Shipping to Japan? Any advice?

Oh, one more thing .... The origin of orignal manufacture is MOST important with respect to any duties your buyer will pay. Thus, if the item was 'made in Japan' your buyer will have no duties to contend with. If not, then he/she will likely pay some import tax or duty. --Lorne

Overseas customs can be quite complex. Choose a major shipper such as FEDEX and ask to speak to their brokerage department. They will assist you with the proper paperwork, brokerage costs, etc. This will allow your shipment to enter Japan with the least amount of hassle. Your buyer will also not get any surprises that could allow the package to sit in Japanese customs waiting for a form to be filled out by the shipper.

I deal with these situations every day in shipping goods to/from the US to Canada and even with NAFTA (which serves to make for more paperwork) a customs broker is indespensible. --Lorne

The voltage in Japan is 100 V, NOT 110 V.

I just recently sold my Wadia cd player to a gentleman in Japan aftere he responded to my ad here on Audiogon. I was a little concerned because I had never sold and shipped anything out of the US. Our communication was great. He prepaid and wanted the player sent UPS Expedited, which guarantees delivery within about 7 days. I got online with UPS and even got their 800 number and spoke to them in person. I'm not particularly fonnd of UPS for shipping electronics, but it was the buyers choice and honestly, the people at UPS couldn't have been more helpful with all the questions I had and the documentation I needed. The liability for any other costs, duties, tariffs, etc. are solely the responsibilty of the buyer and they should know what to expect as far as extra costs are concerned, particularly if they've bought anything out of their country before and had it shipped in. In regard to the question of voltage compatabilty, in my particular case, the question never arose. Like anything else, if you're as careful as you can be, an out of the country sale can be as easy or even easier than a cross country sale. Case in point, if the gentleman from Japan ever wished to purchase from me again, I wouldn't hesitate for a minute. Good luck.
Skip

i've had good luck with usps priority mail (now done in concert with dhl) for shipments to japan.

You might try a commercial carrier such as Hanshin or Hankyu. I use both on a regular basis in my business. Yes, there are duties -- this type of carrier will handle duties and facilitate clearing customs in Japan. Shipment should most certainly be by air -- both in the interest of time and the condition of the product.

I've used a variety of Japanese equipment(non-audio)here in the U.S. and vice versa with the use of an adapter. There are product specific adapters available in Japan. I doubt that doing this is a good thing with audio, so your buyer is either going to have the unit modified or has different plans/options. Good luck.

I would use FEDEX as it is actually fairly cost-effective. I believe that the voltage there is 110V-50Hz and the unit will likely work just fine if it is 120V-60Hz.

As far as duties and taxes on the buyer's end, that is really his/her responsibility. It is up to you whether you want to insure the unit for the full value amount or not. If you under-declare its value and insure for the same amount, it will save the buyer some money.

Also, on the description of the unit on the customs declaration form, simply list the unit as USED AUDIO EQUIPMENT and then value/insure - if you insure for more than the declared value, they will use the insured value to calculate taxes.

It is really not as expensive as one might think, but avoid Mailboxes Etc. as they ARE very expensive. Rather, go directly to a FEDEX shippers desk and send it directly yourself and save 20% - 100% on shipping costs.

Good luck,

Dan W.

I recently sent a Revox B77 tape deck to Japan. It weighed ovr 45 pounds so I HAD to send it by air, through USPS, and it cost, with insurance, close to $200. The buyer didn't mind. Under that weight, as yours would probably be, it would have been less. I don't know about duty--again, my buyer wasn't worried and didn't want me to declare a lower value than what he paid me. Their electricity must be the same--again, my buyer knew what he was getting and was okay with 120V 60Hz. But I'm not absolutely sure. Hope this is a little help. More advice should be coming in. You can call UPS and FedEx on this, but USPS was cheaper for me.