Shipping to Japan? Any advice?

I recently sent a Revox B77 tape deck to Japan. It weighed ovr 45 pounds so I HAD to send it by air, through USPS, and it cost, with insurance, close to $200. The buyer didn't mind. Under that weight, as yours would probably be, it would have been less. I don't know about duty--again, my buyer wasn't worried and didn't want me to declare a lower value than what he paid me. Their electricity must be the same--again, my buyer knew what he was getting and was okay with 120V 60Hz. But I'm not absolutely sure. Hope this is a little help. More advice should be coming in. You can call UPS and FedEx on this, but USPS was cheaper for me.

I would use FEDEX as it is actually fairly cost-effective. I believe that the voltage there is 110V-50Hz and the unit will likely work just fine if it is 120V-60Hz.

As far as duties and taxes on the buyer's end, that is really his/her responsibility. It is up to you whether you want to insure the unit for the full value amount or not. If you under-declare its value and insure for the same amount, it will save the buyer some money.

Also, on the description of the unit on the customs declaration form, simply list the unit as USED AUDIO EQUIPMENT and then value/insure - if you insure for more than the declared value, they will use the insured value to calculate taxes.

It is really not as expensive as one might think, but avoid Mailboxes Etc. as they ARE very expensive. Rather, go directly to a FEDEX shippers desk and send it directly yourself and save 20% - 100% on shipping costs.

Good luck,

Dan W.

You might try a commercial carrier such as Hanshin or Hankyu. I use both on a regular basis in my business. Yes, there are duties -- this type of carrier will handle duties and facilitate clearing customs in Japan. Shipment should most certainly be by air -- both in the interest of time and the condition of the product.

I've used a variety of Japanese equipment(non-audio)here in the U.S. and vice versa with the use of an adapter. There are product specific adapters available in Japan. I doubt that doing this is a good thing with audio, so your buyer is either going to have the unit modified or has different plans/options. Good luck.