How to buy energy drinks cheaply (for Japanese)

Posted on April 20, 2014 | Last updated February 17, 2025

The key to buying energy drinks at a lower price is keeping track of products nearing their expiration date and regularly checking online stores that frequently offer discounted items.

After the energy drink boom of 2013 to early 2014 passed, new product releases have slowed down, making it rare to see large stocks of expiring products. However, limited-edition energy drinks can still sometimes be found at less than half the price.

Author information Author: Energy Drink-kun

In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.

Energy Drinks Nearing Expiration

Some of the incredibly cheap energy drinks I purchased in the past include:

Lady Panther - about 30 yen (discontinued)
Miracle Energy V - about 60 yen
Burn - about 70 yen (discontinued)
Rockstar - about 80 yen (discontinued)
Shark - about 120 yen
Mad Clock - about 80 yen
Coffee Monster - about 30 yen (discontinued)

That's how it looked. When Rockstar first launched in Japan, I believe I was able to purchase the initial products for under 50 yen each. And I bought quite a few. It's possible to buy in bulk at half price or even less not only at specific discount stores but also on online shops like Rakuten or Amazon. Occasionally, you can even find shops with free shipping, which is quite a bargain ((o(´∀｀)o)).

⇒ If you find any cheap energy drinks nearing their expiration date, I recommend them.

As I mentioned earlier, after the energy drink boom ended, products nearing their expiration date are harder to find. Additionally, limited-edition products tend to be produced in smaller quantities, so I feel like the availability of expired energy drinks has decreased. If you come across them, I highly recommend buying them immediately.

Are Energy Drinks Not Selling That Well?

Now (as of April 20, 2014), why am I writing this seemingly obvious article? Because many energy drinks released in April 2014 have expiration dates set for one year later. Normally, initial production lots should sell out, but with some products, I believe there will be excess stock somewhere. Around this time next year, there's a possibility that unsold energy drinks from the first production batch will be sold at about half the price. Though, this is a bit unlikely (；´∀｀).

If production continues and the popularity doesn't catch on, I predict that a significant amount of unsold energy drinks will remain. The manufacturers are the ones who struggle, but the stores that stock them are the most affected. We hope they become popular to avoid this, but based on past examples, it seems that won't be an easy feat.

Another reason why a large quantity of unsold energy drinks might appear is because energy drinks often have unique flavors (like mainstream ones) that cater to specific tastes, and the high prices prevent them from being widely consumed daily (as of 2014). I've even seen stores lowering the prices of energy drinks with a lot of time left before expiration to about half price.

Buying Monster Energy at Half Price on Choppuru

Choppuru, a well-known online shop in the energy drink enthusiast community, allows you to buy various products cheaply under the guise of offering samples. In particular, Monster Energy has occasionally been available for more than half off.

You can always check the Energy Drink Discount Sale Information page, where I will continuously update and introduce past half-price sales.

By the Way, Red Bull Almost Never Goes on Clearance

If you're always on the lookout for discounted energy drinks, you probably know that Red Bull rarely goes on clearance. Since it’s so widely sold, there are never any clearance sales for excess stock. As the top market leader in Japan, even if stock runs low, there’s never a need to clear out overproduced inventory.

This also highlights just how overwhelmingly popular Red Bull is, while other brands are struggling. As a result, most of the domestic energy drinks launched during the energy drink boom have disappeared.

Buying Monster Energy at 10% or More Off on Amazon

In fact, Monster Energy and other products are often sold at 10% off or more on Amazon, and those who know about it take advantage of this. Especially when new releases come out, it’s not uncommon for prices to be 20% cheaper, so buying two cases in advance has become a staple for me. For example, I was able to buy Monster Energy Pipeline Punch for 160 yen per can in 2019. It was available for pre-order before the official release and then returned to the regular price afterward.