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Online stores for bento gear

Microwave-safe donburi bento box from Hakoya (closed) Clickety Click dessert box and mayo cups

Although fancy bento boxes and cute accessories from Japan aren’t at all necessary to pack a bento-style lunch, once you get into it you might develop a hankering for them. If you can’t find what you’re looking for at local stores using the worldwide Bento Store Locator map with user-generated store feedback, you might want to look into online sources. To this end, I’ve put together a list of online stores that stock a variety of bento gear.

The list below is not exhaustive, but please leave a comment with info to add reliable stores or update the shipping area on an existing store. Eventually I hope to incorporate these online store listings into the geographic Bento Store Locator (BSL) so that people can easily leave feedback on each store entry. Stores that seem particularly popular are underlined, but be sure to look around for the best price before you buy (I’ve seen some pretty steep mark-ups out there, especially on eBay!). This is not a particular endorsement of any of the following stores, although stores marked with an asterisk are affiliate links that support Lunch in a Box at no additional cost when you use them to shop. (Read on for the full list of online bento stores.)


Online Stores for Bento Gear

International Shipping:

US Shipping:

eBay Stores with International Shipping

Clickety Click bento lunch gear in blue & brownCanada:

Hong Kong:

Japan:

USA:

FURTHER READING:

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June 9th, 2008 | Categories: equipment, shopping | Print This Post Print This Post | Email this post Email this post
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61 Responses to “Online stores for bento gear”

  1. Yvo Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 6:36 am

    Very cool, thanks! I’ve been loving Ichibankan Online and how quick their shipping is and affordable. Very awesome.

  2. Cathy H Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 6:48 am

    Thank you so much for the Bento Store locator. I was able to pick up one of the vacuum style lunch boxes at a store I found via your locator in Plano. In fact, today is my very first day with a bento lunch!

    Joy!!!

  3. I know what you’re asking… « Later On Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 7:07 am

    [...] Posted in Daily life at 8:07 am by LeisureGuy “Where can I get Bento boxes and related equipment?” Well, I’m glad you asked, because here’s a good comprehensive list. [...]

  4. Wendy Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 9:43 am

    I took at a look at Bento Crazy and I am very happy to see that they have reasonable shipping prices. One big problem with some eBay sellers is that they overcharge on the shipping and they will tell it to your face that it’s how they make their profit!
    Great list Biggie! Thanks for doing all this work!

  5. Mimi Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    Agreeing with wendy here. I can’t believe I never stumbled upon the snapware products! they’re perfect! I had found all the other websites randomly, but this is pretty cool. Thanks a lot for all the work you put into this!

  6. laeb Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    Here are two more ebay store offering international shipping you may want to add to your list.

    Hong Kong:
    Lee262Gadget All items are official products (from Disney, Sanrio, X-San, etc.) and item cost and s&h are very cheap!

    Japan:
    SAKURA-ZAKKA-SHOP Even cheaper than lee262Gadget and a great selection of products to choose from! Great customer service, too.

  7. laeb Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    The links are faulty because of the dots at the end. Take the ‘.’ off and the links will work just fine.

  8. Kim Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

    Thanks for these lists! I’m going to have a look around town to see if I can find any supplies but if not I’ll for sure be coming back and ordering from one of them.

  9. Snarffalita Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 9:30 pm

    Congrats on being mentioned in Newsweek this week! My bento-addicted daughter and I were actually cheering when we saw the article.

  10. Biggie Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 3:31 am

    @6 from laeb: Thanks for those two store additions, laeb — I checked them out and put them on the list. Good selection!

  11. Biggie Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 3:46 am

    @2 from Cathy H: Glad to hear the Locator helped you find a local bento store, Cathy! I’m thankful also to whoever entered the info for that Plano store. Welcome to the bento fold!

  12. Biggie Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 3:55 am

    @4 from Wendy: Well, I guess all sellers have to make a profit somehow, but hiding their markup in the shipping costs does seem sneaky. I do get irritated when sellers jack up the prices super-high on lower-quality dollar store goods, giving the impression that you’re buying high quality gear. Nine-dollar egg molds, anyone?

