Japan Post suspension of international mail

[vladykins]

It is a bit higher than that even with business accounts. Our work lets us ship personal stuff if we pay the business price and just sending some beer to a friend in Texas Fed Ex ground (the cheapest route) was still $13. Shipping to Japan would have been much more expensive, so i don't think they are making huge amounts of cash off shipping.

 

[anubis20]

Anyone have stuff stuck at Anime Export? They offer no other shipping options

[Anasazi37]

8 hours ago, anubis20 said:

Anyone have stuff stuck at Anime Export? They offer no other shipping options

You're not alone. Sounds like they've been real jerks to some other MW members lately, who simply asked them to ship items using UPS, FedEx, or DHL because Japan Post was no longer an option. Their experiences led me to move AE to the bottom of my list of online stores to use. The second-to-last straw for me with AE was their inflated price on the TWE DX Hayao 1A. It was at the Nippon-Yasan level of obscene price hikes.

[Anasazi37]

On 5/25/2020 at 5:05 PM, 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....

 

On 5/25/2020 at 5:09 PM, Anasazi37 said:

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.

I did hear back from NY about my refund request. They used a lot of words to say something very straighforward: we only did this for select orders, so no, we won't give you a refund. They didn't explain their rationale for the orders they selected or why mine didn't qualify. I think Bandai would be impressed by their level of non-transparency.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Anasazi37

[borgified]

All these BS for NY makes @Slave IV grin with glee as there isn't anyone for him to flight along side for pre-orders. 

I actually got my package from Manda on the 23rd via EMS to Canada and re-routed to a local postal outlet, however got dinged with $41.15 CND in Custom Fees. Going to pick it up tomorrow after finish my Friday morning job that I still have after being furloughed from my other one.   

[crackpot]

14 minutes ago, borgified said:

All these BS for NY makes @Slave IV grin with glee as there isn't anyone for him to flight along side for pre-orders. 

I don't think he even PO'd the DX Kakizaki with them and got it somewhere else because it wasn't the lowest price. If the trend continues, I doubt he'll continue getting Macross stuff there. Right, @Slave IV? 

[kkx]

54 minutes ago, crackpot said:

I don't think he even PO'd the DX Kakizaki with them and got it somewhere else because it wasn't the lowest price. If the trend continues, I doubt he'll continue getting Macross stuff there. Right, @Slave IV? 

Was there a PO for DX Kakizaki?

[borgified]

14 minutes ago, kkx said:

Was there a PO for DX Kakizaki?

Only TWE suppliers to be fair for the Hayao.

It's either: 

The most hated and despised NY (where they really frack up your orders, jack up the pricing during pre-ordering stages or price gouge you after the official release date), AE, HLJ (if they don't give you the boot after ordering it), Okini, Kurama, CDJ and Nin-nin. 

[rdrunner]

While my two orders (Roy 4G and the DX SSP) are stuck in limbo at N-Y, and their response to me was "we can't do sh!t because of the Coronavirus", I wanted to report a very decent customer experience I had today with.... erm… nin-nin-game.  This is like my fourth order with them since a year or two ago.

Back in December when the Super Mini pla Black Wing was announced, I placed an order and picked economy shipping.  Total came to (5,490 + 1,390 shipping) = 6,880 yen.  And I forgot about this completely, until I got two emails on May 26: (1) message from N2G and (2) your order was shipped.  To my surprise, they sent me the following message, and my order has arrived at my door this afternoon May 28.

I know that Nin Nin has been put on a "grey list" somewhere here and the experience of another member probably is very different from mine, but I am extremely impressed with they way they handled this, especially when I think back on how N-Y has treated me like dirt and brushed me off my ticket inquiry.  I still have 3 orders outstanding from N-Y, and I had stuck with them because they did deliver my 31A preorder that time, but I am done with them after these.  The courtesy upgrade from econ shipping to DHL was really a sweet touch, and I would have been happy if they had only offered the shipping upgrade option for buyers to decide.

Just a story I wanted to share in the midst of this shipping limbo which most of us are going through right now.

