Comparing Japanese Proxy Services: Which has the best value?

Last updated on August 6, 2026

Shopping with a proxy service can feel complicated at times—especially with all the different fees! Service fees, handling fees…you get the idea. These charges add up real quick, and can make your Japan purchase a bit more expensive than you initially bargained for. You’ve probably wondered:

“Is this really the cheapest way to do this?”
“Do other proxies cost this much?”
“Which proxy is actually the cheapest?”

In this article, we’ll give a transparent breakdown of all of DEJAPAN’s service and handling fees and compare them to the cost of other proxy services. We’ll also take a look at the different services offered by the top Japanese proxies to better understand which proxy might be the best value for you.

We understand that everyone’s shopping needs are unique, so we’ll also provide different order examples to help you determine which proxy may be best for your particular shopping habits.

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Table of Contents

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Criteria to Consider

There are plenty of things to consider when choosing a proxy to use. For many people, the cost is the biggest factor. However, we believe that a proxy’s service offerings also contribute to the overall value of a proxy.

As such, we’ll compare the top Japanese proxies across both of these determining factors.

Fee Comparisons

First, let’s take a look at a snapshot of each Japanese proxy services and their service fees.

If you’re only buying one item…

When researching proxy services and their costs, many people look at the service fee only (or at least at first). So, let’s try comparing these proxies by only their service fees.

In the case of only 1 item, DEJAPAN comes out as the cheapest option at 300 JPY per item URL, followed by Neokyo at 350 JPY per item, and ZenMarket at 300~500 JPY per item URL.

1. DEJAPAN → 300 JPY/item URL
2. Neokyo → 350 JPY/item URL
3. ZenMarket → 300~500 JPY/item URL*

*Only items purchased from ZenMarket’s “Recommended Stores” have a discounted service fee of 300 JPY.
The standard 500 JPY service fee is charged for other websites and stores (e.g. Amazon, Rakuten, etc.).

What if I want to buy multiple items?

If you’re ordering 2 or more items from the same store, Buyee and Sendico offer a better value in terms of service fees, with a flat fee of 500 JPY per order instead of per item URL. This can be a nice perk if you prefer to shop in bulk from the same store.

**Something to Remember**
Even if you purchase your items one by one in multiple orders, DEJAPAN and other proxies can still consolidate multiple orders into one parcel.
So don’t worry about feeling pressured to order multiple items in one order!

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For Mercari or JDirectItems Auctions…

These service fees start to get a little trickier if you’re buying from Mercari, JDirectItems Auctions, or other flea market sites. If you’re more of a Mercari or auction shopper, then Neokyo would be the the cheapest right off the bat, followed by Buyee and One Map at 500 JPY per item URL.

1. Neokyo→ 350 JPY/item URL
2. Buyee → 500 JPY/order
3. One Map → 500 JPY/item URL

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Additional Costs to Check Before Ordering

It’s important to note that several sites may include additional fees that aren’t immediately obvious. They often appear as a transaction or funds deposit fee. These fees serve meaningful business needs on the proxy side, but it is an additional cost that needs to be considered.

Transaction, Payment Processing, and Deposit Fees

For example, here at DEJAPAN, we do charge a 3.5% transaction fee every time you complete a payment. This could be when you place an order for items (1st Payment), pay for international shipping (2nd Payment), or when you pay for any other special service fees, like our photo service, question fee, etc.

Below are some of the payment processing fees that show up during checkout with other proxy services. Since rates vary depending on the payment method, we opted to look into the rates for PayPal specifically—a globally popular payment option among users.
※ Date checked: July 31, 2026

• ZenMarket: 3.5% payment processing fee (called a “funds deposit fee”)*
• Neokyo: 3.6% + 40 JPY payment processing fee (PayPal)
• Sendico: funds deposit fee; rate not specified (394 JPY on a 10,000 JPY deposit)

*ZenMarket’s 3.5% funds deposit fee rate applies to most payment methods, but is only 1% for payments completed through Wise.

