ZenMarket - Frequently Asked Questions (2024)

We operate as an online shopping platform with a virtual shopping cart allowing you to shop from different Japanese sites all in one convenient place.

From our website, you have direct access to the main online shopping platforms in Japan such as Mercari, Rakuten, Amazon Japan, and Yahoo Shopping. You can also participate in real-time online auctions on the Yahoo! Auctions website.

To add products to your ZenMarket cart, simply conduct your searches from the search bar at the top of our site with your desired keywords. Note that Japanese keywords will yield better results. You can also directly copy and paste the URL links of products from Japanese sites where you wish to purchase without needing to register for an account for those websites.

If necessary, specify in the comments the color, model, and/or size of the items. Within 24-48 hours, one of our operators will confirm the price and availability of the items, and you will receive a quote.

To shop, you only need to add funds to your account with your preferred payment method, which you can then use to pay for your purchases, shipping fees for your parcels, etc.*

A video tutorial is available here.

*These funds can be withdrawn from your account at any time.

ZenMarket allows you to get your hands on all rare or exclusive Japan-only products that you won't find anywhere else at the best prices.

Signing up for ZenMarket is quick, easy, and completely free. You can purchase items from many Japanese sites and gather your items to ship them in a single package. Storage of your items in our warehouses is free for 60 days.

We offer various international shipping methods, various payment methods, as well as other useful additional services such as a photo service, parcel reinforcement, and even a loyalty program to allow you to buy on credit.

All our services are available in 19 languages (website and customer service), and our team is available 7 days a week to answer your questions and help you buy products on Japanese websites.

Preparation and consolidation of your parcels are free, and all our shipments also include parcel insurance and tracking. Parcels bound for eligible destinations can have their VAT / GST levied in advance, resulting in a smooth transition through your country's customs procedures and ensuring you do not get any costly surprises when your parcel arrives.*

* More information about VAT for parcels bound for EU and the United Kingdom in this article.

* More information about GST for parcels bound for Australia in this article.

* More information about GST for parcels bound for Singapore in this article.

Yes, some stores do not allow purchasing services like ZenMarket to buy from their site.

Some sites are also considered fraudulent or too risky to purchase from by our risk management team, and we block access to protect our customers. We block sellers and shops with low customer ratings for the same reason.

ZenMarket stores your items for free in the warehouse for 60 days. If you want to store your items in our warehouse for more than 60 days, it will cost you 50 yen per day per item.

Please note that after 90 days, you must have shipped your items or they will be destroyed by ZenMarket.

The purchase of products and auctions by ZenMarket is only partly automated. Our purchasing system is a mix of automated purchases by ZenBot, our automatic price verification system, and manual purchases made by our operators.

So, some products are purchased more quickly than others because their purchasing system is automated. For others, it is necessary to perform a manual check, which takes more time.

If we cannot purchase an item because it is no longer in stock on the Japanese site, the order will be canceled and your funds will be fully refunded to you.

※ Note: For some sites that restock their products quickly and regularly, we may leave the item in your cart until it is restocked.

No, you must add the other products you want to buy to your ZenMarket cart yourself.

Additionally, if the products are identical but have different characteristics (size, color, etc.), they must be purchased and added separately.

No, the photos provided by the sellers in their listings and on their websites are the only ones available.

However, you can request our teams to take photos of your items once they arrive in our warehouses. This service costs 500 yen per item for three photos. You can find more information about our photo service in this article.

No, as a customer, you are responsible for purchases made on Japanese sites via ZenMarket.

Please refer to the list of items prohibited for shipping if you have any doubts about a product. You can also ask questions about this directly to our team via the "Messages" tab in your ZenMarket account.

Note that some items require an unblocking request to be purchased, depending on the country they will be sent to. Please send an unblocking request (red button) and our team will inform you whether you can ship this item to your country or not.

Yes, some sellers and stores offer to combine items when sending them to ZenMarket. Most stores and sellers accept, but some may refuse for reasons beyond ZenMarket's control.

Regarding auctions on Yahoo! Auctions, our system automatically requests sellers to combine shipping only for items purchased between 5 a.m. JST (Japan Standard Time) of the current day and 5 a.m. of the next day. Please note that any item purchased outside of this period will not be accepted for combined shipping.

There are several reasons for this.

On Yahoo! Auctions and Mercari:

• The seller simply does not accept sending multiple items in one package.
• The items were not won within a 24-hour period (Our system approves grouping requests only if they are made from 5 a.m. (Japanese time) to 5 a.m. the next day.)
• It may be cheaper to ship the items separately.

On other sites:

• The store does not allow multiple items to be shipped in one package.
• The items are shipped from different warehouses/stores.
• Some items cannot be ordered together (if one of the items is on pre-order, for example, or if the number of items in stock is limited).

Yes, it is sometimes possible to cancel the order of an item before its shipment to our warehouse if the seller accepts it (note that many online stores refuse).

For items already shipped or delivered to our warehouse, 1000 yen cancellation fee will be charged, in addition to any return fees (transport, packaging).

