# Ordering directly from Japan in current climate



## soigne_west (May 7, 2020)

Ive been apprehensive about making a couple of purchases from overseas, especially Japan giving their shipping restrictions. I’ve currently been waiting on a knife from Australia for a month and a half. Anybody ordered anything directly from Japan recently? What was your experience?


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## Runner_up (May 7, 2020)

Ordered a TF direct, think it hit the post office in Tokyo to come to US on April 20th, haven't had an update since then.


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## James (May 7, 2020)

Runner_up said:


> Ordered a TF direct, think it hit the post office in Tokyo to come to US on April 20th, haven't had an update since then.


Same with my deba from bluewayjapan


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## soigne_west (May 7, 2020)

I heard somewhere that they suspended air mail?


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## J.C (May 7, 2020)

I had sent 2knives from AUS to US, first one took me 9days second one 21days. Processing time takes longer these days because of the new regulation in AUS but the US post also one of the factor as well.
I have shipment waiting from watanabe just need a green light from ems japan, they are “picky” with the parcel shipment depending on the destination country.


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## parbaked (May 7, 2020)

EMS usually takes 3-4 days to CA. 
Now it can take more than three weeks!
Problem is much fewer flights out of JP, so Japan Post can't get packages on planes. 

JCK recommends using DHL and offer a $10 flat fee.
Another shop wanted a $40 upcharge for DHL instead of EMS.


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## JBroida (May 7, 2020)

EMS has actually stopped shipping to the US (and other countries) entirely for the time being. The cut off date was early last month. Things shipped before then are still not arriving on time, but those are expected to take weeks or months. Things after that date are simply not being accepted for either EMS or SAL.


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## Supraunleaded (May 7, 2020)

I'm so sorry to hear about your ordeal. I can definitely relate. I recently purchased a couple of items from Japan at the end of March. At the time, packages were still allowed via EMS to the US however packages were significantly delayed due to the reduced number of flights out of Japan. My package had arrived at the Tokyo Collection office on April 2nd, but stayed there for 9 days, presumably to wait until enough packages were collected and a plane was available. On April 11th, it arrived into Chicago's Custom's Center and sat for another 4 days, at which time a customs agent tore open all the protective wrapping to inspect the goods. The package was released from Customs on April 16th, at which time it flew down to my local Post Office within 1 day and was delivered on the same day. So 15 days from day of shipping to delivery, which used to only take 3 days.

In hindsight, 15 days really isn't that bad, considering the present circumstances. I don't take issue with any of the services mentioned, apart from Customs being barbaric with their inspection. Do you have tracking information? It might be currently in holding with many other packages waiting for inspection and or transportation.


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## dafox (May 7, 2020)

Still waiting on a knife from Sweden, 4 weeks so far, tracking says it's in my country now (USA). Got a knife from Japan, JCK, received it in 3 days, DHL!


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## Nagakin (May 8, 2020)

Ordered a magazine from Canada to US and it took 28 days. DHL from Japan and it took 5 days.


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## WildBoar (May 8, 2020)

I heard if something is coming into the US it can be laid up in Customs for quite a while. Supposedly NY Customs was temporarily shut down, and everything coming in was sent on to Customs in Chicago. There is no info available via USPS, etc. when packages are in Customs. Customs has 45 days to clear items. My sister indicated her post office was waiting on 6,000 packages to clear, and most finally came through a week or so ago. Things are a bit of a mess right now for overseas shipping.


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## soigne_west (May 8, 2020)

WildBoar said:


> I heard if something is coming into the US it can be laid up in Customs for quite a while. Supposedly NY Customs was temporarily shut down, and everything coming in was sent on to Customs in Chicago. There is no info available via USPS, etc. when packages are in Customs. Customs has 45 days to clear items. My sister indicated her post office was waiting on 6,000 packages to clear, and most finally came through a week or so ago. Things are a bit of a mess right now for overseas shipping.



In my limited experience, Chicago custome is THE WORST. My stuff always seems to get held up when it goes through there, even when things aren’t so crazy.


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## Corradobrit1 (May 8, 2020)

EMS shipping out of Japan to US has been suspended indefinitely since April 24.


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## M1k3 (May 8, 2020)

Australia to United States is really slow right now also.


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## Corradobrit1 (May 8, 2020)

I shipped Priority Mail International US (non knife item) to Australia March 23rd and package is still in transit.


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## J.C (May 8, 2020)

I got my shipment from bernal in two weeks time


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## Frosty (May 8, 2020)

For what it's worth, I have a parcel inbound to me in Canada from JKD (JCK's outdoor knife store) via DHL Express, which they're currently offering for a $15 flat rate. It's taken two days to reach my Province, and is scheduled for delivery after the weekend.


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## Chang (May 8, 2020)

Just won something on Wednesday from buyee. Paid DHL and got it today. I freakin’ love DHL. The flash of red and yellow that streaks away as a package is left at my doorstop gets me so happy and hype haha


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## zizirex (May 8, 2020)

Frosty said:


> For what it's worth, I have a parcel inbound to me in Canada from JKD (JCK's outdoor knife store) via DHL Express, which they're currently offering for a $15 flat rate. It's taken two days to reach my Province, and is scheduled for delivery after the weekend.


damn, how much they charge you for brokerage fee? they always charge 2 times more than the tax itself.


Jchau890 said:


> Just won something on Wednesday from buyee. Paid DHL and got it today. I freakin’ love DHL. The flash of red and yellow that streaks away as a package is left at my doorstop gets me so happy and hype haha


Do they charge you brokerage fee as well? their brokerage fee is rip off


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## zizirex (May 8, 2020)

double post


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## Frosty (May 8, 2020)

zizirex said:


> damn, how much they charge you for brokerage fee? they always charge 2 times more than the tax itself.
> 
> Do they charge you brokerage fee as well? their brokerage fee is rip off



Sorry for the delay, the forum is being a bit slow for me for some reason.

DHL hasn't charged me anything out of the ordinary, more or less than any other courier. It's generally Provincial sales tax plus roughly a $10 brokerage fee, but that $10 fee means it doesn't sit in a CBSA warehouse for days or weeks waiting to be cleared, especially considering the CBSA charges me a $10 clearance fee directly when going through Canada Post. So when a fast courier service such as DHL Express is offered for a low flat rate, it's totally worth it IMO.


