The Three Biggest Japanese Camera Shops Won't Ship to You
Kitamura, Map Camera and Fujiya all sell used gear at scale — and none of them will send it outside Japan. One of them explicitly bans forwarding services.
Last verified: 2026-10-28. Sources are each shop's own published policy, linked at the bottom.
What the shops actually say
Three of the four shops whose condition scales we compared in our grades article do not ship overseas. This is not a shipping-cost issue; it is a policy.
Kitamura (カメラのキタムラ), FAQ updated 2026-01-26:
> 海外発送はお受けしておりません。発送は日本国内に限定させていただいております。
> We do not accept overseas shipments. Delivery is limited to within Japan.
Map Camera, 通信販売 Q&A:
> 当社では、海外への発送を承っておりません。海外からのご注文の場合、…発送先が日本国内であれば承ることができます。
> We do not ship overseas. Orders from abroad can be accepted if the delivery address is inside Japan.
Fujiya Camera, ご利用案内:
> 転送サービス業者を経由した海外への出荷もお断りいたしております。誠にご不便をおかけいたしますが、海外への商品発送はお受けできません。
> We also decline shipments abroad via forwarding-service operators. We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we cannot ship products overseas.
Fujiya is the strictest: it closes the proxy route by name.
Why this matters more than it looks
These are the shops that dominate English-language search results for Japanese used cameras, and the shops that Japanese photographers recommend. A buyer outside Japan reads a review, finds a body at a good price, and only discovers at checkout that the address is rejected — or worse, after payment, when the order is cancelled.
The practical consequences:
- Price comparisons are misleading. A cheaper listing at a domestic-only shop is not available to you at that price. The real comparison is between shops that export.
- Proxy services are not a universal workaround. At least one major shop bans them in its terms, which means a cancelled order and a refund cycle.
- Warranty is effectively local. A six-month or one-year used warranty is only useful if the item can go back to the shop. Through a proxy, return shipping usually costs more than the repair.
Who will actually sell to you
| Route | Example | What you get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exporting retailer | Five Star Camera (ships worldwide), Camera Japan (free international shipping via EMS) | Direct checkout, tracked shipping | Smaller inventory than the big three; grade scales vary |
| B2B marketplace | His50s wholesale (multi-seller, one 7-tier grade, USD pricing) | Compare several Japanese sellers on one scale | Per-seller minimums (3 items), business buyers |
| Proxy / forwarding | Buyee, ZenMarket, Janbox and similar | Access to domestic-only shops | Some shops refuse proxy addresses; warranty becomes impractical |
Before you order: five checks
- Does the checkout accept a non-Japanese address? Test with your real address before you rely on the shop.
- Does the terms page mention 転送 (forwarding)? If it bans proxies, do not route through one.
- What happens on cancellation? Confirm refund method and who pays the return shipping.
- Is the warranty usable from abroad? If not, price the item as warranty-free.
- Who handles customs and import tax? On used gear this is the buyer's responsibility in every case we reviewed.
Questions to send in Japanese
海外発送は可能ですか。可能な場合、EMSとDHLのどちらで送れますか。
転送サービス（Buyee等）の住所への発送は可能ですか。
中古保証は海外から利用できますか。その場合、返送料はどちらが負担しますか。
関税・輸入税の扱い（DDP/DAP）はどうなっていますか。
Sources
- Kitamura FAQ「海外への発送は可能ですか」 https://faq.kitamura.jp/kb/article/海外への発送は可能ですか/ (updated 2026-01-26)
- Map Camera「よくあるご質問 Q&A（通信販売）」 https://www.mapcamera.com/html/qanda/
- Fujiya Camera「ご利用案内 / よくあるご質問」 https://www.fujiya-camera.co.jp/shop/guide/pg/1c-cg-faq/
- Five Star Camera（ships worldwide） https://five-star-camera.com/
- Camera Japan（free international shipping, EMS） https://www.camerajapan.shop/
- His50s wholesale（B2B marketplace, 7-tier grading） https://wholesale.his50s.com/
Policies change without notice. Confirm on the shop's own page on the day you order. This page records what each shop published on 2026-10-28.
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