Every time that an exchange transaction takes 
place whether buying or selling the bank or post 
office will get their share, because you are 
using their services. 

Buying dollars is more expensive than selling 
them however at this time.

 This means that the rates are really good if you 
consider that you are a using USD to pay for 
something in JPY. 

There will not be,  or should not be, much of a 
complaint from the seller if in Japan. However 
some sellers like to hedge aganist currency 
changes and fluctuations, especially if there is 
a one or two week lag time before receiving 
payment. 

This almost guarantees that the payment will be 
actually for the amount of the goods by the time 
the IPMO arrives. Sometimes of course, they get 
more than you intended to pay, but you have to 
consider their risk, especially if they are 
acting as an agent for you and have a weaker 
currency. One on one between dealer and buyer 
tend to be less costly, but the hassle of doing 
it makes agent services attractive.

E