At The Nihon Ken Shop, we strive to ensure that your shopping experience is smooth and hassle-free, from placing your order to receiving it. Here’s what you need to know about our shipping, delivery, and fees.
Just to get it out of the way: YES, we ship worldwide—so you can shop with us no matter where you live. There are a few exceptions due to ongoing conflicts or logistical limitations, so be sure to check the list further down this page.
Order Processing and Production
We use a print-on-demand model, which makes the shipment of orders cheaper and faster for you as a customer, while also reducing our environmental footprint and allowing us to offer a much larger product range than if everything were handled from a local warehouse.
Production time: Most items are produced within 2–7 business days, though some might take a little longer during peak times. Please note that certain items, like books (e.g., The Shikoku Compendium), may have a longer production time due to their complexity and high-quality requirements.
Total delivery time: The total time it takes for your order to reach you is the combined production time plus the shipping time.
Shipping Times
Once your order is made, it’s on the way! Shipping times depend on where you are:
United States: 3–5 business days
Europe: 5–10 business days
Canada: 6–10 business days
Australia and New Zealand: 5–15 business days
Worldwide: 10–20 business days
These are estimated times, but factors like customs or local courier delays can affect delivery.
Tracking Your Order
We want to make it easy for you to keep track of your purchase! Nearly all orders—except for most art posters and postcards—include tracking, so you can follow your package every step of the way. Once your order ships, you’ll receive an email with your tracking details to stay updated on its journey to you.
Split Shipments
Because we work with multiple production centers worldwide, your order might arrive in separate packages. This helps us get everything to you faster! You’ll receive tracking information for each part of your order.
Fees, VAT, and Import Costs
We’re not VAT registered, which means we don’t collect VAT or taxes ourselves. However, most of our print-on-demand partners are VAT registered and ship orders as duty paid. This typically ensures customers in the EU, US, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK won’t face additional VAT, sales tax, or import duties when their package arrives.
The fee included at checkout covers these duty paid expenses, helping make the delivery process as smooth as possible. If you’re ever charged extra fees upon arrival, don’t hesitate to contact us—we’re happy to look into the issue and will do our best to find a solution.
That said, there are exceptions. Some items, such as most art posters and postcards, are shipped from the UK by a partner that doesn’t offer duty paid shipping. In these cases, import fees or taxes may apply. Additionally, while we aim to have books like The Shikoku Compendium printed as close to your location as possible to avoid extra costs, our printing partners may occasionally reroute production to other facilities, especially during busy times.
We understand this can be frustrating, and while we can’t guarantee a refund for these costs, we encourage you to reach out if you experience any unexpected fees. We’ll do everything we can to assist and improve your experience.
For all other items, rest assured—they are shipped as duty paid, and you shouldn’t encounter any additional import costs.
Delivery Issues
If your order is taking longer than expected, or something goes wrong, please let us know—we’re here to help! And if your item arrives damaged, defective, or incorrect, just send us a photo of the issue, and we’ll get it sorted out for you.
Shipping Restrictions
While we ship to most countries, we are unable to deliver to certain areas due to ongoing conflicts or logistical limitations: Belarus, Crimea Region, Cuba, Iran, Johnston Island, North Korea, Russia, Saint Pierre Et Miquelon, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Republic of Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Wake Islands, Yemen Arab Republic, Venezuela, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Bolivia, Israel.
Double-check Your Address
Before you finalize your order, please make sure your shipping address is correct and complete. If the address provided is incorrect, it can delay your order or cause it to get lost—so double-check it to be safe!