Shooping & Mailing
 

My husband and I, will make this beautifull trip to Japan and China.We are looking forward to all you have to see there, and I am looking forward to some shopping, we are middle age and do not want the burden of carrying with what we buy,I know there are places that ship to USA(my mother in law bought,tea sets, porcelain dinnerware and vases,which buy the way arrived intact,all of them that was on the 70s)Anyone knows if they still exists? They did not charge her for the freight, I do not expect that today, but I really would be very gratefull if some one has recently had this experience,I think it was on Kyoto where she bought her porcelain.

Bonjour Travelbud,

Most ceramic shops in Kyoto will gladly ship their ware abroad, against a small fare.

You can also send it yourself at the main post office, just on the left of the Karasuma side of the station, where they will sell you boxes and be generally very helpful, although they have a limited command of the English language.

In Tokyo, the main post office is located on the Marunouchi side of the station, another very convenient office is in Asakusa, 5 min on foot from the temple on the way to Ueno station.

A package weighting less than 2 kg will take about 1 week (ask SAL) and cost around 2000 yens.

Packing material can be bought at the stationnery dept of any dept store.

I've had only good experiences shipping fragile stuff through the Japanese posts.

I agree that even shipping by surface, which would be the slowest and the cheapest, will probably cost you more than the actual price of the bench, but if the benches are really cheap, it may be worth it to you. US Customs offers exemptions from import duty for items which are considered handicrafts, not sure if the benches would qualify. If the benches are state property, I agree that you should work with the city or state government to export them, they may be willing to give them to you for free and/or qualify them as handicrafts. You might be able to hook up with a local importer in your state who imports furniture from Vietnam to try to take advtagne of bulk shipping rates. Could take some doing, but if you really want them it might help keep the costs as low as possible. Take a look at the US Customs service webpage at customs.ustreas.gov.

The other thing I have to mention is that taking old untreated wood items from a humid country like Vietnam and bringing them to a relatively dry place like the US will most likely result in the benching cracking over time as they dry out in their new climate. Wooden nails can become so loose that they fall out. I have had some unfortunate experiences with this as I lived in Hong Kong and Singapore for 10 years and now live in Switzerland, and several of my pieces have cracked over the last 2 years. Some of the cracks look fine as part of the antique, but some make the piece difficult to use, i.e. a bench. Just something to be aware of.

Thank You both for your very usefull responses.

Travelbud, my reply was actually mean for another message! I don?t think it was too helpful to you. My original intended reply is below.

In my experience, shipping from Asia is expensive and not always reliable. The best thing to do is to bring an extra empty duffle bag or sport sac for items that you buy and bring them back with you. If things are breakable, try to bring them on board or wrap them in bubble wrap and surround them with clothes. Use a hard suitcase for breakable items, and put your clothes in the duffle bag. You can usually also buy suitcases or bags quite cheaply in Asia, esp in China.

If you want to ship things, there are FedEx and UPS drop-off locations in various cities in China and Japan, see the links below to find locations. FYI, this will probably be a fairly expensive way to ship. You may have to wrap the items yourself, I wouldn't ship breakable items this way. Insurance is not possible on FedEx or DHL to the best of my knowledge, and they may not take certain items like clothing.

Some stores like the Friendship Store in Beijing will ship items for you. Again, could be expensive. Pay by credit card and buy insurance to cover yourself in the event the package does not make it to the US. Surface shipping is usually the cheapest but would take the longest (1-2 months).

You could use the postal service, but you would have to find English-speaking personnel and I have my doubts about it arriving via this method. I believe the Japanese postal system is very reliable, so I would have fewer concerns about using them, but an English-speaking clerk might be hard to find.

Your hotel may be able to ship items for you. Again, not the cheapest.

You may or may not have to pay customs duty on the items when they arrive in the US either in your personal baggage or by mail or courier. Take a look at the guide put together by the US Customs Services at customs.ustreas.gov/travel.

China
Fed ex: www.fedex.com/cn_english/dropoff

UPS: http://www.ups.com/asia/cn/using/ser...englocate.html

Japan

Fed ex: http://www.fedex.co.jp/jp_english/dropoff/

UPS: http://www.ups.com/content/jp/en/shi...off/index.html

Bonjour Cicerone,

I understand your caution towards the Chinese postal services, but I think your warnings don't apply to the Japanese posts. In my 20+ years of sending antiques, ceramics, and other fragile things, the Japanese postal service has never let me down. The only breakage I experienced came from the Swiss posts ...

Hey, I did say that I thought that the Japanese post was more reliable. . .so no knock was intended to the generally very organized and reliable Japanese.

Totally agree about Swiss post, I moved here 2 years ago, and in about 15 years of living overseas, this is the only place where packages sent to me have never arrived (I believe stolen by postal employees) on several occasions. One package came and it was so soaking wet that the cardboard was falling apart; I could only assume they dropped it and left it in a puddle.. .luckily everthing inside was wrapped in plastic so no damage.

Once again, merci to both. By the way Florence, I will certainly buy all my porcelains in Kyoto. What about China?
Some friends say it is cheaper to buy there,I will be on Beijing,Xian and Shanghai.What do you think of the Postal Service there?, or do the stores also ship to USA?
Thanks so very much for you help.

Bonjour Travelbud,

Porcelain and ceramics will certainly be more expensive in Kyoto, but from what I've seen lately quality and choice are much, much better than in China. You will find works by master craftsmen or traditional workshops at correct prices, and you can make great finds at fleamarkets (21st in Toji, 25th Kitanotenmangu, 12th in Myorenji - small but good choice -, 15th in Chionji - more craft-oriented than the 3 others) and if there is one, at an antiques fair (check with Kyoto Visitors Guide at http://www.kyotoguide.com/index/index.html )

Merci,Merci,
Florence, I agree with you, that porcelain is indeed of more quality in Japan.I still have my tea sets from the 70s,(my mother in law,gave them to me as presents from her trip to Japan then) with the beautiful lady on the bottom.Those I will send some back home as gifts to my family.
Still there must be some good art work, as you said.By the way I already have the address on my notebook.