A. There are certainly many people who want perfumes that are not sold in Japan, and I understand the desire to turn that into a business. To do this properly, however, you need to know about personal imports, the law, and commercial imports. The discussion also offers points to watch when buying things within Japan, so please read on.
Please note that the following has not been compiled by an expert. Proceed at your own responsibility and check the details for yourself.
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What Are Personal Imports?
Basic Information
Personal importing means “an individual buying directly from an overseas website and importing goods for personal use.” In addition to buying directly yourself, you can also import through an import agent.
Generally, because you are dealing directly with an overseas website, you run the risk of having to resolve every problem at your own responsibility. Even if the item you use is defective or causes skin problems, contacting the Consumer Affairs Agency will not resolve it. Japanese law does not apply.
There are also goods whose importation into Japan is prohibited or restricted. If you try to import them, they will be stopped at customs and will not reach you.
Below are the advantages and disadvantages of personal importing.
Advantages
1. Tax Exemption
Imports always incur customs duty and consumption tax. For personal imports, 60% of the goods’ retail price becomes the taxable value, but if this taxable value is ¥10,000 or less, customs duty and consumption tax are generally waived. In other words, if the total price of the goods is ¥16,666 or less (taxable value × 0.6 ≦ 10,000 ⇔ taxable value ≦ 10,000 ÷ 0.6 = 16,666…), no tax is payable. Conversely, if you buy ¥16,667 or more, there may be cases in which you must pay customs duty, consumption tax, or other charges depending on the goods and their value.
Incidentally, some goods, such as certain leather products, are excluded from the exemption.
2. Often Cheaper Than Buying in Japan
Depending on the item, you may be able to buy it more cheaply than products sold in Japan. In particular, many overseas brands sold in Japan are imported, with those costs reflected in their prices, so they are often considerably more expensive than abroad. Major brands, however, sometimes adjust prices to be roughly similar so that people do not stop buying in Japan.
3. Exchange Rates Can Make Purchases Even Cheaper
This can be either an advantage or a disadvantage: buying when the yen is strong offers better value, while buying when it is weak means paying a little more. Remember that the rate used is not necessarily the exchange rate on the day you buy; it differs according to the credit card company or other provider.
4. A Wider Range of Choices
You can buy brands and products you have never seen before that are not sold in Japan. Once you become hooked on that pleasure, it is hard to stop.
Disadvantages
1. The Stress of Foreign Languages
Generally, few sites are in Japanese, and for perfume you will almost always need to read English or French. Even if you use a Japanese translation function, the translation will not be perfect, which can leave you unsure whether it is accurate. This demands more attention than shopping on a Japanese-language site and can be stressful.
If you need to change an address or communicate about something, Japanese will not get you very far, which adds to the stress.
2. The Stress of Risk
When buying from an unfamiliar site, you know nothing about its packaging, shipping, or anything else. This is true in Japan as well, but cultural differences overseas create additional uncertainty. Moreover, because whatever happens, you must resolve it at your own responsibility, you have to handle all communication with the other party yourself. I think the stress associated with that risk can be considerable.
Well-known sites used by many people generally provide quite good service. Depending on the site, their response may even be better, or more generous, than in Japan.
3. Delivery Takes Time
Because the goods come from overseas, delivery can take quite a while, depending on the site. They may arrive in two weeks, or in a month; perhaps it is best to expect them to turn up when you have almost forgotten about them. In the meantime, the doubt about whether they will really arrive may keep lingering. As a rule, I recommend using sites that offer a trackable shipping method.
4. High Shipping Costs
Naturally, shipping internationally is quite different from shipping within Japan, so delivery costs a fair amount. Some sites, of course, offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount or more. Prices are often still lower even with shipping included, so this is not necessarily a major disadvantage, but I think you should always check.
Points to Note
Weighing the advantages and disadvantages, some people will find the advantages greater and want to begin personal importing right away. Before you do, however, be sure to read these cautions and import properly.
Caution 1: You Cannot Use Personal Imports for Business
Whether through misunderstanding or knowingly, many people in Japan currently sell goods they have personally imported. To repeat, personal importing means “an individual buying directly from an overseas website and importing goods for personal use.” In other words, importing for any purpose other than personal use is illegal.
The reason it is illegal is that personal imports qualify for tax exemption because the purchases are within the scope of personal use. If you sell, or resell, goods after receiving an exemption or reduction through personal importing, that constitutes evasion of customs duty and consumption tax. This violates provisions such as Articles 110 and 111 of the Customs Act and constitutes offenses such as customs-duty evasion, importing or exporting without permission, or making a false declaration.
Accordingly, you cannot resell goods you have personally imported from overseas, no matter how small the quantity. If you want to do business, it must be “small-lot importing” or “importing,” for which you must apply to the government. This also includes items bought while traveling abroad.
Caution 2: Giving Goods to Friends or Family Is Also Illegal
In fact, it is not only business: selling or giving goods to friends or family, that is, third parties, is generally prohibited by law. In other words, it is best to regard buying goods on an overseas website as gifts and giving them to someone as generally illegal, too.
In particular, goods covered by the Food Sanitation Act or the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act, such as food and medicines, as well as cosmetics, can involve additional legal violations, so absolutely do not do this.
The reason I wrote “generally” above is that, in practice, the government cannot police every instance. This may be the end of the argument, but if every souvenir bought abroad and given to a friend were called illegal, there would be no end to it. This area is left to individual morals, but it is nevertheless illegal.
Caution 3: Quantity Limits Apply
To prevent the situations in Cautions 1 and 2 in advance, some products have quantity limits. For example, medicines are limited to a supply of two months or less, and cosmetics to 24 units or fewer per item. These are checked during customs clearance, so I think it is best not to stock up too heavily.
Caution 4: Know Which Goods Are Prohibited from Importation
Besides counterfeits and goods that violate Japanese law, such as stimulants and guns, some goods are subject to import restrictions under the Washington Convention, or CITES. Importing restricted goods is illegal. Perfume enthusiasts reading this site should be particularly careful about pieces of agarwood. A permit is required to import them.
• Prohibited and restricted imports
• Washington Convention (CITES)
• Frequently asked questions about CITES
• Information on aroma products
References
This site is written only within the limits of a layperson’s knowledge. If you need accurate information or are considering a business, I strongly recommend consulting an appropriate specialist organization.
Penalties under the Customs Act (Japan Customs)
Learn more about imports and customs duties
For those considering an import business
A website with accessible case studies
Commercial Imports
Anyone wishing to run an import business, including individuals, whether large or small, must use commercial importing for all such imports. Whether you sell on Mercari or Amazon, you must declare them as commercial imports, without exception; otherwise, it is illegal.
For commercial imports, companies will of course already be doing this, but individuals also need import declarations, permissions, and notifications. By completing these procedures and properly paying the taxes, you can operate a business.
• See Japan Customs and other authorities for details.
Imported goods also require statutory labels, meaning Japanese-language labels prescribed by law, and the importer’s name must appear.
Summary
• When personally importing goods, understand that only you will use them. Know that the moment someone other than you uses them, it is illegal.
• Do not sell personally imported goods. Even one item is still illegal.
• There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a profit selling perfumes unavailable in Japan, but if you want to sell them, import them through the proper channels, including the required import notifications.
• When buying overseas products within Japan, check whether the seller imports those goods. If an individual is selling them, if they lack the legally required Japanese labels, or if a company profile does not list “import operations” among its business activities, consider that “something may be a little suspicious.” This is one possible yardstick.
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