My History
After graduating from university, I found myself drifting without any specific goals. It was a romantic relationship in New York that sparked my passion for traveling abroad. I began exploring the United States and backpacking through Southeast Asia.
During my travels, I encountered various requests from locals who asked me to bring them Japanese digital cameras and other products. This made me realize the strong demand for Japanese goods. At the same time, I recognized the challenges people faced in obtaining these items abroad, which led me to consider the possibility of creating a service to overcome these obstacles and fulfill the needs of those overseas.
This experience inspired me to launch a proxy buying service. While I outsourced the development of the system and website to external vendors, I personally wrote the site’s content and enlisted a friend to assist with translations. I took on web direction tasks to build the site. Once it was launched, I managed all order processing, customer support, and shipping by myself.
To my surprise, orders started coming in on the very first day, even without any advertising, which gave me a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Building on that momentum, I placed banner ads on Yahoo! Taiwan, where Japanese products were particularly popular. The response exceeded my expectations, and soon my family home was overflowing with packages waiting to be shipped.
At that time, all order processing was done manually. I would bid on items through Yahoo! Auctions, and once I won, I would package and ship the products. I remember struggling to keep up with the packaging and shipping, often needing to enlist my friends' help. Despite the challenges, my youthful energy and entrepreneurial spirit made the experience incredibly rewarding.
The Present
Twenty years have passed since I started my business, and I now have a track record of managing proxy purchases for over 5,000 e-commerce sites in Japan, shipping products to users in more than 195 countries around the globe. Our company specializes in products that can only be obtained in Japan, catering to users seeking items that are not available for international shipping, as well as those facing language barriers that complicate the purchasing process. We see particularly high usage from customers in the United States, and we're also experiencing increased demand from countries in Asia and Europe, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, the UK, and France.
In 2022, we expanded our services to include proxy purchasing for American products targeted at customers in Japan. Until then, our clientele mainly consisted of individuals living abroad, but I recognized that there is also a demand in Japan for products sold on international websites. We began our expansion in the United States, and while our operations in that market are currently only about one-hundredth of our international efforts, we aim to grow this segment in the future.
In my management approach, I prioritize "flexibility," "integrity," "honesty," and "humility." While I establish certain guidelines, I emphasize to my employees the importance of adapting to customer requests with "flexibility" and "integrity." For instance, there was a customer who purchased tickets for an event in Japan and intended to have them delivered to their home country before their arrival. Unfortunately, due to shipping delays, this was not possible. In such cases, I have personally delivered the products directly to customers upon their arrival in Japan. I also recognize that despite our careful packaging, accidents can happen. My commitment is to handle compensation requests sincerely, often through refunds or other measures.
I learned the values of "honesty" and "humility" from my parents and have held them dear throughout my life. However, my experiences as a manager since I was 25 have taught me invaluable lessons, largely thanks to the insights I've gained from my employees and customers.
For the Future
Our customers aren’t just looking for any products; they tend to be passionate collectors with specific tastes. Japanese fashion, anime, manga, and games are particularly popular, and we are dedicated to meeting that demand.
Looking ahead, we plan to expand our proxy buying service to include products from e-commerce sites in Europe and other countries. There are countless appealing items worldwide, and many products remain exclusive to certain regions. For instance, popular colors and sizes can vary by location, meaning something may be out of stock in Japan but readily available in the U.S. We want to empower our customers to check stock levels both domestically and internationally with a single search, enabling seamless purchasing.
Thanks to our growing customer base, we’ve managed to keep our service fee at just 500 yen (around $3.50 as of September 30, 2024) and offer international shipping at an astonishing 70% discount off standard rates. Even if we eliminate the hassles of purchasing and language barriers, high fees can still deter people from buying. Additionally, we leverage our expertise to ensure that products are securely packed for international shipping. In the rare event that a product arrives damaged, we provide refunds to address customer concerns. Through these initiatives, we aim to make shopping a more enjoyable experience for everyone.
As online shopping becomes the norm, we want cross-border shopping to be just as accessible. With this mission in mind, we will continue to strive for a future where everyone can easily purchase products from around the globe.