Edited May 29, 2020 by rdrunner

[rdrunner]

10 minutes ago, borgified said:

Only TWE suppliers to be fair for the Hayao.

It's either: 

The most hated and despised NY (where they really frack up your orders, jack up the pricing during pre-ordering stages or price gouge you after the official release date), AE, HLJ (if they don't give you the boot after ordering it), Okini, Kurama, CDJ and Nin-nin. 

Well, for me personally, any last bit of credit I gave them on fulfilling the 31A preorder (despite the 7 month wait since release) back in 2018 has been completely nullified from the terrible experience over the last 5 or 6 months (for pushing my order to the April release when I actually placed it in July for the Dec release).  Yeah on paper they may be the cheapest, but I think there are many similarly priced options out there where our customer rights are much better respected.

 

[Slave IV]

2 hours ago, borgified said:

All these BS for NY makes @Slave IV grin with glee as there isn't anyone for him to flight along side for pre-orders. 

I actually got my package from Manda on the 23rd via EMS to Canada and re-routed to a local postal outlet, however got dinged with $41.15 CND in Custom Fees. Going to pick it up tomorrow after finish my Friday morning job that I still have after being furloughed from my other one.   

Haha, on the 51 thread, @OptionZero just reported that NY gave him the fixed legs parts for just the cost of shipping when he didn’t even buy it from there. AmiAmi and several other shops wouldn’t even help their own customers with it. That sounds like great service from NY to me. As for the shipping issues, they have also given people free upgrades. All sounds pretty good to me. I don’t expect any service when buying products for the Japan market only so anything is going above and beyond from any of these shops. If people don’t like a shop, just stop using them instead of complaining all the time.

1 hour ago, crackpot said:

I don't think he even PO'd the DX Kakizaki with them and got it somewhere else because it wasn't the lowest price. If the trend continues, I doubt he'll continue getting Macross stuff there. Right, @Slave IV? 

Yeah, I ended up with okiniland for Kakizaki. I have no loyalty to any shop when it comes to price. Whoever gives me the lowest price and can deliver gets my business. Will see how it goes next time a Macross item goes up for preorder. DX 29 should be a good test. 

[Smacky]

10 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Haha, on the 51 thread, @OptionZero just reported that NY gave him the fixed legs parts for just the cost of shipping when he didn’t even buy it from there. AmiAmi and several other shops wouldn’t even help their own customers with it. That sounds like great service from NY to me. As for the shipping issues, they have also given people free upgrades. All sounds pretty good to me. I don’t expect any service when buying products for the Japan market only so anything is going above and beyond from any of these shops. If people don’t like a shop, just stop using them instead of complaining all the time.

Yeah, I ended up with okiniland for Kakizaki. I have no loyalty to any shop when it comes to price. Whoever gives me the lowest price and can deliver gets my business. Will see how it goes next time a Macross item goes up for preorder. DX 29 should be a good test. 

I'd like to stop using them, but the problem is, they still have my FREAKING money.  As per someone's previous post, NY even stated they're only out to help select individuals, that's great, what about the rest of us that threw 300$ at them expecting a product, yet got nothing, won't even entertain a refund.  So yeah, people have the right to complain because as you yourself stated, who ever can deliver gets the business.  NY is not delivering and people are upset, make sense to you?  How about I sold you something on the MW forums, you paid me 300$, and I held it for 6 months before shipping it to you.  You wouldn't be too happy, would you?  You wrote in another post is getting a toy really at the top of people's priorities at times like these?  I'd say yes because I'm sure some people have been severely impacted by what's going on and could either use a refund or at the very least the goods delivered to resell for much needed cash.  Can't buy much food on NY store credit.   

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, Smacky said:

I'd like to stop using them, but the problem is, they still have my FREAKING money.  As per someone's previous post, NY even stated they're only out to help select individuals, that's great, what about the rest of us that threw 300$ at them expecting a product, yet got nothing, won't even entertain a refund.  So yeah, people have the right to complain because as you yourself stated, who ever can deliver gets the business.  NY is not delivering and people are upset, make sense to you?  How about I sold you something on the MW forums, you paid me 300$, and I held it for 6 months before shipping it to you.  You wouldn't be too happy, would you?  You wrote in another post is getting a toy really at the top of people's priorities at times like these?  I'd say yes because I'm sure some people have been severely impacted by what's going on and could either use a refund or at the very least the goods delivered to resell for much needed cash.  Can't buy much food on NY store credit.   

