Tenso vs ZenMarket: Forwarding vs Proxy — Which One Do You Actually Need?
- JOSIC Writer 0763
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
Most comparison articles about Japanese shopping services treat Tenso and ZenMarket as two versions of the same thing.
They aren't.
Choosing between them isn't a question of price or features — it's a question of what kind of service you actually need, and the answer depends entirely on how you plan to buy.
Tenso is a forwarding service. ZenMarket is a proxy service. These are fundamentally different models, and using the wrong one for your situation will either lock you out of the purchase entirely or cost you more than necessary.
A note on naming: There are two separate services that use the "Tenso" name. tenso.com is operated by Tenso Inc. (the same company that runs Buyee) and is the most widely referenced. Tenso Japan (tensojapan.com) is a separate company operated by Navibird Inc. They operate differently and have different storage policies. This article focuses on tenso.com unless otherwise noted — but see the storage section for the key difference between the two.
This article explains the distinction properly, then runs a deep comparison across fees, platform access, storage, shipping, and what each service genuinely can and can't do in 2026.
Jump to a section:
The core distinction: forwarding vs proxy
This is the part most guides skip, and it's the most important thing to understand before reading anything else.
Forwarding services (Tenso)
A forwarding service gives you a Japanese warehouse address. You use that address when you purchase from Japanese websites yourself. When the item arrives at the warehouse, the forwarder packages it and ships it internationally to your real address.
What you're paying for: a Japanese address and international shipping. Nothing else.
Legally, you are the importer of record. Tenso is simply a handoff point. You are responsible for the accuracy of the customs declaration, for ensuring the item is legal to import into your country, and for the purchase contract with the original seller.
What this requires from you:
The ability to create an account on the Japanese shopping site
A payment method the site accepts (Japanese credit card, or the site must accept foreign cards)
Enough Japanese language ability to navigate the purchase, or the site must have English support
An understanding of what you're buying, since no one is checking the listing for you
Proxy services (ZenMarket)
A proxy service buys on your behalf. You give them a link or a product description, they purchase it using their own Japanese identity, payment method, and address — then ship it to you internationally.
What you're paying for: someone to do the entire purchase process for you, plus international shipping.
Legally, ZenMarket is the importer of record on the Japanese side — they enter the purchase contract with the seller using their own corporate accounts. The hand-off to you happens when they ship internationally. This distinction matters: it means ZenMarket manages the domestic purchase logistics and seller relationship, not you.
What this requires from you: nothing beyond knowing what you want and having funds to deposit.
Why this distinction matters before anything else
Forwarding only works if you can actually complete the purchase yourself on the Japanese site. Many Japanese e-commerce sites — including Mercari JP, Yahoo Auctions, and most auction platforms — either don't accept foreign credit cards or require Japanese identity verification to create an account. If you can't buy directly, forwarding is irrelevant. You need a proxy.
Conversely, if you're buying from a site that accepts foreign cards and ships internationally (Amazon Japan, some brand websites), you often don't need either service — you can buy directly. A forwarding service is useful when a site accepts foreign cards but won't ship overseas.
How Tenso works
Source: tenso.com | Usage fees | Fee updates
Tenso (tenso.com) is operated by Tenso Inc. — the same company that operates Buyee. It's the longest-running Japanese forwarding service and has processed shipments to over 130 countries.
The workflow
Register at tenso.com and receive your unique Japanese warehouse address
Shop at any Japanese site that accepts your payment — use your Tenso address as the delivery address
The item ships to Tenso's warehouse
Tenso notifies you when it arrives and provides a shipping cost estimate
You choose your international shipping method and pay
Tenso ships to your real address
What Tenso charges
System usage fee: ¥150 per package (raised from ¥100 in October 2025, citing rising labour, utility, and packaging costs)
Combining (consolidation) application fee: ¥200 standard / ¥150 simple (raised from ¥150 / ¥100 in October 2025)
Combining handling fee: ¥200 standard / ¥150 simple (same revision)
Customs clearance commission: ¥2,800 for shipments declared above ¥200,000
Forwarding fee: No change — this is the international shipping cost, charged at Tenso's negotiated carrier rates
EMS: Up to 10% discount on standard EMS rates — meaningful on heavier or denser packages where actual weight drives the cost. For compact but heavy items (books, planners, dense electronics), this discount can offset a meaningful portion of shipping cost versus paying standard EMS rates through a proxy.
