Last month, I bought for the first time an item from Japan via ZenMarket, a shopping service in Japan. I had never used a shopping service before (except for one time when I used Yoybuy to shop on Taobao but it failed lol -- that wasn't because of the company and I will probably re-use Yoybuy next time if buy from Taobao), so I was always skeptic. It also looked too complicated.
I still bought something though. Can you guess what?
I have no idea how to choose a good Japanese shopping service; they all claim they're the best, and everyone on the internet seems to have their own favorite (shopping service).
I got to know ZenMarket because of Yumi King (thanks!) but only kept the site in my favorites without really looking at it.
However last month, I went on the site out of curiosity, and found out they actually translate Japanese shopping sites for us to facilitate buying (which is not a unique feature of ZenMarket, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that of shopping services). Then I searched for Liz Lisa and omg there are such second-hand Liz Lisa stuffs that are priced "cheap" compared to the ones listed on eBay, Storenvy, Facebook. Maybe the quality is for something though, I'm not sure why the price difference is that huge. ZenMarket also provides a calculator on the item page to estimate the price.
While searching, I saw a pair of Liz Lisa boots (used, size M) I had seen only on Pinterest... (original listing is here)
I had loved these boots the first time I had seen them on Pinterest, and had pinned them thinking they were just another dream item I would probably never have the honor to own. lol. Especially since they seemed coming from an older Liz Lisa collection (but after having browsed for some weeks on the Yahoo auctions, I feel you can find a lot of Liz Lisa items from older collections, which is amazing.)
The boots
Let's start with the price:
- Price: 600 yen
- ZenMarket commission: 300 yen (300 yen/item)
- Domestic shipping (from seller to ZenMarket): 600 yen
- International shipping (from ZenMarket to my home): 1 390 yen (I chose SAL Small Package 18 days)
+ In addition to that amount, you have to add the commission for transferring money from your card to ZenMarket account (the commission depends if you transfer money from Paypal or else.)
As you can see, it's definitely not the boots that were expensive. But when you add all the costs together, it's kind of expensive, and I chose the cheapest int'l shipping. But they were still worth it! And I can't find boots like this where I live.
I received the boots on March 14th.
 |  |
 |  |
The texture looks like suede, but when you touch it, it's softer than suede. I'm not sure what it is but I'll call it suede anyway.
Also, as you can see, the fur does not go completely down. So when you look at them from this angle (see pictures above), you can see some non-suede part. But I doubt anyone will look at my boots from this angle when I'll walk in them.
Here are signs of wear on the boots. I'd say they're minimal or can be covered:
 |  |
 |  |
Overall, I am really satisfied with them. I can't believe someone would sell those boots for 600 yen. That's like 7 dollars Canadian... Also, I was the only one who bid on them, so I was thinking something must be wrong. But they are actually really good quality. I'm thinking the first owner probably did not wear them that much.
As for the comfort of the boots, well, as I expected, they're not that comfortable (I can walk in them but after a few hours my feet will hurt), adding to that they've got heels. Also, they're quite small... I kinda expected this since I usually wear a size 6.5 in shoes (so a 7 in boots), but I still ordered them since I really wanted them. I also read someone on Instagram say her Liz Lisa knee-high boots stretched after a few walks in them, so I'm hoping mine will too lol.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
ZenMarket Service
I really liked buying via ZenMarket, and I will definitely use this shopping service when I'll buy again from sellers in Japan.- Shipping delay: The boots arrived 17 days after ZenMarket shipped them to me (the shipping I took was 18 days).
- Wrapping: I was scared the fur would be damaged or something else, but my boots came in a big box and were nicely wrapped.
- Calculator: Prior to choosing ZenMarket to buy the boots, I had calculated the total boots' price on another shopping service. But their calculations did not provide the domestic shipping fees (and maybe other fees), they only stated the item fee, service fees, and international fees. I found ZenMarket's estimate was clearer and thus seemed more reliable.
- Fast service/communication: The item arrived at ZenMarket warehouse on Feb. 23rd, and they were shipped to me on Feb. 25th (I confirmed shipping fees on Feb. 24th.) Employees also answered my questions clearly and rapidly.
Thank you for reading ☺