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## Chang (May 8, 2020)

zizirex said:


> Do they charge you brokerage fee as well? their brokerage fee is rip off



Not sure. The knife came out to 70ish USD, then 10 for buyee fees. Then 30ish for DHL Express. Altogether I paid 120ish for a knife worth 160ish. I think that's fair. I tried to calculate the postage thru DHL, but I'm only getting ridiculous prices around the 100 range.


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## zizirex (May 9, 2020)

Frosty said:


> Sorry for the delay, the forum is being a bit slow for me for some reason.
> 
> DHL hasn't charged me anything out of the ordinary, more or less than any other courier. It's generally Provincial sales tax plus roughly a $10 brokerage fee, but that $10 fee means it doesn't sit in a CBSA warehouse for days or weeks waiting to be cleared, especially considering the CBSA charges me a $10 clearance fee directly when going through Canada Post. So when a fast courier service such as DHL Express is offered for a low flat rate, it's totally worth it IMO.


well, $10 is still acceptable. sometimes they charge you up to $50 for $20 tax. Maybe I'll try it next time, see if it's worth it.


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## zizirex (May 9, 2020)

Jchau890 said:


> Not sure. The knife came out to 70ish USD, then 10 for buyee fees. Then 30ish for DHL Express. Altogether I paid 120ish for a knife worth 160ish. I think that's fair. I tried to calculate the postage thru DHL, but I'm only getting ridiculous prices around the 100 range.


Brokerage fee is the additional payment from the DHL when you are going to receive it. so when you pay tax for the item, they will charge you as their service charge for paying the tax & duties to the government. I don't think this is available in the US though, although I might be wrong.


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## Tanukihimself (May 9, 2020)

I ordered a knife a couple weeks ago from Japanny and paid 20 for DHL. I had it in my hand in less than 10 days i think. really pleased.


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## lemeneid (May 9, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Australia to United States is really slow right now also.


I have a package from Australia that was shipped out on Monday, still stuck waiting for a plane I guess.


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## M1k3 (May 9, 2020)

lemeneid said:


> I have a package from Australia that was shipped out on Monday, still stuck waiting for a plane I guess.


Good luck. We/I have been waiting for Kippington's Chevron knife since April 14th....


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## J.C (May 9, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Good luck. We/I have been waiting for Kippington's Chevron knife since April 14th....


It must be the cheapest option available..


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## M1k3 (May 9, 2020)

J.C said:


> It must be the cheapest option available..


@Michi ?


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## soigne_west (May 9, 2020)

DHL seems to be the way to go. I have something coming from France, opted for DHL but it was like 20€ more than la poste


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## lemeneid (May 9, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Good luck. We/I have been waiting for Kippington's Chevron knife since April 14th....


Was yours posted out with AUSPost or some other shipper?


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## lemeneid (May 9, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> DHL seems to be the way to go. I have something coming from France, opted for DHL but it was like 20€ more than la poste


DHL rocks, but its really expensive. I have a corporate account with them because I deal with them in huge volumes for work. I had actually considering shipping at my own cost but when I saw the extra "emergency" charges, it just wasn't worth it.


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## soigne_west (May 9, 2020)

Dude who shipped my package from Australia via auspost sent me this... literally laughed out loud.


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## M1k3 (May 9, 2020)

lemeneid said:


> Was yours posted out with AUSPost or some other shipper?


Auspost. Not sure which shipping he picked. I'm just the first U.S. participant.


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## lemeneid (May 9, 2020)

I was given express for mine, but I guess, it ain't that express either


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## zizirex (May 9, 2020)

my Meijiro Nagura came after 3 weeks on Airmail from Japan. I'm guessing my Aizu will come around the same time.


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## M1k3 (May 9, 2020)

lemeneid said:


> I was given express for mine, but I guess, it ain't that express either


Apparently less than .274km/hr


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## lemeneid (May 9, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Apparently less than .274km/hr


I just checked their website. Is yours "economy", if it is, you're fked then 

*International delivery information*
*8 May 2020*

Australia Post is experiencing international delivery delays in all destinations due to limited airline capacity and government restrictions as a result of COVID-19. Australia Post is working with partner airlines and other postal operators to move items as quickly as possible and clear backlog.

Please note: Australia Post has suspended its “Economy Air” international delivery service for parcels to all countries effective 3 April and until further notice.









International delivery times


Estimate how long your international delivery may take. Find out which countries are currently accepting deliveries during COVID-19.




auspost.com.au


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## J.C (May 9, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Auspost. Not sure which shipping he picked. I'm just the first U.S. participant.


Well, the last time i went to auspost, they gave me two options for sending economy parcel, roughly equal to US$20 and $30. The guy told me $30 is like a priority, will shipped whenever possible and the cheaper option will wait till they reach enough quota to ship.
Edit: i got this information 15th April


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## zetieum (May 9, 2020)

I received my Tanker directly from Japan to France via DHL. Shipped on Monday, in my mail box on Friday in the middle of the hard lock down that we have in France. Note that I was charged a 10€ on the top of the custom fees for DHL work.


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## M1k3 (May 9, 2020)

I have no idea on the shipping. It's the Kippington passaround knife. Michi sent it to me. Hopefully it'll arrive before I start receiving Social Security.


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## Michi (May 9, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> J.C said:
> 
> 
> > It must be the cheapest option available..
> ...


I took the knife to the post office on 4 April. I sent it air mail, with tracking and signature required on arrival. Normally, it takes 5-7 days for something like that to make it to its destination in the US. This wasn't the cheapest option, just normal air mail. At the time, there was no indication that it would take so long 

Tracking shows that the parcel left Brisbane headed for the US on 14 April. (Normally, it would have left Australia within two days.) Since then, there have been no new tracking entries. I can only assume that the knife is sitting in a warehouse somewhere in the US. I will follow up with the post office, but I suspect that they will simply look at the same tracking link that I'm looking at 

In hindsight, I could have used DHL, but only at a much higher cost.


