Shipping & Delivery

With DHL (Primary carrier, 50% of all shipments)

• Area covered: North America, Western and Central Europe, Oceania and some Asian countries.
• Limitations: none.
• Oversized items (>120 cm): DHL Charges a flat 10,000 YEN fee for oversized packages and is therefore never used for items longer than 115 cm.
• Delivery: between 3 and 5 days after shipping.
• Online tracking: DHL Tracking website
• Delivery address modification: contrary to FedEx and UPS, delivery address modification to the same city is free of charge when requested online from https://ondemand.dhl.com.
• Access point pick up: yes (depends on location).
• Insurance: yes, fully covered. Usually settled within 10 days.
• Signature required: you must sign for the package, but you can transfer the responsability to a neighbor via https://ondemand.dhl.com.

Arranging delivery with DHL: the driver may or may not contact you prior delivery but DHL offers a very handy system: DHL On Demand Delivery accessible via: https://ondemand.dhl.com.
If you believe you may not be home at the time of delivery, we strongly recommend to use On Demand Delivery, with which you will be able to select one of the following option: "Change your delivery date (and time)", "Collect from Service Point", "Leave with Neighbor", "Alternate Address" and "Vacation Hold".
Due to the necessity of signing for the package in order to keep the package insured for its whole value, the "Leave in Safe Place" option is not available.
Please note that when customs duties are due, some options may not be available.

DHL has a few limitations, the package total length as specified above and some remote area delivery surcharge (very expensive fees), but also a relatively unconsistent pricing that goes up very quickly.
Because DHL offers the best delivery service via its "On Demand Delivery" service, we ship as many packages as possible with DHL.
We know how important the service provide to you at delivery is important, and when a package is shipped with another carrier, it is because we had no other reasonable choice to maintain our shipping offer.

As an environmentally conscious company, we enrolled in DHL's the carbon-neutral program, "Go Green". Using Gogreen Express Seido pays an additional three percent fee on top of the cost of the overall bill. DHL then invests the money into green projects like vehicle technology, solar panels and reforestation. More information on DHL's Climate Protection Projects on DHL's website. And you can download our official certificate for 2023 on our website (certificate are established 6 months after the end of the year. We will provide all past certificates on request).

With FedEx (Mainly North America and Europe)

• Area covered: Mainly North America and Europe.
• Limitations: FedEx cannot handle the customs procedure for certain items delivery to certain countries (such as Iaito shipped to UK).
• Oversized items (>120 cm): DHL Charges a flat 3,400 YEN fee for oversized packages. Such items fall outside of our flat shipping offer and you will be charged an additional 2,500 YEN at checkout.
• Delivery: between 4 and 6 days after shipping.
• Online tracking: FedEx website
• Delivery address modification: after shipping charged 1,400 YEN for the entire shipment.
• Access point pick up: yes (depends on location).
• Insurance: yes, fully covered. Usually settled within 10 days.
• Signature required (unless you have a specific arrangement with the carrier, you must receive and sign the package in person).

Arranging delivery with FedEx: the driver may contact you prior delivery, but FedEx will always call you after the second unsuccessful delivery attempt. Please make sure the phone number you provide is easily reachable.
You can call FedEx when your package has reached your country to make an appointment with the driver or have your package left at an access point (for pickup). FedEx contact information is available via the tracking link we provide in the shipping confirmation email.

UPS (Mainly North America)

• Area covered: Mainly North America. (UPS is also used in some cases in Oceania and Western Europe when DHL and FedEx can't offer reasonable shipping conditions).
• Limitations: No specific limitations.
• Oversized items (>120 cm): DHL Charges a flat 3,400 YEN fee for oversized packages. Such items fall outside of our flat shipping offer and you will be charged an additional 2,500 YEN at checkout.
• Delivery: between 2 and 4 days after shipping.
• Online tracking: UPS website
• Delivery address modification after shipping: charged 1,400 YEN for EACH package of the shipment.
• Access point pick up: yes (depends on location).
• Insurance: yes, fully covered. Usually settled within 10 days.
• Signature required (unless you have a specific arrangement with the carrier, you must receive and sign for the package in person).

Arranging delivery with UPS: the driver may contact you prior to delivery, but UPS will always call you after the second unsuccessful delivery attempt. Please make sure the phone number you provide is easily reachable.
You can call UPS when your package has reached your country to make an appointment with the driver or have your package left at an access point (for pickup). UPS contact information is available via the tracking link we provide in the shipping confirmation email.

