Shipping Would you use SAL/Surface Mail to ship a doll from Japan?

I had something shipped that way and it took 7 months to reach me. Arrived in good condition though. For something cheap that isn't a rush to my collection I would, but not something worth any kind of money because I also had them lose a package and it was never found.

 

I don't mind surface mail from Japan if it's an item that isn't too fragile or too expensive, but I had several packages come badly banged up. I wouldn't recommend it at all for bjds. There's always the anxiety that such slow shipping will make the package get lost along the way.

If the doll was cheap and I didn't mind all the factors such as lost package, possibly damaged, and slow arrival then the value I would risk it is maybe $50 to $100 doll. It has to be non-bjd like Licca-Chan. If it is a bjd doll I wouldn't risk it at all. Even if it is packed well it will most likely get badly banged up once it does arrive to you. I had a box arriving badly crushed using surface mail. Fortunately, it was just a box of plush toys.

This might help you. Some questions to ask yourself:

1. Will I be devastated if the item was lost or damaged?

2. How much do I value this item emotinally?

3. Is the cost you paid for the item worth risking damage?

These questions helps me. For example, I buy BTS items from Japan and I wouldn't use surface mail on BTS items since i would be devastated if it got lost or damaged and I'm deeply attached to anything BTS related. Also BTS items tend to be expensive because I might have to buy multiples to get the pc I want. For plush toys I don't care too much if it gets lost or damaged. Most times the plush is not too pricey. I'm not that attached to the plushies I buy because I have so many. There is no real deep emotinal connection i feel to the plush unless I have it for years.

 

I wouldn't do it for anything that I'd miss.

I've had surface packages take anywhere from 3 to 10 months to reach me. There isn't any real tracking and my uses of it are minimal solely because if I'm going through the trouble of proxying from Japan I probably also want the item to show up. Plus by about month 6 you start thinking the $60 or so in shipping saved might have been worth it to pay anyway.

 

I studied in Japan and bought some dolls during that period, and I shipped most of them back by surface, unstrung and in boxes with other personal possessions. They took about three months, and arrived safely. Surface has actually gotten pretty expensive lately though, I’d probably just send by air at the moment.