  13. Biggie Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 3:57 am

    @5 from Mimi: Snapware is good, but personally I prefer the security of the locking flaps on the Lock & Lock boxes.

  14. Biggie Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 4:00 am

    @9 from Snarffalita: I haven’t seen the hard copy of the Newsweek article yet, just the web version. I’m curious to see if they used any of the photos they asked me for, or if those fell on the editing room floor… Still, I can’t complain!

  15. LillyAnn Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 7:28 am

    Thanks bunches for the list of sites, Biggie. I, too, have stumbled onto most of the sites - sometimes with a good experience, sometimes…well, not so much.
    Having purchased from the eBay store “Bento’s and Beyond” numerous times, I can say all my experiences with him/her have been wonderful! Even shipping from Japan, postal costs are reasonable, communication/e-mail responses are quick and items are well packed for mail.
    Even though I’m in an area with several Asian stores and bento supply readily available, sometimes he/she has items that are simply not available in the States (or are extremely difficult to find).
    I confidently recommend them as a good and fair bento supplier.

  16. Loren Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pm

    Hi Biggie,

    I’m tagging you for my Five Facts Meme.

  17. stephanie Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 4:19 am

    Hi there! I have also ordered from: http://www.shopkawaii.com (housewares section). Ships in the US and has many character bento boxes and accessories. Great customer service! Thanks for putting this list together!!

  18. NoL Says:
    June 13th, 2008 at 4:31 am

    Thanks! I just placed an Ichiban Kan order before they sell out of everything!!

  19. Biggie Says:
    June 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am

    @17 from stephanie: Thanks for the addition, stephanie. I’ve put it on the list. :-)

  20. Erica Says:
    June 17th, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    I have ordered some super cute and hard to find Decole brand bento boxes from http://www.japanesegiftmarket.com

  21. Tracy Says:
    June 24th, 2008 at 7:15 am

    I’ve ordered some non-bento related stuff from From-Japan-With-Love. This seller is based in Japan and she is an established Japanese stationery seller on Etsy.com. She had just started developing another online store selling BENTO & accessories among other things. I think her shipping is reasonable and the customer service is superb! http://www.from-japan-with-love.com/stgo.html

  22. Lisa Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 4:24 am

    I’ve just found a great site that has a wonderful selection of Shinzi Katoh bento boxes! http://www.queenbabybean.com

  23. Hannah Says:
    September 1st, 2008 at 4:45 am

    OOOHHH try http://www.shopkawaii.com/ this is where for 24$ you can get a bento w/t chopsticks its where i get all my stuff!

  24. sara Says:
    September 13th, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    Hi,
    I just purchased my first bento box from a vendor on ETSY. She was really great in helping me find the right one for my daughter…
    This is her link
    http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5856545

  25. Katy Says:
    September 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    I ship to the US and Canada. All US shipping is free! I sell many different bento supllies and boxes at my online store. http://www.obentolunch4kidz.ecrater.com

    Thanks!

  26. Marta Says:
    October 16th, 2008 at 11:41 am

    I was in the Sanrio store here in Miami and found some cute Hello Kitty bento/sandwich boxes.

  27. Natalie Says:
    October 21st, 2008 at 1:33 am

    I love Itchiban Kan Online store (cheap & FAST shipping)
    i found the PERFECT bento lunch boxes and had them in my cart (but did not checkout), and now that i check again they do not have those items anymore
    =(
    I want to cry!
    I hope I find some other like it

  28. kim Says:
    November 7th, 2008 at 10:39 am

    thanks so much!! I just started looking into bento luches for my 6 yr old who is not eating his American style lunch at all! great photos and ideas!! I am looking for bento boxes with forks now!!

