Message from Adam
I do almost all my shopping online. Mostly because I hate crowded places like shopping centers. But it is also cheaper to buy online. I use JMTY, Amazon and Yahoo Auction the most (I think) and I check the daily deals almost daily. But when the mood strikes, I will buy that expensive whisky from the Whisky Exchange.
This page may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure page for more details.
Best Online Shopping in Japan
Shopping online is often cheaper than going to the store. Here are some of the best places to shop online while living in Japan. But please note that not all of these are super cheap options. JMTY or Mercari will almost always be the cheapest options for buying things online. Also, Amazon and Rakuten are both huge companies and should be mentioned, but the sites listed here are lesser known and that is why I want to introduce them to you.
Best Online Shopping in Japan for Food
I talk more in depth about saving money on food on my 6 ways to save money on food post, but there are a few more ideas included in this post. 
Saving money on food is one of the best ways to save money every month. Everyone needs to eat, so we all should at least try to find the best places to buy food and save money.
First of all…stop eating convenience store food! Not only is that not a healthy option, it is really expensive.
Buy food from the internet and save a lot of money.
Buying in bulk from Amazon is one of the best places to buy food. Though they can’t ship everything you want to Japan, their selection of food is truly amazing. Also, pay attention to the price difference between Amazon and Amazon.jp. You might be surprised at how much the prices vary.
The Flying Pig, The Foreign Buyers Club and Hilo Market are the other websites that I highly recommend for buying food. These are some of the best online shopping in Japan sites for food!
They deliver products from Costco and other major retailers straight to your doorstep! They have very impressive inventories that you can choose from and buying in big sizes and in bulk really does save money each month. Not to mention that it is great being able to buy food that isnt available in Japan.
Shopping online for food will save you an incredible amount of money each month. The difference between shopping on these websites and shopping in a supermarket are extreme and your wallet will notice the difference right away.
There is a domestic food site that is good to use for online shopping Japan. It usually has the same price as what you would find in the stores, but it has some discounted prices that make it worth going to.
Having food delivered also saves money on gas or transportation fees. So check out Seiyu! It has a pretty good web store where you can find all the same things on their site as you would in their stores. The website is all in Japanese but it is laid out well and there are a lot of pictures so using the website is fairly easy.
Best Online Shopping in Japan for Fashion
The websites listed here are for those who do not want to go the super yen pincher way and buy used clothes from JMTY or Mercari. The following websites can be expensive, but I have listed them on the online shopping Japan list, because they do offer some great deals and discounts that many people will be grateful for.
Shein is a wonderful option for buying clothes online. It is a bargain site and there are some huge discounts available on a wide variety of fashion goods. Best of all, it has free international shipping!
Zozo Town (Japanese only site) is a pretty good site that offers a wide variety of designer clothes. They often have campaigns that offer some good deals as well and there is always something on sale listed on their main page.
Zara is one of the largest international fashion companies in the world. Therefore they can afford to offer some great deals. You can find discounted on this site often. They Shipping is fast and free is shipping is available! There are also free returns!
Asos is another huge company and they have a very large selection of fashion items for men and women. They have face and body products, as well as, a good variety of gift items. Some of their deals are up to 70% off and they have great holiday sales. Free world wide shipping is also available!
Best Online Shopping in Japan for General Stores or Department Stores
Yodobashi and Qoo10 both are huge stores. They are like the Wal-Mart of the internet and are some of the best online shopping in Japan sites.
Almost anything you want to buy can be found on these sites. Fashion, food, electronics, books, bikes and much more are listed.
Qoo10 gets my recommendation mainly because its website is in English, but both of them have good prices. And Qoo10 claims to be the world’s largest online marketplace!
I have listed both of these websites because they both have a discount or bargain bin where we can find some really good deals. These websites should be checked periodically to see what the current deals are.
Buying from these daily deals will be a great way to save money.
Best Online Shopping in Japan Auction Site (eBay alternative)
Yahoo Auctions is a wonderful website and things can be purchased for very cheap! 
It is similar to eBay, since they are both auction websites. But I believe Yahoo Auctions is used far more than eBay is in Japan, so it is a great option for people living in Japan to shop online.
