Hello everyone. I hope you are staying safe and healthy despite the current world events. This post addresses the changes in international shipping for Tenshi Shop during the COVID-19 pandemic (since 2020) and the invasion of Ukraine (since Feb 2022).
Are shopping services open?
YES. Shopping services are still open, however if I cannot ship to you due to the restrictions, I may have to refuse your request. I do not have space to store things thing for an indeterminant period of time. Please do not hesitate to send in your requests and we can discuss shipping options for your country.
You will find Surface Mail/Yamato Transport/COVID19 Shipping has been added to the shipping choices on the shopping request forms. If you reside in a country where EMS and Airmail services are suspended, please choose this option so I know you understand the current shipping situation.
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Can you ship packages?
YES, but shipping via Japan Post’s EMS, Airmail, and SAL services are suspended for some countries. Read below for details and other options.
Starting April 2nd, 2020, Japan was forced to start suspending shipping of all postal items delivered by air transport to certain countries. The suspension is temporary, but there is no certain date when it will be lifted. I will remove countries from this list as services are resumed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has caused new suspensions as well.
If your country is not on this list, generally you can assume I can ship via EMS or Registered Airmail/ePacket to you.
*Please note, I have excluded countries to which I do not commonly ship to, as the total list includes 150+ countries and territories. If your country is not on this list, and you want to double check the status of your country, please look up your country here.
Middle East and Africa:
United Arab Emirates
*can ship traced/insured with Yamato Transport/UPS or via Parcel Post Surface (Sea) Mail.
Europe:
EMS and small packet airmail are suspended to: Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Portugal**, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Luxembourg, Russia.
*can ship traced/insured with Yamato Transport/UPS or via Parcel Post Surface (Sea) Mail to these countries, but shipping is currently completely unavailable for Russia.
**the courier does not ship to Portugal. Registered Airmail and Parcel Post Surface Mail with Japan Post are available. EMS is not available for Portugal.
EMS has returned for most other countries, and Registered Airmail for a *select few* (and in a few cases airmail is available but EMS is not) so please check the link if you want to use small packet airmail as the situation is always changing.
Oceania:
EMS and small packet airmail have returned for most countries, including Australia and New Zealand.
South America:
EMS and Surface Mail are available for most destinations but small packet airmail is not.
Yamato is available for most destinations, but not Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and Venezuela.
North America:
EMS is available for the US and Canada but small packet airmail remains suspended. EMS and small packet airmail are available for Mexico, however airmail may be very slow.
The status of various methods to different countries is constantly changing!
You can check the status of your country with this handy drop down list that Japan Post created:
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/overview_en.html
***IMPORTANT NOTE***
Japan Post SAL shipping is suspended completely, worldwide, until further notice.
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What about private shipping companies like DHL, FEDEX, and UPS for suspended countries? I heard you are offering shipping via Yamato Transport, what’s that?
FedEX does not operate in my area of Japan at all. DHL does not offer pick up in my area and is prohibitively expensive to ship from the one drop of location located in my area. I cannot ship via FedEX or DHL.
I have started using a courier service called Yamato Transport. They are a well established delivery company in Japan that also offers an international delivery service via a partnership with UPS. Their prices are reasonable and packages are traced and insured. It is the most economical alternative to those seeking EMS-like shipping times if Japan Post has suspended services to your country.
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Can you ship via any other methods using Japan Post for suspended countries? What is Parcel Post Surface Mail?
Japan Post’s Parcel Post Surface Mail (also known as Sea Mail, transport by boat) is still be available for most countries, however Japan Post will not insure Surface Mail packages for some destinations (many South American countries). Under normal conditions, Surface Mail takes 2-3 months. It is an inexpensive alternative considering the current conditions. For countries that Japan Post will not insure packages, there is some inherent risk though. Please consider this carefully.
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Can you hold my package?
No, I am unfortunately out of room to hold packages. You will either need to accept one of the available shipping methods for your country, whether that is the courier or Japan Post, or use a forwarding service that will hold your packages.
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You are storing my order for me due to Japan Post suspensions, can I add to it while we wait for shipping to restart?
If you have a package stored with me due to a suspension, you cannot add to it. That service is considered closed. I will ship it as soon as services resume. Please contact me if I am holding a package for you and you have decided to ship with one of the services open to your country.
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What do you suggest if I want to shop but am nervous about shipping during these uncertain times?
If Japan Post is still shipping to your country:
I would suggest using EMS and perhaps insuring to the full value of the contents. EMS insurance defaults to 20,000 yen with the option to add more for a minimal fee. Fully insure your package if you are concerned. Registered Airmail/ePacket is tracked, but its max insurance value is 6000 yen, and is currently the lowest priority of shipping offered.
If Japan Post has suspended EMS/Airmail services to your country:
Use the Yamato Transport if it is available to your country. It is traced, insured, and relatively fast. If only Parcel Post Surface (Sea) Mail is available to your country, be prepared for a wait. If offered for your country, insure it fully if you are concerned about it being lost. If Japan Post does not offer insurance for your country (many countries in South America), please consider carefully if you want to risk your item being sent without insurance, as if it is lost, you cannot receive any refund.
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Stay safe and healthy everyone!!
Mar25