  29. KellyBeth Says:
    November 13th, 2008 at 8:19 am

    Itchiban Kan is THE BEST STORE!
    Thank you so much for telling us they were online. I have gotten so many amazing things from there, and none cost over $7.00.
    I absolutely love it thank you!
    ???????????

  30. HamsterPeanut Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 10:14 am

    I bought a few things on ebay and
    (as usual) didn’t do my research ended up paying 60 bucks for a few odds and ends (2 lunchboxes, 4 bags, 4 mayo cups and 6 soy sauce bottles!!!) Stupid girl…

  31. andres jimenz Says:
    February 17th, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Thank you for compiling the site that do international distribution.

    ?????????????

  32. new_to_bento Says:
    March 5th, 2009 at 6:02 am

    Have you checked out Bento&Co website?
    http://bentoandco.com/collections/complete
    The site is in French, but it’s easy to navigate. They have beautiful Bento boxes there, including the cutest onigiri boxes I haven’t found anywhere else (http://bentoandco.com/collections/complete/products/bento-onigiri-box)

  33. bento love Says:
    March 8th, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    I found the great online store for bento items and kitchen gadgets!! There are many bento goods I have never seen before!! So cute!!

    http://www.from-japan-with-love.com/kitchen-items.html

  34. Lunchbox Obsessed Says:
    May 1st, 2009 at 10:28 am

    Biggie, this is a great resource for lunchbox and bento box stuff! I have been a happy customer at Amazon, Ichiban Kan, and Lunchboxes.com. I’ve directed my readers to this page for all things bento. Thanks!

  35. shanlin Says:
    May 4th, 2009 at 11:36 pm

    Just want to check where can i buy the bento in bulk? I m looking for wholeseller

  36. Annelise Says:
    August 2nd, 2009 at 7:39 am

    Effective July 8th, itchiban kan USA’s online store is closed. They say they want to try and reopen it sometime, but it’s not certain and they certainly don’t have a date. I found out this morning and was heartbroken, it was so cheap and I bought so much bento stuff there….

  37. Sally Says:
    August 19th, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Hi…I love all your information about bento stores and how to make bento lunch.
    I love making lunch and snack for my 1st grader ever since last year.

    Anyway…just wanna let you know that I’m selling cute bento/lunch boxes and also all the bento accessories. It would be much appreciated if you could introduce to all your blogger friends.

    Thank you so much and hear from you soon.

  38. Hoboken Metro Mom » Bento Box Lunches Says:
    August 23rd, 2009 at 9:05 am

    [...] the “gothic” side.   Lunch In a Box, a great resource for everything bento box, has a fabulous index of online stores as well as a google maps bento box store [...]

  39. christine Says:
    September 7th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    Hi, I’m looking for a ben 10 bento box that I saw on a blog picture… any ideas as to where I can get one??

  40. Sofia Says:
    September 8th, 2009 at 9:43 am

    Hi!! Biggie!! Can you add my bento shop link in “International Shipping” of Online Stores for Bento Gear? Thanks.

    http://www.from-japan-with-love.com/kitchen-items.html

  41. Biggie Says:
    September 9th, 2009 at 9:37 am

    @39 from christine: I’m not sure which box you’re looking for; do you have a link to the picture?

  42. Biggie Says:
    September 9th, 2009 at 10:14 am

    @35 from shanlin: Daiso Japan has an online store that handles only bulk orders: http://www.daisojapan.com/ Lots of reasonably-priced bento stuff there.

  43. Sally Says:
    September 10th, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Hi Biggie…please add me to your US shipping online stores for Bento Gear? Thanks.

    http://cutekawaiibento.ecrater.com/

  44. Theresa Says:
    September 14th, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    A new site for bento boxes is J Flair Homestyles.

    Single layer boxes and utensils:
    http://www.jflairhomestyles.com/MP-ModernBentoBox.html

    2-Tier boxes:
    http://www.jflairhomestyles.com/MP-ModernBentoBox2.html

  45. BentohavenCS Says:
    October 31st, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    Hello,

    I would love to add our website to your online store bento list http://www.bentohaven.com. Thank you.

