Shopping Guide
HELP / FAQs
By onemall 
TL;DR
Book Off Japan (BOOKOFF, ブックオフ) is a second-hand retail group with 835 stores (May 2026) built around used books, manga, CDs, DVDs and games. Its official online store, BOOKOFF Online, doesn’t ship abroad itself and declines credit cards issued outside Japan. Paste a listing link into OneMall’s LinkBuy and our team orders it and ships it to the US.
- SUPER BAZAAR is the big format: about 950 tsubo (roughly 3,100 m²), adding clothing, branded goods, sporting goods and tableware.
- LinkBuy fee: 5% of the item price, min ¥200 / max ¥1,000 per item.
- Two shortcuts: the chain’s Rakuten and Yahoo! Auctions stores go through our marketplace integrations, with no link review.
As of October 2026, the smart move is to treat BOOKOFF as three storefronts: the online store and Rakuten shop for media, the Yahoo! Auctions store for the clothing, gear and appliances its shops buy in.
Below: the store formats, overseas-order rules, a six-step LinkBuy walkthrough and a label cheat sheet, all checked on the company’s website and help pages on October 9, 2026.
What is Book Off Japan?
BOOKOFF Japan opened its first directly operated store in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, in May 1990.[1] Its parent, BOOKOFF GROUP HOLDINGS, is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (code 9278) and counted 466 directly operated and 369 franchised stores as of May 2026, 835 in total.[1]
Think of a standard store as a used bookstore crossed with a media shop: about 130 tsubo (roughly 430 m²) of books, CDs, DVDs, video games, trading cards, hobby goods and mobile phones.[2] The wider category list adds vinyl records, electronics, instruments, fashion, anime goods and brand-name watches, varying by store. Plastic models and figurines joined in April 2007, and the e-commerce site, BOOKOFF Online, opened that August.[1]
BOOKOFF’s Rakuten shop prices used stock by time since release, stock levels and sales, not by condition.[3]
What is BOOKOFF SUPER BAZAAR?
BOOKOFF SUPER BAZAAR (ブックオフスーパーバザー, often typed Book Off Super Bazaar) is the chain’s large-format “comprehensive reuse store.” Company history lists a big-box Chuko-Gekijo store from December 2000, now under the SUPER BAZAAR name, and the first BOOKOFF SUPER BAZAAR in September 2009.[1] The group’s business portfolio compares the formats:[2]
| Format | Average sales floor | What it sells |
|---|---|---|
| BOOKOFF | About 130 tsubo (approx. 430 m²) | Books, CDs, DVDs, games, trading cards, hobby goods, phones |
| BOOKOFF PLUS | About 300 tsubo (approx. 990 m²) | The standard range plus apparel and fashion accessories |
| BOOKOFF SUPER BAZAAR | About 950 tsubo (approx. 3,100 m²) | The standard range plus apparel, branded goods, miscellaneous items, sporting goods, tableware |
Is a SUPER BAZAAR worth it? In person, yes, especially for used clothes and sporting goods; listed stores run past 5,000 m², such as Route 17 Maebashi Lirica (5,372.4 m²), though stock varies by store. From the US, the catch is access: the chain’s FAQ says stores generally don’t deliver in-store purchases and keep no central stock database, so it can’t say which store has an item.
The online stand-in is ブックオフオークションストア, the BOOKOFF auction store on Yahoo! Auctions, which lists the fashion, sporting goods, furniture, appliances, toys and instruments its stores buy in; it showed 1,056,698 listings on October 9, 2026. We integrate Yahoo! Auctions, so you bid or buy directly with us at (winning bid + tax) × 3%, ¥200–¥300 per item.
Does BOOKOFF Online ship internationally?
Not by itself. The BOOKOFF Official Online Store is listed as Japanese only[2] and, per its FAQ, carries over 3 million items. Every order starts with a free member registration, then delivery to the address you register or pickup at a store.[4] Payment is credit card or GMO deferred payment only, and credit cards issued outside Japan are not accepted.[5] The delivery chart lists only Japanese carriers (Japan Post, Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express), orders ship within 1–5 days, and domestic delivery is free from ¥1,800.
