Which payment methods are accepted in Japanese online shops / on internet auctions?

　
Below are the major payment methods:

Online Shops

Bank transfer
Using online banking, transactions can be made within seconds. However, only transactions from Japanese accounts will be accepted, making this payment method difficult for many overseas customers.

Postal(Giro) transfer
Sending money by postal transfer is relatively cheap; all you need is the recipient's address. As sending money this way can take some days, you should ask your seller if this option is available.

Credit card
While many smaller shops do not accept credit cards, most of the bigger ones will accept cards from virtually all issuing companies. Provided this payment method is available, this is the easiest way of buying from Japan for Japanese but most of Japanese shops do not accept foreign creditcards.

PayPal
Paypal has not arrived in Japan yet. There are local alternatives, but they require a Japanese bank account, making it hard for foreign customers to use them.


Auction

Bank transfer

Postal transfer

Yahoo Easy Payment (creditcards)
Yahoo doesn't accept foreign creditcards.

Japanese shops are still not used to making business with overseas customers. If you want to buy a specific item, it would be best to contact the shop / seller directly in Japanese (most of Japanese shops don't have English speaking staffs). Some might accept payment in cash, sent by letter. Telling them about our service will make it more likely to get into business, as many will not ship to foreign countries, being worried about possible troubles. It is always easy to have some kind of contact person in Japan, and this is what our service is about.