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## M1k3 (May 9, 2020)

Airmail? Yeah, you're probably right. It's probably sitting in customs.


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## valdim (May 9, 2020)

I got an offer for a knife from a Japanese knife maker and he emailed me that the cost of courier would be appr. 33 euro ($35). For a 130$ knife this is way expensive.


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## inferno (May 9, 2020)

around here in stockholm its all gone to hell i can tell you. i ordered some stuff from an audio store locally. and told them to send it to my job. so dhl usually delivers stuff here before lunch next day. but they only dropped off company stuff. my package was not there. 

TO MY SURPRISE, the package arrived at a "service point" a whole kilometer away from work!! so *i* had to physically go there and get the package. 
and i'm like, really??? are we really going to sink this low, to the level of f-ing 1980 or so? the nerve of dhl...


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## inferno (May 9, 2020)

zetieum said:


> I received my Tanker directly from Japan to France via DHL. Shipped on Monday, in my mail box on Friday in the middle of the hard lock down that we have in France. Note that I was charged a 10€ on the top of the custom fees for DHL work.


i see the post office stamped your blade. cool.


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## valdim (May 10, 2020)

inferno said:


> i see the post office stamped your blade. cool.


I guess the postal bar-code is on the other side of the blade...


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## Rotem Shoshani (May 10, 2020)

I received a Bunka from Watanabe, he used DHL, took 5 days from Japan to Israel (!!!).
They'll usually overcharge handling fees but it seems the only way to go these days.
I had ordered an Asahi cutting board from Rakuten, they seem to be using EMS as the order was just cancelled.


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## Rotem Shoshani (May 10, 2020)

Jchau890 said:


> Just won something on Wednesday from buyee. Paid DHL and got it today. I freakin’ love DHL. The flash of red and yellow that streaks away as a package is left at my doorstop gets me so happy and hype haha


So true.
When it comes to costs, they're sssholes, but damn are they fast.
The delivery guy called me when I was taking a walk with the kids, so he came to the playground (the closed and sad playground, at that) to hand me the package. So awesome..
Walking with a one and a 3 year old and a box containing a Wat Bunka, gotta love it


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## zizirex (May 10, 2020)

Just got my Aizu by EMS, and weird thing is that Mailman did delivery on Sunday. I guess Scottie Pippen was wrong about that.

it takes 9 days total from Osaka to Vancouver


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## ExistentialHero (May 10, 2020)

I have two packages from Japan and one from Sweden via national postal services that are each more than a month late. Strange times. I'm trying to be patient


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## dafox (May 10, 2020)

ExistentialHero said:


> I have two packages from Japan and one from Sweden via national postal services that are each more than a month late. Strange times. I'm trying to be patient


Thanks, mine from Sweden has been in transit a month now.


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## knifeknight (May 27, 2020)

During the height of the pandemic and lockdown in Germany I ordererd a beautiful cloudy Santoku from Misuno Tanrenjo and an old Deba from Ebay. Both arrived after about four weeks. My last orders fro Japan via Ebay were fulfilled within a few days, the last one arrived in german customs last week after been sent from Japan three days before....

All orders were shipped by Japan Post and DHL.


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## lemeneid (Jun 11, 2020)

I’m using EasyShip to post my stuff now. They offer bulk rates for their shipping. I sent a knife to New York from Singapore using FedEx for SGD42 which is cheap as hell! Arrived all in a week! And at the very least it was traceable unlike postal.

If you have EasyShip supported in your country, I recommend giving it a try 

Forgot the link 








Shipping software built for eCommerce | Easyship


The #1 choice for merchants who need the lowest rates, seamless integrations, powerful automations and the widest range of couriers from their shipping software. We make shipping easy!




www.easyship.com


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## soigne_west (Jun 11, 2020)

I’ve ordered a handful of stuff from japan since the start of the pandemic. All vendors offered DHL for anywhere from $20-30. Which has been great. 2-3 days from Japan to California, vigorously tracked.


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## Corradobrit1 (Jun 11, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> I’ve ordered a handful of stuff from japan since the start of the pandemic. All vendors offered DHL for anywhere from $20-30. Which has been great. 2-3 days from Japan to California, vigorously tracked.


Yes, but you're likely to be hit with taxes and custom fees using those carriers. Worth remembering if the shipment value exceeds $800


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## zizirex (Jun 11, 2020)

Corradobrit1 said:


> Yes, but you're likely to be hit with taxes and custom fees using those carriers. Worth remembering if the shipment value exceeds $800


I don't think States got hit with crazy customs, it is so different from EU and Canada.


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## soigne_west (Jun 11, 2020)

Corradobrit1 said:


> Yes, but you're likely to be hit with taxes and custom fees using those carriers. Worth remembering if the shipment value exceeds $800



is that normally due upon delivery? So far haven’t had to pay anything extra.


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## Corradobrit1 (Jun 11, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> is that normally due upon delivery? So far haven’t had to pay anything extra.


What was the customs value on the shipment? I had $250 of Jnats arrive from Japan via DHL with no additional fees charged on delivery. I don't think that will be true for the $3800 Ashi Honyaki I have sitting over there waiting for EMS to restart. Anything over $800 will incur charges to the best of my knowledge.


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## Corradobrit1 (Jun 11, 2020)

zizirex said:


> I don't think States got hit with crazy customs, it is so different from EU and Canada.


Depends on value. I had a $3200 espresso machine shipped from UK via DHL. The customs/brokerage fees were $175, so about 5% of declared value. And yes much higher going to Europe.


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## soigne_west (Jun 11, 2020)

Yeah, the most expensive from japan was like $350


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## JBroida (Jun 11, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> is that normally due upon delivery? So far haven’t had to pay anything extra.


often times they send bills after the fact. For higher value shipments they may request payment prior to customs clearance.


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## Rotem Shoshani (Jun 12, 2020)

You guys are so lucky.. in Israel, every package valued over $75 is charged 17% VAT. Some items, like electronics will be charged an extra 33% (!!!) of the order value (they also calculate shipping costs in the total).
When using DHL, or any other private courier, an extra 3-10% will be charged, depending on their mood the same day.
I ordered a Yuki 210mm from knifewear in January using UPS, they charged an extra 30% just cause they could, the bastards.