Almost anything can be found up for auction, so no matter what you are shopping for, check Yahoo Auction before going to the store to find it.
And just like eBay, people bid on an item and the winning bid wins it.
The site in Japan mainly uses Japanese, so that is the big negative point of this website.
But many things can be bought at a very cheap price here, so The Yen Pincher loves this website.
Of course, check JMTY and Mercari first. But if it what you are looking for isn’t available on those websites, check out Yahoo Auction next.
Best Online Shopping in Japan for Daily Deals
These next three sites are wonderful! They should be visited frequently if not every day. There are some incredible deals to be found and when you go to the sites, it almost feels like treasure hunting. You never know what you will find. For daily deals, these are the best online shopping in Japan sites.
Groupon – This website is the biggest sit in this category and they offer deals (coupons) on services as well as on products. Even coupons for restaurants and classes! Japanese site only.
Ponpare – This is also a huge website and it has daily deals on just about any product, so it is a good idea to check this site every day. Japanese site only.
Tocoo – is a website that offers daily deals on hotels, lodging and onsens. Though even with a fifty percent discount, the hotels that are listed here are still expensive. So this isn’t the best option for budget travelers, but they do offer some big discounts on this site. For budget traveling, please see the Yen Pincher article about budget traveling in Japan.
Best Online Shopping in Japan for Furniture and Home Interior
Hilo Market – From this website, you can have IKEA items shipped right to your house!
IKEA offers very affordable products for your house and Hilo Market bridges the gap between you and the IKEA store. Go to the IKEA website, make a shopping list and then send that list to Hilo Market. They will take care of the rest. It is a great service and a good way to get some cheap furniture sent to your house.
Best Online Shopping in Japan for Condoms
When it comes to money we shouldn’t be shy and let’s face it, condoms are expensive.
In Japan, you can spend up to 300 yen on just one condom!
Buying in bulk from Undercover Condoms can reduce the cost of each condom to just a few yen each. That’s a huge savings!
Undercover Condoms not only is an inexpensive way to buy condoms, but they also have a huge selection of the world’s best known brands (including Japanese brands).
All the top brands can be found here and within each brand, they offer a variety of condoms to choose from.
They even offer female contraceptives and lotions.
The website is easy to use and they deliver discreetly. Not only will buying condoms online save you money, but it hs the added bonus of being able to use familiar brands.
You won’t have to deal with the uncertainty or uncomfortable condoms found in Japanese stores and you will save money! And if you buy online, you can avoid all those awkward moments when buying condoms at the store. Those are all good things!
Best Online Shopping in Japan Price Comparison Site
Kakaku is a really useful website to know. It is a comparison website, which means that no matter what you are looking to buy, you can find price comparison for it.
Search for the product that you want to buy on Kakaku and they will list several websites that are selling that product and how much each one is selling it for.
This website is especially good for find good deals on electronics, but there are many different categories that can be compared here. Fashion items, books, games, bikes, auto parts and sporting goods can all be compared on this website.
It’s a great way to find the cheapest deal for the item that you want.
Sadly, this website isn’t available in English. But even without knowing a lot of Japanese this site can be used.
Give it a try and find the cheapest deals available in Japan. This is online shopping Japan!
Best Online Shopping in Japan for Alcohol
I have looked for a very long time for a good online website for alcohol. I still haven’t found an amazing site yet, so if any Yen Pincher readers know a good site for shopping online for alcohol, please contact me!
Kakuyasu is an ok site for people living in Japan. Most of the prices are the same as what is in the store but they do have some discounted items that could save you some money. The website is only in Japanese, which is a big downside but having alcohol delivered to your is pretty nice and convenient.
The Whisky Exchange is a little expensive but they offer a lot of liquor that isn’t available in Japanese stores. They have a great selection and for whisky lovers, this website will come in handy.
Drinkable Gifts is an interesting site. They are based out of America and they put together gift baskets that contain alcohol. Most of what they have on the site is wine, but champagne and beer is also available. Again it’s not really cheap, but this website offers some great wine and spirts from around the world that might not be available here in Japan. And giving a gift basket full of alcohol is a great idea for your friends next birthday or for your families next Christmas present.