Buyee – Plan Fee

Buyee is one of the few services that doesn’t charge a deposit or transaction fee. However, Buyee does charge a different kind of extra fee: the “Plan Fee.”

This fee covers services such as checking whether the correct item has arrived at their warehouse and providing compensation if something goes wrong during delivery. While some proxy services include these protections as standard, Buyee separates them into optional paid plans, giving users more control over what they pay for. This could be a good option for anyone looking to keep costs as low as possible.

For this blog post’s comparison, though, we’re using equivalent service conditions across all providers, so we’ll include Buyee’s 500 JPY Plan Fee in the calculations from here on.

Neokyo – Packing Fee

Neokyo has another fee to keep in mind: the Packing Fee, charged when your parcel is prepared for international shipping.

The fee starts at 500 JPY for packages under 2 kg and increases by 150 JPY for each additional kilogram. This covers the box and protective packing materials used to prepare your shipment.

This fee applies to every parcel, and paying it is necessary if you want your items to actually reach you. Since it’s basically a non-negotiable, we decided to include the 500 JPY Packing Fee in our fee breakdown and comparison chart coming up.

Breakdown by Order Type

To get the most accurate information, we ran simulations with each of the proxy services mentioned above. We also separated them into two different types of orders: A) standard purchase, and B) auction/flea market purchase.

Order Type A: Standard Purchase (from a 3rd-party site)

A standard order is perhaps the most straightforward kind of order you can complete through a proxy service. These kinds of orders are basically where you place an order for items from regular shopping websites. This can be done directly on the proxy site’s platform for partner sites, or it can be submitted as a request using the item page URL.

For reference, some of the most popular sites to shop from in Japan include:

• Rakuten
• Amazon
• Booth
• Animate
• Toranoana
• Melonbooks

and many more!

The conditions for our standard purchase simulation are as follows:

• 3rd-Party Shopping Site: Rakuten
• Number of Items: 3 item URLs (different shops)
• Total Item Price: 10,000 JPY (5,000 JPY + 3,000 JPY + 2,000 JPY)
• Payment Method: PayPal

Standard Order: The Verdict

Below is the fee breakdown from our Standard Order simulation for each proxy, according to the conditions stated above.

For standard orders with 3 items, DEJAPAN came out on top as the cheapest option, but some of them are pretty close. However, the most expensive option was more than 1,700 JPY more than DEJAPAN, with the second most-expensive being nearly 800 JPY more. Of course, this is looking at just price alone.

However, it’s important to remember that the way these fees add up can vary, depending on the actual details of the order. In this case, the items are all from different stores, which incurred a service fee for each item. However, if the items were all from the same shop, then the “per-order” service fee setup will turn out to be cheaper than the “per-item-URL” service fee options.

But if we’re being honest, you’ll never truly know the actual cost of your order until you go through to the checkout page.

If you’d like to see the actual fee breakdown in our simulation for each proxy (Order Type A only), you can review screenshots of each transaction below.

DEJAPAN:

Buyee:

ZenMarket:

One Map:

Neokyo:

Sendico:

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Order Type B: Auctions and Flea Market Purchases

Since many proxy users like shopping almost exclusively on Mercari, JDirectItems Auctions, and other flea market sites, we decided that it was worth looking into this type of order in detail as well. Plus, several proxies have additional fees for Mercari, JDirectItems Auction, and other flea market sites, so what may have been a better deal for standard orders may not be the case for flea market and auction items.

The conditions are nearly the same as our simulation for standard purchases (Order Type A):

• Marketplace: Mercari
• Number of Items: 3 item URLs (different sellers)
• Total Item Price: 10,000 JPY (3,000 JPY + 3,000 JPY + 4,000 JPY)
• Payment Method: PayPal

Auctions and Flea Market Order: The Verdict

In this case, DEJAPAN came in 3rd overall. It was 804 JPY more expensive than the second-cheapest service and 1,350 JPY more than the cheapest, so it wasn’t the best option on price alone.

