...but were afraid to ask. Or didn't know what to ask. Or asked, and still have questions. Or whatever.

Shipping rates
We've actually had quite a few letters lately requesting more information about shipping prices, so here's the scoop. We generally ship via EMS, although other methods are available. For detailed postal rates on each shipping service, please have a look at the following tables:

EMS
http://www.post.japanpost.jp/english/fee/intel/ems.html

SAL (Economy Air) and Airmail
http://www.post.japanpost.jp/english/fee/intel/parcel.html

Oh, look, a sea of numbers. Here are a few helpful examples of rate differences for various package weights, in case you'd like clarification. In each case, the hypothetical package is being shipped from Japan to the United States:

1Kg weight
EMS: 2400 yen ($20)
SAL: 2700 yen ($23)
Airmail: 3350 yen ($29)

2kg Weight
EMS: 4000 yen ($35)
SAL: 3850 yen ($34)
Airmail: 5050 yen ($44)

5kg Weight
EMS: 8200 yen ($72)
SAL: 7300 yen ($64)
Airmail: 10150 yen ($89)

We've found that, in most cases, EMS is more economical than other shipping methods.

Insurance and tracking
Each package shipped through EMS is insured up to 20,000 yen. Additional insurance is available for an extra charge, and tracking is also available.

We cannot, however, buy insurance for packages shipped via SAL (Economy Airmail), although tracking is available for this service.

EMS packages can be tracked either through Japan Post or the United States Post Office (for US-bound packages). Click here and enter your tracking number to see where your package is en route!

Size and weight restrictions
Although most auction items can be easily shipped to you via EMS or SAL, there are certain size and weight restrictions which we must consider. When requesting an auction bid, please be sure that your item fits within these dimensions:

Weight:
Maximum of 30kg

Length/Height/Width:
A = the longest dimension of the package (must be within 1.5m)
B = the second-longest dimension of the package
C = the third-longest dimension of the package

A+(B+C)x2 must be less than:
3 meters if shipping to Europe or Asia
2.75 meters if shipping to USA

Shipping time
As with any auction site, each seller is different. Some of them are prompt about shipping, some of them are slackers. In some cases, it can take a few weeks to complete a single deal. The average, however, is about 7 to 10 days.

Now here's the deal -- we generally hold your auction items to mail together, in order to save you money on international shipping. Of course, if we see that quite a few auctions have piled up in our Japan office with your name on them, we're likely to assemble a shipment for you anyway. But if you haven't received one in a while, and would just like to have whatever we've collected for you, we're happy to expedite the shipment.

All you need to do when you want a package of your auction goodies is to fill out our handy shipping form. Make sure to include all the required information, and we'll ship as soon as possible!