The key difference from a proxy service: Tenso's service fees are minimal because they're not doing the purchasing. You pay almost nothing for the forwarding infrastructure itself — the main cost is international shipping.
What Tenso cannot do
Buy anything on your behalf if a site doesn't accept your payment method
Bid on Yahoo Auctions, Mercari, or any platform requiring Japanese identity
Read a Japanese listing and flag problems before you commit to a purchase
Negotiate prices
Handle restricted goods any differently from what you delivered to them
Identity verification and the domestic delivery restriction
This matters specifically for travelers. Tenso requires identity verification before it will unlock the ability to ship to a Japanese domestic address (a hotel, for example). The verification process requires your first shipment to go to your registered home address abroad.
New users cannot use Tenso for hotel delivery on their first order — a limitation that's caught many travelers by surprise.
How ZenMarket works
Source: zenmarket.jp | Trustpilot reviews
ZenMarket launched in 2013 and has processed orders for over 2 million users. It operates as a full proxy service with a flat-fee structure and an integrated interface across major Japanese platforms.
The workflow
Register at ZenMarket and deposit funds into your account wallet
Browse Japanese sites directly through ZenMarket's interface, or paste product URLs into their system
ZenMarket purchases the item using their own Japanese payment method and account
Items are stored at ZenMarket's warehouse for up to 60 days free
You request consolidation and choose a shipping method
ZenMarket ships internationally to your address
What ZenMarket charges
Service fee: ¥500 per item
Consolidation: Free — no charge to combine multiple items into one shipment
Free storage: 60 days
Bidding on Yahoo Auctions: Available through ZenMarket's integrated bidding system — you bid in real time without needing a Japanese Yahoo account
ZenMarket Credit: Frequent buyers can bid on auctions without pre-depositing funds for each bid — useful for active auction hunters
Payment: Credit card, PayPal, Alipay (cryptocurrency also accepted — unusual among proxy services)
What ZenMarket can do that Tenso can't
Buy from any Japanese platform — Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, Rakuten, Surugaya, Amazon Japan, smaller niche stores
Handle Yahoo Auctions bidding with their own integrated bidding system
Handle the entire purchase in Japanese on your behalf
Read listing descriptions before purchasing (though their pre-purchase inspection is not detailed — more on this below)
Limitations
ZenMarket is conservative on restricted goods. Items that some other proxy services handle — perfume, certain electronics with lithium batteries, high-alcohol liquids — are frequently refused. Check their prohibited items list before ordering if your haul includes anything in these categories.
Customer service quality has mixed reviews. The majority experience is positive, but users report that when things go wrong — misclassified items, shipping confusion — response times can be slow and some customer service interactions have been described as dismissive.
Fees: A concrete example: buying Hobonichi Techo products
The Hobonichi Techo is a good test case because it surfaces both scenarios clearly depending on what you're trying to buy.
Scenario A — new release from the official Hobonichi store:
The official Hobonichi website (1101.com) ships internationally and accepts foreign credit cards. In this case, you may not need either service — you can buy directly.
If the site doesn't ship to your country, or you want to consolidate with other purchases, Tenso is the right tool. Hobonichi books have high actual density but low volumetric weight — you're paying for weight, not air. Tenso's EMS discount (up to 10% off standard rates) is meaningful on a package where actual weight drives the shipping cost.
Scenario B — discontinued cover on Mercari JP:
If you're hunting a sold-out collaboration cover from a previous year, it lives on Mercari. Tenso cannot help — Mercari requires Japanese phone verification to create an account. ZenMarket (or another proxy) is your only route. The ¥500 per item service fee is the price of access to the C2C market.
The same logic applies to any product where the primary source is either official retail (potentially Tenso-accessible) or secondary marketplace (proxy required). Knowing which type of purchase you're making before you sign up for anything saves time.
The fee structure comparison is genuinely lopsided — but the numbers only tell half the story.
