Japanese cards, figures, snacks and fashion bought in Japan and resold in the US. Landed cost decides your margin.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Japanese imports seller. Change the answers to fit yours.
Lighting
Large, soft light for clothing and full-body shots.
Microphone
Keeps your voice clear when you turn away from the phone.
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Add up the price in yen converted at your card's rate, the Japanese seller's shipping, the proxy fee, your share of international shipping, any duty and the carrier's brokerage fee. Divide by the number of items in the box.
Compare that figure with US sold prices, minus platform fees and domestic shipping. If the gap is thin, a delayed box or a new tariff turns it into a loss.
A proxy buys from Japanese sites for you, holds the items in a warehouse and ships them on together. Compare fees per item, storage time and shipping methods before you pick one.
Read listing photos closely and run the description through a translator. Japanese sellers grade condition carefully, so a note about a small mark usually means a small mark.
Open every box on camera or with photos, in case something broke in transit and you need to file a claim. Check each item against your order list.
Inspect print, holograms and box seals before you list anything. Set aside anything that doesn't look right and don't sell it.
Japanese booster boxes and blind box figures suit Whatnot breaks and openings. Explain on camera that the cards have Japanese text, and show the box seal before you open it.
For eBay, Mercari and Depop, put Japanese edition in the title and photograph the language on the card or box. Clothing needs measurements, because Japanese sizes run smaller than US labels suggest.
Keep original Japanese boxes in good shape: collectors pay more for clean packaging. Wrap boxed figures in bubble wrap and ship them in a small box, never a poly mailer.
Single cards go in a sleeve and toploader inside a rigid mailer. Weigh each order and buy a USPS Ground Advantage label on Pirate Ship or your platform's label tool.
Keep every import invoice, proxy receipt and customs bill. They are your costs when you report profit on Schedule C, and the IRS expects records whether or not you get a 1099-K.
Reselling imports for profit makes you a business. Your listing has to match the item, including its language and edition, or platform buyer protection will side with the buyer.
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
Complete kits for one kind of seller, costed and laid out.
What most orders like these ship by, at today’s published rates. Rates checked October 7, 2026.
USPS Ground Advantage, under 1 lbUsual$6.93 to $8.95
Clothing, cards in a mailer and other small items under 1 lb. Tracked, with $100 insurance included.
eBay Standard Envelope$0.82 to $1.40
Tracked letter for eBay cards and flat items selling under $20, up to 3 oz.
USPS Ground Advantage, 1 to 2 lb$7.61 to $13.42
Shoes, jeans and boxed items up to 2 lb, tracked with $100 insurance.
Boxed figures in poly mailers. Collectors buy the box as much as the figure, and send dented ones back.
One roll covers a couple of hundred small packages.
Light boxes for boxed toys and beauty sets.
US buyers pay a premium for things that only ship in Japan: Japanese-language trading card sets, prize figures, limited sneakers and stationery. You buy through a proxy service, a Japanese marketplace or on a trip, and sell here on Whatnot, eBay, Mercari or Depop.
Your margin depends on the landed cost: the item, Japanese domestic shipping, proxy fees, international shipping, then any customs duty and the carrier's brokerage fee. Work it out per item before you order.
Counterfeits are common in popular lines. Buy from sellers with a long record and check every piece when it lands.
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
US import rules for low-value packages changed in 2025, and duty-free entry for small shipments has been suspended. Check the current rules on cbp.gov before every order, because carriers now charge duty and a brokerage fee on many packages.
It depends on the tariff classification, the value and any tariffs in force on Japanese goods that year. Look up the item in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule at hts.usitc.gov rather than guessing.
Combining through a proxy saves on international shipping, but a bigger box carries a bigger duty bill and may need formal entry above $2,500. Run the numbers both ways.
Fakes show blurry print, wrong colors, flimsy boxes and missing holograms or official stickers. Compare against photos from a trusted shop. Selling counterfeits breaks federal trademark law and every platform's rules.
Yes. Put Japanese or JP in the title and say the text is in Japanese, so buyers know what they're getting and don't return it as not as described.
Japan runs on 100 volts with a similar plug, so many devices work, but they lack US safety listing like UL and some run hot on 120 volts. The simpler route is cards, figures, clothing and other non-electrical items.