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## soigne_west (Jun 15, 2020)

Recently had a package arrive via express AUSpost in 5 business days... don’t know if I got lucky here but my last shipment from Australia took a month and a half. Thought I’d share...


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## dafox (Jun 16, 2020)

I still have a knife stuck in Chicago, from Sweden, USPS, has been there since May 1st. Hope I get it some day.


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## soigne_west (Jun 16, 2020)

IMO Chicago customs the worst, pandemic or not...


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## Corradobrit1 (Jun 16, 2020)

NY ISC is sucking at the moment. Got a package from Spain stuck there for over a month on top of the month it took to get to ISC


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## soigne_west (Jun 16, 2020)

Bummer. My last cleared SF customs in one day. I was blown away.


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## ExistentialHero (Jun 29, 2020)

I've been waiting for three international shipments since early April. They all just showed up in two days. Hopefully that means Chicago is clearing the backlog.


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## Barashka (Jun 30, 2020)

I ordered something from JCK, and it got here (Chicago) in 3 days. Pretty dope .. after waiting for a Dalman for over a month.


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## josemartinlopez (Jul 25, 2020)

A friend who recently sent me something from Japan (but to an Asian country) said his EMS package went out, but stick in Tokyo post office for 7-10 days.


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## juice (Jul 25, 2020)

We've got almost no air traffic into/out of Australia currently due to the lockdown (or whatever you want to call it) so most things are now travelling to/from the country via sea, which means you have to wait for enough things to fill the containers to be worth the trip. As a result, you can either be really lucky by having the package lob just as they're ready to ship, or be really unlucky if you just miss a shipment. Either way, the old timeframes have been punted out the window pretty vigorously.

In general, once stuff is in country AusPost/couriers are not too bad, especially when you consider how much internal courier traffic has increased. My (really great) AusPost driver has been working 15hrs/day, six days/week for months, except for a couple of weeks a month or so ago when it slacked off, but the international connection is where the massive bottleneck (potentially) raises its rather ugly head.


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## panda (Jul 25, 2020)

my denka order was completed right when ems **** down all shipping to US. I opted to pay the ridiculous amount to have it shipped DHL and it arrived quick.


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## M1k3 (Jul 25, 2020)

juice said:


> We've got almost no air traffic into/out of Australia currently due to the lockdown (or whatever you want to call it) so most things are now travelling to/from the country via sea, which means you have to wait for enough things to fill the containers to be worth the trip. As a result, you can either be really lucky by having the package lob just as they're ready to ship, or be really unlucky if you just miss a shipment. Either way, the old timeframes have been punted out the window pretty vigorously.
> 
> In general, once stuff is in country AusPost/couriers are not too bad, especially when you consider how much internal courier traffic has increased. My (really great) AusPost driver has been working 15hrs/day, six days/week for months, except for a couple of weeks a month or so ago when it slacked off, but the international connection is where the massive bottleneck (potentially) raises its rather ugly head.


You're postal system knew slightly more about a knife sent from your country to me. So at least you don't have the USPS


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## Iggy (Jul 25, 2020)

Did made several international orders in the last month from Australia, Canada, Japan, US (living in Germany).

To be safe, only chose the more expensive shipping options, mostly DHL Express or Fedex, UPS once. Never had a problems.

While "normal" national packages with the standard logistics were a nightmare over here in the last couple of month...

Good example: ordered a knife from Tosho 3 days back and a package from a german company (based approx. 400km from here) about 1,5 weeks ago. Tosho (DHL Express) arrived yesterday, the other one (DHL) hasn't arrived yet...


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## juice (Jul 25, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> You're postal system knew slightly more about a knife sent from your country to me. So at least you don't have the USPS


It's held up far better than I expected, TBH. And the package load was made (considerably) worse by one of our major courier companies (TOLL) shutting down for several weeks ( a couple of times) as a result of what I was told was a ransomware attack that buggered their computer systems.

I haven't had anything go missing yet, although scanning is VERY hit and miss, so keeping track of stuff is all over the shop. My wife has a LOT of package traffic in both directions, and so far it's been reliable, although as mentioned, timeframes are ... unpredictable, even internally simply because of the huge increase in package numbers.

Bad as our systems/situation are, they still seem to be ahead of the US, but it's hard to tell for sure. Either way, I'm surprised the boat hasn't sprung more leaks, indeed.


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## M1k3 (Jul 25, 2020)

Sounds better than USPS saying a package has been delivered but wasn't. Aus Post said delivery failed, redelivery the next day. Which happened.


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## juice (Jul 25, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Sounds better than USPS saying a package has been delivered but wasn't. Aus Post said delivery failed, redelivery the next day. Which happened.


Yeah, or it gets left at the local post office, and can then be picked up with some photo ID. Having said that, most packages down (of value, like when I ship camera lenses, audio gear, and so on) here are shipped with "must sign" which stops stuff going missing, but mail fraud has never been a real issue here anyway, it's just that stuff gets lost - falls off conveyors, out of vans, etc..


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## bahamaroot (Jul 29, 2020)

The USPS is in bad shape and it's not going to get better anytime soon.









USPS could delay mail delivery as new boss pushes cost-cutting


WASHINGTON >> Mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more under cost-cutting efforts being imposed by the new postmaster general. The plan eliminates overtime for hundreds of thousands of postal workers and says employees must adopt a “different mindset” to ensure the Postal Service’s...




www.staradvertiser.com


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## juice (Jul 29, 2020)

Fair enough, it makes plenty of sense to cut hours with record amounts of work to be done...


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## BillHanna (Jul 29, 2020)

My daughter works for USPS in Baltimore. She’s working six days a week, because she complained that she needed at least ONE day off. Her orientation was 28 consecutive days.


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## juice (Jul 29, 2020)

BillHanna said:


> My daughter works for USPS in Baltimore. She’s working six days a week, because she complained that she needed at least ONE day off. Her orientation was 28 consecutive days.


Yeah, our parcel delivery guy (my wife works from home, and we get a lot of augmented communications gear for people with disabilities through here) has been working six days a week, usually 15+ hours a day for months (except for a 2-3 week break a few weeks ago where he was down to 10-12 hours, but then we went back to stage 3 lockdown). He had Easter Friday and Sunday off, but worked Saturday and the Monday public holiday. And that's AFTER Australia Post put on more people. It's nuts.


