Can you ship model paint and thinner from Japan?
No. None of the four services will ship model paint and thinner out of Japan.
Covers model paint, lacquer thinner, nail polish, perfume, alcohol-based liquids — for example Mr. Color, Tamiya acrylic, Gaia Notes, lacquer thinner.
| Service | Can it ship? | What the published rules say | Total if it ships |
|---|---|---|---|
| FROM JAPAN | No | “We cannot purchase or export items forbidden by law, dangerous items such as flammable substances and other restricted items.” | — |
| Buyee | No | “Oil Paints / Nail Polish / Alcohol / Paint Thinner / Paints / Lacquer / Perfume” | — |
| Neokyo | No | “Flammables substances and liquids: lighters, oils, paints, alcohols, engine parts, etc. ... Paint / Nail polish / Ink cartridges / Hair dyes” | — |
| ZenMarket | No | “Any flammable liquids (Gasoline, oil, alcohol, other) ... Other examples of products that cannot be shipped are: lighters, lighter liquids, dry Fuel Tablets, flammable paint” | — |
Does the destination change the answer?
No. We checked all nine destinations this site covers and the four services give the same answer to every one of them, because the rule is about the item rather than the route.
| Destination | Can it ship? | Cheapest that will take it |
|---|---|---|
| United States | No service will | — |
| Canada | No service will | — |
| United Kingdom | No service will | — |
| Australia | No service will | — |
| Germany | No service will | — |
| France | No service will | — |
| Singapore | No service will | — |
| Taiwan | No service will | — |
| Hong Kong | No service will | — |
Why this matters before you bid
A proxy will happily accept the order and buy the item for you. The refusal happens later, when the parcel reaches their warehouse and is inspected. At that point you have already paid for the goods, the domestic shipping inside Japan and the service fee, and none of it comes back. The item is disposed of or returned to the seller at your cost.
On the ¥10,000 order priced above that is ¥11,200 gone before the parcel ever leaves Japan — the item, ¥700 of domestic postage and the service fee — with disposal charged on top at some services. The international postage is the only part you save, because the parcel never ships. It is the one mistake on this site that costs you the whole purchase rather than a few hundred yen of margin.
Rules checked against each company's own prohibited-items page on 2026-08-09. Where a company publishes nothing on a category we say so rather than guessing.