As you might already know, Amazon has region-specific stores. There’s Amazon.com for US customers, Amazon.ca for Canadian customers, and also Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.jp, and quite a few others.
A reader asked for some advice on how to order from Amazon Japan.
Adam wrote:
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I’ve been looking at amazon.jp for some Engineer inc. Tools that I cannot find on the US website. Can you create a how-to so I can learn how to buy them?
To start, there’s a caveat to keep in mind – international shipping can be expensive.
Ordering from an overseas Amazon storefront is also not without risks. When Amazon Germany sent me the completely wrong item, they made it right, just like Amazon US would do.
But when an order from Amazon UK arrived slightly damaged, I was expected to ship the item back on my dime, and it simply wasn’t worth it.
I was also worried there might be a language barrier in case I needed to contact customer service, but a quick and positive resolution from Amazon Germany led me to all but dismiss such concerns.
There are two main reasons why I have ordered from Amazon Japan over the past few years.
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1. They are selling what I want for less money.
2. They sell tools I cannot find here.
I should also mention that there could be compatibility issues, such as how Japanese 1/4″ hex power-style screwdriver bits don’t fit US impact drivers.
Shopping Amazon Japan’s website can be tricky.
On the desktop page, you can click the Japanese flag on the top menu bar to select English as the language. Some browsers will also translate the page for you. The mobile page seems to auto-select English for me.
The Amazon Japan store page is also smart enough to recognize the region you are shopping from, and it will give you notices when certain products cannot be shipped to the USA, Canada, or elsewhere.
Shopping Amazon Japan also requires a bit of trial and error. The website displays Japanese characters, and that’s what their search function seems designed to recognize. And so, searching for what you want sometimes requires a bit of trial and error.
Still, you can search for terms such as “Engineer tool,” or “Engineer tool pliers,” or “Engineer PZ-81,” and things will usually work out.
There aren’t too many tips or tricks I can offer here, since different types of tools might require different approaches. Sometimes it works to click on a tool’s brand name to shop their “store.”
Other times, you might need to enlist Google’s help, such as with a site-focused search, e.g. “engineer pz-81 site:amazon.co.jp”.
When shopping at international Amazon stores, you are usually given the option of checking out in USD or the local currency. I try to use a credit card with zero or minimal international fees, but it’s sometimes more convenient to check out in USD. That way there are no conversion surprises, and you know exactly what you’re paying.
That said, some credit card companies still charge fees for international transactions, whether processed in US dollars or not.
Certain tools can be purchased for less from overseas Amazon storefronts, even with international shipping fees. Certain Knipex tools, for instance, are less expensive to purchase from Amazon Germany. The same goes for certain Wera tools.
But for other tools, while it might sting to pay more for the same tool from Amazon.com or 3rd party importer sellers on Amazon.com, sometimes it works out better.
Amazon Japan ships in boxes made from much thinner cardboard, but they tend to package everything with more care and attention.
Whereas Amazon US might ship a sharp and heavy tool in nothing but a flimsy bubble mailer, Amazon Japan might secure a similar tool to a cardboard backer before placing it in a box. Or at least, that has been my experience so far.
My last Amazon.co.jp order (summer 2021) was so large that I exceeded the maximum number of items that can be included in a single order (~50 items).
The best price I can find on Pentel Energel refills (e.g. XLRN5-C, XLRN4-C) is $1.45 each. Amazon Japan has a better selection, and 10-packs for ¥ 597 each. At the time of this posting, 100 yen is valued at ~$0.80 USD. So that’s $4.80 for a 10-pack vs. $1.45 each.
When it’s time to checkout, you have to do some math. For tools and supplies that are available here, albeit at higher cost, you have to gauge whether the shipping fees are worth it.
If there are tools I absolutely want, what I will sometimes do is add additional items from my long-term shopping list. Adding things like specialty pen refills will sometimes only raise the shipping rates by a marginal amount, which increases the net savings of an order.
In other words, sometimes the shipping fees aren’t worth the savings, but if I have to pay it to get something that’s less available here, I might as well make the most of those shipping fees. Sometimes it’s still not worth it.