That said, marketplace orders are exactly where fee structures start to vary more widely. Some services charge higher marketplace fees, while others add packing, protection, or payment-processing fees elsewhere. So the cheapest-looking service fee doesn’t always mean the lowest final total.

For this flea market and auction orders, shoppers focused purely on price may find a better fit elsewhere. But cost is only one part of the comparison. What’s included in that price—and what each service can actually help you buy—matters too!

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the additional service options offered by each proxy.

Comparing Additional Service Options

Maybe you have unique Japan shopping needs to consider. For example, maybe you want to ship to domestic address in Japan, like your hotel when you finally take that trip to Japan. Perhaps you want more flexibility with your packing options. Or maybe you want to order less “traditional” goods (like digital items and kuji lottery prizes).

We compiled the different services offered across the top Japan proxies and compare them side-by-side in the chart below.

If you’re an influencer or regularly share your hauls and want to get a little extra cashback on all your shopping, a referral program may the deciding factor for you when choosing a proxy. There are a few proxies that have implemented this kind of affiliate program—at least on a small scale.

Other proxies provide additional support for packing items, allowing you to split orders, easily discard parts of items you don’t need or want, and repack parcels if you aren’t satisfied with the final parcel size/weight. Keep in mind, though, that these kinds of services often incur additional fees. If you decide to use these services, then the final cost of your purchases may increase significantly.

What about DEJAPAN?

DEJAPAN may not be the cheapest option all the time, but as a rather small proxy, we’re able to offer flexibility with the types of orders we do for customers. Some of these non-standard orders may cost additional fees (special orders do take more work, you know), but we are happy to do the work so these exclusive items are available to our customers!

These special service options include:

• Price negotiations on flea market sites
• Kuji raffles (e.g., Ichiban Kuji, DMM Scratch, etc.)
• Digital items
• Purchasing exclusive free bonus items
• Event-related purchases (excluding event tickets)
• Shipping domestically within Japan

Want to get those otome game downloads, or those Valentine’s chocolates for your favorite Granblue Fantasy character? Or maybe you just gotta get your hands on that Yakuza merch that’s only on Sega Lucky Online Kuji? DEJAPAN’s got your back.

Or if you love to drive a bargain with flea market sellers, we can help you price negotiate up to 20% off for an item. We can’t always guarantee success, but you never know unless you try! Plus, smaller teams mean more personable communication with the seller.

DEJAPAN is also able to place bids on Mercari Auction orders! The regular flea market handling fee will apply, just like any other Mercari order, but that’s a whole category of Mercari items that only DEJAPAN can help you get!

While some of these special orders may cost a little more upfront, to customers who really want those special, exclusive items, it’s more than worth it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

So, which Japanese proxy service offers the best value?

Annoyingly, there isn’t one simple answer. The cheapest option depends on where you’re shopping, how many items you’re buying, and which additional services you actually need.

For standard purchases from sites like Rakuten, Amazon, Booth, and Suruga-ya, DEJAPAN performed well in our comparison. For Mercari and JDirectItems Auctions, however, DEJAPAN didn’t have the lowest total fees, so shoppers focused purely on minimizing fees may find better value elsewhere.

But fees aren’t the whole story. Packing, protection plans, supported order types, and other service options can all affect the overall value of a proxy, and whether that service suits your shopping needs.

At DEJAPAN, we aim to keep our fees clear and make it easier to shop for a wide range of items, including:

• Price negotiations on flea market sites
• Kuji raffles
• Digital items
• Purchase of free exclusive bonus items
• Mercari Auction orders
• Event-related purchases, excluding event tickets

So, are we always the cheapest? No, we’re not. 😔 But depending on what you’re buying, we may still offer the better overall value.

The best proxy is the one that matches your shopping habits—not just the one with the lowest-looking service fee.