  46. Maureen Blakeley Says:
    November 3rd, 2009 at 12:03 am

    Hi Biggie, Please add http://www.vendio.com/stores/thekawaiisupplyshop and http://thekawaiisupplyshop.etsy.com under Canada and international shipping? Thanks.

  47. Patricia Molnar Says:
    November 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 am

    Hi
    In the Canada section - Southampton Creations - goes to ebay and I no longer have a store there - I am now on vendio and etsy under TheKawaiiSupplyShop

    Thanks Pat

  48. bento box love. « expansions. Says:
    November 16th, 2009 at 5:37 am

    [...] More stores selling bento supplies online-including ones that ship internationally! [...]

  49. Online stores for bento gear | Lunch in a Box: Building a Better Bento « Fromjapanwithlove’s Weblog Says:
    March 28th, 2010 at 10:24 am

    [...] From Japan With Love: Bento boxes, bags, accessories and other kitchen gear from Japan. via lunchinabox.net Leave a Comment No Comments Yet so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this [...]

  50. Sushi Stu Says:
    April 5th, 2010 at 10:32 am

    sushisushi also sell loads of bento supplies throughout Europe and the UK

  51. Leeandra Says:
    May 21st, 2010 at 8:14 am

    I had a good experience with http://www.fitjpstore.com. They’re a shop out of Houston. Seems to be mainly dollar-store bento boxes, but they do sell the “Natural Lunchtime” brand. Most items are $2.

    Got 7 bento boxes, a package of soy sauce bottles, and a mayonaise jar for $26 including shipping–enough to pack my lunches for all week on Sunday night and just grab and go in the morning!

  52. Sara Says:
    July 5th, 2010 at 5:02 am

    hey, I just bought this sweet portable bento box from this company called thermapod here in canada. i havent really got a chance to use it too much seeing as it just got delievered to me but it seems awesome, just the right size for a sandwich and a salad and it seems very strong and i can put it in my microwave and dishwasher safely omg awesome! though not the cutest box, it does come in pink <3 my fav colour :) check them out http://www.thermapod.ca very good value and high quality bento product.

    thx, sara :)

  53. Siri Says:
    August 12th, 2010 at 9:45 am

    Thanks for posting all the stores here, very helpful.
    You guys should also check this website.
    http://www.allthingsforsale.com/

  54. william ma Says:
    September 29th, 2010 at 6:14 pm

    I’ve been loving Ichibankan Online and quick shipping is and affordable. awesome!

  55. Siri Says:
    September 29th, 2010 at 7:32 pm

    If I am not wrong, Ichibankan online is no longer selling. T_T

  56. Bento & madkunst « Kammerknas Says:
    November 6th, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    [...] Det bentoudstyr, jeg har anskaffet mig indtil videre, har jeg købt gennem J-List, som er en japansk hjemmeside med alverdens udstyr til lave priser. Jeg valgte fragt med skib, og derfor blev shippingudgifterne meget små taget afstanden i betragtning, og jeg ventede så også en måneds tid på at modtage varerne. Køber man for over det, der svarer til 80 danske kroner, skal man dog huske på, at der kommer told oveni, når man køber uden for et EU-land. En god hjemmeside med oversigt over online shoppesteder for bentoudstyr er i øvrigt denne. [...]

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    September 2nd, 2011 at 2:06 pm

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  58. Build a Bento! « mamatoga Says:
    September 9th, 2011 at 6:26 am

    [...] eaters, like mini shepherd’s pies and mini frittatas. Lunch in a Box also has a section with links for online shops that sell bento gear as well. Another aspect of bento box lunches is called kyaraben or oekakiben [...]

  59. Online stores for bento gear | Lunch in a Box: Building a Better Bento | T I N R O S E Says:
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    [...] Online stores for bento gear | Lunch in a Box: Building a Better Bento. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in Bento. Bookmark the permalink. [...]

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