How much is shipping to Japan from Canada?

Even from Vancouver, Japan sits a very long way from Canada, so expect shipping parcels there to be a pricey line item in your expenses. But there are some strategies to reduce the cost - find a broker, slow the delivery time, and be aware of small extra fees that can sneakily increase the price. An explanation of those points and how to manage them are explained in this blog.

Table of Contents

• How Expensive Is It to Ship to Japan?
• How Can I Reduce Shipping Rates to Japan?
• Shipping’s Smaller Extra Fees
• Conclusion

How Expensive Is It to Ship to Japan?

Vancouver is Canada’s closest major city to Japan, yet a four-kilogram package could cost well over $400 CAD and take three full business days for it to arrive in Tokyo.

Thankfully, there are other cheaper options, which are presented below, and if you look closely at the details, an interesting thing appear: each option has two prices, and one is much smaller than the other.

So, read on to our next topic for why that is.

How Can I Reduce Shipping Rates to Japan?

There are two key strategies that you can employ to reduce your shipping rates to Japan, or truly anywhere: ask Secureship to find you the cheapest rates and increase the parcel’s transit time.

Secureship

The shipping options in the table above were produced by Secureship’s automatic estimator, Secureship being a well-established Canadian shipping broker.

The rates in bold are those that Secureship can arrange for you, and you will note that they are lower than the carrier’s standard rate by at least 50% and sometimes a lot more.

Transit time

The second striking fact is the effect of transit time on price - the slower the voyage to Japan, the less it costs to transport the package.

Shipping’s Smaller Extra Fees

For those new to shipping, it may be a surprise when unexpected surcharges or extra fees appear on the bill - Saturday services, additional handling, and insurance, to name a few.

Saturday services

As convenient as it may be for you or the recipient to have parcel pickup or delivery on a Saturday, carriers charge an extra fee for that. So, with a bit of planning, this fee can be avoided.

Additional handling

If you ship goods in a plastic, wood, metal, or other non-cardboard container, it will incur an additional handling fee. Unless the goods need to be shipped in a special container, this fee should not be an issue for you.

Insurance

Depending on the goods you are shipping, insurance may be a small or large fee. And its premium needs to be considered against the value of the goods.

Conclusion

Japan’s long distance from Canada makes it a pricey destination for parcel shipments, but there are several ways to substantially reduce shipping rates. One example is to use a broker like Secureship that has bulk buying agreements with carriers like UPS, FedEx, and Canada Post. Also, extending the parcel’s transit time, even a few days, can make a huge difference. Finally, parcels and their goods may incur extra charges for Saturday services, additional handling, and insurance. Fortunately, for most shipments those supplementary expenses can be avoided.