I have an online store and ship around 20 packages a month and have been using Japan Post. Mostly to the US and Europe. But I was wondering if there’s a better option? I also don’t know any forwarding companies.
Definitely the cheapest at that quantity. If it’s small stuff, airmail small packet (even after price increases) is still the best deal.
It depends on the size and weight of what you’re sending. There are instances where Yamato would absolutely be cheaper depending on what you’re sending. For example, if you’re sending something that weighs 10kg but you can fit it into a 100cm box (height + width + length total less than 100cm) it would be just under 12,000yen to the US with Yamato. But the same size package would cost more than double at 27,000 with EMS and only slightly less with International Parcel. It’s the same for very lightweight stuff. You can send up to 2kg in a 60cm box to the US for 3,700 with Yamato, but the same box would cost 7,900 with EMS and 6,700 with International Parcel. There’s a sweet spot around 4-5kg (but again, it depends on the size of the box) where prices stabilize and differences are negligible, but for very light stuff and for very heavy stuff, Yamato is much cheaper assuming you can fit it in a certain sized box.
Once you get to a certain scale, you can negotiate for good rates with the big providers (fedex, dhl, etc). Not sure what that scale or volume is but it is possible. Others can probably answer better than me
You really need to give more information if you want to get good answers.
Are you shipping using “Small Packet” (aka ePacket)? If so, there is no cheaper option.
Are you shipping via EMS? If so, and if you get to a decent volume (50+ packages per month, ideally 100+ packages per month) you can probably negotiate better rates with DHL, UPS, or FedEx. But it also depends on where you live in Japan and where you are shipping to overseas. The private carriers may charge more for rural pickup and/or for rural delivery in many countries. It makes your shipping calculations more complicated. You also have to deal with volumetric weight, something that Small Packet and EMS do not have.
So, if you give some more details, maybe you get get some better answers.
4 comments
Definitely the cheapest at that quantity. If it’s small stuff, airmail small packet (even after price increases) is still the best deal.
It depends on the size and weight of what you’re sending. There are instances where Yamato would absolutely be cheaper depending on what you’re sending. For example, if you’re sending something that weighs 10kg but you can fit it into a 100cm box (height + width + length total less than 100cm) it would be just under 12,000yen to the US with Yamato. But the same size package would cost more than double at 27,000 with EMS and only slightly less with International Parcel. It’s the same for very lightweight stuff. You can send up to 2kg in a 60cm box to the US for 3,700 with Yamato, but the same box would cost 7,900 with EMS and 6,700 with International Parcel. There’s a sweet spot around 4-5kg (but again, it depends on the size of the box) where prices stabilize and differences are negligible, but for very light stuff and for very heavy stuff, Yamato is much cheaper assuming you can fit it in a certain sized box.
Once you get to a certain scale, you can negotiate for good rates with the big providers (fedex, dhl, etc). Not sure what that scale or volume is but it is possible. Others can probably answer better than me
You really need to give more information if you want to get good answers.
Are you shipping using “Small Packet” (aka ePacket)? If so, there is no cheaper option.
Are you shipping via EMS? If so, and if you get to a decent volume (50+ packages per month, ideally 100+ packages per month) you can probably negotiate better rates with DHL, UPS, or FedEx. But it also depends on where you live in Japan and where you are shipping to overseas. The private carriers may charge more for rural pickup and/or for rural delivery in many countries. It makes your shipping calculations more complicated. You also have to deal with volumetric weight, something that Small Packet and EMS do not have.
So, if you give some more details, maybe you get get some better answers.