Shopping Guide
HELP / FAQs
By onemall 
TL;DR
- You pay twice: the item (plus service fee) when you order, and international shipping after the parcel is packed. Cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover) and PayPal are the methods; card payments convert at Stripe’s rate, PayPal at PayPal’s, in USD[1].
- Refunds are for seller-side failures only — a seller who does not ship or cancels, or a proven counterfeit. Once an item is in the warehouse there is no change-of-mind return; you can forfeit it for free but the price is gone[2].
- Damage cover is capped at the shipping you paid, and both damage and loss claims need a complete unboxing video shot from the sealed box with the tracking label visible[3].
- Four paid services move the risk: ¥20 empty-package check, ¥200 wrong/missing-item inspection, ¥500–700 unboxing photos, ¥200+ reinforcement. The first two come with real reimbursement if they miss something[3].
- Storage is free for 90 days plus two weeks; after that unshipped items are discarded without refund[2].
Everything below is taken from OneMall’s published policy pages as read on 11 September 2026; nothing is inferred. Last updated: 2026-09-11.
Paying: methods, timing and currency
OneMall is a proxy: it buys the item from the Japanese seller with its own Japanese payment methods and you pay OneMall. That is why the Japanese-only options you may have read about — konbini (convenience-store) payment, Japanese bank transfer, cash on delivery, a Japanese credit card — never come up. Your side is simpler[1]:
- Methods: credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover) or PayPal. You can also hold a deposit in your account and spend it on items, auction bids and shipping.
- When: items are paid at checkout, immediately. International shipping is charged only after the goods have arrived at the warehouse and been packed, because the fee depends on the packed weight and box size[2].
- Currency: prices are shown in your chosen currency but settle in USD; PayPal applies PayPal’s or your bank’s exchange rate, card payments use Stripe’s. If your card charges a foreign-transaction fee, PayPal funded from a local balance can be cheaper; otherwise the two are equivalent and both are instant.
- Auctions: bids are backed by your deposit or card; you are charged for a win when the auction settles. Details in the Yahoo! Auctions guide.
What the charges are made of — service fee per marketplace, the 5% LinkBuy fee, domestic shipping, international shipping — is covered line by line in OneMall fees explained.
Refunds and returns: the rules
The key sentence in the policy is that each item is purchased specifically for you and cannot be resold, so buyer-initiated returns are not accepted — not for change of mind, not because the item is no longer wanted, not because shipping turned out higher than expected[2]. Second-hand and resale items are, in addition, generally non-cancellable once ordered because Japanese marketplace sellers do not accept cancellations[2]. Refunds happen when the problem is on the seller’s side and before the item reaches you:
| Situation | Outcome | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Seller does not ship in time (e.g. a Mercari seller misses the 7-day deadline) | Refund | 5–10 business days |
| Seller cancels | Automatic refund | 5–10 business days |
| Counterfeit item | Refund possible with valid authentication evidence; approval rate is low and return shipping is at your cost | Case by case |
| Item already at the warehouse — you no longer want it, or shipping is dearer than expected | No refund; you may forfeit the item free of charge | — |
| Item cannot be shipped (prohibited, or refused by your customs) | No compensation; forfeit or, if only carrier-limited, change carrier | — |
| Not shipped within 90 days + 2 weeks of warehouse arrival | Treated as abandoned and discarded, no refund | — |
| Arrived damaged | After-sales assistance and compensation up to the international shipping fee paid; carrier claim for Japan Post | Report within 24 hours with photos and an unboxing video; reply in 24–48 hours |
| Lost in transit | OneMall confirms with the carrier and files a claim | Report when tracking is silent 48 hours after clearance; carrier confirmation within 72 hours |
| Returned by the carrier (wrong address, unpaid duties) | Original shipping not refunded; return fee may be charged | — |
The one lever you have after purchase is the photo service: if the unboxing photos show a problem, you can appeal within 12 hours and OneMall will take it up with the seller and the marketplace — without guaranteeing they agree, and with service fees still deducted if they do[3]. Real cases are in our unboxing-photo case file.
What OneMall is responsible for — and what it is not
OneMall’s own statement of responsibility draws the line at the warehouse door: it is responsible for an item from the moment it arrives at the warehouse until it leaves, and if it is at fault for damage or loss in that window it refunds up to the purchase price[4]. It is not liable for[4][2]:
- Sellers’ actions — delays, an item that does not match its description, damaged or wrong items sent by the seller (staff will help you communicate, without guaranteeing an outcome);
- Damage or loss during domestic or international shipping, where the claim goes to the carrier (OneMall files it with you — see below);
- Customs delays, inspections, seizures or duties in your country;
- Purchases made on the basis of a machine-translation error — ask before buying if a description is unclear;
- Authenticity, condition or fitness of goods: OneMall does not inspect, authenticate or certify items, and trading cards, figures, limited editions and second-hand goods are flagged as higher-risk categories.
