How to Buy From Amazon Japan to the Philippines: Door-to-door Delivery

Ever since our trip to Japan last May, I have been using a lot of Japanese products, including Japanese skincare and makeup. And let me tell you, they have been very impressive so far. This has led me to researching more about Japanese products and how I could get them shipped to me directly. Then I remembered: Amazon Japan!

Amazon Japan

I’ve known about the existence of Amazon Japan for a few years now, but I’ve never attempted to buy anything from it. Mainly because the whole website was in Japanese and I was overwhelmed by it. It was only just recently after scouring Reddit threads that I found out that they have a select number of items available to be shipped globally. So yes, unfortunately, not all items in Amazon Japan are available for global shipping.

I have bought from other Japanese online websites before such as Dokodemo. I also have created a Tenso Japan account, which is a Japanese freight forwarding company. But the downside to these is that no matter what shipping method you choose, you will still end up retrieving your orders from the post office. And if you’ve picked up orders from the post office before, you know how bleak that can be.

So why Amazon Japan? Because among all of the stores I researched about, Amazon Japan is the only one that can offer direct door-to-door shipping.  Yes, Amazon Japan can ship items directly from Japan to straight to your door through AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping!

Create an Amazon Japan Account

1. Go to the Amazon Japan website.

   

2. Change the site language from Japanese to English.

   

3. Create an Amazon Japan account.

   
   

   As a member of Amazon US, I thought that I would be able to log on using my Amazon US email account and password. But nope, I had to create a new account. Still, I registered the same email and password as my Amazon US account so that it will be easy for me to remember.

4. Go to your account details and input your Philippine address.

   

Shop Through the AmazonGlobal Category

Only the products in this category can be shipped globally so if you are planning to have items shipped from Japan directly to your door, this is the category to peruse. I find searching through this method is better than ticking the “Eligible for International Shipping” found at the left side of the webpage whenever searching for a product.

You can click here to be directed to the AmazonGlobal category, or you can scroll to the very bottom of the page and you will see the AmazonGlobal link.

Note: There are some products here in the AmazonGlobal category that cannot be shipped to the Philippines. For instance, I have tried purchasing some detergent that’s in the AmazonGlobal category but when I was about to check out, it said that the item cannot be shipped to my address.

There are a lot of helpful information in the AmazonGlobal home page. Also, if you have Google Chrome installed, there is an feature that can translate the whole webpage.

Note: Some brand names are in a translated version or in Japanese characters. For example, when I was looking for Hada Labo products, I saw some of them labeled as “Skin Lab”, “Producing Lab” or “肌研”.

The products’ currency is in the Japanese Yen.

As of writing this, ₱0.4781 = ¥1 or ₱478.1 = ¥1000.

Proceed to Checkout

1. Go to your cart and proceed to checkout.

   

2. Choose your shipping address.

   

3. Choose your delivery options.

   
   There is only one delivery option available for shipping to the Philippines which is the AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping. I consulted the Amazon Japan Help page and found that shipping to the Philippines takes around 2-3 days.

   The shipping rates are dependent on the product’s chargeable weight and product category.

   Click here for more information about shipping times.
   Click here for more information about shipping rates.

4. Select your payment method.

   

   I’ve chosen to pay with my credit card. Cash on delivery is not available and payments through other channels are only available in Japan.

5. Place your order.

   
   Here I finally see the total shipping and handling cost. This order was ¥4182 or ₱2007.78.

   And here’s the order confirmation on the website and email:

   
   
   All three (3) items have the estimated delivery dates of July 27, 2018 – July 28, 2018. I placed the order on July 23, 2018 at 11:57PM (July 24, 2018 12:57AM Japanese time). So it’s around 2-3 days.

   The order details and tracking information are also available at the Amazon Japan website.

   
   
   There aren’t any tracking details yet as I just placed the order. But it’s cool how they have these estimated dates laid out.

Timeline (Philippine Time)

July 23, 2018 11:57PM: Amazon sends me a confirmation email of my order.
July 24, 2018 1:21PM: Amazon informs me that my order has shipped and provides tracking details. The courier is DHL.

 

July 25, 2018 2:09PM: Package was delivered to me. 

The box was a little beaten up, but the products arrived in perfect condition!

Instead of bubble wrap, they used paper as padding.

The products I ordered!

I am very impressed with the speed of delivery! This is amazing, even faster than when I have something shipped locally. It took just two business days from Japan to my doorstep here in the Philippines. DHL also kept me posted with the updates about my package.

The shipping I paid in all is around ¥1,378 or ₱664. For me, this is definitely worth the price, especially with their delivery speed and the fact that it got delivered straight to my door.

Pros:
– Fast shipping through DHL.
– Prompt updates are sent.
– Door-to-door delivery.
– Amazon Points are earned for each eligible product.
– Returns and refunds are accepted.

Cons:
– Not all items in Amazon Japan can be shipped globally. You have to make sure to browse the Amazon Global webpage.
– The price can be a little expensive, depending on the items you will ship. But for the premium service and speed, it’s definitely worth the price.

I will definitely be utitlizing this service and will recommend it to anyone interested to purchase from Amazon Japan.

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you for reading!

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