The chain’s Rakuten Ichiba shop, ブックオフ 楽天市場店, is run by BOOKOFF CORPORATION. Its FAQ sends overseas orders to a forwarding service and rules out store pickup.[6] We integrate Rakuten, so those listings are bought directly with us at ¥300 per item, with no LinkBuy review.
| Where to buy | What you can buy there | Ships to the US directly? | How to buy it with OneMall (steps / fee) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOOKOFF Online (official online store) | Used and new books, comics, CDs, DVDs, games | No: registered address or store pickup only; cards issued outside Japan declined | LinkBuy (steps below); 5%, min ¥200 / max ¥1,000 per item |
| BOOKOFF, BOOKOFF PLUS and SUPER BAZAAR stores | Media, cards, hobby goods, phones; bigger formats add clothing, branded goods, sporting goods | No: stores generally don’t deliver in-store purchases | No direct route; see the Yahoo! Auctions store |
| ブックオフ 楽天市場店 (Rakuten) | Used books, manga sets, CDs, DVDs, games | No: forwarding service required, per its FAQ | Our Rakuten integration; ¥300 per item, no LinkBuy review |
| ブックオフオークションストア (Yahoo! Auctions) | Books, CDs, DVD and Blu-ray movies, games, consoles, phones, cards, appliances, apparel, watches, sporting goods, furniture | Not stated by the store | Our Yahoo! Auctions integration; (winning bid + tax) × 3%, ¥200–¥300 per item |
| OneMall LinkBuy | Regular in-stock BOOKOFF Online listings | Yes: from our Tokyo warehouse by ECMS or DHL | Steps 1–6 below |
LinkBuy fee: 5% of the item price, min ¥200 / max ¥1,000 per item — OneMall LinkBuy shopping guide, checked 2026-10-09. Rakuten and Yahoo! Auctions are on our supported platforms list.
How do I buy from Book Off Online from the USA?
LinkBuy is our buy-by-link service for Japanese stores we haven’t integrated, BOOKOFF Online included; our LinkBuy guide covers it in depth. Our service fee is ¥300 per item on most marketplaces; from ¥200 per item on Yahoo Auctions and LinkBuy.
- Step 1: Find the listing. Search BOOKOFF Online by the Japanese title (進撃の巨人, not the English title Attack on Titan), then copy the product URL and note the tax-inclusive price.
- Step 2: Compare the Rakuten shop. LinkBuy charges the ¥200 minimum on anything under ¥4,000, below the ¥300 Rakuten fee. Once 5% of the price passes ¥300, Rakuten costs less in fees, if the title is listed there.
- Step 3: Submit it. Open LinkBuy, paste the link and enter the item name, specification, tax-inclusive price and notes. For several items, add each to the submission list and send them from My > Shop Freely > Pending Submission as one review order.
- Step 4: Pay within 24 hours of approval. You get an SMS once our team approves the request. Pay the item price plus service fee by Visa, Mastercard or PayPal, settled in USD, within 24 hours, or the order cancels automatically. A failed review shows its reason under My > Shop Freely > Review Failed.
- Step 5: The store ships to our Tokyo warehouse. It ships address orders within 1–5 days, and in-stock items usually reach the warehouse 3–5 business days after the store ships (estimated average). You can cancel only before the seller accepts the order; if the item is out of stock, we cancel and refund in full, service fee included, within three business days.
- Step 6: Consolidate and ship. You get 90 days of free storage after arrival (30 days after consolidation), and the first 6 orders consolidate free, ¥100 per additional order. The second payment covers international shipping plus the domestic shipping the store charged, which we advance. US parcels go by ECMS or DHL, billed on the larger of actual and volumetric weight (L × W × H ÷ 5000, cm to kg, on the outer box the warehouse uses).
Since August 29, 2025, US-bound parcels of any value go through customs and pay applicable duties, taxes and fees — the $800 de minimis exemption no longer applies.[7] Duties, taxes and clearance fees are paid by the buyer.
Regular in-stock listings are what LinkBuy is for. It cannot buy items that need a lottery entry, have purchase limits, or require Japanese identity verification or a members-only account.
