Japan Post suspension of international mail

[kkx]

Just ordered an item from Mandrake. They only allow DHL shipping now. No other options.

But it cost only 1350 yen to ship a HMR vf-1s strike. That seem very low price for DHL, I was surprised.

[kkx]

53 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

Oh wow, so I went to Paypal to put in a dispute to get my money back from NY because those jackasses haven't shipped or even contacted me about my VF-4, and this warning comes up when you try to start a dispute:

Nippon-Yasan.Com - Warning

Hello, We want to advise you if a PayPal dispute is open all your orders will be cancel and your account will be closed until the dispute is solve. Before open a PayPal dispute please contact our Customer Service: Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Japanese Time 

------------

You know what? F U NY. You don't have anything I want anyway or that I can't get elsewhere, so bring it on, bi***es. I gave you three months to ship my item out and you couldn't do it.

I did ask for refund for my VF-4 on NY. They refunded with no fuzz.

[sh9000]

My 2 HMR VF-4Gs from NY shipped last night. 

[DYRL VF-1S]

2 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Oh wow, so I went to Paypal to put in a dispute to get my money back from NY because those jackasses haven't shipped or even contacted me about my VF-4, and this warning comes up when you try to start a dispute:

Nippon-Yasan.Com - Warning

Hello, We want to advise you if a PayPal dispute is open all your orders will be cancel and your account will be closed until the dispute is solve. Before open a PayPal dispute please contact our Customer Service: Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Japanese Time 

------------

You know what? F U NY. You don't have anything I want anyway or that I can't get elsewhere, so bring it on, bi***es. I gave you three months to ship my item out and you couldn't do it.

 

1 hour ago, kkx said:

I did ask for refund for my VF-4 on NY. They refunded with no fuzz.

I was told that it had been too long to refund me for the SSPs so only store credit was allowed. Thankfully, I had already disputed one order just in time with PayPal and was just refunded after weeks of waiting through the process. My first order was too old so I had to go straight to the credit source abs got refunded. I haven’t been banned  yet but expect to.

lf you haven’t yet, I would  just ask for a refund and see what they say?
 

Edit: Also, my Manda is finally in the states and should arrive tomorrow after upgrading my SAL to DHL at no charge. Been waiting since March 18.

Edited May 21, 2020 by DYRL VF-1S

[MInsHairyLegs]

1 hour ago, kkx said:

Just ordered an item from Mandrake. They only allow DHL shipping now. No other options.

But it cost only 1350 yen to ship a HMR vf-1s strike. That seem very low price for DHL, I was surprised.

So, just to clarify, because I'm new to collecting the toys and this Japan shipping thing confuses me, but Manda is shipping DHL right now if an item is ordered. No waiting?

Thank you!

[RedComet]

6 minutes ago, MInsHairyLegs said:

So, just to clarify, because I'm new to collecting the toys and this Japan shipping thing confuses me, but Manda is shipping DHL right now if an item is ordered. No waiting?

Thank you!

Yeah, Mandarake is shipping DHL, which is a bit pricier than EMS but REALLY fast!

[Sanity is Optional]

4 hours ago, kkx said:

Just ordered an item from Mandrake. They only allow DHL shipping now. No other options.

But it cost only 1350 yen to ship a HMR vf-1s strike. That seem very low price for DHL, I was surprised.

Ah, so you're the one who got the ¥10,000 Hikaru 1S?

Was about to jump on that, but couldn't do it without knowing the shipping costs.

[kkx]

40 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Ah, so you're the one who got the ¥10,000 Hikaru 1S?

Was about to jump on that, but couldn't do it without knowing the shipping costs.

I can't. resist the low price.  

Was planning to ask for surface shipping. But they said no, just DHL. I am happy that it is not super expensive. I remember SAL small packet for similar sized item cost about the same as what they are asking for DHL now. I am sure they absorb a bit part of the DHL cost. 

[Sanity is Optional]

18 minutes ago, kkx said:

I can't. resist the low price.  

