General Shipping Information 

DOMESTIC (Japan)

• Japan consumption tax is 10%.

• We ship domestic parcels via Japan Post.  

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INTERNATIONAL (read updated Post-pandemic / Fuel-crisis shipping notes in RED)

Calibrating shipping cost is becoming very complicated and we strive to provide the most economic, secure and efficient ways to ship your order during these challenging times.  We painstakingly use multiple carriers to find most competitive price and will spend extra time to confirm shipping costs and amend your invoices if there are smarter options to ship your items. 

• We currently ship to USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most EU countries, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore and some SE Asian countries.  Email us to inquire shipping to your location not listed above. 

• Physical address AND contact number required for all shipping.  Read below section. regarding PO box or FPO box.   

• EU new VAT policy (effective July 2021).  All purchases are subject to VAT duty tax collection.  It will be collected by postal carrier, based on the value of goods purchased, after item arrives the destination EU country.  Please watch for carrier's email or post office notification about VAT balance due, if applicable. 

• Majority of packages will be shipped via DHL and FedEx.  We will resume to Japan Post Air Mail parcels when global postal service stablizes. 

• Japan Post still cannot guarantee accurate delivery dates, flights and carrier staff has not fully recovered.  Please track your package with tracking number provided. 

• If you believe the shipping cost reflected during checkout is not accurate, please EMAIL us for a shipping cost review.  We can also ship via Surface mail (by sea) for those who are not in a rush.  

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IS IT CHEAPER TO SHIP VIA REGULAR PARCEL POST from Japan Post?

Currently, Japan Post has raised its AirMail Parcel postage to become higher than Express EMS. 

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Shipping Kintsugi Supplies

• Shipping kintsugi supplies may require extra processes in custom clearance.  Please be sure to check emails from carriers and track the package using tracking number provided. 

• Most reliable service is offered by DHL, and we have created "DHL Kintsugi Supplies Flat Rate box" for all kintsugi supplies order.  Please select accordingly. Box size 18 x 33 x 10cm, we can put additional items that is not fragile and as long as they fit within this box size.

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SHIPPING SITUATION PER REGION (2023 update)

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USA   

• We use DHL and FedEx shipping to USA, even with price hike they are still cheaper and quicker than Japan Post's (EMS) in most cases.  Bulk items, big box items will be shipped via Japan Post EMS.  Certain items (flat and non-liquid items) can be fitted into FedEx Flat Envelope for lower shipping cost, please inquire if it is not reflecting in checkout.  Surface Mail (by sea) is also available for those who are not in a hurry.   
• Standard Air Mail Parcel post to US and EU resumed, but Japan Post raised the postage to become more expensive than EMS Express mail. 

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CANADA  

• All Canada shipping will be via FEDEX or DHL Priority International, 4-5 days arrival.  Some items (flat and non-liquid items) can be fitted into Flat Envelope for lower shipping cost, please inquire if it is not reflecting in checkout.

• Standard Air Mail Parcel post to Canada resumed but Japan Post raised the postage to become higher than Express mail. 

• Remote location delivery will incur additional fees.  See bottom section on Remote Locations.

• VAT / DUTY TAX will be collected by the service carrier.  Read below section about VAT / TAX. 

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AUSTRALIA  

• All Australia shipping will be via FEDEX or DHL Priority International, 4-5 days arrival . Remote location delivery will incur additional fees.  See bottom section on Remote Locations. 

• Standard Air Mail Parcel post resumed but Japan Post raised the postage to become higher than Express mail. 

• Some items (flat and non-liquid items) can be fitted into Flat Envelope for lower shipping cost, please inquire if it is not reflecting in checkout.

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EU & UK 

• ​All EU & UK shipment will be shipped via DHL / FedEx. Express with 4-5 days arrival (until Post Office International EMS Parcel service resumes). 

• Remote location delivery will incur $26-28 additional fees.  See below section on REMOTE LOCATION. 

• Some items (flat and non-liquid items) can be fitted into Flat Envelope for lower shipping cost, please inquire if it is not reflecting in checkout.

