Shipping Snowboards and Ski Gears from Japan

Nowadays many people from all over the world travel to Japan for skiing and snowboarding. Snowboarding and skiing in Japan is getting very popular as ski resorts such as Niseko and Nagano are now famous worldwide for their excellent powder snow. Perhaps there is no need to tell more to the readers of this article.

When going back to their home countries after staying in Japan, we notice that some people wonder how they can ship their snowboards or ski equipment home. Destinations include countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, U.S.A.,the UK and other countries in Europe. Is there any cheap way to ship skis and snowboards from Japan? Japan Post has size restrictions for the packages they handle, so perhaps anybody who is thinking of shipping snowboards and ski gears would rule out this option first.

Sea Shipping:
What about shipping by sea as freight? Many people would think of shipping by sea first but note that the minimum for sea shipping, i.e. ocean freight shipping is a unit called one cubic meter.  If you are shipping only one or a few small packages, you will be charged for the minimum of one cubic meter.  Many charges related to ocean freight incur on a per shipment base, therefore, it would make it expensive to ship just a small amount.  One cubic meter is rather a large volume and whether you are shipping one snowboard or several snowboards at the same time, the charge will be the same. The weight of one cubic meter is about 130 to 300 kgs if it is personal effect shipments. In addition, adequate packing is a must and everything you ship must be packed in sturdy ready-made cardboard boxes.

Air Cargo:
Air cargo is suitable for small shipments.  In fact, many expats moving overseas from Japan and shipping only a small amount of goods  normally choose service by air because it is cheaper. Having said so, there is minimum for service by air and it is 45kgs. (Volume of a shipment is also a pricing factor if the weight density of the packages is relatively small.)
It is an economical way to ship your personal belongings if you are shipping a small amount, however, those who are in Japan only for a short period of time may not have enough goods to ship.  The minimum for air fright is 45kgs but this does not mean shipments under 45kgs are not accepted.
Airlines offer discount rates for shipments over 45kgs so it is cheaper to ship as 45kgs. Visit the page of service by air and have an idea of air rates. There you will see our rates to counties such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe.

Courier Service
The courier service such as DHL is the fastest method of international transportation although it is the quickest it can be economical if you are shipping only a small amount.  Unlike sea fright or air freight, the rate is available from
0.5kgs. Another advantage of courier service is it is door-to-door.  The carriers for courier shipments are less strict on sufficiency of packing and they accept bags such as ski bags and snowboard bags. They naturally prefer handling packages. Courier companies do not offer services for unaccompanied personal effects, so they will be shipped as general commodities.  Just like air cargo, the volume of the shipment is a pricing factor when the weight density of a cargo is low. This is called volumetric weight.

Volumetric weight:
Once again, airlines and courier companies take the volume of a shipment in consideration when calculating charges. The volumes are converted to “volumetric weight” using the following formula:

For air cargo, the airlines use the formula of Height (cm) x Width(cm) x Length (cm) ÷　6,000
For courier shipments, courier carriers use the formula of  Height (cm) x Width(cm) x Length (cm) ÷　5,000

If there is a box of 75 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm, its volumetric weight will be considered as 10kgs if shipped as air cargo and 12kgs if shipped a as courier shipment. If its weight is 15kgs, it will be charge for 15kgs but if its weight is only 3kgs, it will be charged as 10kgs if shipped as air cargo and 12kgs if shipped as courier shipment.

Get a quote
If you are interested in any of the above shipping method, contact us and get a quote.  Note once again, depending on how much amount you are shipping, the most suitable method will be different.