Was planning to ask for surface shipping. But they said no, just DHL. I am happy that it is not super expensive. I remember SAL small packet for similar sized item cost about the same as what they are asking for DHL now. I am sure they absorb a bit part of the DHL cost. 

Well, just got the ¥13,000 one, but they charged me ¥3500 in shipping for DHL.

[kkx]

1 hour ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Well, just got the ¥13,000 one, but they charged me ¥3500 in shipping for DHL.

This is weird. Mine is from Umeda shop, are yours from another shop/location?

Maybe mine is actually surface mail. There is not mention of shipping type in the order confirmation, expect a reply/remark to my request for surface mail saying: only DHL is available now.  (Found the shipping method: DHL worldwide express)

Edited May 21, 2020 by kkx

[F360]

There's also DHL Packet International (slower and chearper) 

I use to get these from HK shippers. they are like economy shipping that fly on DHL planes and then pass to local postal provider for delivery. 

[Sanity is Optional]

58 minutes ago, kkx said:

This is weird. Mine is from Umeda shop, are yours from another shop/location?

Mine was from Sahra, so might just be the location.

[DYRL VF-1S]

2 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Mine was from Sahra, so might just be the location.

Sahra told me they had over 1000 packages to go through FWIW

[Sanity is Optional]

55 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

Sahra told me they had over 1000 packages to go through FWIW

Is that returned packages, or outgoing packages?

[borgified]

6 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Well, just got the ¥13,000 one, but they charged me ¥3500 in shipping for DHL.

So your the one that actually snagged it, I actually posted that on the Manda thread yestereday.

1 hour ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

Sahra told me they had over 1000 packages to go through FWIW

 

8 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Is that returned packages, or outgoing packages?

Not surprised as Sahra is the largest branch for the entire Manda chain, however the amount of staff is another question due to social distancing rules.  

My package is till on the Fukuoka branch floor since the 17th and shipping by EMS to Canada (paid on the 14th), not in a rush to get it. It gets here when it gets here,  

I wonder how many packages is piled up on the floor and maybe overfilling to it's actual allowable capacity. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by borgified

[Boobytrap]

Ordered a gundam kit from NY in January and selected JP. It's been in preparation in progress status since 5/1. I wasn't in any rush to receive it and figured they would just hold it until JP started to ship to the US again. Apparently they created a ticket on their own and are giving me a free UPS upgrade without me having to do anything. That was a nice surprise to see this morning. I definitely wasn't expecting that from them.

Ticket message below:

Hi !

Thank you very much for your order, unfortunately there seems to be something preventing us from shipping it to you… Do not worry though, we can fix this !

It appears that the shipping method you chose is not available for your country at the time.

This year has not been easy for anyone, a lot happened already and we would like to brighten your day, even if just a little. So as a special thank you and with hope of better days to come, we would like to upgrade your order to UPS completely free of charge !

If for some reason you do not want your order to be sent this way, please let me know by replying directly to this ticket within the next 3 days and we won’t do anything.

So in short, if you do not reply, you get a free UPS upgrade it’s just that simple

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this special offer and that everything is going well for you.

Have a great day, and stay safe !

[DYRL VF-1S]

13 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Is that returned packages, or outgoing packages?

That’s sifting through the return packages

[DYRL VF-1S]

7 minutes ago, Boobytrap said:

Ordered a gundam kit from NY in January and selected JP. It's been in preparation in progress status since 5/1. I wasn't in any rush to receive it and figured they would just hold it until JP started to ship to the US again. Apparently they created a ticket on their own and are giving me a free UPS upgrade without me having to do anything. That was a nice surprise to see this morning. I definitely wasn't expecting that from them.

Ticket message below:

Hi !

Thank you very much for your order, unfortunately there seems to be something preventing us from shipping it to you… Do not worry though, we can fix this !

It appears that the shipping method you chose is not available for your country at the time.

