FROM JAPAN, Buyee and ZenMarket pay out themselves (Buyee only on a paid plan). Neokyo and Doorzo pass your claim to the carrier, so Japan Post's cover is the limit.
On EMS, Japan Post covers up to ¥20,000 for free. Anything above that is covered only if the sender declares it and pays ¥50 for each further ¥20,000.
Who pays when something goes wrong
| Service | Cover for loss or damage in transit | Who pays out | Claim within |
|---|---|---|---|
| FROM JAPAN | Included: the Product Protection Plan is FROM JAPAN's ¥500 per-item handling fee | The service | 7 days from arrival |
| Buyee | Only on a paid plan: Insured Delivery or Standard, ¥500 per order | The service | 14 days from arrival |
| ZenMarket | Included in the service fee for parcels under ¥5,000,000 | The service | Damage: 14 days from receipt. Not arrived (EMS): 30 to 180 days after shipping |
| Neokyo | Shipments include insurance, Neokyo says; it passes your claim to the carrier | The carrier, via the service | Within 5 months of shipping |
| Doorzo | Doorzo helps you claim from the carrier; the carrier decides the amount | The carrier, via the service | 5 days from delivery, with an unboxing video |
The deadlines are short and they differ. Whatever service you use, photograph the box before opening it, keep all the packing, and report a problem the day you find it.
In each company's words
FROM JAPAN
“Your package will be fully insured for damage or non delivery.”
The maximum compensation amount is limited to the amount shown on the delivery slip. Refunds are generally paid in FJ Points.
Not covered: Flaws on second-hand items, small packets when the items are worth ¥30,000 or more, untracked shipments, switched or resealed trading cards from private sellers, and import taxes.
Source: FROM JAPAN, checked 2026-10-05.
Buyee
“If you apply for a Insured Delivery plan, in the unlikely event that the product is damaged or lost, the amount incurred based on the coverage set by Buyee will be refunded.”
On the free Lite plan, which is what the totals on this site assume for Buyee, this is listed among what is not included: “Request to investigate the delivery status of undelivered items and request refund procedure to the delivery company regarding product defects in the delivery process.”
Not covered: Defects visible on the listing, malfunctions of appliances, watches and toys, and customs duty.
Source: Buyee, checked 2026-10-05.
ZenMarket
“All parcels with a total cost of less than 5,000,000 yen are insured at no additional charge, as the insurance fee is already included in the service fee”
Not covered: Minor damage to junk items, damage to an item's original outer packaging, and faults with no visible damage.
Source: ZenMarket, checked 2026-10-05.
Neokyo
“we will be able to forward your claim to the carrier only if it has been brought up within 5 months following the original shipment date.”
Source: Neokyo, checked 2026-10-05.
Doorzo
“Whether compensation is granted and the final compensation amount—which may not cover the full amount paid—will be determined by the carrier's review and final decision.”
Not covered: Fragile items such as glass and ceramics, crushed or bent paper goods and figure boxes, junk items and untested items.
Empty parcels from a seller are refunded in full by Doorzo, with an unboxing video.
Source: Doorzo, checked 2026-10-05.
What cover costs on a real order
The totals below are for a Mercari item sent to the United States by EMS, 1 kg, with ¥700 of postage inside Japan. Buyee is priced on its Insured Delivery plan (¥500 per order); for the others, the cover described above is already in the price.
| Item price | FROM JAPAN | Buyee | ZenMarket | Neokyo | Doorzo | Japan Post extra cover on EMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¥10,000 | ¥16,500 | ¥17,000 | ¥17,409 | ¥16,850* | ¥16,300* | free |
| ¥30,000 | ¥36,500 | ¥37,000 | ¥38,135 | ¥36,850* | ¥36,300* | ¥50 |
| ¥100,000 | ¥106,500 | ¥107,000 | ¥110,674 | ¥106,850* | ¥106,300* | ¥200 |
* Claims go to the carrier. Japan Post covers the item's declared value, free up to ¥20,000; the last column is what Japan Post charges to declare the full price. Neokyo says its shipments include insurance; we could not find, for either service, what value is declared to Japan Post. US duty not included.
At all three prices, the cheapest service that pays out itself, FROM JAPAN, costs ¥200 more than the cheapest overall, Doorzo. Doorzo does not publish a payment fee, so it is counted as ¥0 here. That difference is the price of having the proxy, rather than Japan Post, stand behind the parcel.
Small packets and surface mail
Japan Post only insures letters and parcel post. Airmail small packets, often the cheapest way to send anything under 2 kg, cannot be insured with Japan Post at all, and parcel post insurance costs ¥400 for the first ¥20,000. FROM JAPAN covers small packets only when the items are worth less than ¥30,000, and not at all without tracking. If you switch away from EMS to save on postage, check what that does to your cover first. The shipping methods guide compares the postage.
Cancelling and returning
None of the five services let you cancel once the item has been bought. In their words:
- FROM JAPAN: “As a general rule, bids or orders for items cannot be cancelled once they are placed.”
- Buyee: “Please be aware that we do not accept requests to cancel an order once the purchase has been completed/an auction has been won.”
- ZenMarket: “You can not cancel your bid or the purchased item for any reason.” Shop purchases that have reached the warehouse can be returned for ¥1,000 if the seller accepts returns; not for auctions, Mercari or Rakuma.
- Neokyo: “Cancellation is strictly forbidden”
- Doorzo: “after the order is placed and payment is completed, your cancellation request, for any reason, cannot be processed.”
For second-hand marketplaces, the seller is a private person in Japan and a return is rarely possible. That makes the checks before buying the only real protection: read the listing carefully and check what cannot be shipped, because a refused item is paid for and never sent.
Japan Post: EMS compensation and insured mail, checked 2026-10-05.