Over the course of adding multiple items to my cart for checkout, I will almost constantly test the checkout process, to get a sense of the total shipping fees.
Every wrench, pliers, screwdriver, mini tool box, or keychain bit holders will have an effect on the international shipping fees. Seeing how the total charge increases along the way is easier than adding a bunch of items and wondering what exactly raised the shipping fees from ~$25 to ~$45.
I wish I could provide more helpful information, but shopping at overseas Amazon stores doesn’t involve many tips or tricks, as much as it involves trial and error and a calculator.
Different Amazon stores also have their own categories, and their own settings. When shopping Amazon Germany or Amazon UK, you can select language as well as currency. Amazon Japan only allows you select a translation language, and so you’ll have to convert from yen to USD as you go along.
Is it worth it? That really depends on what you’re looking to buy. I’m happy to answer whatever questions I can, but you’re going to have to make that determination for yourself.
Ordering outside your local Amazon store is not for everyone, but you can save a lot of money, depending on what you’re shopping for.
MM
I have been purchasing audio CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays from Amazon Japan for many years and it’s been trouble-free every time.
Jared
How about a list of things you might want to buy from Japan?
The obvious ones are Engineer pliers, Vessel screwdrivers, Koken socketry, Nepros… well anything they make will be beautiful. Tone has some interesting ratchets.
Any other brands or items you might suggest are worth investigating on the Amazon.jp website?
Stuart
Nepros… I bought one item from Amazon Japan, but they also sell their full catalog (or at least a much broader selection) directly.
Vessel – yes.
Engineer pliers – yes.
There’s also Tone, and a whole lot of other brands I had to thoroughly research.
If you don’t do your research, it can be hard to tell between unfamiliar Japanese brands and similar straight-to-Amazon generic import brands.
I’m still working with a lot of my Japanese tool purchases, and hope to share more about them in coming weeks.
fred
I can recommend some other Japanese brands that are worth a look:
Allex (Hayashi Cutlery – scissors/shears
Anex (Kaneko Mfg) – low profile screwdrivers
ARS Corp – garden shears
Canary (Hasagawa Cutlery) – cardboard cutter
DIY Tools (Nisaku) – oddball scrapers
Dogyu (Imoto Hamono Co.) – pry bars/scrapers
Godhand – model tools
Hakko – soldering tools
Hit (Toho Koki) – bolt cutters
Hosco – files
Hozan – bicyle and mechanics tools
Iridori – sharping stones
Iwasaki – files
King (Matsunaga Stone) – sharpening stones
Ko-Ken – mechanics tools
Lightool (Asahi Metal Industries) – wrenches
Lobster Tools (Lobtex) – wrenches
Masuta – sharpening stones
MCC – threaded rod tools
Merry Tools (Muromoto Tekko) – pliers
Mitutoyo – precision measuring instruments
Mugen Seki – model tools
Nisaku (Tomita Cutlery) – scrapers
NT Cutter – cutters and files
Olfa – knives and scissors
Shenshin – surveyors rods
Shapton – glass sharpening stones
Shimano – bicycle tools
Shinto – planing rasp
Shinwa Rules – measuring tools
Silky (UM Kogyo) – excellent pruning saws
Supertool – wrenches
Tagaki Tools (aka Shark) – saws
Tone Tool (Maeda Metal) – mechanics tools
Top (Top Kogyo Co.) – screwdrivers and wrenches
Topman – pry bars
Toyo – glass cutters
Tsubotama – files
Tsunoda – pliers
Wave – files
Wood-Owl (Star-M) – boring bits
ZM (Zoukei-Moura) – craft knives
Adam
Thank you Stuart for the write up. Looks like I’ll be busy this weekend. I’m also the one who sent in this question haha.
Michael F
Kind of weird that I was just looking for ENGINEER tools today for retro console restoration. One US outlet that does carry them is the iFixit store but you have to look closely as they don’t necessarily label them ENGINEER clearly.