NY has a no cancellation policy. You know that going in so no reason to expect it. Again, anything they offer is going above and beyond but not required. If you can’t feed yourself, don’t tie your money up on luxury items. No shop has any responsibility for an individual’s spending habits. If I buy something from an individual, that’s all based on the individual deal that is made so it depends. When I preorder items, I take that as I’m reserving something that will be available sometime in the future. I don’t pay much attention to when as long as I know I will get it when I get it. NY always delivers whatever I order so I’m all good.

[technoblue]

Ugh. Let's not cherry pick points of debate and gaslight fellow forum members. The main issue isn't about whether disgruntled customers are able or unable to pay for their pre-orders. That's disingenuous. It shows empathy and fairness if one understands that most here on MW probably had the required funds set aside for their pre-orders when the schedule wasn't delayed. The problem is that NY has shown (in multiple instances, mind) that it is willing to delay orders well beyond the advertised shipping date and is then not transparent about why these delays are necessary. Good customer service is about 1) delivering product 2) delivering quality 3) keeping the comms open if things go sideways.

The VF-31A was the first wide-spread example of how NY reacted when things went sideways. The DX SSP pack is the second, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn of other isolated examples with a little research. And lest we forget, this happened well before Japan Post added the current list of shipping constraints which it communicated publicly and clearly to all Japanese and International customers!

Edited May 29, 2020 by technoblue
clarity

[Slave IV]

Macross isn't licenced for sale anywhere outside of Japan. Anything you can get these days is a privilege so I roll with that and it makes me very happy with no complaints. It is WAY easier, cheaper and faster to get Macross items with all these Japan based shops offering their services to the rest of the world compared to how I had to do it before.

[borgified]

34 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Macross isn't licenced for sale anywhere outside of Japan. Anything you can get these days is a privilege so I roll with that and it makes me very happy with no complaints. It is WAY easier, cheaper and faster to get Macross items with all these Japan based shops offering their services to the rest of the world compared to how I had to do it before.

Don't forget that Harmony Gold still has rights to ban anything related to Macross over here in America until the contract expires next year (I think) however they still have rights to use the Kite logo to some degree. 

So its a two way street. If you want Japanese Mecha goods, make sure that it's allowable for grabs in NA or pay a bit more for overseas shipping to get what you want (not barring being if it gets snatched at Customs and it gets destroyed it in the process). 

[RedComet]

Well, as bad as it is to have something waiting to ship that never actually ships. I promise it feels worse to have a package that shipped long before the suspension was announced that sill hasn't arrived. This was a big group buy and now 2 months later after it would have arrived surface for 1/3 the cost and I have weeks ago replaced people's orders cause I felt bad, I am still waiting. Something that shipped small packet a day before from the same seller arrived a month ago, something that shipped the same seller and same EMS 5 days after arrived two weeks ago. I honestly just don't have any idea what to do about this. Is it time to consider it "lost in the mail" and open up a PayPal complaint? 

 

 

[DYRL VF-1S]

6 minutes ago, RedComet said:

Well, as bad as it is to have something waiting to ship that never actually ships. I promise it feels worse to have a package that shipped long before the suspension was announced that sill hasn't arrived. This was a big group buy and now 2 months later after it would have arrived surface for 1/3 the cost and I have weeks ago replaced people's orders cause I felt bad, I am still waiting. Something that shipped small packet a day before from the same seller arrived a month ago, something that shipped the same seller and same EMS 5 days after arrived two weeks ago. I honestly just don't have any idea what to do about this. Is it time to consider it "lost in the mail" and open up a PayPal complaint? 

