What Is Local Buy?

Japan has many products that are easier to find in physical stores than online.

Maybe you want something from a Japanese supermarket.

Maybe you found a stationery item at LOFT.

Maybe you want cosmetics from a Japanese drugstore, anime goods from Animate, or several products from Don Quijote.

Local Buy is a simple way to have us shop for these items on your behalf in Japan.

We visit stores around our warehouse and other nearby locations and purchase the products you are looking for.

You don’t need to have a product URL.

Just tell us what you want, and we’ll take it from there.

Best For

Local Buy is ideal for:

Products sold in Japanese physical stores
Japanese supermarket products
Drugstore products and cosmetics
Stationery and lifestyle goods
Anime and character merchandise
Electronics and household goods
Fashion items
Home improvement products
Multiple products from the same or nearby stores
Everyday Japanese products that are difficult to purchase from overseas

In short:

“Can you buy this for me at a Japanese store?”

That’s exactly what Local Buy is for.

Where Can We Shop?

Local Buy focuses on stores around our warehouse and other nearby locations that we can reasonably visit.

Examples include:

Electronics

Lifestyle & Stationery

Anime & Pop Culture

Drugstores

Matsumoto Kiyoshi
Other nearby Japanese drugstores

Supermarkets

Ito-Yokado
LIFE
Other nearby supermarkets

Fashion

UNIQLO
GU

Home Improvement

Kohnan
Unidy

Discount & Variety Stores

Don Quijote

This is not a complete list of stores.

If you have a specific store in mind, tell us the store name and we’ll check whether it is within our service area.

How Local Buy Works

Step 1

Submit Your Request

Tell us what you would like us to purchase. You do not need a product URL. You can provide:

Product name
Photos
Product description
Quantity
Preferred color or size
Budget
Store name
Any other information you have

Even a simple request such as:

“Please buy this from a Japanese store.”

is fine.

Step 2

We Check Your Request

We review your request and confirm whether it can be handled through Local Buy. We may check:

Which store sells the product
Whether the store is within our service area
Whether the requested item is likely to be available

If the product can easily be purchased online, we may recommend Easy Buy instead. If you need help identifying the product or finding where it is sold, we may recommend Deep Research.

Step 3

Local Buy

Once Local Buy is confirmed, we visit the appropriate store and purchase the requested items.

If you are requesting multiple products, we can purchase them together as part of the same shopping trip.

We will purchase the items according to the information and conditions confirmed in advance.

Step 4

Purchase Report

After the purchase, we provide a purchase report with information about the items purchased. This allows you to confirm what was purchased on your behalf.

Step 5

International Shipping

Once your purchased items arrive at our Japan address, we arrange international shipping.

International shipping is charged separately.

For detailed information about international shipping, please see our International Shipping Guide.

Local Buy Fee

💴 Local Buy Fee

Service fee¥7,000 / Request

The fee is not charged per item — you can request multiple items as part of one Local Buy request. Combining several products from eligible stores into one request may help reduce the service cost per item.

The ¥7,000 service fee includes:

Shopping at nearby eligible physical stores
Purchasing the requested items
Purchase report
Easy Buy service

Product costs and international shipping are not included. There are no other service fees for a standard Local Buy request.

What Is Not Included?

The following are not included in the Local Buy service fee:

Product costs
International shipping

Normally, there is no domestic shipping cost because we purchase the items directly from physical stores.

However, if we need to combine the purchase with an online order and domestic shipping is charged, the actual domestic shipping cost will be charged separately.

What If the Item Is Not Available?

Sometimes an item may be sold out when we visit the store.

If this happens, we will try to find another way to purchase the item when possible.

For example, we may combine the store purchase with an online purchase from a Japanese retailer.

Our goal is to help you obtain the requested item whenever reasonably possible.

However, if the item is unavailable both in-store and online, we may not be able to purchase it.

If an online purchase results in domestic shipping charges, the actual shipping cost will be charged separately.

How Many Items Can I Purchase?

There is no limit on the number of items you can request through Local Buy.

You can combine multiple products into one Local Buy request.

For example:

Several stationery items
Multiple drugstore products
Several Japanese snacks or household items
Multiple anime goods
A selection of products from a store

The ¥7,000 service fee applies per Local Buy request, not per item.

So if you need multiple products, combining them into one request may help reduce the service cost per item.

Local Buy vs. Easy Buy

Not sure which service you need?

Easy Buy

You already have a product URL.

We purchase the item from the online store for you.

From ¥2,000

Local Buy

You want us to visit a physical store and buy the item for you.

We visit eligible nearby stores and purchase the items on your behalf.

¥7,000 / request

In simple terms:

“I have the URL.” → Easy Buy

“Please go to the store and buy it.” → Local Buy

Local Buy vs. Treasure Hunt

Local Buy and Treasure Hunt both involve purchasing items in Japan, but they are designed for different needs.

Local Buy

For products that can reasonably be purchased from nearby eligible stores.

For example:

“Please buy this stationery from LOFT.”

“Please get these cosmetics from Matsumoto Kiyoshi.”

“Please buy several items from Don Quijote.”

¥7,000 / request

Treasure Hunt

For rare, difficult-to-find, or highly specific items that require a more extensive search.

Treasure Hunt may involve searching further afield, including specialized stores, markets, or events.

From ¥20,000

In simple terms:

“Please buy this from a Japanese store.” → Local Buy

“Please find this rare item for me.” → Treasure Hunt

Why Choose Local Buy?

Japan has countless physical stores offering products that may be difficult to purchase from overseas.

Supermarkets.

Drugstores.

Electronics stores.

Stationery stores.

Anime shops.

Home improvement stores.

Fashion stores.

You don’t need to travel to Japan yourself.

We’ll go shopping for you.

And because there is no item limit, you can combine multiple purchases into one Local Buy request.

Whether you need one product or a whole shopping list, Local Buy makes it easier to shop at Japanese stores from overseas.

Ready to Shop in Japan?

Have something you’d like us to buy from a Japanese store?

You don’t need a product URL.

Just tell us:

What do you want?
Where is it sold?
And how many do you need?

We’ll check your request and let you know if Local Buy is the right service.

If the item is available online, Easy Buy may be the better option.

If you need help finding or identifying the product, Deep Research may be more suitable.

If the item is rare and requires a more extensive search, Treasure Hunt may be the right choice.

Start Your Local Buy

Looking for Japanese Products?

We’ll help you buy, research, or even search for items across Japan.

🗺️ Submit a Request 📖 How It Works

FAQ

Do I need a product URL?

No.

You can provide the product name, photo, description, store name, or any other information you have.

What stores can you shop at?

We primarily shop at stores around our warehouse and other nearby locations that we can reasonably visit.

Examples include Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera, LOFT, Hands, Don Quijote, Animate,TSUTAYA,GEO Matsumoto Kiyoshi and other drugstores, Ito-Yokado, LIFE and other supermarkets, Village Vanguard, UNIQLO, GU,Unidy, and Kohnan.