JR Ramos
Pleasantly surprised to see this post! I ordered from amazon Japan on a whim a few years ago. Saved quite a bit of money on that order and the shipping wasn’t bad at all, and I had it in less than a week! Ordered two more times for items that I either saved some money on or just could not find for sale here for a reasonable price or at all. It varies – some of the many Japan import sellers on amazon US have good prices or great prices, but they go up and down, often quickly and in one big pack. Currency exchange rate is a major factor, too, of course. Engineer, Trusco, and sharpening stones. Honestly ordering straight from Japan was an exquisite buying experience each time and I was impressed at the care they took with packaging, especially for the water stones. Bridge Tools seems to have the best availability of Engineer tools here, but it’s spotty and some items they just never carry. It was a little bit of a challenge to find the items I wanted on amazon Japan but a tailored google search helped a lot. Also, I expected my contact and billing information to be completed for me once I created the Japan account, but not so…had to enter everything as if I’d never shopped at amazon. Highly recommended if they have what you need and the price is right.
GEORGE MICHENER
Doesnt involve Amazon, but, I often find myself purchasing parts for my Old Jags and 86JCB backhoe from the UK and sometimes other european countries (sometimes India too for the JCB) Something I have found useful is my google voice account. Its linked to my cellphone so I dial the number,they ring my cell and then they complete the call. England is a penny a minute! Just using a regular cell can add expence to your purchases abroad that add no value. I also got burnt whilst making a call to canada without thinking to use GV…even tho the phone number looks just like ours. Of course Paypal is the only way to pay CCs want all kinds of surcharges.
Franco Calcagni
A question for Stuart or anyone else who has experience shopping on Amazon Japan.
After seeing this article, I went to the website, put something in my cart and then went “proceed to checkout”, where it ask you to login. It says it does not recognize my email, never even got to add my password as I didn’t get that far.
I have purchased on Amazon UK and Germany. I have also logged into Amazon France and Italy; in all cases it recognized my email and password from my Amazon.com and .ca websites.
Did any of you create a new account or just logged in with your current Amazon password and username?
Stuart
I believe that I had to create a new account.
Looking online, that seems to be a common question on forums and the such. It seems that everyone has to create a separate account for shopping at Amazon Japan.
Franco Calcagni
Good to know, thanks
MM
It’s been many years now so my memory isn’t the greatest but I’m pretty sure that I had to make a new account as well.
Adam
Not tool related, but I just ordered some Japanese foodstuffs from https://japanesetaste.com, and was very impressed it’s both the speed and price of shipping. Highly recommend if you’re looking for that sort of thing.
MM
Along similar lines, I have purchased from JapaneseChefsKnife.com a few times and their service has always been extremely impressive. One time I inquired about a specific cleaver which I knew that Sugimoto produced but was not listed on the japanesechefsknife.com site. I promptly received an Email back saying that “we’ll check on that for you”. I expected that I might hear from them in several days. No. They actually sent an employee to go get the particular cleaver I had asked about and had it available to ship later that same day.
razl
On that note, if you just want to dabble in Japanese snacks check out Bokksu ( https://www.bokksu.com/ ). Essentially a monthly subscription type service where you get a box of curated snacks from Japanese makers. Each box comes with a book giving you English details and background on each of the snacks.
I got a 3month subscription for my fiancée for Christmas as and she absolutely loved it. Really good stuff and the gift that keeps on giving!
Also, tip for gift givers – when I got mine there was an option to get the first box in a nicer wooden, specialty box (the rest then come in kind of a cardboard gift box). The initial wooden box presents very nice and Japanese’y and makes a great vessel to dump your subsequent monthly deliveries in. I think it’s a $20’ish upcharge for that and well worth it.
TonyT
A few years ago, I did a decent sized stationery order from Amazon Japan, ordering a mix of items that were either unavailable in the US, or significantly cheaper in Japan. It went well; I used Google translate to make some sense of the pages. I also had to watch that the sellers would actually ship outside of Japan (many won’t; IIRC, most Pilot items wouldn’t ship outside of Japan).
I’ve also ordered from Japan via eBay, with no problems.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I might look into this next time I order from overseas:
https://www.worldcadaccess.com/blog/2022/03/i-found-an-international-debit-card.html
Rob
My current Amazon account in the USA is not recognized by the Japan site. Do I need to create a new account for Amazon.co.jp?
Rob
That answers my questions.
Thank you