You can add funds by credit card (VISA, Master Card, American Express, Maestro), via Stripe, PayPal, Skrill, or through international bank transfer with Wise and Swift. Conventional bank transfers with IBAN or BIC code are also accepted.

Additional payment methods may also be available depending on your region.

Regardless of the chosen currency, your funds will be converted into yen upon arrival in your ZenMarket account.

If you make small payments, the fastest and cheapest method is credit card or PayPal. If you want to deposit large amounts (over 100,000 yen), it is preferable to make an international bank transfer. Please note that transfers may take several days with this method.

You can also pay in cryptocurrencies through the CoinGate platform (Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum can be used to deposit funds).

Sometimes, money transfers may take longer than expected. Some transfers are completed within minutes, while others may take several days.

If the transfer duration seems abnormally long, we recommend contacting the ZenMarket customer service team from the "Messages" tab of your ZenMarket account, as well as the financial institution through which you made the transaction.

Yes, you can withdraw the funds you added to your ZenMarket account at any time. From "My Account," click on the "Payments" tab, where you'll find a "Withdraw" button. Click it and indicate the amount in yen you wish to withdraw.

Please note that there may be transfer fees when withdrawing funds depending on the chosen payment method. Also note that it is impossible to withdraw money you have earned through our campaigns or promotions.

No, currently, it is not possible to get an invoice for your products purchased via ZenMarket.

However, you can request an invoice for your packages, meaning an invoice indicating the price of the items, but only for the items in the specific package.

You can also review your payment history (purchases, money transfers, cashback, etc.) from the "Payments" tab on our website.

Yes, ZenMarket's loyalty program allows our regular customers to enjoy a credit ranging from 5,000 yen (approximately US$33) to 500,000 yen (approximately $3,360) to make purchases on Japanese websites or place bids on Yahoo! Auctions.

See the ZenMarket Loyalty Program section of the FAQ for more information on this.

* Important: The credit system is calculated automatically based on the number of parcels sent in the previous 4 calendar months. The change in credit limit is updated on the 1st of each month.

You can find more information about our loyalty program in this article.

Sometimes, additional fees are charged after purchase. For example, when you buy items at auctions, in most cases, domestic delivery fees and fees for bank transfers are charged later.

Negative funds can also mean that you have purchased products on credit. In this case, simply add funds to replenish your account to at least zero.

Please note that in the case of a negative balance displayed on your account, you have one month to repay the amount due. Failure to do so will result in a temporary or permanent suspension of your account, from using ZenMarket loyalty program, or in extreme cases, bans from using the service altogether.

Please also note that no parcels can be paid for or shipped if your balance is negative.

We cannot know the exact weight of products purchased on Japanese websites before they arrive at our warehouses. We also cannot know how many items you will combine in one parcel or which country you will send it to.

Therefore, we can only offer you an estimate before the parcel preparation is complete. You can get an estimate of the weight of different types of products from this page.

Yes, from the "Parcels" tab, click on "Create a new parcel". Once your items are selected, in the "Parcel Options" section, click on "Make a special request".

If your parcel is too heavy or too large for the chosen shipping method, you can choose "Split items into two or more parcels" as a strategy for shipping.

Your items will then be prepared in multiple parcels that will be shipped using the method you initially chose. Note that each parcel will require shipping fees, will have a different tracking number, and will be sent separately.

Yes, it is possible to add one or more items to your parcel under certain conditions:

• If your parcel preparation has not yet started, your parcel can be canceled free of charge to add an item to it.
• If preparation has already started but packaging has not yet been completed, 1000¥ will be charged for the modification.
• If parcel preparation is already complete, fees are charged per box and are based on weight according to the following scale:

-Up to 4,999 g: 1000¥
-From 5,000 g to 14,999 g: 2000¥
-15,000 g to 29,999 g: 3000¥
-30,000 g and above: 4000¥

You can submit all your parcel requests directly to our customer support team from the "Messages" tab of your ZenMarket account.

Normally, our warehouse teams package your parcels in a few days, but during certain periods of the year, such as Japanese holidays and vacations, parcel preparation may take longer.

Also note that the more items in your parcel, the longer the preparation time will be, as well as if you have requested specific packaging options (consolidation, special requests , etc.).

If your parcel has not been packaged for a long time, please feel free to contact our support team directly via the "Messages" tab of your ZenMarket account for more information on the status of your parcel.

Once your package has left our warehouse, the carrier you have chosen is responsible for the successful delivery of your package internationally, from our warehouses in Japan to your home. You can inquire directly for further information.

You also have access, regardless of the shipping method selected, to the tracking link for your package from the "Parcels" tab of your ZenMarket account. Next to the blue box for each package shipped you will find a tracking link and a link for the shipping document.

If your package does not arrive on the date indicated on the tracking or if you suspect any delivery issues, send a message to the ZenMarket customer service team. We will try as much as possible to help you trace your package.

There are cases that Japan Post tracking is no longer updated when the package enters your country territory. In these situations, you can also check package tracking on Aftership by indicating the tracking number provided by ZenMarket. Note that the website is not affiliated with ZenMarket.

Also note that for packages sent by boat (Surface), package tracking stops as soon as the boat has left the port and only starts again once it has unloaded its goods at the safe port..