How to buy Pokémon cards wholesale from Japan

Direct and assisted buying routes

Direct buying is one available route. Compare who selects the items, who checks them before payment, and who handles a discrepancy after delivery.

Four routes are open to you, and they suit different jobs. Buying one chase card for yourself and restocking a table every month are not the same problem: the first rewards convenience, the second rewards a supplier who remembers what you sold last time.

• Japanese retail sites that ship abroad — you pick from what is listed, in Japanese, and you compete with domestic buyers for the same stock.
• Proxy and forwarding services — they buy on your behalf and re-ship. Fine for a one-off item; every service sets its own fees and handling rules, so read them before you commit a basket.
• Marketplace sellers listing Japanese stock in your country — someone already paid the freight and the border charges, and that convenience is priced into what you pay.
• A direct supplier in Japan — you send a list and receive a quote from the party sourcing the items. This route can support repeat orders when the supplier keeps the brief and order record.

First-order requirements

Three things: a list of what you can already sell, money you can leave tied up while stock ships and sells, and a rough read on what your own country charges at the border. Most of the rest of the checklist in your head is not blocking you.

Use the first order to test the supplier, payment method, packing, shipping lane, and your own sell-through. The current Starter bundle price is ¥50,000 for 50 cards; sealed-box prices and availability must be confirmed on the order date.

• A sell-through list — the cards and boxes that actually left your shelf, not the ones you wish would.
• A budget sized to a test — the first order proves the supplier, the shipping lane, and your own pricing.
• Your border rules — look up your customs authority's own threshold and rate before you order, not when a parcel is held.
• A payment method you understand — check what recourse each one gives you, and under what conditions, before you use it.
• Somewhere to sell this week — eBay, a Whatnot show, a card show table, Marketplace, Cardmarket. Which one matters less than having one running.

Supplier and stock checks

Ask the supplier whether each item is already held or will be sourced after you approve the quote. For items described as in stock, request current photographs of the exact cards or boxes before payment. For items to be sourced, confirm condition, availability, and price after the supplier has secured them and before you pay.

The remaining checks concern accountability. Ask the supplier to state the item check, photo process, currency, tax treatment, shipping cost, import-charge responsibility, and payment terms in writing before you send money.

• In-hand evidence for the exact items — current photos confirm the pictured cards or boxes; they do not establish the supplier's wider inventory.
• A named person who answers — you should know who is picking your cards and be able to reach them directly.
• One currency, with shipping quoted separately — a single blended figure hides where your money actually went.
• A carrier you can track yourself — request a FedEx tracking number that you can check directly with the carrier.
• A straight answer on import charges — the quote should state who pays duty, VAT or GST, customs fees, and carrier charges.
• Recourse you have verified — read what your payment method covers before the first transfer, not after a dispute.

Product choice for the first order

Choose the format from the way you sell. Sealed boxes suit shelf stock; a sorted card bundle supplies many individually sellable cards for a live show or card table; graded singles suit a buyer who has already named the card.

A random lot and a brief-based bundle carry different composition risk. For a Velocity Bundle, send the Pokémon, era, rarity, and budget; Akina checks the resulting cards in hand and sends photos before payment.

• Sealed boxes — listed in JPY with dated prices and reference prices. Check the current Box List, confirm condition and availability in the quote, and include freight in your unit cost.
• Velocity Bundle — 50 or 100 cards built to your list, in three grades. Starter is ¥50,000 for 50 and ¥100,000 for 100; Standard is ¥75,000 and ¥150,000; Exclusive is quoted per request.
• Graded singles — PSA 10s sourced in Japan per request and quoted card by card. Best used once a customer has already asked you for a specific card.

Payment, shipping, and import charges

You pay in JPY before the parcel moves, a courier carries it, and your own country bills you at the door. Those are three separate costs arriving at three different moments, which is why sellers who budget only the first one get caught.

Calculate the full amount before ordering: item price, freight share, import tax, payment cost, and selling-platform fees. A resale price set before those lines are known does not show expected margin.

• Currency — quoted in JPY, tax included. Budget at the rate your provider will actually give you, not the headline rate.
• Payment — Wise or PayPal. The cost and the buyer protection differ by method and by how you send the money, so confirm both before the transfer.
• Shipping — quoted separately for your destination and sent by FedEx with tracking.
• Import charges — duty, VAT or GST, and any customs or brokerage fee are the buyer's side of the deal. Price them in before you order.
• Paperwork — keep the invoice and the tracking record with the order. You will want them if a parcel is queried, and when you work out what the stock truly cost you.

Order sequence

The process has six steps and begins with a written list. Send the product details and budget to the contact sourcing the items in Japan.

Write that message tonight: what you sell, which Pokémon and eras your buyers keep asking for, the rarity mix you want, and the budget you are committing. The reply should separate items already held from items that must be sourced; confirm availability, condition, price, and in-hand photos before payment.

After delivery, record which cards sold and which remained. Use that record to adjust the next list and order size.

• Send the list — Pokémon, era, rarity, budget, by DM on Facebook Messenger.
• Confirm sourcing status — the quote separates items already held from items that still need to be sourced.
• See the photos — once the items are in hand, check the exact cards or boxes before you pay.
• Confirm or adjust — change the mix here, while it is still a conversation and not a parcel.
• Pay — Wise or PayPal, in JPY, tax included, with shipping quoted for your destination.
• Receive it — FedEx with tracking where available; dispatch timing is confirmed with each quote.