No International Mail From Japan

[mke]

I wish people would read a bit before posting.

 

> it turns out shipping to The Netherlands is possible after all

EMS to the Netherlands has never been stopped, why mention it? You should have checked the earlier postings in this thread, then you would have found the link to the Japanpost information (list of countries to which EMS is stopped).

 

> $99 for DHL is crazy. I paid $36 for a 1 kg package with around 30-40 pens for DHL Express that also included insurance for $1200 value. For contrast, a similar package I shipped out with EMS that is still in Osaka ran me $41.

Let's not compare apples and tomatoes. DHL basically charges by package size, EMS charges by weight. DHL also gives big price reductions to senders with lots of traffic and is VERY expensive if a normal person just sends one piece. $36 is certainly one of the big sender (zenmarket or so) prices which you do not get as a small seller. $99 is more what a normal person pays with DHL.

[Linger]

What was i thinking. Of course i should have checked this forum thread. And respond to the email i received directly from the source in Japan that they are wrong and this forum is right. Forgive me for being too careful and too polite to do that. I apologise for my posts as well. Maybe a moderator can delete this exchange? Or is there a thread that i can read that tells me this is or is not possible?

[mke]

Some sellers tell you something is not possible even if it is because they don't know it or they don't want to make the effort to do it.

Sometimes you even need to tell a seller what he/she could do. So better ask Hakase instead of being sarcastic.

 

I am also a "source in Japan", you know?

 

--

After a lot of same-type damages in USPS priority mail, route via SF, I needed to tell some sellers how they should pack a package. One should have expected they would know. They didn't.

Edited May 23, 2020 by mke

[25_15_3]

Well, I got my package and used DHL since Zenmarket did not want to ship via FedEx for whatever reason. A bit pricier than EMS for sure but I got my pens in a day. Very quick.

[jchch1950]

Some sellers tell you something is not possible even if it is because they don't know it or they don't want to make the effort to do it.

Sometimes you even need to tell a seller what he/she could do.

 

 

 

+1 and you can achieve the service that you want.

[texasniteowl]

yes! my pensachi order from February is finally in the US! Los Angeles to be exact!

[Misfit]

Joy! My eBay order from Nagano shows it is in Chicago. My state borders Illinois! It will be here soon! I’m happy because I missed out on these items when a US seller specializing in Japanese stationery items was out of stock when I noticed them. They are Zebra Sarasa Select multi pen items featuring the super awesome Snoopy.

[KingsCountyWriter]

After almost 2 months, my pen arrived. The package was in excellent shape and the shipper sent it through registered air mail. It wasn't showing specific progress in the US and I think it's been in the country for at least 10 days.

 

Now we're waiting for birthday presents from grandma and auntie, both mailed mid-April. The one that was sent registered mail is still in Sendai!

[AL01]

Here's an update from Japan Post: https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2020/0528_01_en.html

 

Hopefully it comes in handy...

[stan]

Awaiting parcel containing five pens. Sent from Tokyo to Los Angeles on Thursday, May 29 by DHL. Will arrive tomorrow morning. Cost was about $20 more than it would cost sending EMS. For five pens it is an additional $4 a pen. Worthwhile.

 

If it was one pen of moderate price the additional cost might be questionable.

 

To my surprise DHL forwarded me an invoice for Customs duties this morning for $34. Never, ever, in twenty years of buying pens from Japan have I ever paid Customs duties. It might be because the declared value was over $1,000. This is an another $7 per pen.

 

Overall, a total additional cost per pen of $11. Was it worth it? As the pens were obtained at great prices and the cost could be spread out among the five, the additional cost is minor.

[Tseg]

EMS, still waiting for my 4/1/20 shipment to leave Tokyo.

[stan]

Have had three recent overseas shipments - two to Europe and one to Brazil. Postal service said it would take two months for pens to get to Europe and one week to Brazil. Go figure!!!

 

It all has to do with availability of space on planes.

[mke]

> $1,000

 

I thought US minimum threshold is $800?

Still lucky, as

Japanese tax threshold is $100, I think.

European threshold can be much lower than that.

 

DHL (and other courier services) transmits the paperwork by internet. Perhaps this handling office has less "winking it through" attitude?

[gyasko]

Seems like the pens were ¥1000 and the seller just wrote in $ , thinking that ¥ & $ dollar mean currency units rather than units of a specific currency.

[85AKbN]

A tale of two (2) ebay orders shipping from Japan.

 

1st order made April 4th for a Platinum #3776 Century RHODIUM Black Diamond F Nib. Tracking showed it stuck at Kawasaki port (kept checking every few days), then movement the other day and it arrived in LA. Received today 6/1.

 

2nd order made April 9th (same Japan ebay seller) and it suddenly showed return to sender on Japan Post tracking. Contacted seller and they said they sometimes do that, and to request a refund. Did that and a full refund quickly received. This would have been my first Sailor - Promenade silver trim black in fine nib.

 

Maybe after covid19 peters out I will revisit the Sailor.

 

edit: seller said:

 

Japan Post has been so confused that we cannot predict which package is returning or being on the way.

Edited June 2, 2020 by 85AKbN

[A Smug Dill]

Japanese tax threshold is $100, I think.

European threshold can be much lower than that.

 

Australia's threshold for tax liability on imports is $0 (effective 1/7/2018). Everyone elsewhere is "luckier" than us in that regard.

 

But ...

 

Tax is collected "at the border" only if a consignment, or a group of consignments — all from the same source for the same importer/recipient, all arriving for Customs clearance within a narrow window of time (in other words, Australian Customs' attention span) — exceeds A$1,000 in value. DHL, Toll and other international shipping services, as licensed agents, will automatically submit Import Declaration (electronic) "paperwork" if the declared value is over A$1,000; and that triggers the demand/collection of (up to) three line items: 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST), A$83 import declaration processing fees the Government charges, and (sometimes) a handling charge because the agent paid the 10%+$83 to the Government on behalf of the recipient/importer "upfront" from its account with the relevant Government authorities, and will recoup "interest" and administrative costs from the recipient/importer before releasing the consignment in question for collection. So an Australian customer who orders from a Japanese retailer (away from Amazon, eBay, Rakuten, etc.) may get away with not being charged any Australian GST for a A$990 order (if the retailer declines or neglects to collect it as part of the ordering process), but a A$1,010 order may end up getting slapped with an additional ~$200 bill by the shipping agent (for tax, fees and interest).

[Mongoosey]

I recently purchased a pen from a Japanese vendor via Ebay with expedited shipping (EMS/DHL). It was shipped via DHL and went clean through with only 1 day delay and arrived in the U.S. 2 days after it was picked up from the vendor.

[stan]

Update:

 

Package of five pens arrived from Japan yesterday via DHL. They were posted on Friday and supposed to arrive Tuesday. Could not make Tuesday due to us being near the end of the delivery route and not enough time to get to us or due to 5PM curfew. Delivery as expected was next morning. DHL tends to deliver packages not delivered on time first thing the next day.

 

Two of my pens were much more than expected. With the nominal additional shipping cost added the overall price was under the values of the pens.

[AL01]

Were you also charged customs this time?

 

I am thinking of shipping through DHL for a fairly inexpensive pen, but the total cost would be under $100.

 

I wouldn't want to deal with customs for a product worth this little, (compared to other products, of course.)

[stan]

Were you also charged customs this time?

 

I am thinking of shipping through DHL for a fairly inexpensive pen, but the total cost would be under $100.

 

I wouldn't want to deal with customs for a product worth this little, (compared to other products, of course.)

There should not be any customs duties for anything valued under $1000. Someone told me $800, so not sure.