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## chiffonodd (Jul 30, 2020)

Just ordered a knife off JCK a couple days ago, shipped via DHL Express ($10) from Nagoya and is already stateside in Cincinnati waiting to be routed to Seattle. Should be here Monday. Not too bad!


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## chiffonodd (Jul 31, 2020)

chiffonodd said:


> Just ordered a knife off JCK a couple days ago, shipped via DHL Express ($10) from Nagoya and is already stateside in Cincinnati waiting to be routed to Seattle. Should be here Monday. Not too bad!



Update: this actually arrived yesterday, way ahead of schedule. Ordered on the 27th, arrived on the 30th. Nagoya > Seattle, three day delivery for $10 DHL Express.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Aug 2, 2020)

I ordered a denka directly from TF in June and yes they are charging ridiculous 7,000 yen for the DHL, so I’m just waiting until Japan post starts to ship to US. I’m not saying 7000 cannot be justified. It just reminds me of Apple putting a 5v1A charger in the box of a $1,000+ phone.


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## josemartinlopez (Aug 4, 2020)

I have a friend who has a package shipping from Japan Post via sea freight. Surprisingly, there was no delay in sending it (meaning time to send out of Japan, not to arrive at the destination) out from the port, unlike packages sent by air.


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## M1k3 (Aug 4, 2020)

I have a friend waiting on a package to be redelivered by USPS. He thought it came today. Turns out it was just the trash he left on the porch when he left the house.


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## juice (Aug 4, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> I have a friend who has a package shipping from Japan Post via sea freight. Surprisingly, there was no delay in sending it (meaning time to send out of Japan, not to arrive at the destination) out from the port, unlike packages sent by air.


Seriously, have you considered answering any of the (MANY) actual knife questions from the last few days rather than just the inconsequential ones about freight?


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## panda (Aug 4, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> I have a friend waiting on a package to be redelivered by USPS. He thought it came today. Turns out it was just the trash he left on the porch when he left the house.


what a trainwreck


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## M1k3 (Aug 4, 2020)

panda said:


> what a trainwreck


I know. Must be his new diet


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## nexus1935 (Aug 5, 2020)

I ordered directly from Japan and shipped DHL, it arrived within a week.

I also have an order from New York state that shipped USPS, still hasn't left their distribution center after a week.

Ordering seems to be hit and miss these days, I'll just be glad if my knife shows up eventually...


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## msk (Aug 5, 2020)

Ordered from Watanabe on Mon night 7/20, shipped 7/21 via DHL with estimated delivery of Thurs 7/30, ended up arriving Fri 7/24.

Japan to my doorstep in California in ~4 business days isn’t too bad.

FWIW it went through Cincinnati, then SF.


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## nakiriknaifuwaifu (Aug 5, 2020)

How much are you guys paying for DHL? TF quoted me 14,000Y at the beginning of June, and 8,000Y now. That's a little bit insane IMO. Not sure if it's because he's in Tokyo or what...


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## soigne_west (Aug 5, 2020)

Ordering anything even just domestically has been a total crap shoot for me lately. Almost everything has missed scans, been delayed, and arrived quite a bit later then expected.


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## msk (Aug 5, 2020)

nakiriknaifuwaifu said:


> How much are you guys paying for DHL? TF quoted me 14,000Y at the beginning of June, and 8,000Y now. That's a little bit insane IMO. Not sure if it's because he's in Tokyo or what...


Shinichi quoted me JPY3,600 for DHL.


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## nakiriknaifuwaifu (Aug 5, 2020)

msk said:


> Shinichi quoted me JPY3,600 for DHL.



That's reasonable. Looks like TF charged @Hz_zzzzzz a similar amount too. Upsetting...


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## msk (Aug 5, 2020)

nakiriknaifuwaifu said:


> That's reasonable. Looks like TF charged @Hz_zzzzzz a similar amount too. Upsetting...


Yeah, it was about what I normally spend sending stuff to friends overseas. Jumping from JPY14,000 to JPY8,000 in that amount of time does seem really odd though.


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## nakiriknaifuwaifu (Aug 5, 2020)

msk said:


> Yeah, it was about what I normally spend sending stuff to friends overseas. Jumping from JPY14,000 to JPY8,000 in that amount of time does seem really odd though.



yeah they said they were able to negotiate it down for a 50% discount or something.


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## Marek07 (Aug 5, 2020)

juice said:


> We've got almost no air traffic into/out of Australia currently due to the lockdown (or whatever you want to call it) so most things are now travelling to/from the country via sea, which means you have to wait for enough things to fill the containers to be worth the trip. As a result, you can either be really lucky by having the package lob just as they're ready to ship, or be really unlucky if you just miss a shipment. Either way, the old timeframes have been punted out the window pretty vigorously.


Are you sure? I could be wrong but I thought it was only passenger flights that have been stopped or seriously curtailed. Recently received a parcel from China in just a few days.

A note on USPS from an outsider's perspective: As others have mentioned, there was a hiccup scanning a cylindrical item and international tracking seriously suffered. However, I've used USPS to send and receive across CONUS and have always been more than satisfied with handling, tracking and delivery. They are so much better than Australia Post. But I know... the grass is always greener...


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## M1k3 (Aug 5, 2020)

Marek07 said:


> Are you sure? I could be wrong but I thought it was only passenger flights that have been stopped or seriously curtailed. Recently received a parcel from China in just a few of days.
> 
> A note on USPS from an outsider's perspective: As others have mentioned, there was a hiccup scanning a cylindrical item and international tracking seriously suffered. However, I've used USPS to send and receive across CONUS and have always been more than satisfied with handling, tracking and delivery. They are so much better than Australia Post. But I know... the grass is always greener...


Yes it is. AUSPost knew more about a package being delivered and the redelivery to my house. USPS just said delivered after the failed delivery...


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## juice (Aug 5, 2020)

Marek07 said:


> Are you sure? I could be wrong but I thought it was only passenger flights that have been stopped or seriously curtailed. Recently received a parcel from China in just a few of days.


