How your order gets packed, priced, and tracked from Japan to your door.
You choose the method when you submit your request. Each is a trade-off between speed and cost — there's no single "best" option, just the right one for what you're shipping and when you need it.
| Method | Typical transit | Tracking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMS | ~5–10 days | Full tracking | Most orders — the default recommendation |
| DHL | ~2–5 days | Full tracking | Time-sensitive or high-value items |
| Surface mail | 6–10+ weeks | Limited or none | Heavy, low-value items where cost matters more than speed |
| Hold & consolidate | — | — | Combining several purchases into one shipment to save on cost |
Shipping is priced by actual weight and package dimensions (whichever gives the higher "chargeable weight"), plus your destination zone. The estimate you see when building your request is a starting reference based on item count — the real figure is confirmed once everything is packed and weighed, and it's always shown to you before you approve the final total.
Once your order is purchased and ready to ship, it's held free for a window before a storage fee kicks in — the length depends on your tier.
| Tier | Free storage | After that |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 48 hours | $2/item per day |
| Premium | 7 days | $2/item per day |
If you've chosen Hold & consolidate because your order has multiple items arriving at different times — a restock, a second store visit, or another item still being sourced — that clock doesn't start yet. Items are held free while the rest of your order comes together, for up to 14 days from when the first item arrives. Once every item is in hand (or the 14 days is up, whichever comes first), your tier's 48-hour/7-day free window begins before the daily storage fee applies. You'll always be told before any storage fee starts.
You'll get a tracking number by email the same day your order ships. EMS and DHL both update in real time; surface mail tracking is limited by nature of the service. Estimated delivery windows are carrier estimates, not guarantees — weather, holidays, and customs processing can add time on either end.
Basic shipping insurance is included automatically on Premium-tier orders. It's available as an add-on for Standard orders on request, especially recommended for higher-value or fragile items. If something arrives damaged, contact within 48 hours of delivery with photos of the item and the packaging — that documentation is required for any carrier claim.
Once a package leaves Japan, it's subject to your destination country's own customs process. A package can be held for inspection or duty assessment on the receiving end — that's outside my control and not something I can expedite. See the Japan Shipping Information page for more on how duties and declared value work.