Japan Post suspension of international mail

[sh9000]

[spacemanoeuvres]

1 minute ago, sh9000 said:

[Bad Larry]

On 3/25/2021 at 1:01 AM, Sanity is Optional said:

I've been shipping my stuff out regularly, but I have definitely been taking advantage of going past 60days to fit in the odd item that doesn't release quite in time.

Man, how the turn tables. A couple years ago I got really miffed at HLJ when they wouldn't let me extend a Private Warehouse item by less than 1 day to save on shipping. I had already paid for 1 item, and a preorder I had was set to release the same day the first item's period expired.

I emailed them and explained that the window was super close and asked for an extension. They refused and explained that it was "automated" and there was nothing they could do.

I realize they have a system, and that it was posted for everyone to read and agree to, and that I was asking for an exception, but I swear on my eyeballs the preorder became available within 2 hours of them charging me to ship the first item.

 

Thank you

[jvmacross]

On 3/25/2021 at 7:03 PM, sh9000 said:

 

[sh9000]

 

[pengbuzz]

On 3/25/2021 at 8:03 PM, sh9000 said:

ROFL!!! I'd be on that with a boat as well!

[pafy6285]

Good news, looks like EMS will be resuming for US / North America this June or summer. The bad news, it's more expensive with the introduction of a "temporary" surcharge. Less than 1.5kg, the rate is somewhat acceptable but more than that, courier shipping will look like a better option. For example, for 2kg EMS will cost 6100 yen. For 5 kg, 12700 yen. Also the surcharge is not flat, the higher the base rate (or weight), the higher the surcharge. Link to the table (in Japanese): https://www.post.japanpost.jp/notification/pressrelease/2021/00_honsha/0415_01_02.pdf

Other details (in Japanese PDF): https://www.post.japanpost.jp/notification/pressrelease/2021/00_honsha/0415_01.html

[vsim]

On 4/16/2021 at 2:36 PM, pafy6285 said:

Good news, looks like EMS will be resuming for US / North America this June or summer. The bad news, it's more expensive with the introduction of a "temporary" surcharge. Less than 1.5kg, the rate is somewhat acceptable but more than that, courier shipping will look like a better option. For example, for 2kg EMS will cost 6100 yen. For 5 kg, 12700 yen. Also the surcharge is not flat, the higher the base rate (or weight), the higher the surcharge. Link to the table (in Japanese): https://www.post.japanpost.jp/notification/pressrelease/2021/00_honsha/0415_01_02.pdf

Other details (in Japanese PDF): https://www.post.japanpost.jp/notification/pressrelease/2021/00_honsha/0415_01.html

Well, still glad to see it returning even with the surcharge. Hopefully that will go away before long. Thanks for the info!

[Roy Focker]

How does it and the new fees compare with DHL?

 

[pafy6285]

40 minutes ago, Roy Focker said:

How does it and the new fees compare with DHL?

 

You can maybe compare it to Mandarake's own DHL rate (https://earth.mandarake.co.jp/help/shipping_options-en.html ). For example a 5 kg item (disregarding volume/size) is 5250 yen to US/Canada while it's 12700 for EMS (with the surcharge). Issue with DHL or other couriers of course is that its rate are mostly based on volume, so it could still be more expensive if the item is large.

Edited April 19, 2021 by pafy6285

[borgified]

Update on Japan Post.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/overview_en.pdf

Edit: Better link and not much of things changed.  

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by borgified

[Slave IV]

27 minutes ago, borgified said:

Update on Japan Post.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/overview_en.pdf

Edit: Better link and not much of things changed.  

 

That's interesting. I recently got an Airmail package from CDJ. It worked out well since it was cheaper than any other option and it arrived fairly quickly. I think their limit is 7000Y for the item if you want that option though.

[eggy99]

The down side to EMS returning (as well as the crazy surcharge) is that HLJ will reinstate the 60 day holding limit on Private Warehouse - along with all the other package forwarding services that are currently offering unlimited storage of packages until non courier shipping options are available again.

[David Hingtgen]

I just saw that my slow/ferry shipping from HLJ recently arrived in-country.  Almost exactly 2 months.  (I shipped the first day HLJ offered it).  