This year has not been easy for anyone, a lot happened already and we would like to brighten your day, even if just a little. So as a special thank you and with hope of better days to come, we would like to upgrade your order to UPS completely free of charge !

If for some reason you do not want your order to be sent this way, please let me know by replying directly to this ticket within the next 3 days and we won’t do anything.

So in short, if you do not reply, you get a free UPS upgrade it’s just that simple

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this special offer and that everything is going well for you.

Have a great day, and stay safe !

Impressive!!

[Slave IV]

33 minutes ago, Boobytrap said:

Ordered a gundam kit from NY in January and selected JP. It's been in preparation in progress status since 5/1. I wasn't in any rush to receive it and figured they would just hold it until JP started to ship to the US again. Apparently they created a ticket on their own and are giving me a free UPS upgrade without me having to do anything. That was a nice surprise to see this morning. I definitely wasn't expecting that from them.

Ticket message below:

Hi !

Thank you very much for your order, unfortunately there seems to be something preventing us from shipping it to you… Do not worry though, we can fix this !

It appears that the shipping method you chose is not available for your country at the time.

This year has not been easy for anyone, a lot happened already and we would like to brighten your day, even if just a little. So as a special thank you and with hope of better days to come, we would like to upgrade your order to UPS completely free of charge !

If for some reason you do not want your order to be sent this way, please let me know by replying directly to this ticket within the next 3 days and we won’t do anything.

So in short, if you do not reply, you get a free UPS upgrade it’s just that simple

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this special offer and that everything is going well for you.

Have a great day, and stay safe !

That's great news! I have a couple orders that I haven't bothered about checking since I knew the situation and was going to wait it out but hope they can send me some of them too to get it out of the way. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by Slave IV

[Ryoma]

Same thing happened to me with NY... i am really impressed and really thankful. Hopefully they will give me the same treatment for my VF-0D and my Kotetsu jeeg big size model once they will be released. 

[Anasazi37]

For MW members in the US who are using DHL (or thinking of doing so), you should keep the following in mind. I've used them a few times this past year with no difficulty and the fact that they use USPS for the "last mile" and my carrier just drops the packages in a parcel locker instead of making me drive into town and sign for them (I have to do that for EMS) has been great. And they're fast. Really fast. However, if anything goes wrong during the last mile, you're in a difficult spot. A package showed up as delivered to a parcel locker, but I didn't receive it. DHL's website lets you track by waybill number, but that number means nothing to USPS, so when you show up at the post office asking where your package is, they shrug and say that you have to give them the USPS tracking number or they can't help you. DHL's tracking site doesn't give you that number, which looks nothing like the waybill number, and at least in the US you can't see the "international shipment number" I've read about in several help forums (looks like EM 000 000 000 JP). You have to contact their customer service people and ask for it, which can take 1-2 business days.

This story has a happy ending. I live in a small enough town that I was able to give my carrier a printout from DHL's tracking site and he found my package stuffed in the wrong parcel locker later that day while he was on his route. Nice guy.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Anasazi37

[Mommar]

On 5/22/2020 at 10:39 AM, Boobytrap said:

Ordered a gundam kit from NY in January and selected JP. It's been in preparation in progress status since 5/1. I wasn't in any rush to receive it and figured they would just hold it until JP started to ship to the US again. Apparently they created a ticket on their own and are giving me a free UPS upgrade without me having to do anything. That was a nice surprise to see this morning. I definitely wasn't expecting that from them.

Ticket message below:

Hi !

Thank you very much for your order, unfortunately there seems to be something preventing us from shipping it to you… Do not worry though, we can fix this !

It appears that the shipping method you chose is not available for your country at the time.

This year has not been easy for anyone, a lot happened already and we would like to brighten your day, even if just a little. So as a special thank you and with hope of better days to come, we would like to upgrade your order to UPS completely free of charge !

If for some reason you do not want your order to be sent this way, please let me know by replying directly to this ticket within the next 3 days and we won’t do anything.

