People ask us this a lot, so here is the straight answer: Konbinii is an independent brand. We hold no licence from 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart or any other retailer, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Our magnets are original products inspired by Japanese convenience store signage.
We say that on every product page, and we are saying it here, because you deserve to know what you are buying before you buy it rather than after.
What "official merchandise" actually means
Official merchandise means a licensing agreement: a rights holder grants a manufacturer permission to use their trademarks, usually with design approval, quality standards and a royalty per unit. Japanese convenience store chains do this occasionally — typically for campaign merchandise sold inside their own stores in Japan, in limited runs, often as a collaboration with a character brand.
The lit miniature storefront sign is not one of those things. It is a fan-made category. It exists because people who love Japan wanted an object that did not exist yet, and independent designers made it.
Why being independent is the point
A licence would mean building to somebody else's specification and asking permission for every decision. We would rather make the decisions.
That is why the standard 10 cm sign has a 300 mAh rechargeable battery and charges over USB-C rather than micro-USB, and why the 5.5 cm mini runs on LR41 button cells instead — because at that size, a charging port would have meant a bigger, uglier object, and we would rather you swap a cheap standard battery than own a worse magnet. It is why both come with an adhesive magnetic sheet for stainless steel fridges, why the standard ships in a printed gift box, and why both give you three colours, three ambiance modes and a real off state.
None of that came from a brand guideline. It came from working out what the object should be and then building that.
It also means there is one accountable company behind the product. When something goes wrong, you are dealing with us.
Does it matter to you as a buyer?
Not in any way that affects you. Buying an independent, fan-made product is entirely normal and entirely your business. Nobody is coming after a customer for owning a magnet.
What matters is whether the thing is well made, whether the specifications are true, and whether the company behind it will still be there if you need a return. Those are the questions worth asking about anything you buy, and we answer all three in writing: full specifications here, returns policy here.
A note on the designs
Our signs are our own artwork, made to evoke the feeling of a Japanese konbini at night — the colour, the glow, the shape of a storefront on a quiet street. That feeling is what people are actually buying. It is not a reproduction of anyone's logo and it was never meant to be.
In short
- Konbinii is independent, not licensed, and not affiliated with any convenience store chain.
- Our magnets are original products inspired by Japanese storefront signage.
- Being independent is why each size is built the way it is, rather than the way a licensor would have specified it.
- Every specification, the shipping times and the returns policy are published in full before you buy.
Still deciding which sign? We compared all three — though the short version is that the 3-pack is where nearly everyone ends up.
