Currently, I’m in the process of sending a care package to my family in the US. I inquired with my colleagues about cost-effective international shipping options, and they recommended Japan Post, but it comes with a hefty price tag of 6700 yen. After some research, I discovered that Yamato Post offers a cheaper option at 3700 yen, but I’m unsure if all my items will fit in their size 60 box and when it’ll get to the US. If you have any suggestions for a secure and affordable way to ship items to the USA, please let me know as a lot of info on this thread is dated.
Thank you!
5 comments
Those are your only 2 choices at reasonable price. Anything else will be more expensive. You could ask SF Express for a quote, but I think their recent price increases probably brought it in line with EMS shipping.
Kuroneko size 60 limit is not only dimensions, it must be under 2kg as well. Size 80 is up to 5kg.
What are you using to calculate 6700? That looks like airmail for 2kg, which isn’t even available to USA anyway.
Yamato and Japan Post both work fine although each has their pros and cons (see below). The other big shipping companes are Fedex, DHL, and UPS but they cater mostly towards businesses so if you try to send something as an individual it’ll be more paperwork and more expensive.
For Yamato, the price is dependent on volume as well as weight with volume usually being limiting for most small sizes ime, while Japan Post is only by weight. Yamato is also more limiting on what they will accept such as no food and some other restrictions. See which of the two works better for what you want to send. For either, you can just buy and use your own box and know in advance if it fits within Yamato size 60 or 80.
Shipping cost is usually a function of size, weight, and speed.
You can use [this page](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-charge/index.php?lang=_en) to see what shipping options are available via Japan Post.
Fastest, would be via EMS (about 2 business days). Cheapest would be via surface small packet (about 2 months) if you can fit it within the dimensions (under 2kg, and within 90cm L+B+H, with no more than 60cm on any one side).
Unfortunately, at this time, the more affordable airmail/SAL services to the US are not offered. I believe they were suspended during the pandemic, and it’s unclear when (if?) it will resume.
Did you ask JP for the land and sea option? They’ll default to airmail unless you ask for a cheaper option. It takes months to get there, but I remember it being significantly cheaper.
SAL