Dear Customers,
Due to the ongoing changing of shipping regulations in the US, we are pleased to be able to resume a number of shipping methods to the US, following recent updates.
What is changing with US shipping methods?
Thanks to recent developments in how shipping companies are handling these regulations, we are now able to resume a variety of shipping options, including JP Post Airmail options.
Due to changes of US regulations on international shipping, we recently made the decision to temporarily suspend several US shipping options on HobbyLink Japan until further notice but after working with shipping providers and judging from our experiences with shipping during this period, we are now able to provide these shipping methods again.
Which shipping methods will resume?
- Airmail Parcel
- Airmail Small Packet
- Airmail Registered
The above listed shipping methods will be resumed for the US from the 13th of May, 12:30 JST and become available for selection. Shipments to the US will also continue to be able to use the EMS (Express Mail Service) shipping methods. FedEx and a few other options will remain unavailable for now.
Will these shipping methods be subject to tariffs?
During the period of shipping method suspension, we observed 0 instances of tariffs being applied to customers who used EMS (provided by JP Post) as a shipping method. As a result, we have since confirmed that the other Airmail methods provided by JP Post will be safe for us to offer to our customers, carrying minimal risk.
Overall, we cannot guarantee that tariffs will not be applied with the use of any method, but so far, the actual rate of tariff application that we have confirmed with our customers has been minimal.
How do Tariffs work?
As of yesterday, May 12th, 2025, the US and China in particular have reached a temporary agreement on 'reciprocal tariffs' applied on 'Made In China' goods. This was the biggest point of concern for us, as many of our popular products are manufactured in China. Currently, China origin goods will be subject to a tariff at an additional charge of 30% of the product cost if they are applied.
In the instance that tariffs are applied, the customer will be responsible for all additional costs. We cannot make any specific guarantees on if tariffs will or will not be applied, but we highly recommend that the customer assess the level of risk before making a shipment, as the situation is changing regularly.
Should I ship my Private Warehouse with these new methods?
Currently, we have also paused cancellations on US customers who exceed the 6 month storage limit on the Private Warehouse for this month, so you can remain at ease. This measure is currently just for the month of May, but we will assess the situation again in June to see if this requires an extension.
We are open to customer feedback on this topic, so if you've had experiences with US tariffs, we'd like to hear from you so we can give the best possible to experience to our customers.
Thank you for your continued support of HobbyLink Japan,
HLJ Team
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