 

 

Hmm... well I can share my experience. I ordered something March 15 and just got it last week. Took forever for JP Post to return and then weeks for Manda to reship. In fact, I had to politely ask Manda to refund me because they said they were sifting through over 1000 returned packages before they would ship (they offered a refund as an initial option).

 Sorry mate. Been no fun for us collectors

[RedComet]

Just now, DYRL VF-1S said:

Hmm... well I can share my experience. I ordered something March 15 and just got it last week. Took forever for JP Post to return and then weeks for Manda to reship. In fact, I had to politely ask Manda to refund me because they said they were sifting through over 1000 returned packages before they would ship (they offered a refund as an initial option).

 Sorry mate. Been no fun for us collectors

This is from Buyee, who is not even offering to recall the packages that are out there ( and believe me, I asked). So yeah, not sure what to do about it. I have never actually had to open a claim with PayPal before, how long would that take to resolve? And is 2 months of no-delivery enough?

[DYRL VF-1S]

5 minutes ago, RedComet said:

This is from Buyee, who is not even offering to recall the packages that are out there ( and believe me, I asked). So yeah, not sure what to do about it. I have never actually had to open a claim with PayPal before, how long would that take to resolve? And is 2 months of no-delivery enough?

Well one thing is pretty sure at this point, JP Post will return the package. So if Buyee isn’t offering a way to reship then definitely file a claim. PayPal has an escalation process that takes two or three weeks, but you’ll likely be awarded the refund. Just be aware that it might blacklist you from Buyee.

[Anasazi37]

8 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

Well one thing is pretty sure at this point, JP Post will return the package. So if Buyee isn’t offering a way to reship then definitely file a claim. PayPal has an escalation process that takes two or three weeks, but you’ll likely be awarded the refund. Just be aware that it might blacklist you from Buyee.

I have a SSP set shipped by FromJapan via EMS that's been sitting at the Tokyo airport since 18 Apr. No movement at all. It's a small package, so you'd think that it could get squeezed in somewhere, but no. I have no idea how Japan Post is prioritizing packages (last in, first out?), but if yours is a large one, it might take longer because of limited space on flights. They are promising to deliver everything, even if it takes 4+ months, and losing an EMS package is a big deal. If they do return it to Buyee, you're actually dealing with Tenso and their entire business revolves around shipping stuff to customers overseas, so I'd be surprised if they don't offer to reship. If you open a PayPal dispute, you'll likely get blacklisted by both Buyee and Tenso.

[RedComet]

39 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

Well one thing is pretty sure at this point, JP Post will return the package. So if Buyee isn’t offering a way to reship then definitely file a claim. PayPal has an escalation process that takes two or three weeks, but you’ll likely be awarded the refund. Just be aware that it might blacklist you from Buyee.

So here's the $1800 (value of package) question. How do I tell if it has been returned to the Buyee warehouse or not? Would it tell me on the shipping status? Cause things that shipped both before and after it from Buyee made it through. Also had a long delayed EMS from Mandarake that shipped a day before (April 3) eventually went through, arriving about 10 days ago instead of being recalled by Mandarake. I don't really even care about the contents of the package at this point, as everything except one open box fix figuration Wing Zero has been replaced, some things in the package, like DX SSP have certainly gone DOWN in value, although others have gone up a bit. And then if I did get a refund, and got blacklisted, but the package eventually showed up in July, would I owe Tenso/Buyee/PayPal back the money anyway?

[technoblue]

Goodsmile sent my copy of Figma Darkness 22 April and it has been stuck at Tokyo International since 23 April, as luck would have it. To add to what @Anasazi37 noted above, I do think that if a package is returned that the record will appear in the tracking data. At least, that's how I've seen it happen with other shipments. At least, that's my limited experience with this sort of thing. I had to manage one item that was returned to sender after I missed the USPS reminder slip...

