how to shop on japanese ebay

i spent $386 on marni, suzanne rae, and missoni

I first learned about Japanese eBay on TikTok. These unboxing videos were engrossing. Box cutters slicing through the giant brown cardboard box, items wrapped neatly in lime green tissue paper, building up to the enviable reveal of clothes from CDG, Issey Miyake, Dries, Vivienne Westwood—you get the idea. It seemed like there was a secret treasure trove of online designer shopping I didn’t know about. And I was determined to figure it out!

After scrolling through TikTok comments and Reddit forums for guidance, I nervously made my first purchase last month, at times not fully understanding the process. My package arrived safely with everything I expected to receive. This is what I got and how much everything cost:

My verdict? Japanese eBay allows you to shop a much broader inventory of online secondhand designer, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting consistent bargains. There were instances where I saw items sell for far below the average American resale market value, probably due to lower brand recognition in Japan, but don’t expect thrift store prices.

A lucky person (not me) got Jesse Kamms for $21:

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Heads up, this is going to be a long guide. There is a lot to explain. We will cover:

• What is Japanese eBay?

• Why shop Japanese eBay over other resale platforms?

• How to navigate the shopping process (tools needed, tips and tricks to minimize fees, walk-through of the entire order and delivery process)

• How to find the good stuff!

Let’s dive in.