Package forwarding service from japan

I came across this: http://www.relentlessness.com/blog/2010/02/a-guide-to-using-tenso-purchasing-directly-from-japanese-online-stores/

Maybe it'll be of some use to you.

*bookmarks before I forget*

Have a look :)

http://www.tenso.com/en/

tenso is probably the cheapest. It cost me around $30 total for their fees and EMS when I bought stuff from Japan.

um, amazon.jp doesn't ship out of japan? did something change recently?

or are you trying to order some weird stuff that they don't ship internationally? :3

^ Amazon Japan doesn't ship electronics or certain other items outside the country.  I'm assuming the OP is looking at headphones or some other product that can't be sent by Amazon to overseas locations.

Amazon Japan does not ship outside of Japan. However that's why there's forwarding services. Typically the way they work is that they have some kind of warehouse or some sort where the packages are sent to and there probably is some member id number or similar on the address there to know who the item belongs to. Then the forwarding services charges a fee along with shipping fees and then ships it to the person outside of the US.

I'm guessing the OP is looking for something only sold in Japan or it is cheaper from Japan.

ah, ok. I've ordered cds and books from amazon japan in the past when they still offered economy overseas shipping, nothing that was restricted from exporting.

Amazon jp's boxes are dreadful - they usually arrive looking like they're about to disintegrate! The fact that they don't use any packing material exacerbates the problem if you are shipping heavy items like books or magazines. One of my parcels showed up sporting a hole in the side that was the size of my fist!

As for forwarding, I generally use Japan to Door. HOWEVER, I can't say I've tried any others... or that I'd necessarily recommend them. I don't mind them, but there are a few things you should probably know if you're going to consider them as a forwarder.

I originally went with JTD because they offer SAL shipping. Unfortunately I have yet to convince them to actually ship me anything via small parcel SAL (although they allegedly do offer it...), so be warned.

Another warning about them: they have a mind of their own!

They always repackage my items, whether I ask for it or not (but they only charge me for it sometimes) - I assume this is because they do not think that the original package is fit for overseas travel.

They also tend to change the description and retail value of items (significantly!) when filling out the EMS forms - I assume this is to try and help me avoid customs fees, but it makes me a bit nervous.

Other than those quirks... they've been great. They responded courteously (enthusiastically, almost...) to any inquiries I made, and they're fast - as long as you pay the invoice they prepare, I think you can typically have the item shipped within a day of it being delivered to their warehouse (from what I've observed, I've had about a dozen parcels forwarded by them). I have heard that this is not the case with other services but that is hearsay, maybe all forwarders are that quick. They also haven't damaged anything of mine during the repacking process *knock on wood* and their repacking has always held up very well in transit.

Another option - although they are unfortunately not offering it at the moment, so this may not be very helpful if the birthday deadline is imminent - is JShoppers Forwarding. I've heard from a couple of people that their rates really do end up being super cheap (it's not just tricky advertising), although they're a bit slow to get your packages in order.

Haven't heard anything about tenso, but their advertised fees look slightly better than those of JTD.