How to Buy Astro’
Gear from Japan
Have you ever found yourself curiously clicking on a Kanji
link to discover a Japanese gear website – all bright colours, flashing
symbols and enticing thumbnails of exotic gear? It’s tempting, but how do
you go about ordering and importing something?
I recently bought a few things from Japan, in particular from
a store called Kyoei in Osaka (they have a store in Tokyo too, but it seems
less accessible to foreigners). Here’s how it worked. The specific
process below applies just to this shop, but the general stuff on exchange
rates and duties applies wherever.
The details on taxes and duties are UK-specific, but the
principle should be the same for EU countries.
Why do it?
Astro stuff – especially domestic brands like
Takahashi, Nikon, Pentax and Vixen – is once again often much cheaper
from Japan. Discount for in-stock items is common and you can expect to save
from 20% to 50%, even once you’ve paid shipping, VAT and duty. But not
always, so compare carefully.
You can also get stuff you can’t here (Takahashi
luggage?), or gear that’s waitlisted. New models may also be available
earlier.
Choosing
Kyoei doesn’t have an English option, so Google
translate is your friend (some other browsers don’t automatically
translate). As you load pages they should quickly re-appear in English
translation.
The translation used to be clunky, but it’s getting
good now. The search works reasonably well too, especially with codes rather
than names (you’ll get hits from ‘FSQ-106’, but not from
‘Mewlon’). You can also click on the logo for a manufacturer and
work your way down from there.
The Kyoei website lists on-stock items as ‘instant
delivery’ and these are more likely to be discounted (and more likely to
elicit a quick response when you enquire).
Costs and Payment
Before you commit, you will need to figure out what your item
will cost in total, incl VAT and duty. You need the actual exchange rate
you’ll pay (not the fantasy theoretical bank exchange rate).
If you shop at Kyoei the easy and default method is PayPal
and the charges embedded in the exchange rate don’t seem much worse than
Mastercard or Visa. You can find the exact exchange rate from PayPal like this:
Click the ‘Details’ link next to your balance in
account view.
Click ‘Manage Currencies’
The currency converter is on the bottom right.
The relatively new and cheaper way is to use a currency card
like Revolut. These have lower charges and a more competitive exchange rate. I
saved about 4% this way. You can just click the ‘Pay by Card’
button and enter your (possibly virtual) card details when you get the PayPal
invoice. Note that there was an Apple Pay button too, but it didn’t work
for me.
To work out the final sum you’ll pay, add shipping
(Y8,000 for a small box of parts or eyepieces, Y30,000 for a medium OTA). Then
add 20% VAT and 4% duties (yes, UK customs charges you VAT and duties on
shipping too).
Divide the lot by that exchange rate you got from PayPal or
your currency card, add a £25 fee to Parcel Farce [sic] and you know what
your item will really cost you.
Ordering
Once you’ve decided what you want, you can email the
shop to enquire about stock:
However, the order process has changed. You no longer order via email. You
can just add items to your cart and when you’re ready to check out, go to
the cart and select ‘English’ (the default is
‘Japanese’) from the small pull-down menu on the top right. This
puts it into Export Mode. When you checkout you won’t be asked for
payment details. Instead, the shop will work out a price including shipping and
send you a PayPal invoice a day or two later. I found the digital invoice very
easy to use, even if you input card details for the payment.
Note that shipping is fairly reasonable for a box of items
like eyepieces or parts, but could be expensive for an OTA or mount. This has
some interesting side-effects (e.g. a small Borg refractor might be cheaper
relative to a Takahashi than you think because it ships in bits).
Shipping Process
Kyoei will provide a link to track your parcel with Japan
Post, who are as efficient as you would expect from a country where train
delays are usually measured in seconds.
My items shipped within a few days and had made it to Blighty
within a week or so. But then you have to wait for customs (in a country where
train delays are usually permanent). In my case, the customs wait ended up
being four weeks over Christmas, but I’ve read three weeks is common.
At some point you may receive a customs form to fill in and
return, detailing the type of goods and the what you paid. Be honest, UK customs have more power than God.
A week or two later and you’ll get a weird customs
charges invoice with perforated edges like a bank PIN. Open this (careful not
to tear it) and you’ll find your total charges and a 17-digit number that
allows you to pay online and choose a delivery date.
Note that I tried to game the system and pay in advance using
various combinations of the shipping and tracking reference number. Nothing
worked, you just have to wait for your letter (no they don’t use email).
Getting Your Parcel
Your parcel is delivered by the post in the usual way.
It’s an exciting moment. Beautifully wrapped and
covered in Kanji-laden stickers inside,
my parcel reminded me of a Bento lunch box. Kyoei thoughtfully included my
invoice along with a couple of free calendars and a Takahashi brochure.
Perfect.
Caveat Emptor
Overall my experience was
excellent, but there was a problem with one item and it rather came back to
bite me, because to return it would have meant round-trip shipping costs and
paying double duty would then have been a risk. I wouldn’t recommend
shipping very delicate items (simple refractors or eyepieces ok, reflectors
maybe not).
If you do this, be
aware that you won’t have the easy returns of buying in Europe and you
should cost that risk in to your calculations (to be
fair, Kyoei clearly point this out on their website). And of course, that would
apply to buying from America, Hong Kong etc too.