Tenso | ZenMarket | |
Service fee | ¥150/package | ¥500/item |
Consolidation | ¥200 (standard) + ¥200 handling | Free |
Storage | Available (check current terms) | 60 days free |
International shipping | Carrier rates + discounts | Carrier rates |
Customs clearance (>¥200k) | ¥2,800 | Varies |
On pure service fees, Tenso is dramatically cheaper. A Tenso user pays ¥150 regardless of how many items are in a package (assuming the seller consolidated them before shipping to Tenso). A ZenMarket user pays ¥500 per item.
For a 10-item haul, the service fee comparison is: Tenso ¥150 vs ZenMarket ¥5,000.
But this comparison only applies if Tenso is viable for your purchase. If you can't buy on Japanese sites yourself — no Japanese payment method, can't create accounts, buying from auction platforms — Tenso's lower fee is irrelevant. You can't use it.
The realistic comparison is:
Tenso is cheaper when you can use it. You need to be able to purchase independently from sites that accept foreign payment methods. ZenMarket is the only viable option when you can't. If you're buying from Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, or any platform requiring Japanese identity, ZenMarket (or another proxy) is your only route.
Platform access
This is where the practical difference becomes clearest.
Tenso: what you can actually buy
Tenso works with any Japanese site where you can complete the purchase yourself. In practice:
Amazon Japan — accepts some foreign cards; generally accessible
Rakuten — some foreign cards accepted; English interface available
Brand/official stores — varies by retailer; some accept foreign cards, some don't
Loft, Hands, BEAMS, and major retail chains — varies
Tenso does not work for:
Mercari JP — requires Japanese phone number for account registration
Yahoo Auctions — requires Japanese identity verification
Surugaya — Japanese account required
Most flea market and C2C platforms
Any platform requiring a Japanese credit card or bank account
ZenMarket: what you can actually buy
ZenMarket accesses virtually every major Japanese platform on your behalf:
Mercari JP — full access
Yahoo Auctions — integrated real-time bidding
Rakuten, Amazon Japan — standard retail
Surugaya — available (note: third-party marketplace purchases have a backlog since the August 2025 payment system change; direct warehouse purchases unaffected)
Most smaller Japanese stores — submit a URL and they'll attempt the purchase
Mandarake, Animate, Yodobashi — generally accessible
Storage and consolidation
ZenMarket | ||
Free storage window | 60 days | 60 days |
After free period | Packages disposed per terms | Fees apply |
Consolidation fee | ¥200 application + ¥200 handling | Free |
Consolidation approach | Combines packages | Combines and repacks efficiently |
Source: tenso.com FAQ — storage period | ZenMarket
Both tenso.com and ZenMarket offer 60 days of free storage — so on this specific point they're equal. The difference is consolidation cost.
Tenso Japan (tensojapan.com) is different here. If you use Tenso Japan rather than tenso.com, their terms state free storage of up to 180 days — considerably more generous than either tenso.com or ZenMarket. Worth knowing if long-term storage is a priority.
Tenso.com's consolidation service charges ¥200 per application and ¥200 in handling fees — ¥400 total per consolidation request at current rates. If you're building a haul across multiple sellers, each separate consolidation costs ¥400. For buyers with many small orders from different sellers, this adds up.
ZenMarket's free consolidation is a genuine advantage for multi-item hauls. Items from different sellers are combined into one international shipment at no extra charge, and packing quality is generally well-reviewed — efficient, well-padded, and dimensionally sensible.
Shipping options
Both services offer similar international shipping options:
Method | Tenso | ZenMarket |
EMS | Yes (up to 10% discount) | Yes |
DHL | Yes | Yes |
FedEx | Yes | Yes |
SAL | Yes | Yes |
Surface mail | Yes | Yes |
ECMS | Yes | Yes |
US buyers: Japan Post suspended US shipments in August 2025. Both services route US packages through private couriers (DHL, FedEx) or ECMS. Check current availability at Japan Post's official notice page.
Tenso offers up to 10% off EMS rates, which is meaningful on heavier packages. ZenMarket's shipping rates are standard carrier rates without a stated discount.
Restricted goods
Both services restrict certain categories of goods. The situations are different:
Tenso: Since you're buying yourself, Tenso receives whatever you send them. They will refuse to forward restricted goods (flammable liquids, certain batteries, aerosols) — but you may have already purchased the item before discovering this. The risk of buying something and then being unable to ship it is higher with forwarding services because no one is checking the listing before purchase.
