Japan Lottery and Queue Proxy: Someone in Tokyo to Queue or Enter a Lottery for You
Some Japanese releases are not sold on a website at all. They go to whoever stands in the queue on the morning of a pop-up, or to whoever wins a lottery for the right to buy. If you live abroad, you need a person in Tokyo. This page explains exactly what I do when I queue or enter a lottery for you, what I will not do, and what it costs.
Short answer: I queue, enter a lottery or go to a ticketed event in Tokyo for ¥16,000 per half day (up to four hours, train fares included). That is added to my normal purchase fee on whatever I buy. I enter only lotteries whose terms allow it, in my own name, one entry per lottery. If the lottery doesn’t come through, you get the goods money and the purchase fee back; the half-day fee pays for time already spent and is not refunded.
What the service is
A half day of my time in Tokyo, spent on one release:
- A queue: a pop-up shop, a store-only launch, a department-store event or a New Year sale where the stock goes to the people standing in line.
- A lottery: a release where buyers enter a draw for the right to buy, and only winners can pay.
- A ticketed event: an event in Tokyo where entry is controlled and the goods are sold inside.
The half-day rate covers the time and the train fares. The goods and the buying itself are charged as an ordinary purchase.
If you don’t need anything bought, and only want someone to look at a shop and ask questions at the counter, that is a shop visit instead: €28 (about ¥5,000) per shop, no purchase needed.
Exactly what you get
- The Japanese terms read first. Before you pay anything, I read the release or lottery rules and tell you plainly whether I can take part for you. Many lotteries are closed to anyone buying for someone else, and I would rather say so at the start.
- Up to four hours on site, train fares included.
- One entry or one place in the queue for your request. Most releases limit each person to one entry or one purchase, and I respect those limits.
- If I buy: a photo of the receipt, photos of the item when it reaches me, packing and shipping with tracking, usually within 3 business days of the last item arriving.
- If I don’t: a plain message saying so, and the refund described below.
What it costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Queue, lottery or ticketed event in Tokyo | ¥16,000 per half day (up to 4 hours, train fares included) |
| The goods | The shop’s price in Japan, including consumption tax, with a photo of the receipt |
| Purchase fee | 25% of the first ¥30,000 of goods, 20% of the part from ¥30,000 to ¥100,000, 15% of the part above ¥100,000 |
| Each additional shop in the same parcel | ¥2,200 |
| Shipping and handling | Fixed, quoted before you pay |
| Payment processing | 4% of the total |
Import tax and duty in your country are charged by your customs on arrival and are not in my quote. The exception is the United States: the duty must be paid before the parcel leaves Japan, so I collect it in advance, with the prepayment provider’s fee, and show both in the quote.
Worked examples
These show everything except shipping, which depends on the parcel and the destination and is quoted as a fixed amount. The 4% processing also applies to the shipping line.
1. A lottery for a ¥22,000 limited item, and I win.
| ¥ | |
|---|---|
| Goods | 22,000 |
| Purchase fee (25% of 22,000) | 5,500 |
| Half day for the lottery | 16,000 |
| Subtotal | 43,500 |
| Payment processing 4% | 1,740 |
| Total before shipping | 45,240 |
2. The same lottery, and I lose. You get back ¥27,500: the ¥22,000 goods money and the ¥5,500 purchase fee. The ¥16,000 half-day fee is not refunded, because the time was spent.
3. A pop-up queue for a ¥6,600 item, one per person.
| ¥ | |
|---|---|
| Goods | 6,600 |
| Purchase fee (25% of 6,600) | 1,650 |
| Half day in the queue | 16,000 |
| Subtotal | 24,250 |
| Payment processing 4% | 970 |
| Total before shipping | 25,220 |
In example 3 the half day costs more than the item. It is worth it only when the item can’t be had any other way.
What I will not do
- Enter under anyone else’s name, account, ID or phone number. I enter in my own name only.
- Enter more than once. One entry per lottery, so I can take only one request per lottery.
- Enter lotteries that need the buyer’s own ID or membership, or where the winner must collect in person and the terms don’t let me be that winner.
- Enter lotteries whose terms forbid buying for someone else or transferring the item or the right to buy. Some New Year lucky bag lotteries are like this; see Fukubukuro 2027.
- Get round “one per person” limits, by queuing twice or bringing extra people.
- Buy for resale. Personal shopping is for things you want for yourself. Goods for resale go through my Private buyer service, a monthly retainer of ¥165,000 (three months minimum, five clients at a time).
- Buy tickets of any kind for you to use.
How to request it, step by step
- Send the link to the release, the pop-up or the lottery page on the request form, with the item, size or colour, and the country it is going to. Send it early: lotteries close and queues form on fixed dates.
- I read the terms and reply within one business day, either with a total or with the reason I can’t take part.
- You approve and pay by PayPal, Wise or Payoneer. The quote holds for 7 days unless the shop changes the price or sells out.
- I queue or enter on the day, and tell you the result.
- Photos and tracking. If I bought it, I photograph, pack and ship. If not, I refund the goods money and the purchase fee.
FAQ
Do you guarantee I’ll get the item?
No. A queue can sell out before I reach the front, and a lottery can be lost. That is why the goods money and the purchase fee come back if I can’t buy anything.
Why isn’t the half-day fee refunded if I lose?
It pays for time already spent in Tokyo. The site’s FAQ says the same: fees for going in person pay for time already spent, so they are not refunded.
Can you enter the same lottery for two of my friends?
No. I enter once per lottery, in my own name, so I can take only one request for each lottery.
What if the queue lasts more than four hours?
The rate is per half day of up to four hours. Tell me what you know about the expected wait when you send the request, and the quote will show it before you pay.
Can you go to a lottery or event outside Tokyo?
The published rate is for Tokyo. Write to me with the details before assuming it is possible.
I just want to see what a pop-up has. Do I need this?
No. A shop visit is €28 (about ¥5,000) per shop and needs no purchase.
Send the link on the request form or write to me if you are not sure the release is open to someone buying for you.
Related: Japan Store Exclusives: Why They Never Reach Shops Abroad, and How to Get One, Fukubukuro 2027: How Japanese Lucky Bag Reservations and Lotteries Work.