How do you read a Book Off Japan listing?
Titles are Japanese with full-width characters, like 【中古】 ニーア オートマタ／ＰＳ４, live in the Rakuten shop on October 9, 2026. The labels that matter:
- 【中古】: used.
- (全23巻) or 【コミックセット】: a complete manga set, running to the latest volume out when you order. Stock is matched by JAN code, so release dates and covers can be mixed, and a set can’t be part-cancelled.[6]
- 良い / 非常に良い (“good” / “very good”): blanket labels in the Rakuten shop, 良い for books and magazines and 非常に良い for comics, CDs, DVDs and games; the shop can’t check individual copies.[6] The real bar is “usable”: books may show folds, writing or sun fading if they still read fine, and discs are checked by eye, not play-tested.[3]
- 帯 (obi): the paper band counts as advertising, so it isn’t promised.[6]
- 初回限定盤 (first-press edition): copies without an edition label aren’t sorted into first-press and regular, so first-press extras aren’t assured.[6]
- 【箱説なし】: on a game console listing, no box and no manual.
- Manuals: not promised for Switch, Switch 2, Wii U, PS5, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Xbox 360 or 3DS games; for retro and other platforms, the shop says the manual is included.[3]
Because the shop can’t check your exact copy for you, unboxing photos (¥500 or ¥700) show it to you at our warehouse before international shipping; exterior photos are free when the item price is over ¥20,000, full unboxing photos over ¥30,000. Hunting out-of-print figures and collectibles instead? See our Suruga-ya guide and Mandarake guide.
Conclusion
Pick the channel before the item: LinkBuy for BOOKOFF Online, our Rakuten integration when a pricier item is listed there, and our Yahoo! Auctions integration for clothing, sporting goods and appliances. Ready? Paste your first BOOKOFF Online link into LinkBuy and our team takes it from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Book Off in the USA?
Yes. BOOKOFF USA’s store locator listed 22 open locations on October 9, 2026, in California, New York, Arizona, Hawaii, Michigan and Texas, including BOOKOFF Ani-Lab stores.[8] Its FAQ says there’s no nationwide inventory database, so Japan’s online listings still need one of the routes above.
Book Off vs Hard Off: are they the same company?
No. BOOKOFF began handling used home electronics as a HARD OFF franchisee in December 1996 and canceled that agreement with HARD OFF CORPORATION in March 2015.[1] For Hard Off (often typed hardoff), see our Hard Off guide.
Why is Book Off so cheap?
In its Rakuten shop, condition doesn’t set the price; time since release, stock and sales do, and prices can change daily.[3] So a title looks cheap or expensive because of demand, not because of how clean the copy is.
Does BOOKOFF sell Pokemon cards?
Yes. Trading cards are a standard category, and the group runs Japan TCG Center card shops.[2] On October 9, 2026, a ポケモンカード (Pokémon cards) search in its Yahoo! Auctions store returned 11,361 results, which you can bid on through our integration. For card-buying tips, see our Japanese Pokémon cards guide.
Is Book Off a thrift store?
It’s a second-hand chain: the company buys used goods from customers, in store or by mail, and resells them. Its online store also lists new books, CDs, DVDs and games.
Last updated: 2026-10-09.
References
- BOOKOFF GROUP HOLDINGS — About Us. bookoffgroup.co.jp
- BOOKOFF GROUP HOLDINGS — Business Portfolio. bookoffgroup.co.jp
- ブックオフ 楽天市場店 — 初めての方へ（ご利用ガイド） (shop guide). rakuten.ne.jp
- ブックオフ公式オンラインストア — 購入：ご注文の流れ (how ordering works). support-online.bookoff.co.jp
- ブックオフ公式オンラインストア — どのような支払い方法がありますか (payment methods). support-online.bookoff.co.jp
- ブックオフ 楽天市場店 — よくある質問 (shop FAQ). rakuten.ne.jp
- Federal Register — Notice of Implementation of the President’s Executive Order 14324, Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment (September 2, 2025). federalregister.gov
- BOOKOFF USA — Store Location. bookoffusa.com