SPECIAL NOTICE
Because of the ongoing Coronavirus epidemic, there are delays and some suspensions of international deliveries, depending on destination country and regions. We continue to monitor the situation with Japan Post and if they advise that delivery to your country is not possible, we will contact you before despatch, and issue a full refund if you prefer not to wait. Please note that some alternative delivery options are available at checkout depending on destination, weight and value.
To monitor the latest announcements by Japan Post, please see here:
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/index_en.html
UPDATE (Oct 7th)
We can now ship all items direct to the US from the UK. We have moved some stocks to the UK as a temporary measure until Japan Post international parcel services can resume. Please understand it may take some extra time to fulfill orders depending on demand for certain items and the status of our UK stocks. We will try our best to maintain stocks to meet demand and deliver to you as fast as we can.
UPDATE (Aug 31st)
Services have now resumed to most major countries, with the exception of the United States (and outlying islands), most countries in Central & South America, and Australia. We continue to offer the usual Japan Post services at checkout and, if selected, will ship when services to your country resume. You can cancel your order at any time, just get in touch with us at info@chikitea.com.
For a full list of countries with limited or restricted services, please see here.
UPDATE (July 31st)
FedEx has now suspended its International Economy service for Japan to US shipping, so now we can only offer the more expensive International Priority Service. There is no change in restrictions for Japan Post International Epack and EMS and we cannot deliver to the US, Canada (*update Aug 31st: services now resumed to Canada) and certain other destinations. You are free to select these services at checkout and we will endeavour to find an alternative courier service or advise you when normality returns.
UPDATE (June 18th)
Resumption of services to some European countries. Please check here for details and full list.
UPDATE (June 10th)
We can now offer FedEx International Priority and Economy* delivery to the US for larger orders. * amended 31 July
UPDATE (June 4th)
Japan Post services have now resumed to Switzerland and Spain, though delays likely. UK, France and Germany services are returning to normal. The backlog of parcels to the US appears to be clearing but services Japan Post services still suspended. For the official announcement, please check here.
UPDATE (May 28th)
All mail still temporarily suspended from Japan to the US and many other countries. Please see here for the full list.
UPDATE (April 23rd)
All mail temporarily suspended from Japan to the US and further countries. More details to follow when translated lists are published. Please see here for the announcement in Japanese.
UPDATE (April 6th)
The latest information from Japan Post as of April 6th advises there are now several days of delays despatching parcels from Japan, owing to backed-up mail because of reduced flights. We therefore expect delays of a week or more compared to normal delivery times for the US and UK. Other destinations could be delayed further.
Our Shipping Methods and Rates
We handle all Japan sourced teas and tea-ware ourselves. We order in small quantities from our suppliers in order to maximize the freshness of the teas you will receive from our stock. We pack and send all shipments personally, in our Halls Of Fulfillment in Kyushu and Yokohama.
We use Japan Post's International ePacket as our base service which you can elect to upgrade to their Express Mail Service (EMS) which has more insurance, so we recommend spending a little extra for larger orders.
We charge an expected shipping cost at checkout which is based on the estimated shipping weight and the destination. We apply more simplified bands of weights and destinations than the actual charges, which are also in Japanese yen so would otherwise need constant updating for pounds and dollars.
Delivery times to Europe are typically 5-7 days and to the US 8-10 days. It mostly depends on customs backlogs at the destination as normally the parcels leave Japan the next day.
Unfortunately, there are some countries where inward customs duties may be levied, so please check before ordering if you can, or ask us and we'll try to find out. For most major countries though, it is extremely rare for any charges to be applied.
There are a very small number of countries where we can't ship (because Japan Post can't ship there). You can probably guess most of them so we won't list them here.
We are happy to look into special requests for using an alternative trusted service, so please mention at checkout. However, in our experience they are usually far more expensive than EMS so we will need to charge you extra.
International ePacket Service
- Airmail
- Economical for small and light packages
- Online Tracking for most destinations
- ¥6,000 insurance ( ~£40 / $50 )
- 2kg maximum
International Express Mail Service (EMS)
- Airmail
- Online Tracking
- Actual loss / damage value compensation
- Max weight 20kg
We take care of all orders and shipments personally
