, vitamins, cosmetics and pharmacy items. A model can carry the same name abroad and still be a different thing: contents, sizes, revision. Outside Japan such items are either not sold at all or arrive through resellers at a noticeably higher price.

How to order through Maketto

1Find the item in our catalogue — by search or through the collections. If you have already found it on amazon.co.jp, paste the link into the search and the same card will open here.
2Read the description and the specs. The Japanese version often differs from what is sold elsewhere, and the difference shows exactly in the specs.
3Place the order and pay for it on the site.
4We buy the item. Within Japan Amazon is quick: it usually reaches our warehouse in a day or two.
5We ship the parcel to you. Several purchases can go in one parcel — that costs less than sending each on its own.

What the price is made of

The price on the card is the Japanese one: that is what the item costs in yen on Amazon. Three things are counted on top. Delivery within Japan to our warehouse — looked at per item and shown on the card; where Amazon does not charge for it, that shows too. Our fee — 10% of the order, minimum ¥1,000. And the international shipping: it cannot be named in advance, it is calculated by the parcel's weight, and the weight is only known at the warehouse.

Worth knowing

Maketto is not Amazon and not a shop. We buy the item on your behalf, as an ordinary customer, and send it to you. Warranty, returns and exchanges stay with the seller and follow the seller's rules.
The date on the card is the date it reaches our warehouse in Japan, not your door. The journey to you is counted separately and starts once the item is with us.
«Free delivery» on Amazon often applies only to a new customer's first order. We buy there constantly, so for us that delivery is paid — the price you see carries its real cost, not the zero from Amazon's storefront.
Prices on Amazon change often, sometimes several times a day. We calculate the final amount at the moment of purchase. If the price has gone up, we write and ask whether to take it.
Some sellers ship from outside Japan rather than from within it. Such an item takes longer to reach our warehouse — the date is on the card.
Several Amazon items go into one order. They travel as a single parcel once all of them have reached the warehouse.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the official Amazon?

No. Maketto is a Japanese purchasing and shipping service. You place the order with us, and we buy the item on Amazon.co.jp in our own name and send it to you.

How is Japanese Amazon different from the one I know?

The goods. It is a separate store with its own catalogue: Japanese brands, Japanese versions of models, Japanese sizes. Much of it comes out here before the rest of the world, and some of it comes out nowhere else.

How much does shipping cost?

There are two legs. The first is within Japan, to our warehouse: it is priced on the card, and for some items Amazon does not charge for it. The second is international, to you: we calculate it once the parcel is packed, because it depends on the weight and the destination.

What happens if the price changes?

We calculate the amount at the moment of purchase. If the price has gone up, we write and ask whether to take it. If the item is gone, we refund the money.

Can I order several items at once?

Yes. Amazon items go into one order, and a parcel can be made up of several purchases — the international shipping then costs less than sending each item separately.

Do items come with Japanese manuals?

Usually yes: the item was made for the Japanese market. With appliances the socket matters more — anything that plugs straight into the wall is built for Japan's 100 volts, and that is worth checking before you order. Devices with an external power adapter, and anything battery-powered, work anywhere: you only need a plug adapter.