Shipping from Japan to the US

[DazzleKitty]

Hey all,

Does anyone know how long it takes approximately for something to come from Japan to the United States?

I bought an item back in April and it shipped on the 23rd. I haven't gotten it yet.

I realize I am probably being impatient and the auction says it could take up until May 15th for it to arrive. I am must worried it won't arrive this upcoming week, which is when I really need it. It's a cool Pokemon themed carrying case for my 3DS XL. I am traveling out of state and leave on Friday. I was hoping to have a case to put it in for protection. I could buy one at the store, true, but I don't want the waste the money. Plus the ones from Japan are SO much cooler!

I thought about asking the seller but I don't feel like I should pester him/her just yet. I thought I'd get some advice here first.

Oh, and the shipping was free. I am wondering if this is a factor in it taking a while.

Thanks in advance.

[SunPony]

My bro live in Japan and when he sent me something it would take anywhere from about a week and a half to an entire month to get here.  And he mailed some large items to my parents and they are supposed to take up to two months. 

I think the important factor is whether it goes by plane or by ship, with the ship shipments (ha!) taking much much longer.  Maybe you could ask your seller?

[rosierjay]

depends on how they mailed it.
regular air mail is 2 week to a month.
freight or by sea can take up to 6 months.
though i would never recommend doing that.
i lost 6 out of 13 boxes i had shipped back.


personally i would ask them though.
i don't think they will be offended, you don't have to let them know you're leaving town.
you can just explain how you're unfamiliar with the shipping patterns from japan, and how you were hoping to use it for an event next week.

[ponylady]

Thanks for the info rosier and SunPony!  I have only once or twice ordered from Japan and it was awhile ago, so I don't remember the exact shipping time.

I would do as rosier suggested though and contact them, it will help put your mind at ease.

[DazzleKitty]

Hey guys, thanks so much for the info! It sounds like it's actually normal for it to take this long, but I will send him a message just in case.

Here's hoping it comes this week.

[CupidStrikes]

The most common shipping method from Japan, aside from sea/surface mail, is SAL, which takes 3-6 weeks usually. If it's had to come through NY customs there is likely another hold up - I am always seeing complaints about packaging sitting there for 2-3 weeks before finally moving on. I'm sure it'll turn up too SAL is a mixed bag as it's not priority - I've had two SAL packages leave Japan over a 48-hour period, one taking 6 days to arrive, the other taking 18.

[flying_narwhal]

I get a lot of packages from Japan and like others have said I think you're still well within the time frame for the package to arrive. It also depends on whether you live on the West vs. East Coast or somewhere in between. For slower methods I usually have to wait anywhere between 2-6 weeks (I'm on the East Coast). I hope your package makes it to you soon!

[thekozmicpig]

As a rather...enthusiastic collector of Anime Figurines, the 2-6 weeks mentioned by other posters is normal.

With that said, if you ever need something shipped quickly, Japan's EMS is INCREDIBLE. Like three days. It is pricier though, but you get some pretty quick service.

[MiRaja]

Long as you're receiving the item via SAL or EMS, it should show up.  I'm a kimono buyer-reseller, and I have -never- lost a package via shipping from Japan.  ( I have had a seller send items to a wrong address, or ship long after the fact they were supposed to, both the same seller, actually, I don't buy from them especially after they got kicked off ebay, but I digress ).  But their postal system is far better than ours here in the US, it seems, and I'll second that EMS shipping is amazing.  There are a lot of times when it is MUCH cheaper for me to go with EMS because I'm buying around 30lbs of items, and SAL turns out to be more expensive, and bam, it's here, like almost overnight to the point it's like instant gratification.  I buy tea-candies off of Rakuten now and again, and some of the confections don't have a long shelf life, but I can have the order put through, the deliciousness made, and still get it in soon enough that it's very fresh.  ( Wasanbon candies are seriously the best )