[DYRL VF-1S]

1 hour ago, RedComet said:

So here's the $1800 (value of package) question. How do I tell if it has been returned to the Buyee warehouse or not? Would it tell me on the shipping status? Cause things that shipped both before and after it from Buyee made it through. Also had a long delayed EMS from Mandarake that shipped a day before (April 3) eventually went through, arriving about 10 days ago instead of being recalled by Mandarake. I don't really even care about the contents of the package at this point, as everything except one open box fix figuration Wing Zero has been replaced, some things in the package, like DX SSP have certainly gone DOWN in value, although others have gone up a bit. And then if I did get a refund, and got blacklisted, but the package eventually showed up in July, would I owe Tenso/Buyee/PayPal back the money anyway?

I’ll have to find my tracking to screenshot it but JP Post will mark it returned and actually confirm delivery back to the sender. It’s not an issue of whether Buyee recalls it. It’s simply that EMS is suspended to the states. Some packages managed to get through customs prior to suspension and those eventually made it through, but doesn’t seem to be the case based on your screenshot since it’s still showing in collection at that local post.

[Slave IV]

3 hours ago, RedComet said:

Well, as bad as it is to have something waiting to ship that never actually ships. I promise it feels worse to have a package that shipped long before the suspension was announced that sill hasn't arrived. This was a big group buy and now 2 months later after it would have arrived surface for 1/3 the cost and I have weeks ago replaced people's orders cause I felt bad, I am still waiting. Something that shipped small packet a day before from the same seller arrived a month ago, something that shipped the same seller and same EMS 5 days after arrived two weeks ago. I honestly just don't have any idea what to do about this. Is it time to consider it "lost in the mail" and open up a PayPal complaint? 

 

 

I wouldn’t worry about it. I had a shipment go out before the lockdown via surface and those normally take 1-2 months. This time, it took 3 months. People really need to relax about these shipments and realize things could take a lot longer due to the current situation. If your package is returned to sender, it will be indicated on the tracking. It may take longer for them to even figure that out because there could be literally millions of packages to sort through. Unless you get confirmation that your package is lost, I feel like people constantly asking the shops and requesting refunds are putting an even bigger burden on everything and in a way, stealing from those shops if you force a chargeback because you might (most likely will) still get the item eventually. 

[Anasazi37]

51 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

I’ll have to find my tracking to screenshot it but JP Post will mark it returned and actually confirm delivery back to the sender. It’s not an issue of whether Buyee recalls it. It’s simply that EMS is suspended to the states. Some packages managed to get through customs prior to suspension and those eventually made it through, but doesn’t seem to be the case based on your screenshot since it’s still showing in collection at that local post.

Good catch, @DYRL VF-1S. What's interesting is that the Posting/Collection location is the airport mail facility (TOKYO INT), so there was probably no need to send it along to another location for actual shipment and that's maybe why his tracking looks different than mine (below) even though both packages are at the same location. I'm guessing that both made it through customs and are collecting dust in a warehouse. I know that Tenso takes stuff directly to the airport mail facility and it would make sense that Buyee does the same thing because they're the same company. It also means that someone from Buyee could just go over there and get the package back, right?

[sqidd]

2 hours ago, RedComet said:

So here's the $1800 (value of package) question. How do I tell if it has been returned to the Buyee warehouse or not? Would it tell me on the shipping status? Cause things that shipped both before and after it from Buyee made it through. Also had a long delayed EMS from Mandarake that shipped a day before (April 3) eventually went through, arriving about 10 days ago instead of being recalled by Mandarake. I don't really even care about the contents of the package at this point, as everything except one open box fix figuration Wing Zero has been replaced, some things in the package, like DX SSP have certainly gone DOWN in value, although others have gone up a bit. And then if I did get a refund, and got blacklisted, but the package eventually showed up in July, would I owe Tenso/Buyee/PayPal back the money anyway?

You have 180 days (6mo) to do a chargeback through PP. If you don't mind potentially burning those bridges, do the chargeback. If you do mind wait 179 days then do the chargeback because you don't have a choice. Or, I guess you have a third option which is to trust them.

[Slave IV]

12 minutes ago, sqidd said:

You have 180 days (6mo) to do a chargeback through PP. If you don't mind potentially burning those bridges, do the chargeback. If you do mind wait 179 days then do the chargeback because you don't have a choice. Or, I guess you have a third option which is to trust them.

