I have three items in indefinite limbo (2 ordered beginning of 2020) as the sellers/services will only ship via EMS, and are waiting for it to resume... Cue Fugazi.... "I am a patient boy..." (while also recognizing that waiting on the shipment of my dollies is the very, very fucking least of conceivable problems in these times...)
Still waiting on a package shipped via Japan Post by Surface Mail. It has been over 2 months Yamato has been perfect. Things show up in less than a week. I only had one mishap with a Japan package, but it wasn't Yamato, UPS butchered my name and address. The zipcode was practically backwards and typos across the entire shipping label.
If you opt for the slow route Sal, Surface post etc...it's a choice. A lot of middleman services offer several options. I've used DHL and I've had toys within 4 days. Once again....a choice. If it's 2 or 3 months it shouldn't really be a surprise imo. 2 months is a cakewalk...Monstock and a lot of other toy creators have taken years to deliver....and that's prior to Covid.
DHL has actually shocked me with their delivery times. I have received packages in one day from Osaka or Tokyo to Portland and that is going through the DHL hub in Cincinnati overnight. It's crazy. I really don't need anything that quickly. I would prefer to pay less for the larger packages with something like Yamato if more places offered it. The 1,500 yen DHL shipping from Manda for small items is just unreal. That is less than I was paying for EMS before Covid, and SAL was not much less than that. Strange times.
Just conducted my first bit of purchasing ever using buyee. A very good deal on an item I wanted for a while that only cost me $50 But then.... Around $50 DHL from Japan + another $13 for local japan shipping + buyee fees. Arrives in Canada and another $20 to clear with DHL for processing. WTF, i'm in like 80 bucks at this point just on transport. Not the best first experience. Anyone else usually get fleeced like this by DHL? This has made me tentative to use DHL for even Mandarake if i'm going to get hit like this randomly.
@moodydoom Never had the additional customs charge from DHL coming in NY but just had my first Buyee experience since EMS has been down and definitely saw the charges go up quick. I bought a couple items from the same seller and Buyee ended up charging me all the ship/service fees per item instead of as a group which made $10 toys shoot up to more than double Cannot stress enough how fast DHL is though
@moodydoom - Yes, DHL are strict on duty fees and they are jerks in that they charge service fees on top of the duty being charged. Most folks from the US will have no idea what you are talking about as the duty thresholds for import here are either $1,200 or $2,000 USD depending on what rules they go by, and EMS/USPS rarely ever enforced this regardless of the total. Fees suck.
Something just happened with Buyee and DHL. Rates have jumped 25-40% in the last month or so. I’ve been buying a few things on YJA and various sites using my Tenso address and/or White Rabbit. All of the sudden things that were costing around $30-50 to ship via DHL are costing $50-75+. No sign of EMS coming back anytime soon and very few merchants utilize Yamato to ship overseas. They seem to be the cheapest and still allows for quick delivery (3-4 days).
It showed up! If you're still waiting on your lost EMS / Japan Post packages with absolutely no update on tracking, it literally just showed up on my doorstep. No tracking update in between just "left Japan Nov 08" and "arrived US January 30". Here's hoping you all get any missing packages!
I've used buyee and might again just for the convenience but the charges are absurd. I had three mini MINI toys and the charge to ship based on weight was so high it didn't seem worth it.
Hey I just saw that Buyee added a FedEx shipping option that is cheaper than DHL. In my case 2200 yen vs 3600 yen for DHL. Anyone have any actual experience using FedEx to ship from Japan? It sound like most people have avoided it due to the typical high cost.
Man, that is good news. I've been stressing out worrying about a huge DHL bill from Buyee since I have a couple toys arriving there soon. I haven't used Buyee in a really long time so wasn't sure what to expect. I have never used FedEx to ship from Japan, so i'm also curious about anybodies experience. I've never had any issues with EMS, DHL and Yamato so hoping FedEx is good too.
Can't tell if there is a particular name. It says 2 - 7 days shipping time. https://buyee.jp/help/yahoo/guide/shipping-method?lang=en#method_fedex
Hmm, probably FedEx International Priority. I was looking around another Japan-based hobby site and it looks like FedEx International Economy is still unavailable to the US. If it is Intl Priority, I've had good experiences with that service. Interesting if they are able to offer it for less than DHL.
You were correct, it is indeed FedEx International Priority . I just checked my tracking number in the FedEx app and it said that it's International Priority. Cost me 2,181 yen to ship a couple toys, which was about half the cost of DHL from Buyee.
Just tried fed ex on a few buyee boxes myself, I had one large box that’s been sitting in the warehouse for probably half a year because the DHL cost was over 200 and I was hoping EMS would come back. But with fed ex is was 60 some bucks.
I’m gonna have a box ready to go somewhat soon myself. It’s been sitting for...some time. Not even that much content wise, but the cost was way more with DHL than I anticipated. I also did read a notice on Buyee’s site mentioning an increase in cost to DHL’s shipping. I’ll more than likely be goin’ the FedEx route, especially since I have a $20 off shipping coupon to finally use.
Ive had a toy at the buyee warehouse since September. I may finally get it to me via this new fedex option!
This is nuts. I ordered from Mandarake Granchaos. Package was given to DHL in Osaka yesterday and is arriving at my house today.
I'm happy to report that FedEx shipping with Buyee worked great! Just got my package It shipped out on the 22nd and just arrived at 10:30am today (the 26th) Would definitely use FedEx again.
Hmmmm, just requested sea mail for a couple of toys that have been sitting in JP for over a year now. FedEx was expensive (+$80 for a teeny group of small butas). Sea mail is insured but will take 3 months to arrive , which seems like a long time! Cost is 3400 JPY.
I'm planning on ordering something from Mandarake (NO I'M NOT TELLING YOU WHAT IT IS) that is available in the Nagoya and Fukuoka stores. Has anyone noticed a difference in shipping costs from either of those stores vs. the ones in Tokyo?