flash2070

Hello friends, I wanted to inquire from those who have sold bikes or parts to our friends in Japan, the types of experiences that you have had. I have a few things on eBay that has generated some interest in Japan, but I'm not too comfortable shipping outside of the U.S. I'm not too concern with the initial payment, what concerns me is the additional harges, which can amount to hundreds, if not more, for duties and taxes. I know that if shipped via FedEx, the charges can be billed to the recipient, but the recipient can deny the charges, and since the shipper is ultimately responsible, they can be billed back to them. I'm a very, very "keep it simple" kind of guy, so I want to avoid any headaches! Please provide me with your thoughts, and opinions. If you have stories, even better! As always, thank you very much!

Flash

Otis

Shipping to Japan is completely painless. Use USPS Priority or Express. Nothing to fret over.

pcb 

+1, especially for parts/accessories. USPS is the carrier of choice, Priority/Express service of choice, easy-peasy-Japanesey. You can do all your shipping/customs documentation and pay for postage online through ebay and/or paypal, waltz into the p.o., get the box scanned and scram. Large items like wheels, frames or complete bikes add a little complexity I think, too large for Priority/Express, size limits exist for Parcel Post, not sure if Parcel Post insurance and tracking are as robust as for Priority/Express. I've shipped heaps of parts to Japan (and Hong Kong, Taiwan and China), I haven't done wheels, frames or complete bikes. If I had a 50-54cm Herse or Singer, or a vintage French wheelset with Maxicar hubs, I'd gladly do whatever it took to include Japan as a shipping location, through USPS.

Lenton58 

I've never had a problem with stuff coming to Japan. Duty/excise has never been charged for any velo stuff. I've been dinged for electronics parts, but that was years ago. Nearly everything, from frames and wheel-sets to small parts has come by ordinary post. The Japanese postal service has to be one of the world's best. Downright excellent! Canada Post/Poste Canada is very expensive — bummer. Frames from Europe have arrived within days. From the US, a little longer. I usually back away from anything a vender insists on sending through FedEx or other courier service. **** 'em I say! But therein lies your choice.

tremolo1965

I've shipped musical equipment to buyers in Japan.

As others have pointed out, USPS (it will ship via Fedex on the their account, of course).

Pretty seemless, really.

wrk101

+1 UPS Priority mail to Japan. Worked great.

mparker326

Painless process. I give the shipping options to the buyer and let them decide which one they want to pay for.

thinktubes 

Ship all kinds of stuff there all the time. Japanese customers are first rate in my book. Never any problems.

Just make sure you know your p's and q's when it comes to shipping. Ship USPS whenever possible. Anything smaller than 4 lbs and less than 12" can go First Class international, which is a terriffic bargin.

iab

Shipped dozens of times to Japan typically with first class registered mail. No problems.

toytech

two frame sets to Japan via USPS no hassles. I always hope for Japanese bidders on eBay.

miamijim

Greater than 50% of The items I've sold to Japanese buyers were shipped to brokers on the west coast. USPS Priority Mail $17 for a small flat rate box, $47 for a medium.

thinktubes 

You'll really want to be careful when using the flat rate boxes - they aren't always the best value, especially for smaller/lighter items. Anything that will fit into the small flat rate box can be sent to asia for approx. $7-9 via First Class International, unless it's a brick of lead. Usually gets there within a week.

pcb 

Keep in mind that paypal/ebay provide no seller's protection unless a shipment is tracked and insured. Seller is responsible for the package until received by buyer. If you don't track/insure and buyer doesn't get package, or claims item was damaged/destroyed, paypal will debit your account to pay the buyer. If you can't prove it wasn't delivered because you didn't track, you lose. If you didn't insure, you lose.

I have had int'l buyers ask for untracked/uninsured shipments to save them shipping costs (never Japanese, bit of thread drift here), which I always refuse.

flash2070

My Peugeot PX-10 just sold on eBay to a Japanese collector. I'm going to ship via the postal system. Any idea as to how much it will cost? Domestically, I ship in one box, should I breakdown the bike completely and ship in two? Thank you for your help, and advice.

Flash

RobbieTunes

Good market there. I've sold Look forks and Campy wheels to Japan, no problems at all.
The buyers tend to be cautious, ask excellent questions, and extremely courteous.

Believe me, they're taking a bigger chance than you are. Would you buy from the US?

randyjawa 

I have shipped lots of bicycles and components to Japan and without incident, every time. In fact, one of my best customers lives in Japan. If you want to use the cheapest method for shipping, available to me, this is how I Pack and Ship a bicycle to Japan and the PX10 in the article was being pack for shipment to Japan...