[David Hingtgen]

Update---It arrived at my place while the site was down---but it made it!  Took about 6 days from arrival in-country to my door. Box was in pretty good shape, I did notice it was made of THICK cardboard, like twice as thick as normal.  Don't know if it was because HLJ is boxing extra-sturdy for "by boat" shipping, or if it was due to raw size of the box.  

[Froy]

Just woke up to this news from HLJ. Dang!

[Mommar]

They will never get rid of that surcharge.  It’s more money for them.

[Special Sauce]

At some point it would seem like the shipping will cost as much as the toy itself.  Well hopefully we'll start seeing more US retailers carrying Bandai and Arcadia stuff so we don't have to get bent over for overseas shipping.

[sqidd]

On 5/11/2021 at 10:41 AM, Mommar said:

They will never get rid of that surcharge.  It’s more money for them.

That surcharge is not profit. Because the volume of international flights has dropped massively (the normal transport method for EMS) and probably won't be picking up for years.....if ever, EMS will now be carried by different/more expensive carriers. That cost gets passed down to the customer. The best we can hope for is the volume through those alternate carriers goes up to the point where the pricing comes down. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

Edited May 17, 2021 by sqidd

[sqidd]

On 5/11/2021 at 10:46 AM, Special Sauce said:

At some point it would seem like the shipping will cost as much as the toy itself.  Well hopefully we'll start seeing more US retailers carrying Bandai and Arcadia stuff so we don't have to get bent over for overseas shipping.

Depends on how much the toy costs. For a $60 toy, yeah, it could be $60 in shipping. If it's a $300 toy it will still probably be about $60 in shipping. But yes, shipping costs are increasing the cost to your door. It's the new normal.

I suspect that even if the Macross pipeline to the US picks up significantly it will not effect your on your doorstep price that much. Those toys still need to be shipped to the US (but will be in larger quantities at one time so the cost may go down). But they they need to be packed/re-packed and shipped again within the USA.

-If DHL from JP on a single item is $60

-Bulk shipping from JP on that same single items is $35

-Shipping within the US on that item is $25 (cost of shipping and re-packing costs)

It's a wash. Same cost sitting on your porch.

[Special Sauce]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

Depends on how much the toy costs. For a $60 toy, yeah, it could be $60 in shipping. If it's a $300 toy it will still probably be about $60 in shipping. But yes, shipping costs are increasing the cost to your door. It's the new normal.

I suspect that even if the Macross pipeline to the US picks up significantly it will not effect your on your doorstep price that much. Those toys still need to be shipped to the US (but will be in larger quantities at one time so the cost may go down). But they they need to be packed/re-packed and shipped again within the USA.

-If DHL from JP on a single item is $60

-Bulk shipping from JP on that same single items is $35

-Shipping within the US on that item is $25 (cost of shipping and re-packing costs)

It's a wash. Same cost sitting on your porch.

I'll take any little savings I can get 

[Mommar]

3 hours ago, sqidd said:

That surcharge is not profit. Because the volume of international flights has dropped massively (the normal transport method for EMS) and probably won't be picking up for years.....if ever, EMS will now be carried by different/more expensive carriers. That cost gets passed down to the customer. The best we can hope for is the volume through those alternate carriers goes up to the point where the pricing comes down. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

That surcharge will not change, it will become profit.

[Sanity is Optional]

8 hours ago, Mommar said:

That surcharge will not change, it will become profit.

EMS is not carried by a private carrier. It's carried on one end by Japan Post, and on the other by USPS.

In other words, both are government entities, and are not operating for profit.

[ValkAddict]

16 hours ago, sqidd said:

.... Because the volume of international flights has dropped massively (the normal transport method for EMS) and probably won't be picking up for years.....if ever, ...

^ This is depressing news. Ugh.

[tekering]

9 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

In other words, both are government entities, and are not operating for profit.

While I admire your utopian ideals, that's not how capitalism actually works...

Japan Post, for example, is only 57% government-owned.

[sqidd]

13 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

 

In other words, both are government entities, and are not operating for profit.

If they were it wouldn't matter, they would still lose money.

If you ever want to see something run badly or at a ridiculous cost (or both).......have the government do it.

 

[Anasazi37]

5 hours ago, tekering said:

While I admire your utopian ideals, that's not how capitalism actually works...

Japan Post, for example, is only 57% government-owned.