Delivery to APO, FPO & DPO (Armed Forces Americas, Armed Forces Europe and Armed Forces Pacific) US territories is not possible via UPS, but only via USPS (which correspond to a shipping via Japan Post an our end). These addresses takes quite a while to deliver and are not covered by our flat 1,000 YEN shipping policy.

With EMS (Asia & Oceania, including Russia and eastern Europe)

• Delivery: between 4 and 10 days after shipping (not guaranteed; customs clearance may take 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the destination).
• Online tracking: Japan Post Website (also traceable from the local EMS partner. See the list on Japan Post website)
• Delivery address modification: impossible
• Access point pick up: usually yes, at the nearest post office.
• Insurance: yes, fully covered. Usually settled within 1 month.
• Signature required (unless you have a specific arrangement with the carrier, you must receive and sign for the package in person).

Arranging delivery with your local post office: depending on the country, the service might not be very effective, but you probably know better than us the level of service provided by your national postal service. International delivery/pickup works similarly to receiving a package from a local store. A carrier will pass and deliver the package or, in case of absence, leave a note instructing where to pick up your package.

EMS is offered only for destination where no other express carrier is available at a reasonable rate. EMS is believed to be efficient in Asia, but it is not in Europe and America due to the fact packages are transfered by Japan Post to national carriers on the way. We do avoid EMS as much as possible.

You would like to be delivered with DHL/FedEx/UPS but the option is not available at checkout?
This is possible, but the shipping rates are far higher than with EMS. Please contact us prior to placing your order to arrange the payment of the additional fees.

Some (rare) locations are not covered by EMS, nor any other express carrier (at a reasonable rate), such as French Polynesia and some remote areas. We will switch the shipping service to Japan Post standard shipping, without previous notice for those destinations. You will find a detailed list on the Japan Post website

Paid Shipping - Africa & South America - With EMS/AIR・SAL/FedEx/DHL

As much as we would like to offer our flat shipping rate worldwide, the actual conditions offered by all carriers shipping from Japan to Africa and South America do not allow us to do so. Shipping fees are high, and volume discounts are low. Therefore, we have to charge extra fees for these destinations. The fees are based on your cart content and are between 4,000 YEN for small orders (1 Hakama, 1 bag, ...), and 20,000 YEN for larger orders.
You cannot directly place very large orders online, because customs clearance issues may arise for such large amounts. Please contact us before placing your order, so we can discuss the fees and find the best solution for you.

• Delivery: between 10 and 20 days after shipping (not guaranteed; customs clearance may take 1 to 3 weeks depending on destination).
• Online tracking: Japan Post Website
• Delivery address modification: impossible
• Access point pick up: usually yes, at the nearest post office.
• Insurance: yes, fully covered. Usually settled within 1 month.
• Signature required (unless you have a specific arrangement with the carrier, you must receive and sign for the package in person).

Arranging delivery with your local post office: depending on the country, the service might not be very effective, but you probably know better than us the level of service provided by your national postal services. International delivery/pickup works as if you would order something from a local store: A carrier will pass and deliver the package or, in case of absence, leave a note instructing where to pick up your package.

Those conditions include some overseas territories, such as French Polynesia, Madagascar, Réunion, St Martin, etc.

Other carriers

SeidoShop offers a full range of services, especially designed for international sales. We track all packages until actual delivery, contact you if anything unusual happens with your package, take action very quickly by getting in touch with the carrier to solve any issue. Those are very specific manual and automatic procedures that we spent years to tailor for each carrier and each destination we have ever worked with.
Therefore, we will not accept any other shipping method than those specified on this page.

Please note that the Japan Post ePacket (small package) service has been terminated by Japan Post on October 1st 2023 without plans to reinstate a similar service in the future.

Damaged package at delivery

The most important is to react fast: Please follow the steps below in the exact order. The carrier will ask for details before he can start the refund procedure. We have very good connections with the carriers, and we will back up all your declarations in a timely manner, but we need the indicated steps to be followed, first.

1. Contact the carrier asap to fill in the complaint. You will be asked to take pictures of the package, including the packaging (whether it shows extensive signs of damage from the outside and the inside) and pictures of the damaged product.
2. Send us via email a copy of the complaint, pictures included.
3. We transfer these pictures to our related account manager in Japan.
4. We usually receive an answer within 2 or 3 business days.
5. We get back to you with the record of our account manager.
6. If the carrier confirms the claim in your favor, we process according to your decision (financial compensation or reship of the product)
   If the carrier denies his responsibility, we will work together to find a solution that fits both parties - in this case, as well, we will not let you down!

