Plaza Japan query - UK buyers

[TurboRSR 356]

12 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

It more got to do with trade deals. EU wanted a bitter divorce so punishing duties. I think there is some free trade deals with US so you did not get hammered. Which is why I advice against dealing with the EU these days. I also think a free trade deal was agreed on since Brexit with Japan so there should be no customs duties for Japan purchase. (not a international tax expert, just guessing here) 

Customs duty doesn't have anything to do with the EU or trade agreements, it's something the government imposes to protect certain industries and of course raise their revenue.
Here in Norway we have customs duty on textiles and food/drinks only, and even though we are part of the EEA we still have to pay VAT on import of all goods.    

[alvinlwh 5895]

3 minutes ago, TurboRSR said:

Customs duty doesn't have anything to do with the EU or trade agreements, it's something the government imposes to protect certain industries and of course raise their revenue.
Here in Norway we have customs duty on textiles and food/drinks only, and even though we are part of the EEA we still have to pay VAT on import of all goods.    

Not too sure about that as trade agreements can apply to certain class of goods from certain countries. Either way, I had already said many times, as if now, it is best for UK buyers not to buy from the EU as HMRC is watching EU shipment like a hawk. This is not some made up statement but what my wife who does import export in her work told me, customs at both ends are conducting "revenge" tax inspections making it very troublesome to deal with the EU. Of course there is also the unreasonable inspections and delays at ferry ports causing lost of fresh produce. Many members also reported tax and delays to their package from the EU, usually stuck at Langley HWDC for ages. 

[Juhunio 6830]

On 8/6/2022 at 4:49 PM, Tobyone said:

Total order was 170 euros, including the postage.

I am sure my other Tamico order was higher than that but had a lower charge 

Quote from Google - Customs duties are imposed on goods from out of the UK in order to raise revenue and protect the local market and are a percentage of the overall value.

 

That sucks man. I've had two Tamico deliveries in the last 9 days, no charges on either. I guess there's a fair amount of pot-luck involved 🫤

I've had no issues at all buying stuff from our friends in the EU over the last couple of years, particularly if the order is below £135. No charges, no delays, no hassles

The only times I've faced additional VAT / Duty / Handling charges are where the items come from Japan and the invoice value is over £135, which is to be expected based on the new rules

[alvinlwh 5895]

A heads up for anyone planning on PJ purchase. 

https://simpleflying.com/british-airways-london-tokyo-flights-november/

Looks like flight capacity should increase in a few months time, and hopefully regular airmail along with it. ATM £23 EMS for a £28 basket is really something I cannot stomach. 

[Juggular 4964]

On 7/20/2022 at 4:01 AM, alvinlwh said:

with the lost of 1999, PJ is the only one left. 

I'm sorry for a random question, but what happened to 1999? You are talking about Hobby Search? 

 

[alvinlwh 5895]

1 minute ago, Juggular said:

I'm sorry for a random question, but what happened to 1999? You are talking about Hobby Search? 

 

Yes, 1999 is Hobby Search. They suddenly stopped selling Tamiya stuff one day last year. 

 

 

[alvinlwh 5895]

Just a heads up for anyone waiting for cheaper shipping when buying from PJ, JP had announced that regular airmail is resuming end of this month.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2023/0119_01_en.html

[Kol__ 3377]

23 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

Just a heads up for anyone waiting for cheaper shipping when buying from PJ, JP had announced that regular airmail is resuming end of this month.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2023/0119_01_en.html

Thank **** for that! I don't think I've ever experienced a non FedEx/DHL order with PJ. The baseline shipping to UK is usually £18-20. How much is it on the Japan Post service? Approximately.

[futureworks 864]

7 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

Thank **** for that! I don't think I've ever experienced a non FedEx/DHL order with PJ. The baseline shipping to UK is usually £18-20. How much is it on the Japan Post service? Approximately.

About 5p by comparison!

[Elbowloh 1128]

This is dangerous information!

[futureworks 864]

Seriously though, I just looked at my last order with them back in Jan last year which was sent by JP. Two sets of ta02 53155 dampers, a TG10mk2 carbon upper deck, and a set of Hotshot bearings came in a medium sized box as the items are quite bulky or long, and cost about £6 to the UK. The current non JP options would more than triple that figure.

[Elbowloh 1128]

Just now, futureworks said:

Seriously though, I just looked at my last order with them back in Jan last year which was sent by JP. Two sets of ta02 53155 dampers, a TG10mk2 carbon upper deck, and a set of Hotshot bearings came in a medium sized box as the items are quite bulky or long, and cost about £6. The current non JP options would more than triple that figure.

Yes, i looked at a kit and the shipping was about £80!