• VAT / DUTY TAX will be collected by the service carrier.  Read below section about VAT / TAX. 

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SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA, HONG KONG, S. KOREA, TAIWAN

• Japan Post ePacket Airmail with tracking number (7-10 days).  Option of EMS/FEDEX (4-5 days arrival) available for those needing Express service.  

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SHIPPING TO P.O. BOX or FPO address

PO Box address is acceptable but requires a physical address of the post office (street number, street name, branch name). 

All APO address (military post box address) will be shipped via Japan Post regular parcel ONLY.  No Express EMS accepted.  

SALES TAX / VAT & Import Duties

We do not charge sales tax on the purchase from Goenne.com when purchase is made outside of Japan. (for shipping address in Japan, 10% consumption tax is automatically charged).  However, buyer (recipient) is responsible for all customs duty and consumption tax (VAT) of their own country.  This is handle by the carrier of destination country, whom will collect any applicable tax prior to releasing the package .  The calculation is based on the value of the item declared and the HS code for each item when we enclose the commercial invoice with the package. The fees vary, depending on rate set by the destination country.  We can get rough estimate on VAT amount billed to buyer through our carrier (DHL).  You can also check with your local Custom office on any purchase threshold.  Unpaid tax and duties will result in returning of the package to Japan, and canceling and refund for the order will NOT be granted. 

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Therefore, please check and reply to any emails received from Post Office, DHL or FedEx with the relevant tracking number. They will be informing you on the amount of import tax to be paid with your tracking number.  And feel free to contact us if you are not clear on your tracking number or status of the package. And beware of phishing emails pretending to be delivery carriers (always use your tracking number, and track status of the package directly at the carriers' websites)

REMOTE LOCATION DELIVERY (charged by DHL and FedEx)

With private carriers (FedEX & DHL), if your address falls into "Remote Location", "Outside Delivery Zone", there will be additional charge by the carrier to deliver the package. Typical cost is about $25-26 for a small package.   When we process your order, we will notify you your address has been considered as remote location with the additional cost amount.  You can decided if you would like to proceed or cancel the order.  

If you are unsure about whether your location is consider as remote or not, please feel free to email us your address in advance and we can check for accurate shipping cost.   We will continue to improve our system to give most accurate shipping cost information and streamline the communication. 

In most cases, we will check to see Japan Post (and your local post office) accepts such delivery, where there will be no additional charge. (as regular postal services are resuming in most countries post-COVID).

CUSTOM CLEARANCE

Custom clearance are handled by destination country's Custom Department and communicated through carriers (Post Office, DHL, FedEx).  At the discretion of the country's or entry port's Custom officer, certain products may require additional certification and documents to get clearance. Typically to certify material contains no toxic substance, or wood species are not endangered. Typical items that may require additional paperworks would be wood products and raw material such as lacquer and precious metal powder for kintsugi.  

As a responsible seller, we have all the necessary certificates to get the clearance.  However, according to international shipping law, such document is to be provided/certified by Buyer/Recipient unless you grant "Power of Attorney" to authorize the Seller/Shipper to provide the certification.  In such case, carrier will contact you to obtain either the required certificates OR grant the Shipper power of attorney to submit the certificates.  

The format of "Power of Attorney" depends on the carrier, some asked for a simple statement via email sent directly to the carrier's custom clearance department, some may provide a form for you to sign.  If you do not complete such process, Custom will not allow clearance for the package to enter the country and will return it to Japan.  Usually they allow 5-7 days for such paperwork submittals and will provide due date to you via email.  

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To clear Custom smoothly, we require your attention and response to emails from carriers.  If you are suspicious of scam and fraudulent, we recommend you contact carrier office directly (DHL, FedEx or Post Office) to discuss what is needed to be done. Or email us so we can assist you through the process. 

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If you decided you do not want to follow the Custom Clearance procedure, you can decline the request and have the package returned to Japan.  However, shipping fee is non-refundable. And if package returned to us in un-used un-opened state, we will refund the merchandize cost minus 10% restocking fee.