I am Japanese, and I live in Japan.

Recently, I have noticed an increasing number of foreign sellers on eBay, Facebook, and other platforms presenting themselves as Japanese.

I am not entirely sure what benefit they expect to gain from doing this, but simply speaking Japanese does not make someone Japanese. That may sound obvious, but apparently it still needs to be said. 🙂

But this made me think about something else.

Have you ever wondered what an ordinary day looks like for someone living and working in Japan?

In the same way, I am genuinely curious about the daily lives of my customers overseas their families, their work, their collections, and the passion they have for their hobbies.

So today, I would like to share a little about my life in Japan and the way I approach selling trading cards and Japanese collectibles.

More Than Packing and Shipping

My mornings in Japan are usually very busy.

I have children, so part of my morning is spent getting them ready and taking them where they need to go. At the same time, I must prepare orders before the daily FedEx and Japan Post collection times.

Sometimes I also pack orders late at night.

However, I do not simply place an item in a box and send it without explanation.

Before shipping, I usually send the customer photographs of the actual products. I ask them to confirm the condition and contents, and I ship only after receiving their approval.

This is one of the biggest differences between my business and a typical online marketplace transaction.

Because I sell directly to customers, I believe it is important to communicate carefully and make sure that nobody feels uncertain about what they are receiving.

A low price may attract someone once, but trust is what creates a long-term relationship.

Many of my customers also use my combined-shipping service.

At the moment, customers have goods stored with us ranging in value from approximately €270 to more than €4,300. These may include cards, magazines, promotional items, figures, and other Japanese collectibles.

When another item they are waiting for becomes available, I add it to their existing order and ship everything together.

Naturally, I can send even a single card immediately when requested. However, international shipping is often much more economical when several purchases are combined.

For example, it is currently July 21. Some customers may be waiting for a ONE PIECE promotional pack or another product scheduled for release in August. In that case, we safely hold their current purchases until the remaining items arrive.

This requires careful management and, more importantly, trust from both sides.

Depending on the destination and the contents of the parcel, some customers prefer EMS instead of FedEx.

When that happens, I take the package directly to my nearest post office.

In my experience, bringing the parcel directly to the post office can sometimes shorten delivery by one or two days. It also gives me an opportunity to hear practical information about current international shipping conditions.

For example, postal staff recently explained that parcels being sent to some European countries now require more detailed product descriptions than before.

These small pieces of information are important. International shipping rules and customs procedures are always changing, and what worked without difficulty last year may cause delays today.

My customers are trusting me with products worth hundreds or sometimes thousands of euros. Therefore, shipping is not merely the final step of a sale. It is part of my responsibility.

This article will continue in Part 2, which I will publish in my next post.

I hope you’ll look forward to the rest of the story.

Thank you,
Shinobu🇯🇵