Insurance: what damage and loss cover actually pays
There is no separate insurance product to buy; cover comes from the carrier and from OneMall’s after-sales process[3]:
- Damage: report within 24 hours of receipt. OneMall provides after-sales assistance and compensation based on the shipping method and the state of the package, capped at the international shipping fee you paid. For Japan Post shipments it also helps you file the postal claim, which is how the item value itself may be recovered (EMS carries its own indemnity; sea mail and courier terms vary).
- Loss: report when the carrier reports a loss, tracking shows delivered-but-not-received, or there has been no tracking update for 48 hours after customs clearance. OneMall confirms with the carrier within 72 hours, files the claim and arranges redelivery if the parcel later turns up.
- The evidence rule: a complete, continuous unboxing video starting from the sealed parcel with the tracking label in frame, plus the box, label and packing materials kept for the claim. Without it, no damage or loss protection applies — record every delivery, however intact the box looks.
Because the cap is the shipping fee, the real protection for an expensive item is upstream: photo service before dispatch, reinforcement, and shipping it alone rather than consolidated (fragile items sent consolidated are explicitly at the buyer’s risk[5]).
The paid services, priced
| Service | Fee | What it does | What it protects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty-package verification | ¥20 | Staff confirm by touch and weight (opening if needed) that the seller’s parcel is not empty before it is checked in | If the parcel is nonetheless empty on arrival at your door, item value, service fee, Japanese domestic shipping and international shipping are compensated (single-item shipments) — with a complete unboxing video |
| Wrong or missing item inspection | ¥200 | Unboxing check of quantity and basic appearance against the listing; result sent by SMS | Confirmed wrong/missing items are reimbursed with fees and shipping (single-item shipments). Does not check function, completeness of kits, condition grade or authenticity; unopened “new” items and mystery bags are excluded |
| Package-opening photo service | ¥500 / ¥700 | Items unboxed and photographed within 12 hours of arrival, photos posted to the order | Lets you see the item before international shipping and appeal within 12 hours; if the seller accepts a return, service fees still apply. Opened Amazon Japan self-sold items refund only 50% |
| Reinforcement (options A–E) | ¥200; irregular items ¥800 up to 10 kg, +¥100/kg, max ¥2,000 | Extra cushioning, box replacement, external wrapping; mandatory for irregular items such as rods, rackets and instruments | Reduces damage risk; fragile items shipped consolidated without it are at your risk |
Two rules run through all four. Reimbursements under the empty-package and wrong-item services cover international shipping only for single-item shipments, not consolidated boxes; and every claim requires the unboxing video. The photo service, once bought, cannot be cancelled, and photos requested after an item has already been checked in carry no after-sales rights[3].
Storage, consolidation and forfeiting
Items are stored free for 90 days plus a further two weeks from warehouse arrival, which is what makes consolidation work: buy across weeks, ship once. After the period, unshipped items are treated as abandoned and discarded with no refund[2]. Forfeiting an item you no longer want is free and can be done from your account at any time; it is the clean way out of a purchase that turns out to be unshippable (see what you cannot ship from Japan). Original packaging of value — shoe boxes, manga storage boxes — is kept where possible, but may be removed for effective reinforcement or consolidation[3].
Frequently asked questions
How do I pay on Japanese websites that only take Japanese cards or konbini payment?
Order through OneMall (or LinkBuy for any store URL): OneMall pays the site with its Japanese payment methods and you pay OneMall by card or PayPal, so the Japanese-only checkout never blocks you.
Can I use konbini payment or a Japanese bank transfer through OneMall?
No, and you do not need to. Konbini payment is how a buyer in Japan pays a Japanese shop at a convenience-store terminal; OneMall pays the shop on your behalf, and you pay OneMall by card or PayPal. The same goes for Amazon Japan, Rakuten and Mercari orders placed through the platform.
Does OneMall accept PayPal?
Yes. PayPal and cards are the two methods, both instant, both settling in USD[1].
Can I cancel an order?
Only if the seller has not yet accepted or shipped and the marketplace allows it; second-hand and resale items are generally non-cancellable once ordered. Auction wins cannot be cancelled. If a seller fails to ship or cancels, you are refunded automatically in 5–10 business days[2].
Is shipping refunded if my parcel is returned?
No, and some carriers — sea freight especially — charge a return fee comparable to the outbound cost[5]. Check the address before confirming shipment.
What is the maximum compensation for a damaged parcel?
The international shipping fee you paid, through OneMall’s process; the carrier’s own indemnity (for Japan Post shipments OneMall helps you claim) is separate[3].
Is OneMall legit?
The policies above are the honest answer: clear about what it does and does not cover, with the risk of cross-border second-hand buying placed on the buyer, as every proxy does. Our independent review goes through reviews and comparisons.
References
- OneMall Support — Payments and Fees
- OneMall Support — Important Purchase Notice (returns, refunds, storage, customs)
- OneMall Support — Online Value-Added Services (inspection, photo, reinforcement, lost and damaged parcels)
- OneMall Support — Our Responsibility
- OneMall Support — International Shipping FAQ (fragile consolidation, returned parcels)
Policy text as published on 11 September 2026; the support pages are authoritative if they change. Last updated: 2026-09-11.