ZenMarket: Will refuse to purchase restricted goods upfront. This means you find out before money changes hands, but it also means you can't use ZenMarket for categories like perfume, lighters, or high-alcohol toners even if you want to.
Identity verification and account requirements
Tenso | ZenMarket | |
Account creation | Registration required | Registration required |
Identity verification | Required | Not required |
First shipment restriction | Must ship to home address first | No restriction |
Hotel delivery | Only after first home shipment | Available |
Need Japanese accounts | Yes (to buy on sites yourself) | No |
Tenso's identity verification requirement deserves specific attention. To use Tenso for anything other than shipping to your registered home address, you must first complete a shipment to that address.
This is a legal requirement under Japanese regulations. New users who create a Tenso account specifically to ship items to a Japanese hotel on an upcoming trip cannot do this on their first use.
ZenMarket has no equivalent restriction. You can use it for domestic Japanese delivery (hotel, Airbnb) from your first order.
Who wins on specific use cases
Buying from Amazon Japan with a foreign credit card: → Tenso. Amazon Japan accepts many foreign cards. You can buy directly and simply use Tenso's address. The service fee is ¥150 versus ZenMarket's ¥500 per item. No contest on cost.
Buying from Rakuten with a foreign card: → Tenso if Rakuten accepts your card. Many foreign cards work on Rakuten. Cheaper service fee and you control the purchase.
Buying from Mercari JP: → ZenMarket (or another proxy). Mercari requires Japanese phone verification for account creation. Tenso cannot help here.
Buying from Yahoo Auctions: → ZenMarket. Tenso cannot bid on auctions. ZenMarket's integrated bidding system handles this natively.
Building a multi-item haul from different sellers: → ZenMarket. Free consolidation, 60-day storage, and no per-consolidation fee. Tenso's consolidation fees accumulate on complex hauls.
Buying a single high-value item from a site that accepts your card: → Tenso. The fee difference (¥150 vs ¥500) matters on a single item, and there's no complexity that warrants a proxy.
Hotel delivery on a first-ever order: → ZenMarket. Tenso requires a prior home-address shipment before unlocking domestic delivery. ZenMarket has no such restriction.
Restricted goods (perfume, lighters): → Neither. Both services restrict these categories in different ways. A specialist service like Buy From Japan handles certain restricted goods; Tenso and ZenMarket do not.
Language barrier — can't read Japanese at all: → ZenMarket. Their interface is fully in English, their team handles all Japanese communication with sellers, and they can attempt to clarify listings before purchase on request. Tenso requires you to navigate Japanese sites yourself.
The practical summary
Most buyers end up needing both types of service over time rather than choosing one permanently. The question isn't "Tenso or ZenMarket" — it's "can I buy this item myself?"
If yes → use Tenso and save the service fee. If no → use ZenMarket (or another proxy) and accept the higher service fee in exchange for access.
The buyers who get the most value from Tenso are those who can navigate Japanese retail sites directly, have payment methods that work on those sites, and primarily shop from mainstream retail (Amazon Japan, Rakuten, official brand stores). Their service fee savings over time are real.
The buyers who need ZenMarket are those accessing auction platforms, C2C marketplaces, or any site requiring Japanese identity — which is most of the interesting Japanese shopping. For a collector buying from Mercari and Yahoo Auctions, ZenMarket (or a similar proxy) isn't optional. It's the only route.
Tenso | ZenMarket | |
Service type | Forwarding | Proxy |
Service fee | ¥150/package | ¥500/item |
Mercari JP | ❌ Cannot access | ✅ Full access |
Yahoo Auctions | ❌ Cannot bid | ✅ Integrated bidding |
Consolidation | ¥400 per request | Free |
Free storage | 60 days (tenso.com) / 180 days (Tenso Japan) | 60 days |
Language needed | Some Japanese ability | None required |
Hotel delivery (first order) | ❌ Requires prior home shipment | ✅ Available |
Best for | Sites you can buy from directly | Any Japanese marketplace |
Fees and policies accurate as of May 2026. Both services have updated their fee structures in the past year — verify current rates directly before ordering. Tenso raised its system usage fee and consolidation fees in October 2025.
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