I’ve noticed that most of the adult material on the Japanese Amazon is not shipping to the US. Does anyone know why this is?
Here are a few other older topics related to this which I looked through, but haven’t found any definitive answer for this recent instance:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/htlqot/does\_amazon\_japan\_change\_their\_items\_that\_can\_be/](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/htlqot/does_amazon_japan_change_their_items_that_can_be/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/8atdk6/does\_amazon\_japan\_still\_do\_international\_shipping/](https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/8atdk6/does_amazon_japan_still_do_international_shipping/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1d3665/would\_like\_to\_buy\_items\_from\_amazon\_japan\_how\_can/](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1d3665/would_like_to_buy_items_from_amazon_japan_how_can/)
From what I’ve gathered in those topics (although I’m still not 100% sure why), I think it might actually have to do with COVID, because they might have put certain restrictions on international shipping (like how many things can be shipped or which things can be shipped internationally). I’m guessing this would be done in order to limit chaos & possible issues with COVID infection or contamination. To relate this to a recent occurrence here in the US, I also noticed that many stores limited their hours when the whole COVID was fairly bad.
So, it might be because of COVID, or I saw something else about them using different companies (that were not through amazon), to do international shipping. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t allow these companies to interact directly with the Japanese Amazon though, it seems unnecessarily complex. So, there’s still the possibility that it’s because of lackluster shipping companies in Japan or because of poor shipping company relations with the Japanese Amazon.
Lastly, there’s the possibility of it being an actual Japanese law. I’m not sure why they’d restrict certain products like that though, it seems fairly unwise in terms of financial reasonability.
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/yf41ym/does_anyone_know_why_the_japanese_amazon_isnt/
3 comments
Part of it is that Americans have different pornography laws, part of it is that Americans can be a pain in the ass, and part of it is export rules some based on Covid, others not.
The largest reason I suspect is due to US laws and regulations.
Lubricants, lubricated sex toys, or toys that come with lubricants, and condoms are actually regulated by the FDA, and in most circumstances Japanese products are compliant, but the entire legal process for Japanese firms to have documentation prepared is ludicrously expensive (Amazon ain’t paying for that shit, Japanese brands have zero interest in facing legal issues unless it’s worth it, when it’s not).
6 months minimum, several hundred thousand dollars per item.
Hence the lowest cost option is to keep it in Japan.
It’s complicated. If it’s not fulfilled by Amazon, you could never get it shipped. I’ve been buying for many years, it’s always been like that long before covid.
I can still get certain gravure shipped – but again this is fulfilled by Amazon. It’s likely that most adult products are not fulfilled by Amazon. In fact I know that’s the case. Again, to be absolutely clear I cannot even get children’s books shipped to the US unless it is fulfilled by Amazon. It is the only distinction that has mattered.
You can find almost everything except the most vintage online. It is extremely rare for anything in the last 20 years to not be available digital, whether official or bootleg.
Lastly, if you can’t find it off ebay there are several companies that specialize in buying your product in person, then shipping it to you. I had to use them for very rare products.