The card
Japanese Charizard ex SAR from set 151, Japanese release. Pack-fresh condition per seller photos, described as ノンプレイ (non-play).
Mercari JP listing price: 24,800 yen ($165 at the prevailing USD/JPY rate). Seller had 99.4% positive feedback over 3 years.
Sourcing the card
Accessed Mercari JP via Buyee. Placed a buy-now through the Buyee interface. Buyee purchased on my behalf within 40 minutes.
Seller shipped to Buyee’s Osaka warehouse within 3 business days. Buyee received, photographed on request (+500 yen inspection service), and confirmed the card matched the listing description.
Costs up to proxy receipt
Card cost: 24,800 yen. Mercari JP service fee (paid by seller, not buyer): 0 yen. Buyee proxy fee: 300 yen. Buyee domestic shipping (seller to warehouse): 700 yen. Inspection service: 500 yen. Total yen at this point: 26,300 yen ($175 landed to Buyee warehouse).
International shipping
I batched this card with three other Pokemon purchases. Combined package weight: 180g. EMS to the US: $32 for the full package. Attributable share for this card: $8.
Shipment arrived in the US 6 business days after dispatch. No customs duty (under $800 de minimis).
Total cost for this card, delivered to my door: $183.
Listing on eBay
Listed on eBay as “Japanese Charizard ex SAR 201/165 Pokemon Card 151 NM/M pack fresh”. Photos included front, back, both edges, and a shot of the rarity symbol with the set code clearly visible.
Listed at $289 (~90% of the 30-day sold median). Offered free US shipping.
Sale outcome
Sold in 4 days at full asking price. Buyer had 100% feedback; payment cleared immediately.
Shipped via USPS Ground Advantage with tracking and signature confirmation. Cost to ship: $6.50. Packaging (top loader, team bag, bubble mailer): $0.70.
The math
Gross sale: $289. eBay final value fee (13.6%): $39.30. Flat per-order fee: $0.30. Shipping out: $6.50. Packaging: $0.70. Total cost of goods and shipping in: $183.
Net profit: $59.20. ROI: 32%. Cycle time: 5 weeks from Mercari purchase to funds cleared in bank.
On an annualised basis, that is roughly 300% ROI if the capital recycles 10 times per year. Not every card hits these numbers — some break even, one in twenty loses money — but the portfolio average over 50 flips of this profile runs 25–35% per cycle.
Clean source (established Mercari JP seller), honest condition description, correct target (a card with structural EN/JP spread), disciplined sourcing price (bought at roughly 90% of Japan median, not at the ceiling), and clear listing practices (Japanese keyword in title attracts specifically the collectors looking for the JP version). Every one of these is repeatable.
This article is part of the Japanese Arbitrage section of PokemonCardProfit. Use our free Grading ROI and Flip Profit calculators to run the numbers on any card before you buy.