Greetings, and thank you for taking the time to read this blog. My intention is not to bad mouth particular websites so I will use them anonymously.
My favorite band has put their merchandise up on website "X", I go to the link and I already expect it to be 99% Japanese. I cannot read Japanese, so I do an excessive amount of copy/paste into Google Translate to muddle my way through it. In the description for the item is a link for overseas orders. Great! I place the item in my cart after I log in. I click on the overseas link and it says that Shipping Company "Y" will handle it. Cool, I think. I sign in to the website (mostly in English) and submit my information for the forwarding. While entering my information, it gets to a page where verification is required. I think maybe it's an email verification, but no. They require photocopies of 2 different articles of ID. Why, I wonder. According to them. "International Law requires verification of exports". I can name 3 or 4 other shops I've ordered from in Japan that sends it straight out, but Company "X" does not. When I used this process before, I told them I wasn't comfortable sharing photocopies of potentially sensitive information for a T shirt. They told me, no ID, no shipping. Since that previous order, I got an email from them telling me that I needed to go through the ID verification process again in order to continue their service.
Anyway. I turn my phone on, go find 2 pieces of suitable ID and take a picture of them so I can submit them for verification. They absolutely will not ship without verification. So I finally manage to upload the JPGs to their site, and the Submit button isn't working. I send them an email, and after 1 business day, there is no reply. I log back in to the site and upload the JPGs. I did it before and they refused my ID because 'a corner of the ID was missing' even though there is nothing but white background there. It's a waiting game now if it is 'good enough'. Then they say it may take a day or two to be physically verified. In the meantime, they suggest a link for easier shopping. But this link Company "Z" only serves a list of stores, and Website "X" is not on the list. While I am waiting for this ridiculous ID verification process, I think about why that is. Shipping Company "Y" is a freight forwarding company and the International laws would apply. Even though I'm ordering a SHIRT, it is the same as ordering a prototype sewing machine, and their protocols apply to their type of operation. Pretty much overkill for a T shirt to be mailed out. Too many details. I'm not fond of sending photocopies of my Drivers License or Bank Statements/Insurance cards/Passports, etc, to another unknown company in a foreign country for them to say I'm approved to have them mail me a shirt I already paid for.
So in short, I go to Website X for item ordering, get sidetracked by signing up for Shipping Company "Y", and running the ID verification gauntlet, being funneled over to Company "Z", and attempting a sign up there (which doesn't have Website "X" in their list), all for just one shirt. The confusion also happens between the Website "X" fulfillment to Shipping Company "Y". The Shipping Company only ships it. You still have to order it through Website "X" and pay the invoice. Website "X" then sends it to Shipping Company "Y" using a designated Tokyo address with my Shipping Company "Y" ID and User profile. They then bill you for shipping on their part. Then they put it in a small box and ship it Land Mail, as DHL or FedEx is quite pricey for this 'forwarding' service. They then inform you that it may take 1-3 months for it to arrive. Why? It gets put on a container ship with no priority delivery, and begins the USA journey via Postal System when it eventually arrives. The options will vary due to Covid19, and service availability. Sometimes Air Mail or DHL are not servicing, or there may be delays/postponements. With air flights still being limited, the delivery times/dates will be adjusted.
The solution? After going through this process once already, and it took about 6 weeks before the last shirt arrived. So, in lieu of this madness, I opted to use White Rabbit Express in Japan. How does it work? Easy! You create an account on their website. You then add an order. They ask for the link to the product you wish to purchase. Copy/Paste and done. Then they ask a few questions about the product (size, qty, etc), which is quite easy. When they are satisfied with the product info, they order it for you after you pay the original item price (I used PayPal). When it arrives at their location, they email you to verify your address, and email you an invoice for the shipping costs and options. You pay the invoice and they ship it out. The prices and options are easily understood. It is so much easier than trying to go through the Website "X"/Shipping Company "Y", and an obstacle course of translations and options.
White Rabbit Express made my otherwise complicated Japan ordering so much simpler. Their website also has English. The additional cost is about $20 for their service, and the shipping is extra. It isn't uncommon to spend $90+ for a $40 item.
I'll add to this blog as I still have an order in process, so I'll keep you posted. Like I said, there are 4 or 5 other online stores in Japan that I have ordered through, and they do their own shipping. Among them is CD Japan, which has an exemplary service and their packing is superior. The merch I wanted was not on this website, but I have used them with great satisfaction.
9/27/21: Got an email from WRE today saying they have already ordered my merch, and will email me when it arrives. The email will confirm receipt of the merch and the shipping invoice will accompany it. I pay the invoice, and they will mail it out. In my already busy day, it is nice to have this kind of convenience when ordering from Japan. Best of all, they accept PayPal, as my local bank tends to have issues with International orders. So payment is quick and convenient also.
9/30/21: Don't get me wrong here. I have no problem with using the other service. I've used them already. I just prefer to WRE option. I don't have to sign in to other sites to order anything online there. Just log in to WRE and give them the link on what you want to buy, send them the money to buy it with, and you're on your way.
11/4/21: I have not heard anything from the since the order was placed, but I did learn that there were a few hiccups in the production. I have no problem whatsoever with that at all. I know their merchandise is a very high quality, and I still feel it's worth the wait. With the addition of the present day Logistics issues, shipping may take much longer than usual. Again, I'm fine with that. It will arrive when it arrives, simple as that. Hopefully I will be traveling there very early next year and I can just buy what I can in the many shops their merchandise is in 😉
11/17/21: I got the email yesterday that my merchandise has arrived in their location. After a quick review and shipping payment, it is on its' way, and should be here next week. I'm so excited!
11/26/21: It arrived at my post office 3 days ago, and I picked it up Wednesday. And just as I imagined, it is a beautiful shirt. The delivery was by EMS, and it was really fast. I'm so happy with the whole transaction, and will definitely do it again.
1/6/22: Ordered a hoodie from my favorite band again. I went to the link where the item was, copied the link, went to WRE (logged in) and added the item to my cart. I paid them, and now it is just waiting until the item arrives at their location. Love the convenience!
3/3/22: I got the email today that my merch arrived (it was a pre order if you're wondering about the wait). I went to the shipping options, checked my option, paid the balance, and now it will be here sometime next week.
3/9/22: I pre ordered a Blu Ray a month ago and it was released today. I got an email from WRE that my purchase has been received, and I now needed to confirm and pay the shipping. I paid it immediately, and I was informed that it will ship in 2-5 days. I love the convenience of how well they perform, and I don't need to rely on different shipping partners of any specific website.
3/19/22: Last week I got the hoodie, and today I picked up the BluRay. Both were packed great and arrived in an acceptable time frame.
3/29/22: Watched the BluRay a couple (or 5) times to verify operability. There had been issues regarding playback due to the density of the content. I had no issues whatsoever. I'm thinking the issues had much to do with the machine manufacture dates and such since BluRay has made improvements and the older machines may not have been able to process newer signals. Over the years of production, new 'layers' have been added and some older machines are not programmed to read that properly. Along with that is probably BIOS and firmware upgrades as well as codec updates. RAM was smaller back then, and the buffers are probably pretty small as well, causing data overflows and sync problems. Aside from this, there may have been TV sets that were misinterpreting the signal. For example a 720p TV will have trouble processing a 1080p signal, as many devices are not backwards compatible. A 720p TV is not programmed to process 1080p since it is newer tech.
2023: Since the last post, White Rabbit Express has changed it's name to Japan Rabbit. I have noticed no problems during the transition, besides the PayPal dilemma. I have ordered through them several times this year, and the service has been great. I still recommend them to those outside of Japan for international ordering.
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