Importing from Japan into France
Import tax is set by France, not by the proxy service you choose. All the proxy decides is whether it takes the money at checkout or leaves you to settle with the courier at the door — the amount owed is the same either way. That is why the totals on this site are split into what you pay now and what you pay on arrival, rather than merged into one figure that would make the companies who collect honestly look dearer.
The numbers
- Import VAT / GST: 20% on goods plus shipping
- Duty-free threshold: abolished
Which proxies collect this tax up front
ZenMarket collects it at checkout. The others leave you to pay on delivery, where the courier normally adds a handling charge on top.
What that means in money
Two orders to France — both from Mercari Japan, both about 1 kg packed, both with ¥700 of domestic postage inside Japan — priced through the cheapest service available for each:
| Item price | Pay the proxy | Pay on arrival | Total | Cheapest via |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¥10,000 | ¥15,600 | ¥2,880 | ¥18,480 | FROM JAPAN |
| ¥50,000 | ¥55,600 | ¥10,880 | ¥66,480 | FROM JAPAN |
Couriers usually add their own customs handling fee on top. Paying tax up front often avoids it.
The handling fee nobody quotes
Where tax is not collected up front, the courier or postal operator pays it for you at the border and then charges a fee for having done so. It is commonly ¥1,000–3,000 and it is not part of the tax itself. None of the four services publish it and it varies by carrier, so it is deliberately left out of the totals here rather than guessed at — but it is a real reason to prefer a service that collects at checkout where you have the choice.