So in short, if you do not reply, you get a free UPS upgrade it’s just that simple

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this special offer and that everything is going well for you.

Have a great day, and stay safe !

SON. OF. BITCH!  I just paid the exorbitant upgrade UPS price for an item that isn't even going to be released now and then I see this....

[Anasazi37]

13 minutes ago, Mommar said:

SON. OF. BITCH!  I just paid the exorbitant upgrade UPS price for an item that isn't even going to be released now and then I see this....

Yeah, that annoyed me as well. I paid the UPS upcharge for my SSP set after having already paid for EMS. I'm glad that some MW members are benefiting from NY's generosity, but it sure would be nice for them to go back and credit those of us who paid. Odds of that happening are low.

Edit: Just requested a refund from NY. I'll let you know what they say.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Anasazi37

[kajnrig]

20 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

For MW members in the US who are using DHL (or thinking of doing so) ... if anything goes wrong during the last mile, you're in a difficult spot.

I just received a notification email for an Ebay order that was shipped via DHL saying that my order was delivered today around noon... which is obviously impossible, because neither DHL nor USPS are delivering on Memorial Day.

I'm hopeful it's just some sort of weird clerical error and the item'll be in the mailbox tomorrow, but assuming it isn't, what would be my recourse? Just contact the seller, have them either trace the item with DHL or issue a refund? It's a cheap little thing, only like $20 or so, but I'd rather just have the thing than have to fish about for an alternative. The only tracking number I received from the seller was a USPS one, which made tracking via the DHL site a no-go; I have no idea what the waybill number might have been.

[blackconvoy_D01]

Is shipping from some parts of Japan more costly than others?

3 years ago I got a 29B from Mandarake that only cost about 5000 yen to ship via DHL; I want to say it was close/within Tokyo. But currently from Sapporo; shipping was 8000 yen for relatively the same size shipment? Is it Covid-19, the further distance from Tokyo, or something else?

Edited May 26, 2020 by blackconvoy_D01

[sqidd]

2 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

For MW members in the US who are using DHL (or thinking of doing so), you should keep the following in mind. I've used them a few times this past year with no difficulty and the fact that they use USPS for the "last mile" and my carrier just drops the packages in a parcel locker instead of making me drive into town and sign for them (I have to do that for EMS) has been great. And they're fast. Really fast. However, if anything goes wrong during the last mile, you're in a difficult spot. A package showed up as delivered to a parcel locker, but I didn't receive it. DHL's website lets you track by waybill number, but that number means nothing to USPS, so when you show up at the post office asking where your package is, they shrug and say that you have to give them the USPS tracking number or they can't help you. DHL's tracking site doesn't give you that number, which looks nothing like the waybill number, and at least in the US you can't see the "international shipment number" I've read about in several help forums (looks like EM 000 000 000 JP). You have to contact their customer service people and ask for it, which can take 1-2 business days.

This story has a happy ending. I live in a small enough town that I was able to give my carrier a printout from DHL's tracking site and he found my package stuffed in the wrong parcel locker later that day while he was on his route. Nice guy.

My stuff has all been delivered by a DHL driver. I'm guessing that is location dependent.

[Anasazi37]

2 minutes ago, sqidd said:

My stuff has all been delivered by a DHL driver. I'm guessing that is location dependent.

For larger metro areas they probably handle delivery themselves, but definitely not here. Nearest DHL facility is Phoenix and I’m in Albuquerque, so they print a USPS shipping label, slap it on the box, and take it to the post office for the last leg. Shows up as “forwarded for delivery” in their tracking system. 

[blackconvoy_D01]

7 minutes ago, sqidd said:

My stuff has all been delivered by a DHL driver. I'm guessing that is location dependent.

Same; from nearly the other end of the state.

Edited May 26, 2020 by blackconvoy_D01

[sqidd]

11 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

For larger metro areas they probably handle delivery themselves, but definitely not here. Nearest DHL facility is Phoenix and I’m in Albuquerque, so they print a USPS shipping label, slap it on the box, and take it to the post office for the last leg. Shows up as “forwarded for delivery” in their tracking system. 

