What does a Japanese card cost by the time it reaches the U.S.?

The duty on Japanese cards changed three times

Rates in this section are as of November 2, 2026.

Until August 2025, a parcel worth $800 or less could enter the U.S. duty-free under the de minimis exemption. An executive order ended that treatment for all countries, including for international mail, for goods entered on or after August 29, 2025. A separate order implementing the U.S.–Japan agreement set a 15% total rate on most Japanese goods, applied back to August 7, 2025.

That 15% rate rested on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, and the IEEPA duties were ended the same day. A temporary 10% surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act replaced them for 150 days from February 24, 2026.

Since July 24, 2026, Japanese goods have been covered by a Section 301 action announced by the U.S. Trade Representative. For Japan, where a product's normal (MFN) rate is below 12.5%, "the sum of the MFN tariff and the Section 301 tariff shall be 12.5 percent"; where the normal rate is 12.5% or higher, the extra tariff is zero. The notice sets no end date. It also lists exceptions in annexes that we could not read, so whether any card product is excluded is not confirmed.

The normal rate matters because it decides how the 12.5% is split, not the total. In ruling N359352 (March 16, 2026), U.S. Customs and Border Protection classified Pokémon trading cards from Japan under HTSUS 9504.40.00, "playing cards," with a general rate of Free. Free plus the Section 301 tariff gives 12.5%. The ruling covers the three cards described in it; other games' cards were not part of it.

How Japan Post handles parcels for the U.S.

Japan Post stopped accepting most goods for the U.S. from August 27, 2025, after the de minimis change. Letters, documents and personal gifts worth US$100 or less were still accepted. On April 14, 2026, it resumed accepting all mail for the U.S. at designated post offices.

From July 24, 2026, the rules depend on the declared value of the contents:

The sender pays the duty to U.S. Customs in advance through an app from a CBP-certified provider that Japan Post recommends. Japan Post says those providers set their own usage fees, and it does not take part in the payment. A parcel worth more than ¥200,000 (about US$1,250) also needs a separate Japanese export declaration.

For a buyer, the practical point is that a Japanese shop or seller mailing cards to you must handle the prepayment at the counter, and the duty is usually built into what the shop charges you. Shops that ship worldwide state how they pass duty on; the two in our guide to getting cards shipped leave customs charges to the buyer.

A CBP rule published October 22, 2026 says mail shipments subject to duties under Chapter 99 of the tariff schedule cannot use the new postal informal entry, with compliance due from January 20, 2027. Japan Post had not explained how that will affect card parcels as of November 2, 2026.

Japan Post rates to the U.S.

The U.S. is in Japan Post's Zone 4. EMS is the tracked express service; international small packet (小形包装物, kogata hōsōbutsu) is a cheaper airmail service capped at 2 kg, with length plus width plus thickness up to 90 cm and the longest side up to 60 cm. Japan Post has announced new rates from February 1, 2027.

Current EMS rates include a special surcharge, according to Japan Post's rate page.

What a proxy adds

A proxy service buys from Japanese sites that won't ship abroad, such as Mercari Japan, and charges its own fees on top. As of November 2, 2026, ZenMarket charges ¥800 per Mercari item plus a deposit fee from 1%; Buyee charges ¥500 per Mercari order plus a plan fee of ¥0 to ¥500; Japan Rabbit charges $3.00 per Mercari item plus a sliding service fee of 9.9% to 1.2% of order value. Each service also passes on the seller's domestic shipping inside Japan, which Buyee puts at ¥150 to ¥1,500.

Proxies choose their own carriers for the U.S. leg, so the Japan Post table may not apply. Buyee's help center lists ECMS and Buyee Air Delivery (DHL, UPS and FedEx) for U.S. addresses, and Japan Rabbit says its Japan Post methods are available to the U.S. only for shipments valued at $2,500 or more. Get the shipping quote inside the proxy's account before paying for the item.

Three worked examples

The table uses example prices and assumed parcel weights, not quotes for a specific product: Japan Post's official pages do not give a shipping weight for booster boxes. For scale, the Pokémon expansion pack released January 23, 2026 (Munikis Zero) retails at ¥180 including tax for five cards, but box contents vary by set; see what a box holds and what to check before buying a Japanese booster box. The examples assume a Japanese shop mails the parcel directly with Japan Post at current rates, with no proxy.

The formula is item price + shipping + 12.5% × item price. Four boxes at 3 kg are over the small packet's 2 kg limit, which is why that row uses EMS. Bought through ZenMarket as four separate Mercari items instead, the same four boxes would add ¥3,200 in service fees, plus the deposit fee and whatever ZenMarket charges for shipping.

What the examples leave out

• The duty-prepayment provider's fee, which Japan Post says the provider sets.
• Card or currency-conversion charges from your bank, and proxy payment fees such as Neokyo's 3.6% plus ¥40 on PayPal.
• Packing upgrades, such as ZenMarket's ¥1,000 reinforcement per box or Japan Rabbit's $3.00 extra padding.
• Any change to the Section 301 rate or exceptions after November 2, 2026, and the January 20, 2027 CBP compliance date above.

If the totals make a Japanese single less attractive, compare it with the same card sold inside the U.S.; our guide to where price-site numbers come from explains what each site's price represents.