Overnight Japan Post announced that they have been forced to suspend airmail and EMS services to the USA due to lack of air transport during COVID19. SAL services were already suspended earlier this month.
Furthermore, packages already submitted to Japan Post before services were forced to stop will take 4 or more months to deliver. You can see the announcement here.
Please read below, where I will try to answer the questions that I am getting.
What are my options if I have a package already in transit?
At this point, packages already sent before services were suspended on April 23 will be held by Japan Post in their storage facilities. The packages will be delivered once flights resume. Japan Post now says it may take 4 or more months for these packages to be delivered. The most significant delays seem to be to the west coast, while some east coast and mid west packages are trickling through.
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Can you still shop for people in the US while services are suspended?
Yes! My shopping service and shoppers are incredibly important to me and suspending services to any country would be a last resort. I hope US shoppers will continue to shop and consider alternative shipping methods or, if absolutely necessary, holding.
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Can you ship via any other methods using Japan Post? What is Surface Mail?
Japan Post’s Surface Mail (also known as Sea Mail, transport by boat) will still be available for the US and a few other countries. Under normal conditions, Surface Mail takes 2-3 months, but it is unclear if those time frames are to be expected during COVID19. Surface Mail is traced and has the option to add insurance. It is an inexpensive alternative considering the current conditions. With EMS and airmail shipping times being estimated at 4+ months, it might also actually be quicker.
You will find Surface Mail has been added to the shipping choices on the shopping request form.
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I don’t want to use Japan Post’s Surface Mail, is there anything quicker?
Yes! Please click the link to read about private courier Yamato Transport, which delivers the packages via UPS (the United Postal Service) when they get to the US.
You will find Yamato Transport has been added to the shipping choices on the shopping request form.
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You are storing my order for me, can I add to it while we wait for shipping?
Aside from the US, several other countries have also had services suspended, and I am already having to store packages from those countries. However, I work out of a home office, in my Japan-sized apartment. Storage is limited, and I am currently thinking of what to do, and may be forced to seek off site storage. Even if your package is being stored in my home, it will grow increasingly hard to find it in the piles of stored packages. So I ask that once a service has been closed out, that you do not ask to add to that package. This is because I honestly may not be able to find it the piles or it might be stored off site and not easily accessed.
Thank you for your patience and understanding in this time. Please feel free to contact me if you have other questions, I will do my best to answer them. I currently have a very high volume of emails, so your patience is appreciated if you are waiting for an answer or invoicing on open shopping.