Shipping.
Delivery is by Japan Post, final delivery by the recipient country postal service. In most cases, this will be by *** Post, with the *** being the country in which you reside or the parcel is being delivered to. I.e; Australia = Australia Post, United States = USPS, United Kingdom = Royal Mail/Parcel Force, etc.
All parcels shipped include a tracking number (RR*********JP for registered mail, E?*********JP for EMS) and tracking details are forwarded when parcels are shipped, along with a link to Japan Post's tracking tool.
The tracking number will work with the postal tracking system in the destination country, whichever that may be, and the details offered by your local postal service's tracking system are likely to be more up to date and informative than Japan Post's.
Please note that when the Japan Post tracking tool states "Dispatch from outward office of Exchange" means that it has left Japan, and the location as "Osaka International 549-0799" is Kansai International Airport, being some of the most expensive real estate on the planet means that Japan Post does not hold parcels for any longer than it takes to get them out of the country. After this time, the parcel is beyond our ability to track, recall or otherwise affect until it's logged into the recipient countries postal tracking system.
In some cases, being entered into the recipient country tracking system takes far longer than it should, and it may appear that the parcel is missing or lost for a time. Please understand that from here there is really very little I or Japan Post can do, as the parcel is in the care of your country's Postal Service and/or Customs and the delay is entirely up to them. If this is the case with your parcel, please contact your local postal service (your local post office) and ask them where the parcel is and to explain the delay.
(We don't like it, but there's really nothing we can do. We're at the mercy of the post office of your country as much as you are. Japan Post is likely the 'gold standard' for postal systems around the world which makes the frustration we have for delays all the less easy to accept.)
Shipping options.
Our preferred shipping method uses Japan Post's 'Small Packet-SAL' method which is reserved for small packages not exceeding 2kg in weight and the sum of all dimensions smaller than 104cm. SAL stands for 'Surface-Air Lift' which in simple terms means that it is non-priority airmail. We find that most orders can fit into these constraints easily, and it allows us to offer a moderate to fast shipping service at a reasonable price. Japan Post states that this service will take 2-3 weeks from Japan to most locations.
We allow up to four boxes of 2kg each for this service and if your order exceeds 8kg total, please contact us for further instructions.
***Please note that when SAL/Small Packet is selected, the weight limit for each individual package is 2kg. Any order that exceeds 2kg total must be broken up into smaller parts, and this may affect the levy of taxes and duties where your order is being sent, especially where a 'processing fee' is charged by the Post Office/delivery service in your country.***
In the rare cases where this method is not suitable i.e.; oversize, overweight or both, we can choose a more suitable shipping option.
For those items that are heavier than 2kg or oversized, we prefer to use EMS which is a priority service that includes insurance and real time tracking to anywhere in the world. Typically shipping time is approximately 5 days. This is an excellent shipping method, but it can get quite expensive.
There are other shipping methods/companies available, but we find Japan Post to offer the best combination of value, speed and service. If you do not agree, please do not hesitate to contact us for further details.
Undelivered items are a very rare occurrence, but they do happen. We ask that you contact your local Post Office about slow or late parcels as a first course of action, because most of the time the parcel is tied up there, close to your location. We can only start implementing action for a 'lost' parcel after the maximum allowable shipping time has passed, so please understand our reluctance to start action until the parcel is unquestionably lost. At the same time, if the parcel is definitely 'lost', please contact us in a reasonable time frame.
Returns policy.
We want you to be happy with your purchases, however we know that this may not always be the case. However because we do not function in the usual way that a store operates, we do need to make sure that our returns are kept to a minimum.
We will inspect every item before it is shipped to ensure that we do not send faulty merchandise halfway around the world, and we will package each order to give it best chance to arrive to you unscathed. We have become very adept at making sure our products arrive intact and on time and it is extremely rare for an item to be damaged whilst in transit. If you find that damage to your order has occurred in transit, then please contact us for assistance.
We also ask that before you place an order do make sure that the product is suitable for your purposes. Wherever possible we will offer extensive descriptions along with detailed photographs to help you make your decisions. In the case of you simply changing your mind and wishing to return an item, we will accept it but we cannot refund shipping charges and reserve the right to charge a restocking fee 30% of the order total. If you wish to 'try before you buy' please contact us before placing an order and we will try to accommodate your request to the best of our ability.
If you find that any item you have ordered from us does not meet your anticipated standards, then do not hesitate to contact us. We will work with you to make sure that 'things are put right'.
Regardless of how you may be dissatisfied with your order, we ask that you please contact us immediately so that we can correct the problem as fast as possible if we possibly can.
Exceptions.
From this point onwards until further notice we will not be shipping to Canada or Israel.
Due to recurring and persistent problems far beyond our control, but being expected to 'make good' on the failings of the postal services in these countries, it is no longer reasonable or sensible to ship orders to these countries.
In the case of Canada, nearly every parcel we ship there takes significantly longer than it should and the tracking that works in every other country in the world ceases to work once a parcel reaches Canada.
In the case of Israel, delays in parcels being processed within Israel and with the upset these delays cause.
