Does Amazon Ship To Japan? Yes, Here’s How

Does Amazon Ship To Japan?

Whether or not Amazon delivers to Japan depends.

On one hand, Amazon ships some items to Japan, including many clothing and home decor items.

But on the other hand, the infamous “This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location” message seems to be popping up more and more lately, especially when you try to buy more valuable products like cameras and electronics.

So the real answer is that Amazon ships some items to Japan, but not everything.

So in this post, I’m going to show you exactly how to get 100% of items sold on Amazon shipped to Japan. Here’s how to do it.

Method #1: Amazon’s International Page

You probably didn’t know that Amazon has a special search portal that only shows you items that can be shipped to your current address.

I link to it below.

But in order to make full use of that page, you first need to set up your “1-Click” address so Amazon knows what country you want to ship to. That’s the only way to ensure you get relevant search results. 

To do that, go to this page, make sure your current address is listed as your default address, and enable 1-Click on the right side.

Then you’re all set!

Now when you go back and search for what you want to buy, you’ll only see items that ship to your current address. If whatever you want to buy still won’t ship to you, you need Method #2.

Method #2: Shipping Amazon Items To Japan Using A Package Forwarder

Even after you set up your 1-Click address (see Method #1 above), Amazon still won’t ship a lot of items to you in Japan, because they only ship them within the United States. It’s notoriously difficult to buy electronics from Amazon.com in Japan, but even harmless items like books can be hard to get, too.

In those cases, you’ll need to work with a package forwarder, a company that will accept your package in the United States and forward it on to your address in Japan. Here’s how do do it.

Step 1: Choose A Package Forwarder

Choosing the right package forwarder is important, because the package forwarder you use determines how quickly you’ll receive your order and how expensive the shipping is. I spent hours researching fourteen of the best package forwarders and scored each of them on a variety of metrics. Here are the five primary metrics I looked at:

1. Service Fees: How much they charge to accept and ship packages, including additional services like long-term storage, re-packing, package consolidation, and more.
2. Monthly Fees: How much they charge in monthly fees, if anything.
3. Pricing Transparency: How much they share about their shipping prices before I send my order to their warehouse.
4. Speed: How quickly they process and ship out packages.
5. Customer Service: How satisfied other users are with their service, and how quickly/thoroughly they respond to questions.

After reviewing the data, it was clear that Planet Express was the best package forwarder for my needs. Their customer service team responded to my questions quickly, they have thousands of 5-star reviews online, and their fees were consistently lower than the other package forwarders I researched.

To learn more about Planet Express—including a walkthrough of the Planet Express dashboard—watch the video below.

Here are a few other things I like about Planet Express:

• Planet Express has a tax-free warehouse in Oregon, so you can avoid paying sales tax on your purchases.
• Planet Express will consolidate multiple packages into a single shipment, significantly reducing shipping costs when you make multiple purchases.
• Planet Express sends you free photos of your package as soon as it arrives at their warehouse.
• Planet Express offers extremely cheap storage for your packages. Every package receives 10 days of free storage, but after that, Planet Express only charges one cent per pound per day. That means storing a 1-lb package in their warehouse for a month only costs $0.30!

Step 2: Ship Your Order To Planet Express 

After you sign up with Planet Express, you’ll receive a unique mailing address at their warehouse. When you go to make your purchase, then, you can just enter your Planet Express address instead of your home address as the shipping address.

If you’re not able to enter your home address as your credit card billing address, you should also be able to use your Planet Express warehouse address without any issues.

Step 3: Forward Your Package

As soon as your package arrives at Planet Express’ warehouse, they’ll send you photos of it to let you know it’s arrived. You’ll also be given a series of shipping options to choose from.

I find that there’s generally at least 4 shipping options corresponding to 4 different price-speed combinations. Sometimes there can be as many as 10+ shipping options—it just depends on the weight, size and value of your package.

You can choose whichever option you prefer and have your package sent out the same day.

My Personal Experience With Planet Express

I’ve used Planet Express more than a dozen times to ship packages to different parts of the world, and the experience has always been very smooth. Here’s how things went the last time I did it.

First, I placed my order and had it sent to my unique address at the Planet Express warehouse. Less than 48 hours later, I received an email from Planet Express letting me know that my order had arrived.

Second, I filled in Planet Express’ super-easy customs declaration form with the four pieces of information required:

1. The item being shipped
2. The number of items being shipped
3. The value of the item
4. Whether the item contains batteries

Third, I chose the shipping option I wanted from a list of eight options. Prices ranged from $6-$35 USD, plus insurance at an additional $2 USD, so I chose the cheapest option ($8 USD, including the insurance), and I was done. My package was shipped out the same day, and when it arrived, everything was in perfect shape.

The Costs (Customs & Duties)

In my experience, the price I paid ($6 USD + $2 USD in insurance) is pretty standard for shipping packages from Planet Express to Japan. I didn’t have to pay any customs or duties on my order, but that depends on the value and type of item you buy.