Or wait until you get confirmation and if you used a credit card through PayPal, not worry about any chargebacks until you need to, in which case your cc company can help you out regardless of PayPal’s limit. 

[sqidd]

15 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Or wait until you get confirmation and if you used a credit card through PayPal, not worry about any chargebacks until you need to, in which case your cc company can help you out regardless of PayPal’s limit. 

I've never done that. Does PayPal get pissed off?

 

[Slave IV]

33 minutes ago, sqidd said:

I've never done that. Does PayPal get pissed off?

 

No, they don’t care. They are the ones that recommended I use a credit card through PayPal to give myself added protection. 

[DYRL VF-1S]

50 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Or wait until you get confirmation and if you used a credit card through PayPal, not worry about any chargebacks until you need to, in which case your cc company can help you out regardless of PayPal’s limit. 

 

35 minutes ago, sqidd said:

I've never done that. Does PayPal get pissed off?

 

 

Just now, Slave IV said:

No, they don’t care. They are the ones that recommended I use a credit card through PayPal to give myself added protection. 

I completely agree with the CC advise, except, it’s probably important to look at the terms of your CC first and not assume they will get your back. Many CC’s have the terms as PayPal at 180 days. Though, I’m sure a reliable CC would support a claim, best to know your own CC’s terms before taking any of our advice.

 And, I personally don’t agree with cautioning against requests for refunds and the like. These are uncharted times and a company is going to do what they deem best for their business. Each of us should do what’s best for ourselves with the same mindset because a business isn’t looking out for your best interests. Even when they respond in a positive way that benefits you, it’s because they feel it best supports their own biz model or helps future business. In my case, I didn’t request a refund, they offered it and ultimately I just took them up on upgraded shipping at no charge instead. And guess what? I’ve continued to purchase.

 In Red’s case, it sounds like he was taking a business risk to invest in something he plans to customize and resell. If this unfortunate circumstance impedes his ability to deliver to his customers in a timely manner and is tying up funds that he needs, then do whatcha gotta do.

Much love @Slave IV but just have a different opinion on this one.

[sqidd]

35 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

No, they don’t care. They are the ones that recommended I use a credit card through PayPal to give myself added protection. 

[Slave IV]

45 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

 

 

I completely agree with the CC advise, except, it’s probably important to look at the terms of your CC first and not assume they will get your back. Many CC’s have the terms as PayPal at 180 days. Though, I’m sure a reliable CC would support a claim, best to know your own CC’s terms before taking any of our advice.

 And, I personally don’t agree with cautioning against requests for refunds and the like. These are uncharted times and a company is going to do what they deem best for their business. Each of us should do what’s best for ourselves with the same mindset because a business isn’t looking out for your best interests. Even when they respond in a positive way that benefits you, it’s because they feel it best supports their own biz model or helps future business. In my case, I didn’t request a refund, they offered it and ultimately I just took them up on upgraded shipping at no charge instead. And guess what? I’ve continued to purchase.

 In Red’s case, it sounds like he was taking a business risk to invest in something he plans to customize and resell. If this unfortunate circumstance impedes his ability to deliver to his customers in a timely manner and is tying up funds that he needs, then do whatcha gotta do.

Much love @Slave IV but just have a different opinion on this one.

Always good and level headed advice from you! I would imagine any cc company to honor a chargeback as long as you tell them the expected delivery date and at worst, they would start the 180 days at that point and not the actual charge date. But ymmv so definitely good to check. If a cc company ever did not honor my request, I would drop them faster than an impatient Macross collector badmouthing NY. there are plenty of CC companies waiting in line for my business. 

22 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Always!

[DYRL VF-1S]

7 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

If a cc company ever did not honor my request, I would drop them faster than an impatient Macross collector badmouthing NY. there are plenty of CC companies waiting in line for my business. 

[Roy Focker]

DHL is fast!  I placed an order with Mandarake.  Was worried about shipping cost but figured I got a enough good price on my order that expensive shipping wouldn't hurt too much.  DHL picked it up and delivered it here in the USA in less than 24 hours.