Albuquerque never struck me as small. Out there for sure. But not small. Been through there at least a dozen times going to/from either Tucson, Bisbee or Phoenix. I like the desert.

[sketchley]

54 minutes ago, blackconvoy_D01 said:

Is shipping from some parts of Japan more costly than others?

3 years ago I got a 29B from Mandarake that only cost about 5000 yen to ship via DHL; I want to say it was close/within Tokyo. But currently from Sapporo; shipping was 8000 yen for relatively the same size shipment? Is it Covid-19, the further distance from Tokyo, or something else?

It's hard to answer your question because a) the postal situation has changed over the intervening years (see Trump's actions and the 2019 Extraordinary Conference of the Universal Postal Union), and b) the Covid-19 affects on air travel and subsequent increase (and restrictions) on air transport.

Generally, I'd like to say it's the same all over Japan, but aside from A and B, if you were ordering something shipped from one of the remote islands, I'm fairly certain the costs would go up (but things don't always make sense like that in Japan.  For example, NTT charges the same rate for phone calls wherever to wherever you are in Japan...)

 

On the flip side, Yamato Takyubin is in direct competition with Japan Post for domestic mail, so there is a great incentive for not only the post office, but also courier companies to keep shipping costs down... at least domestically (or for domestic customers sending internationally).

Edited May 26, 2020 by sketchley

[Anasazi37]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

Albuquerque never struck me as small. Out there for sure. But not small. Been through there at least a dozen times going to/from either Tucson, Bisbee or Phoenix. I like the desert.

I agree! It's not a small town, but I guess DHL doesn't think it's profitable to have a hub here. Packages still show up at warp speed, though. And I love the desert.

[Kanedas Bike]

Shipping via DHL (from Mandarake, Nagoya branch) is definitely a bit pricier. I literally just paid a shipping fee of 7950 JPY for a set of Bandai DX SSP and a Yamato Display Stand, that's the most I've ever paid for shipping from Mandarake. 

Will be extremely happy once commerce has stabilized, and prices along with it.

-b. 

[Mommar]

13 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

I agree! It's not a small town, but I guess DHL doesn't think it's profitable to have a hub here. Packages still show up at warp speed, though. And I love the desert.

We're small enough.

I've never checked but you might be able to track DHL packages once they're handed off to USPS via Informed Delivery.  Even if you aren't given a tracking number USPS needs to have one internally for their own sorting/tracking and other packages I've had shipped via USPS without a tracking number will show up there.

[Anasazi37]

19 hours ago, Mommar said:

We're small enough.

I've never checked but you might be able to track DHL packages once they're handed off to USPS via Informed Delivery.  Even if you aren't given a tracking number USPS needs to have one internally for their own sorting/tracking and other packages I've had shipped via USPS without a tracking number will show up there.

Funny you mention Informed Delivery. I signed up for that over the weekend in the hope that I could see the missing DHL package in the system for exactly the reason you mention (there must be a number somewhere), but no dice this time. I could see lots of other stuff in transit, but not that package. It's still a good idea, though. I'm hoping that it works for my next one.

[Mommar]

On 5/21/2020 at 8:37 AM, kkx said:

Just ordered an item from Mandrake. They only allow DHL shipping now. No other options.

But it cost only 1350 yen to ship a HMR vf-1s strike. That seem very low price for DHL, I was surprised.

I forgot to post about this.  I used to do the shipping for a company fifteen years ago that had accounts with FedEx and UPS.  We’d ship stuff like $35k scientific equipment that weighed 80lbs.  It used to cost $16 to ship stuff like that.  Anyplace with a business account that isn’t trying to make money from shipping can ship super cheap.  When someplace like NY tries to charge you $45 for a tiny figure via UPS they’re paying $8 and keeping $37.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Mommar