How long does shipping from Japan usually take?

[Mary R]

Hey tea peeps,

I'm still waiting on that Seigan cake bowl I ordered back on July 20th and I'm starting to worry. But before I get all super crazy, I thought I'd check to see how your shipping experiences from Japan went. What's a reasonable turn around?

[Geekgirl]

If you chose SAL shipping, it should arrive any day. 2 weeks is not unusual at all. You probably shouldn't worry until 3-4 weeks. I suspect it can be a bit random.

I ordered SAL from China about the same time and it just arrived today.

[Mary R]

Ah. I thought I chose EMS, but it turns out it *was* SAL. Thanks for the reassurance!

(Can you tell I want my freaking cake bowl, already?)

[Geekgirl]

LMAO! Must have been MagokoroDo. The first time I ordered, I chose EMS, he sent it by SAL by mistake. It still arrived in 8-9 days. When I asked (before it arrived,) he told me he goofed and refunded the shipping difference.

The next time I ordered SAL and it took 11-12 days I think? Probably depends a lot on where the weekend falls into the equation.

[chamekke]

I always allow at least 2 weeks for SAL. Before that I don't even expect to see the package. It's not unusual to wait 3 or 4 weeks, although I usually start to get a bit edgy after week three.

Wikipedia defines SAL (Surface Air Lifted) as "a Universal Postal Union category of international mail service where mail is handled as surface mail in the country of origin, and the destination country, but as airmail between the two countries. This service is faster than surface mail while the cost is lower than airmail."

IIRC, the air-transport step in the middle is the part that's hard to guess at, since it relies on using any open container space that's available in airplanes. If the first flight is full, the shipment has to wait for the next flight.

Also called "Economy Air".

P.S. But no relation to Johnny Fiamma and his associate Sal:

[Victoria]

I got my Hagi yunomi in 4 days.
I couldn't believe it.

[Ed]

My tea shipments usually take one full week, sometimes a day more or a day less. (via standard airmail)

Did you order any tea from Japan while you were at it?

[Mary R]

Nah, it was an e-bay transaction for me.

[joelbct]

P.S. But no relation to Johnny Fiamma and his associate Sal:

haha, hadn't heard of them. From the wikipedia article: "Johnny Fiama's surname is an anagram of Mafia. His name suggests Johnny Fontane, the Sinatra-like character in The Godfather."

who knew ?

Oh and Mary, EMS from Japan for me usually takes between 4-10 days, but i live relatively close to several busy airports (numerous flights from Tokyo/Kyoto -> NYC, so easy for the item to find an unused berth). And my China EMS orders have taken up to 5 weeks...

Good luck though! let us know if/when it arrives.

[scruffmcgruff]

Good luck though! let us know if/when it arrives.

Inspiring confidence. Ur doin it rong.

[MarshalN]

I've had a shipment delayed in custom for about a week, for no good reason, so sometimes it takes longer without being the fault of anybody at all -- and this was an EMS package.

[joelbct]

Good luck though! let us know if/when it arrives.

Inspiring confidence. Ur doin it rong.

lol, i meant it in an optimistic tone of voice... but perhaps the use of "if/when" implied otherwise

[chamekke]

P.S. But no relation to Johnny Fiamma and his associate Sal:

haha, hadn't heard of them. From the wikipedia article: "Johnny Fiama's surname is an anagram of Mafia. His name suggests Johnny Fontane, the Sinatra-like character in The Godfather."

who knew ?

I didn't! I assumed it was spelled fiamma ("flame" in Italian, I believe).

Of course that could explain why I found so few results when I was Googling for an image

[Mary R]

Heh...I should have canned my apprehension for another day. Cause guess what showed up on my doorstep this morning?



It is absolutely gorgeous. The fam's nicknamed it "The Celestial Universe," despite my repeatedly saying that's the most redundant name of redundancy ever. Buuuut I do have a small problem. It's too big! The listing said it was 8 inches in diameter, but it's really almost 10. It's freaking huge.

So I've got no clue what to do with it!

[Victoria]

Use it as a tea boat!
Or get an easel and display it.
It's beautiful!