Shipping to the US

[alicia454]

The cheapest way will be via Japan Post Surface Mail. It takes about 2 months (their estimate) but it's cheap, about 12,000yen to send 25kg to Canada.
There are limits to the maximum size for a single box and they vary by country. The post office is generally very strict about these size limits so don't expect to by with something that's even a few mm over the limit.

Thank you for the detailed info. Its a shame though that it will cost triple the price of a m-bag, but it is still a lot cheaper than a shipping company.

[james]

Thank you for the detailed info. Its a shame though that it will cost triple the price of a m-bag, but it is still a lot cheaper than a shipping company.

the other option to consider - and i'm not saying this to be derogatory, just matter of factly - is just how much of this crap do you actually need? are these personal items? or in the case that they're not for you, is it crap you can't get in north america?

[halfnip]

The cheapest way will be via Japan Post Surface Mail. It takes about 2 months (their estimate) but it's cheap, about 12,000yen to send 25kg to Canada.

There are limits to the maximum size for a single box and they vary by country. The post office is generally very strict about these size limits so don't expect to by with something that's even a few mm over the limit.

I shipped like 20 boxes (10 of them have yet to arrive) back to the US when I moved back here in December. Lemme tell you, pack them right. When I got them, they were literally barely holding up. There were holes all over, clothes falling out, etc. If you do ship them, make sure you put everything in a trashbag or something BEFORE putting it in the box. It will keep things from getting all moldy and from falling out of the box.

The funny thing was the notice taped to the box saying something like, "We're sorry that your box was damaged. We at the post office take every precautionary measure possible of ensuring that your box gets treated and handled safely..." Dude, WTF??

[Mike Oxlong]

[FG Lurker]

I shipped like 20 boxes (10 of them have yet to arrive) back to the US when I moved back here in December. Lemme tell you, pack them right. When I got them, they were literally barely holding up. There were holes all over, clothes falling out, etc. If you do ship them, make sure you put everything in a trashbag or something BEFORE putting it in the box. It will keep things from getting all moldy and from falling out of the box.

Did you use double-walled shipping boxes? These sorts of boxes are double-corrugated and resist puncture and tearing a lot better. Recycled boxes from the local conbini or supermarket won't stand up to 4-6 weeks of international shipping.

[alicia454]

Do you know anyone working for an airline here? A friend working as a reservation agent at an airline once got me 75% off DHL international shipping for a bunch of boxes.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone working for an airline. It would be nice though.

[wuchan]

Do you know anyone working for an airline here? A friend working as a reservation agent at an airline once got me 75% off DHL international shipping for a bunch of boxes.

DHL is the only major shipping company that offers any kind of discount to employees but 75% seems a little far fetched. I do a lot of work for big bad brown and the best discount I could pull off, even after 100% exploiting the system that I helped create, would be about 30%. When I moved here I pulled every favor that was owed to me through the two companies that I work for and I could only manage a 50% discount. 75% sounds like a total lie.

***** edit:
Did your discount include customs brokerage? or did you pay tax at the destination?

[FG Lurker]

DHL is the only major shipping company that offers any kind of discount to employees but 75% seems a little far fetched.

I'm not sure what sort of discounts they offer here in Japan but their "standard" rates from Japan are so insanely high that 75% off would still end up costing more than getting 30% off the US rates.

[Mike Oxlong]

DHL is the only major shipping company that offers any kind of discount to employees but 75% seems a little far fetched. I do a lot of work for big bad brown and the best discount I could pull off, even after 100% exploiting the system that I helped create, would be about 30%. When I moved here I pulled every favor that was owed to me through the two companies that I work for and I could only manage a 50% discount. 75% sounds like a total lie.

***** edit:
Did your discount include customs brokerage? or did you pay tax at the destination?

I shipped from the US to here. 75% discount. Dunno how it was arranged. Everything was shipped in the name of the friend that set it up. Didn't hear a thing about tax or customs. It was just six or eight big cardboard boxes of various personal belongings. FWIW.