Are you struggling with high shipping fees between Japan and the US?
I believe that even with relatively cheap shipping rates, the cost rarely drops below $10 per kilogram when sending individual packages.
If you want to send heavy items like furniture or large items like car parts, the amount probably becomes outrageously expensive.
In our experience, we sent four chairs from Hawaii to Japan using individual package delivery, and at that time, the shipping fee was about $800 per chair!
So, is there no way to ship heavy and large cargo cheaply between Japan and the US?
For those who are troubled by such international shipping fees, I would like to introduce the cheapest ways to ship your items.
Individual Package Delivery Between Japan and the US
When thinking about shipping packages in general, USPS, FedEx, and UPS come to mind in the US.
For shipping options originating from Japan, Sagawa Express and Yamato Transport are popular choices.
As a premise, if you actually use these companies to send a 10-kilogram product to Japan, the shipping fees will be as follows.
- Cheapest shipping method via USPS/Japan Post (Priority Mail International): $185
- Cheapest shipping method via FedEx (FedEx International Priority): $296
- Cheapest shipping method via UPS (UPS Worldwide Expedited): $424
- Cheapest shipping method via Sagawa Express: $112
- Cheapest shipping method via Yamato Transport: $124
Since this is the price for shipping 10 kilograms, it is scary to think about what it would cost if it were 100 kilograms.
In the case of the four chairs mentioned earlier as an example, they did not weigh 100 kilograms, but because the fees were based on volumetric weight, the total shipping cost exceeded $3,000.
In other words, it is not realistic to send large or heavy products using standard methods.
Bulk Shipping Between Japan and the US
Therefore, I would like to introduce a method to drastically reduce shipping fees by chartering an airplane or a ship, instead of using standard shipping methods.
By utilizing the methods commonly used by logistics companies, it is possible to reduce shipping fees to less than one-tenth!
Case of Air Freight Charter
First, regarding air freight, there is a method of chartering the empty space of passenger flights or chartering cargo flights.
When using passenger flights, reservations can only be made if you have a corporate registration known as a Known Shipper.
If you are an Unknown Shipper, you will have to use cargo flights.
The minimum unit for an airplane charter is 100 kilograms, and the shipping fee is generally around $2.5 per kilogram.
Even if it is under 100 kilograms, it can be shipped by calculating the cost for 100 kilograms, so they can accommodate weights like 40 to 50 kilograms.
However, unlike standard delivery methods, it is not a door-to-door service, so you must go to the airport customs to clear customs and pick up the cargo yourself.
Case of Sea Freight Charter
If you want to transport cargo even larger than 100 kilograms, there is also the option of using sea freight.
If the volume of goods is not that large, consolidated container shipping is also possible, allowing transportation starting from around 100 kilograms.
For cargo around 2,000 kilograms, there is the option of a 20-foot container, and for around 4,000 kilograms, a 40-foot container option is available.
With consolidated shipping, there is not much difference compared to airplanes, but if transporting via a full container, the shipping fee is generally around $0.5 per kilogram, which is about one-fifth the price of air freight.
You might have had the image that international shipping equals expensive, but I hope you can feel reassured knowing that there are proper ways to ship cheaply like this!