OK, my info was from early on, now the situation is much more like your info. I just checked with a mate who is an aviation journo, and this is what he just sent me:



> there is plenty of air freight being carried in and out of australia on freighter aircraft. and airlines have boosted cargo-only services to make up for the loss of cargo capacity due to the suspension of so many passenger flights. in normal times, in round figures about half of all air cargo is carried by dedicated freighter aircraft services, with the remainder in the belly space of passenger flights





Marek07 said:


> However, I've used USPS to send and receive across CONUS and have always been more than satisfied with handling, tracking and delivery. They are so much better than Australia Post. But I know... the grass is always greener...


Mmm, I've sent and received a fair bit of US stuff, and I'll back AusPost over USPS, absolutely.


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## Marek07 (Aug 5, 2020)

Had no idea so much cargo was carried on passenger flights (in _normal_ times).

Re: AusPost vs USPS
I guess my perception is coloured by my own experiences. They favour USPS but I can see how it could easily be the other way round. Whichever is used, DHL will beat them... at a price.


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## juice (Aug 5, 2020)

Marek07 said:


> Had no idea so much cargo was carried on passenger flights (in _normal_ times).


Yeah, it's a heap, which is why it really slowed down when we first isolated and before they started scheduling the new freight-only flights.


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## M1k3 (Aug 5, 2020)

Cargo ships is what AUSPost used instead of planes. Have to wait for it to have enough to ship.


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## juice (Aug 5, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Cargo ships is what AUSPost used instead of planes. Have to wait for it to have enough to ship.


Yeah, that was a few months ago, it's swinging back to air now they're scheduling (a lot) more freight-only flights.


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## VicVox72 (Aug 8, 2020)

Ordered from Watanabe on July 28th, arrived on my door step (actually my neighbors... Thanks DHL for giving me a heart attack there!) on August 3rd. Went via Cincinnati for me, too. As mentioned, carrier DHL. he charged me 4300 yen for it. 

Note, earlier in lockdown I had (knives, incidentally..) sent from Germany by my parents, also with DHL, and that took a solid 12 weeks ..


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## birdsfan (Aug 11, 2020)

I just had a similar positive experience with DHL. It shipped from Japan on 8/7 and was on my porch today. AMAZING! It also went through Cin/Covington.

Unfortunately it was not a Watanabe


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## juice (Aug 12, 2020)

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dhl-sucks.net


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## osakajoe (Aug 12, 2020)

Shipping DHL Express from Japan to USA is about $27-$35 For a small package. And depending on where you live takes 3-6 days usually

I have also sent bigger boxes of stuff (think a little bit bigger that a shoe box) to family and costs around $45-50


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## NO ChoP! (Aug 13, 2020)

I. unfortunately ordered 2 knives from Japan end of March. They are still held up. Not a single scan or anything yet.


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## osakajoe (Aug 13, 2020)

NO ChoP! said:


> I. unfortunately ordered 2 knives from Japan end of March. They are still held up. Not a single scan or anything yet.


What shipping service did they use? I know Japan post is way slow now but still held up from March... damn


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## VicVox72 (Aug 13, 2020)

I think a lot of stuff went horribly wrong in Japan postal system in March. I had an order placed Mar28 with Post Japan (to be handed over to USPS in US). It was supposed to arrive April 14th. Was declared lost May 28th... And then showed up at my door a couple weeks ago. 

I think Japanese post doesn't lose stuff, they just have a crazy backlog


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## chiffonodd (Aug 14, 2020)

Another DHL report. I recently ordered a watanabe nakiri, was just scanned in by DHL today, Friday 8/14, in Narita. Estimated delivery in Seattle is next Wednesday, 8/19. So that's another 5 day delivery direct from Japan to west coast US. As far as I can tell, DHL is still shipping just fine.


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## BillHanna (Aug 14, 2020)

birdsfan said:


> I just had a similar positive experience with DHL. It shipped from Japan on 8/7 and was on my porch today. AMAZING! It also went through Cin/Covington.





NO ChoP! said:


> I. unfortunately ordered 2 knives from Japan end of March. They are still held up. Not a single scan or anything yet.




East Coast seems to be tied at the moment. Can anyone tip the scales, with regards to shipping in the past two months?


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## lemeneid (Aug 22, 2020)

I shipped out a knife to US in May. Got the arrival scan in the US in June, and since then nothing...


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## Corradobrit1 (Aug 22, 2020)

lemeneid said:


> I shipped out a knife to US in May. Got the arrival scan in the US in June, and since then nothing...


Time to get a trace on


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## naader (Sep 5, 2020)

lemeneid said:


> I shipped out a knife to US in May. Got the arrival scan in the US in June, and since then nothing...


Right there with you. Had some 5 month packages randomly pop up recently


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## aboynamedsuita (Sep 8, 2020)

In recent months I’ve had packages from Japan to Canada arrive within a week by DHL or FedEx Express. I haven’t really noticed an impact to these couriers (can’t say the same for EMS / USPS / Canada Post though lol), although DHL does quote an extra day or so on the ETA when preparing shipments.


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## MarcelNL (Sep 8, 2020)

makes sense once you have seen how society operates in Japan from an airline to the bus leaving the terminal, on the second;


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## Corradobrit1 (Sep 8, 2020)

Postman Pat hard at work. 








Video shows USPS mail being dumped in a California parking lot. A postal union says USPS employees weren't involved | CNN


Bags of mail were dumped in a parking lot in Glendale, California, last week, according to surveillance footage obtained by CNN.




www.cnn.com


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## MarcelNL (Sep 8, 2020)

don't make Postman Pat look bad, he ROCKS


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## josemartinlopez (Sep 9, 2020)

I think it's just the US that's messed up. I got a package from Japan to Singapore on EMS in less than 2 weeks. I got a package from Australia to Singapore on EMS in 4 days.


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## False_Cast (Sep 28, 2020)

Ordered a Heiji before just before corona made it to the US. It’s been ready but with EMS not shipping to the US, they’ve given me the option of shipping by sea (3 months per Heiji) or DHL that has been quoted in the 18,000 JYP range. Neither of those options sound good. Anyone have any ideas or insight as to when EMS will start shipping to the US?


