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There is a small not so black market of distributors for these, notably Biore UV which is easily accessible on Amazon - as well as ebay and other ecomm channels

There is a small not so black market of distributors for these, notably Biore UV which is easily accessible on Amazon - as well as ebay and other ecomm channels. I fly frequently to Japan, and always stock up on Biore UV, and lately with the USD to JPY, it makes more sense too stock up more. :) Lots of items from amazon.co.jp also have free shipping to USA, it's nice. If you can't enter Japan, but still feel the need (it sounds silly, but maybe on layover) you can fly through Haneda which has all shops accessible for transfers. Narita can too depending which terminal you fly in, ANA yes, JAL no.

safeimp 4y ago
I'm always dubious purchasing things like this via Amazon. I'll buy tech gear there or miscellaneous accessories but for something that I'm ingesting or applying to my skin I'm reluctant, especially with it falling into a gray area. Am I being unreasonably paranoid?
- elbigbad 4y ago
  I really don’t think you’re being paranoid at all. We’ve seen countless times that even well meaning sellers who are ethical get their products mixed with unethical sellers at the Amazon warehouses. I don’t buy anything I put on or in my body, or that sits close against my body, from Amazon. Aside from that no memory cards or things like power bricks that plug into my expensive laptops.
- copperx 4y ago
  > Am I being unreasonably paranoid? No. I treat anything I buy on Amazon as a counterfeit until I can prove that it is not. Sometimes it takes a few days of research per product, intensive physical inspection, and contacting the manufacturer to check lot/serial numbers. I'd love to delegate this onerous task. Perhaps it's a viable startup idea?
- herbst 4y ago
  Amazon at this point is AliExpress with a huge price Markup for like half of their products. If you wouldn't put on something straight from China you shouldn't be trusting Amazon. There is no real control within Amazon

safeimp 4y ago

I'm always dubious purchasing things like this via Amazon. I'll buy tech gear there or miscellaneous accessories but for something that I'm ingesting or applying to my skin I'm reluctant, especially with it falling into a gray area. Am I being unreasonably paranoid?

elbigbad 4y ago
I really don’t think you’re being paranoid at all. We’ve seen countless times that even well meaning sellers who are ethical get their products mixed with unethical sellers at the Amazon warehouses. I don’t buy anything I put on or in my body, or that sits close against my body, from Amazon. Aside from that no memory cards or things like power bricks that plug into my expensive laptops.
copperx 4y ago
> Am I being unreasonably paranoid? No. I treat anything I buy on Amazon as a counterfeit until I can prove that it is not. Sometimes it takes a few days of research per product, intensive physical inspection, and contacting the manufacturer to check lot/serial numbers. I'd love to delegate this onerous task. Perhaps it's a viable startup idea?
herbst 4y ago
Amazon at this point is AliExpress with a huge price Markup for like half of their products. If you wouldn't put on something straight from China you shouldn't be trusting Amazon. There is no real control within Amazon