If you’re uneasy about how much you’ll have to pay to have your order shipped to Japan, I suggest using Planet Express’ shipping calculator to help you estimate the cost.

In Summary

Overall, shipping Amazon items to Japan using Planet Express is surprisingly easy and smooth. The costs are low, and in my experience you’ll actually end up saving money, since Amazon’s prices are often much lower than those of local retailers in Japan.

If you’re shopping on Amazon.com, or any other retailer that only ships to the USA, I strongly recommend Planet Express.

Amazon Japan FAQs

Does Japan have Amazon? Is there Amazon in Japan?

No, Japan does not have its own Amazon website like you find in other countries. Some Amazon.com products ship to Japan, but many do not.

Method #1 described above will help you find the products that do ship to Japan, and Method #2 enables you to get 100% of items on Amazon.com shipped to you in Japan.

Why is there no Amazon in Japan?

Amazon operates in many countries around the world, but not every country. If you want to buy from Amazon in Japan, you’ll need to buy from Amazon in another country and get your items shipped to you from abroad.

Does Amazon deliver to Japan?

Yes, Amazon delivers to Japan, though you will need to use a package forwarder to get most Amazon items delivered to you in Japan. We recommend Planet Express as the best package forwarder for shipping Amazon items to Japan.

Does Amazon ship to Japan for free?

No, Amazon does not offer free shipping to Japan, but Method #2 above shows you how to get your Amazon order shipped to Japan for $10 or less. Whether you’re in Tokyo, Yokohama or Osaka, this method will work for you.

How does Amazon deliver to Japan?

Amazon uses a variety of methods to deliver packages to Japan, from Amazon Global (its international shipping service) to international couriers like UPS, DHL, and FedEx. Local couriers in Japan generally handle the final leg of the shipment, ensuring your package reaches your address.

How much does Amazon shipping to Japan cost?

Amazon’s shipping fee to Japan depends on the items you’re buying and how quickly you want to receive them. If you use Amazon’s international search portal (linked above), you can place items in your cart and see how much shipping will cost before you check out. 

If the item you’re buying won’t ship to Japan directly, you can use Planet Express’ shipping calculator (linked above) to price out how much it will cost. Generally shipping costs to tend to Japan range from $5-$10 for smaller items (like clothing) up to $50-$100 for larger, more valuable items (like electronics).

How long does Amazon take to ship to Japan?

If Amazon will ship your item directly to Japan, it normally takes at least 5-7 business days, and in some cases it can take quite a bit longer. Of course, Amazon has different shipping options you can choose from, but faster shipping methods can be quite expensive.

What items will Amazon ship to Japan?

It’s hard to list the categories of items Amazon will ship to Japan, since that depends on individual sellers’ shipping policies.

When you’re using a package forwarder, though, you can get virtually any Amazon item shipped to Japan, including books, DVDs, software, clothing, baby products, beauty and cosmetics, consumer electronics, watches, luxury items, personal care items, scientific supplies, kitchen appliances, games, arts & crafts, health products, luggage, pet supplies, outdoor products, furniture, jewelry, home improvement items, garden tools, musical instruments, sporting equipment, shoes, toys, video games, and more.

Does Amazon Prime work in Japan?

If you have Amazon Prime via Amazon.com, all of your orders will be eligible for free shipping, but only within the USA. That means that if your order doesn’t ship to Japan, you can have it shipped for free to Planet Express, and then have it forwarded on to your address from there.

Can I buy Kindle books from Amazon in Japan?

You can only buy Kindle books from the Amazon store where your Kindle is registered, which means that if you bought a Kindle from Amazon.com, you have to buy your books from there, too.

How can I pay for my Amazon order from Japan?

You can pay for your Amazon order with a credit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, JCB, Discover, UnionPay, Diners Club), debit cards, US-based bank accounts, Amazon.com store cards, and Amazon gift cards.

If you’re not able to use any of those methods, you can take advantage of Planet Express’ Shop For Me service, in which Planet Express will buy the product you want using their credit card, and you’ll pay them directly instead of paying Amazon.

Can I buy Amazon gift cards from Japan?

Yes, you can buy Amazon gift cards from Japan in the same way you would buy any other product. The balance will be applied to the account of the Amazon store you buy them from, so make sure you’re on the correct Amazon website (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, etc.) before completing your purchase.

Which Amazon store should I buy from?

This post is centered around purchases made on the Amazon USA site (Amazon.com), but the same principle applies if you’re buying from other Amazon stores. If you prefer to buy from Amazon UK (Amazon.co.uk), Amazon Germany (Amazon.de), or another Amazon store, you can do that, though you may need to find a new package forwarder that has a warehouse in the country you’re buying from. Planet Express has a warehouse in the UK, in case you need it.

Are there Amazon Lockers in Japan?

No, there are no Amazon Lockers in Japan, though you can still get Amazon items delivered to your home address without any issues.

How do I contact Amazon in Japan?

Amazon does not have a contact telephone number in Japan, though you can reach them through the Contact page on the Amazon website you’re buying from.