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## josemartinlopez (Sep 28, 2020)

I’d take the sea freight and get it over with.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Sep 30, 2020)

Gaku just offered to do sea shipping for my TF which I accepted. I’d rather wait for 1-3 months than pay the DHL cost.

Edit: the sea shipping even has a tracking number!


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## J.C (Sep 30, 2020)

False_Cast said:


> Ordered a Heiji before just before corona made it to the US. It’s been ready but with EMS not shipping to the US, they’ve given me the option of shipping by sea (3 months per Heiji) or DHL that has been quoted in the 18,000 JYP range. Neither of those options sound good. Anyone have any ideas or insight as to when EMS will start shipping to the US?


Happens to me too..
Knife was ready to be ship from august, still waiting for the news from japanpost.


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## False_Cast (Oct 1, 2020)

J.C said:


> Happens to me too..
> Knife was ready to be ship from august, still waiting for the news from japanpost.


Going to try the sea route.


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## Keith Sinclair (Oct 2, 2020)

Ordered from JCK early September got it little over a week EMS 10.00 to Hawaii.


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## J.C (Oct 16, 2020)

Just an update, my heiji is finally shipped via fedEx! With an additional cost of $55 on top of what i have already paid before.
It will take about 10-14 days but still better than the sea route i think.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Oct 16, 2020)

I have a knife shipped by Fedex from Japan. It was picked up at 6:07 PM on 10/15 in Japan and it is now out for delivery on 10/16. Fantastic.

Edit: it was delivered at 11:02 AM on 10/16.


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## damiano (Oct 20, 2020)

How do you guys go about currency exchange? It's no secret that creditcard companies make a lot of money on currency exchange. As an example, on an item worth 800 euro it can make a 80 euro difference if you're able to pay in the original currency. That's why I use a Revolut card. Is there any way to sidetrack currency exchange through paypal?


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## Chopper88 (Oct 20, 2020)

Not around the CC company itself, but around PP, yes. Select that you want to pay in the receivers currency and have your CC issuer do the conversion.
PP conversion rate is thievery.


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## damiano (Oct 20, 2020)

Chopper88 said:


> Not around the CC company itself, but around PP, yes. Select that you want to pay in the receivers currency and have your CC issuer do the conversion.
> PP conversion rate is thievery.


Ah great, if that's possible it means I can use my Revolut to make a payment in yen!  And what is the best way in paypal to transfer money to japan? Which service should I select?


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## Chopper88 (Oct 20, 2020)

I don't know how that works with Revolut (never used it), but when using a CC it's simply just selecting the 'foreign' currency when paying.
Then you'll get rid of the 3.5/4% PP markup on top of the real conversion rate.
I think the fees Mastercard or Visa charge are OK, usually around 1%, so that means +-8 euro for your 800 euro payment.


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## damiano (Oct 20, 2020)

Chopper88 said:


> I don't know how that works with Revolut (never used it), but when using a CC it's simply just selecting the 'foreign' currency when paying.
> Then you'll get rid of the 3.5/4% PP markup on top of the real conversion rate.
> I think the fees Mastercard or Visa charge are OK, usually around 1%, so that means +-8 euro for your 800 euro payment.


Great thanks! I can recommend the Revolut card. It's free of charge. Note that the transaction cost at cc companies isn't the issue (though even that is ridiculous), but rather the currency conversion rate cc companies use. We don't see that - but it's there.


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## Chopper88 (Oct 20, 2020)

I know that as well, and have looked into that before, but I don't think it's _that_ big of a problem. It's usually < 1% as well, but also depends on the time of day and market changes etc. These rates are (as far as I know) also available through your bank or the CC issuer's website (depending on who issued the card) 
Underneath is an example I just calculated on the Visa website, taking the transaction fee out of the equation.
But, I will look into Revolut as well, I am always open to having alternatives, and it might be interesting for obscure-ish websites which have you enter the CC details directly instead of handling things through PP for example! 

Anyway, since I don't want to be responsible for derailing the entire thread, I actually have something to contribute.
I ordered a knife from JP two weeks ago on a Thursday, it was shipped Friday morning, and delivered in the EU on Monday by DHL


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## damiano (Oct 20, 2020)

The beauty of Revolut is that you convert the currency within the Revolut app, using market rates. So I transfer say 100 euro from my normal credit card to my Revolut, and then within the Revolut app I can exchange this for GBP/USD/JPY and so on. You'll always know beforehand which conversion rate you get, and can even set alerts if the yen for example drops.

Sometimes the webshop itself charges ridiculous conversation rates. Last week I ordered a jacket from a UK shop, where they quoted 885 euro or 745 British pounds. I used my Revolut and immediately saved 65 euro on that single transaction.


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## Corradobrit1 (Oct 20, 2020)

Chopper88 said:


> I don't know how that works with Revolut (never used it), but when using a CC it's simply just selecting the 'foreign' currency when paying.
> Then you'll get rid of the 3.5/4% PP markup on top of the real conversion rate.
> I think the fees Mastercard or Visa charge are OK, usually around 1%, so that means +-8 euro for your 800 euro payment.


Don't forget most CC charge a foreign transaction fee on top of their currency exchange rate and that can range from 0-3%. Check with your card. I use Chase Sapphire and its fee is zero, but the annual fee is quite high at $99, so swings and roundabouts.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Oct 20, 2020)

Bank of America Travel Rewards card charges 0 foreign transaction fee and 0 annual fee. And it has 1.5% cash back everywhere. Not bad.


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## Chopper88 (Oct 20, 2020)

Corradobrit1 said:


> Don't forget most CC charge a foreign transaction fee on top of their currency exchange rate and that can range from 0-3%. Check with your card. I use Chase Sapphire and its fee is zero, but the annual fee is quite high at $99, so swings and roundabouts.



Yeah you're right, I think the next post(s) I made make it more clear, but I actually meant that fee with the 1%.

Unfortunately in most of Europe a CC isn't as common and there aren't a lot of attractive options pricewise if you don't travel a lot. (at least, from my personal perspective)
Often stores charge a 2.5% transaction fee even in local currency when using credit- instead of debit cards  fortunately that's slowly starting to change though.