• With DHL/UPS/FedEx: Usually settled within a week or two.
• With Japan Post EMS: Usually settled within a month, but may take up to 8 weeks in some complicated cases.

You are afraid your package might be lost ?

Do not worry; we are here to help. Actually, we may even have noticed it before you (90% of the time) and already taken action. We have our own custom tools that send us alerts if a package is stuck at the same location for more than a few days.
If we think something might be wrong, we immediately take action, get in touch with the carrier to locate the package.

Is it lost ? UPS/FedEx odd tracking status
If your parcel seems to travel back and forth between your country and several Asian and European countries, it is perfectly normal!
The parcel is registered on the carrier's server by SeidoShop and later picked up by the carrier. (On business days only, so if your parcel is registered as expedited on a Saturday, it is shipped the following Monday.)
The parcels, leaving Japan with destination to your country, are passing various transit sites including China, India, and Germany, for example. The customs clearance information for your package is transmitted to the customs service of your country. It looks as if your package has already arrived in your country, which is actually not the case. The goods are cleared for import BEFORE they arrive, which saves time.

And what if it really got lost? Do not contact us immediately; please follow the steps below.

1. The first thing to do is to contact the carrier on your end. Including the time difference and the time to translate our request placed in Japan to an oversea carrier's department, it is a lot faster if you get in touch with them directly in your country.
2. If they cannot locate your package, please contact us with the details of the carrier's answer.
3. If not done automatically, we will send a localization request to the carrier, pushing at the highest level for the case to be handled asap.
4. 90% of the time, the package is found and delivered before we get the result of the investigation.
   If your package is declared lost (takes about 7 to 10 days with UPS/FedEx, and about a month with Japan Post), we reship the order when we have the confirmation from the carrier.

• With DHL/UPS/FedEx : Usually settled within a week or two.
• With Japan Post EMS: Usually settled within a month, but may take up to 8 weeks in some complicated cases.

Package returned to sender

If you wish to return/cancel your order after it has been shipped, accept the package and then send it back. Please check the "Returns and Refund Policy" for more information.

• Most of the time, we will contact you shortly after your package tracking shows the "Returned to sender" status, but we cannot guarantee to catch all orders before they are sent back.
• If you realize your package is being sent back, please contact the carrier immediately.
• If the package is sent back for no reason (your address is correct and you did not fail to contact the carrier to arrange the delivery), we will work with the carrier to have your order reshipped free of charge asap.
• If the package is sent back due to an error in your delivery address or if you failed to arrange the delivery with the carrier, we will contact you as soon as the package is back to our office, informing you about the total cost of the return to Japan and reshipping. It does not matter if your order can be canceled or refunded; the charges for the return to Japan must be paid.

Disappointed by the carrier's service, want to send a complaint?

At Seido, we are concerned by every aspect of our work, from the product manufacture to the delivery, and we take seriously the level of service our carriers offer. To be honest, we do not really have other choices, as we already work with UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Japan Post, the only carriers offering BtoC delivery outside Japan. Nonetheless, we meet our account managers on a regular basis and work with them as much as we can to improve their service.

First, misunderstandings with the driver can happen; let us take this possibility into consideration before sending the complaint.
But if you are not satisfied with the service, you are very likely right to write a complaint. Although FedEx and UPS operate more effectively than other postal services, they are far from perfect, and the quality of the delivery service strongly varies, depending on the country and region, regardless of the carrier, and we are very well aware of it. Over the years, we have developed a time consuming and expensive tracking system, which allows our team to track the shipped parcels almost daily. In case of problems, we immediately contact our customer with further instructions, and when a package has arrived, to be certain there is no error in the tracking, we confirm the actual delivery by email. Despite all those measures, you may experience bad service, and the only way to improve it is to report it with as much detail as possible. Seido collaborates with other export companies in Japan in close relation with FedEx, UPS, and DHL to help improve their service worldwide. That is why we encourage you to email your complaint to the carrier directly (and add us in copy to be kept in the loop).

• DHL: DHL Customer Support Center (Twitter @dhlexpress is also a good option to have your claim published)
• FedEx: FedEx Customer Support Center (Twitter @fedexhelp is also a good option to have your claim published)
• UPS: UPS Claim form (Twitter @upshelp is also a good option to have your claim published)
• EMS: please check the local carrier's website for more information (too many to list here).