[ayuuk]

^The main difference between Tenso and Noppin:
Tenso: you have to order by yourself. Just that at check-out page you fill in your Tenso address, then the items will be shipped to Tenso's warehouse. You will be asked to pay service fee (490yen min.) + EMS fee, and after that your items will be shipped to you.

Noppin: you have to send messages to its staff through "contact board" and wait for quotation. Then maybe you have to pay for the items first (I am not completely sure) and they will order on your behalf (with 1,000yen plus 10% for service fee). When items arrive at Noppin's warehouse, you will be asked to pay shipping (you can inform them whether you want it shipped by EMS, airmail, etc), and after that your items will be shipped to you.

I think Noppin is good when you want to buy multiple items in a wide range of time. They hold your stuff for up to 60 days (much longer than Tenso's 14 days), so you can always buy something more within that time, and eventually combine them in one shipment. Tenso makes me feel more independent, though, because you can just order at mu-mo, Amazon, and many other shops by yourself (no need to send messages and wait for quotation). And the service fee (490yen, 980yen and so on) is based on the weight of the package, not its value. So like CDs or ayupans, which are relatively light but worth a lot (one JPN album is 3990yen), it would be cheaper to use Tenso imo. EMS looks pricey, but it is very reliable and fast. I usually get items within 2 days.