[Kol__ 3377]

6 minutes ago, futureworks said:

Seriously though, I just looked at my last order with them back in Jan last year which was sent by JP. Two sets of ta02 53155 dampers, a TG10mk2 carbon upper deck, and a set of Hotshot bearings came in a medium sized box as the items are quite bulky or long, and cost about £6 to the UK. The current non JP options would more than triple that figure.

Thanks👍 Wow that's pretty decent pricing! FedEx was about 5 days shipping time. How much longer does the JP take?

[alvinlwh 5895]

2 hours ago, Kol__ said:

Thank **** for that! I don't think I've ever experienced a non FedEx/DHL order with PJ. The baseline shipping to UK is usually £18-20. How much is it on the Japan Post service? Approximately.

Not a compete answer but to give you an idea, I used to pay about 1/4 of the basket value in postage. Of course it depends on size and weight.

[alvinlwh 5895]

1 hour ago, Kol__ said:

Thanks👍 Wow that's pretty decent pricing! FedEx was about 5 days shipping time. How much longer does the JP take?

Typically, 10 - 14 days to get to me in Orkney but RM is actually faster than anyone else in getting stuff here. However, again, it can vary, I got one package that took 5 weeks to deliver within Asia.

[ad456 331]

Mines just gotten to me, shipped on 11th and delivery attempt on 18th with Japan Post/EMS. Picked it up today from Royal Fail. Not bad for halfway round the world to a remote island. I’m a few streets away from @alvinlwh.

I’ll definitely use them again. 

[Kol__ 3377]

3 hours ago, ad456 said:

Mines just gotten to me, shipped on 11th and delivery attempt on 18th with Japan Post/EMS. Picked it up today from Royal Fail. Not bad for halfway round the world to a remote island. I’m a few streets away from @alvinlwh.

I’ll definitely use them again. 

So Japan Post has resumed already?

[ad456 331]

Yeah, but it’s a comparable price to the others now. No cheap rate like I believe it used to be but @alvinlwh has more history so can weigh in on that. 
 

I mainly chose it because of who delivers it to me, in this case Royal Mail. Our DHL, UPS, Evri, DPD, etc etc are contracted out to smaller(but still not local) businesses(Streamline, Menzies and Northwards). One contracter is owned by a Norwegian firm if memory serves right. Anyway, because Orkney is a bit/lot remote then the couriers use the ferries and they aren’t always everyday, dependant on route so take 3-10 days extra. It’s just the cost of living here, no big deal for me.

Anyway, the point of that is that my delivery times will not really be much to go from given my location. 

[alvinlwh 5895]

50 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

So Japan Post has resumed already?

No, according to the link, end of the month.

[Twinfan 1252]

Where are you seeing end of the month?

It seems Air Mail is resuming from today (20th Jan) and Plaza Japan have added "Japan Post (EMS Express)" as an option now alongside FedEx/DHL/UPS, which are all similar prices.

I'm not seeing economy mail (SAL) returning.

[Juhunio 6830]

50 minutes ago, Twinfan said:

It seems Air Mail is resuming from today (20th Jan)

Correct, JP Air Mail is back on line as of today (20th) as stated on the Japan Post page.

13 hours ago, ad456 said:

Yeah, but it’s a comparable price to the others now. No cheap rate like I believe it used to be

That's what I'm seeing too. As of this morning the proxy sites I use to buy from Japanese Yahoo Auctions now offer a Japan Post Air Parcel service alongside EMS and courier services, but it is actually more expensive than EMS. So plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, unfortunately 

50 minutes ago, Twinfan said:

Plaza Japan have added "Japan Post (EMS Express)" as an option now

EMS actually came back online a few months ago, it's the Air Parcel / Small Packet / Economy services that have remained out of action and it doesn't look like the cheaper options are back on line yet  

[Twinfan 1252]

Ah, gotcha thanks.  I was checking something recently on Plazan Japan and only had 3 postage options (couriers) but as of yesterday I now have 4 (EMS Express).  So I think Plaza Japan specifically have recently reinstated EMS postage.

[alvinlwh 5895]

1 hour ago, Twinfan said:

Where are you seeing end of the month?

It was saying 30th when I clicked on it yesterday, maybe they had brought it forward. 🤷

[alvinlwh 5895]

22 minutes ago, Twinfan said:

Ah, gotcha thanks.  I was checking something recently on Plazan Japan and only had 3 postage options (couriers) but as of yesterday I now have 4 (EMS Express).  So I think Plaza Japan specifically have recently reinstated EMS postage.

Only for below 2kg for regular airmail. Above 2kg, will be EMS (Parcel force). The quick way to check if it had come live on PJ is to check out a small item and see what is offered.

[Twinfan 1252]

That's what I did.  A single hop-up now gives EMS as an additional option.

I think you're expecting SAL to return, but it's not.