Buying from Japan
Japanese labels rarely ship internationally, and when they do the markup is steep. The reliable route is to buy from the official Japanese store (or a Japanese stockist) and use a forwarding / proxy-buy service to consolidate and reship. Here is how to do it for the brands CALMAR tracks.
Brands worth buying
Where to buy
- Brand official JP stores — Most JP brands sell via their own .jp site or Rakuten — both need a JP address.
- ZOZOTOWN ↗ — Japan's largest fashion marketplace; carries many domestic brands.
- Mercari / Yahoo Auctions ↗ — Best for archive / sold-out pieces; needs a proxy buyer.
Step by step
- 1
Pick a forwarder or proxy buyer
Forwarding = you order to a Japanese warehouse address, they reship. Proxy-buy = they order on your behalf (needed for Mercari/sites that block foreign cards).
- 2
Order to the JP warehouse
Use the warehouse address as your shipping address. Domestic JP shipping is usually free or cheap.
- 3
Consolidate + reship
Wait for multiple parcels to arrive, consolidate into one box to save on per-kg international rates.
- 4
Declare honestly for customs
China personal-import duty applies above the de-minimis. Under-declaring risks seizure; ask the forwarder about tax-inclusive lines.
Forwarding / proxy-buy services
Third-party services; fees per their own terms.
Tips
- ·JP sizing runs small — see our size guide before ordering.
- ·Raw denim (Kapital, studio-d'artisan) ships heavy; factor weight into forwarding cost.