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## 4wa1l (Oct 20, 2020)

I've just ordered from Japan. Shipping with DHL to Aus, so we'll see how it goes. 

If doing a transfer with paypal (not using it as a payment option with an online store), is it possible to pay directly in the foreign currency or are you forced to use the paypal conversion?


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## panda (Oct 20, 2020)

the last item i ordered from japan was a carbon fiber car part, it weighed less than the packaging but its a pretty good sized box and shipping was still over $100 for DHL express. arrived in 3 business days


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## damiano (Oct 21, 2020)

I've just transferred 52600 JPY through paypal using my Revolut. Using Revolut I saved around 20 euro.

I exchanged 425 euro to have a little bit more than 52600 yen in my Revolut account. Paypal also gave me the opportunity to use their currency rates, and their quote was 405 GBP, meaning (using market rates!) 445 euro. If you want to use Revolut and pay in yen, choose within paypal to have the cc company use their conversion rates, then Revolut will just use the base currency (so JPY in this case).


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## IsoJ (Oct 21, 2020)

Decided to try EMS from Japan, one knife shipping fee 2600 yen. Cheap if it arrives before next summer .


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## josemartinlopez (Oct 21, 2020)

Chopper88 said:


> I know that as well, and have looked into that before, but I don't think it's _that_ big of a problem. It's usually < 1% as well, but also depends on the time of day and market changes etc. These rates are (as far as I know) also available through your bank or the CC issuer's website (depending on who issued the card)


No, it's really a big problem and it's better to not use Paypal at all and simply make a transfer into a store's Japanese domestic bank account in Japanese yen.


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## Chopper88 (Oct 21, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> No, it's really a big problem and it's better to not use Paypal at all and simply make a transfer into a store's Japanese domestic bank account in Japanese yen.



My bank also charges a fee for transactions in foreign currencies.

I just checked it, and right now transferring through my bank vs using a CC with PP would save me 0.8%.
While I could save that 0.8%, it also means the insurance I have when using my CC is gone.


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## josemartinlopez (Oct 21, 2020)

No one uses a bank instead of Revolut and Transferwise to make cross-border bank transfers these days. The USA is actually way behind even Africa in this department.

You are not looking at just the bank or credit card foreign transaction fee, you need to look at the bad exchange rate given.


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## damiano (Oct 21, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> No, it's really a big problem and it's better to not use Paypal at all and simply make a transfer into a store's Japanese domestic bank account in Japanese yen.


If a knife maker in Japan insists on using paypal, e.g. Watanabe, you can still use the Revolut market exchange rate as the source of that paypal transfer. See my earlier post from today. 

Paypal offers the option to have the cc company do the conversion, so Revolut will then just use JPY. Revolut does not charge a fee for the transaction.


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## josemartinlopez (Oct 21, 2020)

That's correct, though many stores with younger owners or staff (not Watanabe and not Teruyasu Fujiwara, for example) will understand what a direct Revolut or Transferwise bank transfer will do.


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## Chopper88 (Oct 21, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> No one uses a bank instead of Revolut and Transferwise to make cross-border bank transfers these days. The USA is actually way behind even Africa in this department.
> 
> You are not looking at just the bank or credit card foreign transaction fee, you need to look at the bad exchange rate given.



I am not from the USA 

Great discussion though, as I said earlier I am open to new options. I just dove into all the options I have including Revolut.

I _was_ talking about the exchange rate earlier, it's a 1.2% fee when paying abroad with a debit card, and a € 7 fee + a 0.1% markup on the market exchange rate with a minimum of € 5 and a max of € 25 when transferring abroad, and a 2% fee when using a CC. That 0.8% came from me comparing a CC vs transferring from a bank account.
So when talking about the actual exchange rate markup, it depends on the amount transferred which would be the better option when using my bank.

Just ran the math for a quick example:

When I need to pay 50.000 JPY, it will cost me:
€ 402,24 when transferring JPY using Revolut (50.000 / 124.3028 (the Interbank exchange rate when I made the calculation))
€ 412,70 when transferring foreign currency through my bank (400,82 (50.000 / 124.745 (the rate my bank uses today)) + 7 (fee) + 5 (markup))
€ 411,12 when paying with CC in foreign currency through PP (just used the conversion rate calculator on the bank's website)
€ 418,86 when paying in local currency through PP (400,82 * 1.045 (4.5% PP charges))

When using Revolut, it would save me around € 12, or 2.7% (when being fair, and not taking the small exchange rate difference between my bank and the current mid-day Interbank rate) on such a transaction in general over using a CC, but the buyer has to accept the direct transfer, and I have to accept I have no insurance from my CC.

I think it's worth considering, and will get a Revolut card since it's free anyway, to have the option. But I still think it's not that big of a problem _for me personally_ as I don't have 50 of these transactions a month where it begins to add up, and I am actually giving up insurance for that € 12 saving.


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## jonnachang (Nov 22, 2020)

I have two knives coming from Japan and I received email from Nakaya Heiji yesterday stating that EMS is still not accepting packages heading to USA. I looked up that a lot of people are using DHL or FedEx as an alternative. It’s either that or to ship by boat and wait up to 3 months. Are the FedEx and DHL prices that much? Thanks again family!


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Nov 22, 2020)

DHL is really expensive. FedEx cheaper.


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 22, 2020)

Hz_zzzzzz said:


> DHL is really expensive. FedEx cheaper.


And both likely to ding you on import duties and brokerage fees (especially DHL) if value is over $800


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 22, 2020)

jonnachang said:


> I have two knives coming from Japan and I received email from Nakaya Heiji yesterday stating that EMS is still not accepting packages heading to USA. I looked up that a lot of people are using DHL or FedEx as an alternative. It’s either that or to ship by boat and wait up to 3 months. Are the FedEx and DHL prices that much? Thanks again family!


I'm just sitting it out and waiting for EMS to resume. Can't be long with several effective vaccines available very soon.


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## jonnachang (Nov 28, 2020)

Had two gyutos from Nakaya Heiji shipped via FedEx and received them in 6 days. You pay, but for me..... worth it!


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