I went down an interwebz rabbit hole on this topic yesterday (Japan Post, not capitalism). Interesting organizational history, with the government now being the majority stakeholder in a publicly traded company, which means shareholders wanting to see returns on investments. Given how hard it has been in recent years for the postal business in Japan to be self-sustaining, and given the changes made to the Universal Postal Union Treaty in late 2019, higher prices might be here to stay. I sincerely hope that the EMS surcharge goes away in the future, but that probably won't happen until there are more commercial flights into/out of Japan, Japan Post decides that they have to compete with DHL/FedEx/UPS for business, or both.

[vladykins]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

If they were it wouldn't matter, they would still lose money.

If you ever want to see something run badly or at a ridiculous cost (or both).......have the government do it.

 

Not really. The post office can deliver stuff cheaper than FedEx or UPS, offers better tracking than UPS does (UPS is so shitty with their tracking that I'll have something sent from California and won't know for sure where it is until I get an "out for delivery" notice). Only reason the USPS had issues has been the budget pressures from requiring them to fund pensions for workers that aren't even born yet.

Government operates best when market failures remove the ability for the market to operate properly. Hell, if we left it to the market, most rural areas of the US wouldn't have phone or mail service, let alone the internet.

(This sort of talk always brings the economist in me out).

Edited May 18, 2021 by vladykins

[sketchley]

3 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

I went down an interwebz rabbit hole on this topic yesterday (Japan Post, not capitalism). Interesting organizational history, with the government now being the majority stakeholder in a publicly traded company, which means shareholders wanting to see returns on investments. Given how hard it has been in recent years for the postal business in Japan to be self-sustaining, and given the changes made to the Universal Postal Union Treaty in late 2019, higher prices might be here to stay. I sincerely hope that the EMS surcharge goes away in the future, but that probably won't happen until there are more commercial flights into/out of Japan, Japan Post decides that they have to compete with DHL/FedEx/UPS for business, or both.

Quick note: a couple of things to keep in mind about the postal situation in Japan: there is direct competition for mail (Yamato Takyubin, etc.) that tends to keep prices down, and Japanese investors tend to play the long game (long story short: they're generally more interested in long-term viability than making a quick-buck in the short term).

[Special Sauce]

34 minutes ago, vladykins said:

Not really. The post office can deliver stuff cheaper than FedEx or UPS, offers better tracking than UPS does (UPS is so shitty with their tracking that I'll have something sent from California and won't know for sure where it is until I get an "out for delivery" notice). Only reason the USPS had issues has been the budget pressures from requiring them to fund pensions for workers that aren't even born yet.

Government operates best when market failures remove the ability for the market to operate properly. Hell, if we left it to the market, most rural areas of the US wouldn't have phone or mail service, let alone the internet.

(This sort of talk always brings the economist in me out).

I'm right there with you @vladykins .  The postmaster general needs to be taken out of his position.  He's been purposely trying to ruin the post office from within for years.  All it does is hurt all of us if we lose a reliable institution like the post office.  It's not perfect but it's better than the private shipping companies.  

[pafy6285]

FYI to my fellow Canadian collectors out there, Japan Post will suspend Surface Parcel to Canada starting May 19: https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2021/0518_01_en.html

So for now, the couriers are the only options to ship to Canada

[Anasazi37]

3 hours ago, sketchley said:

Quick note: a couple of things to keep in mind about the postal situation in Japan: there is direct competition for mail (Yamato Takyubin, etc.) that tends to keep prices down, and Japanese investors tend to play the long game (long story short: they're generally more interested in long-term viability than making a quick-buck in the short term).

That is all very encouraging to hear. Definitely better than taking all of the money out of the company as quickly as possible, loading it up with debt to get even more money out of it, and then letting it collapse.

[tekering]

12 hours ago, pafy6285 said:

So for now, the couriers are the only options to ship to Canada

Ouch, I sure hope that situation doesn't last long.  Yikes! 

10 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

Definitely better than taking all of the money out of the company as quickly as possible, loading it up with debt to get even more money out of it, and then letting it collapse.

I still can't believe they did that to the largest toy retailer in the world.

[Slave IV]

39 minutes ago, tekering said:

 

I still can't believe they did that to the largest toy retailer in the world.

Now that is how our form of capitalism “works”!

[sqidd]

9 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Now that is how our form of capitalism “works”!

The US operates closer to an Oligarchy than it does Capitalism.