Frequently Asked Questions
Here at Budoshuya.com we specialize in providing fine California wine only to our customers located in Japan. You won't find any average wine here. Below you will find answers to almost every question you might have about how we operate. For information about your order status, please visit our order status page.
Can I return wine I don't like and get a refund?
Yes, we want all of our customers to be happy. If you do not like your wine, you can return any un-opened and un-damaged bottles for a refund as long as you do so within 60 days of the original purchase date. Once we have received your return shipment, we will gladly issue a refund against the credit card you used to make the purchase.
How do you ship my order?
We ship all orders freight and duty collect via Yamato Transport USA. Please be prepared to pay Yamato for these costs upon delivery. Also, please be sure to provide your name and address using Romaji characters so that we can properly prepare the shipping documents. At present, we make one delivery each weekend to a Yamato shipping agent located near San Francisco. Usually this will be on Saturday morning (California time). Therefore, to make sure your order is included in the current week's delivery, we must receive it before Saturday morning (California time). When shipped, your wine will be packed in a special insulated container that will protect it from heat and damage.
Can I have my order shipped to a Post Office?
Unfortunately the answer to this question is no. Yamato will not make deliveries to post offices. They will only deliver shipments to a street address like your home or business.
How much does it cost to ship my order?
All shipping costs and taxes are collected from you by Yamato Transport upon delivery. Please be prepared to pay them. We do not charge any additional fees for packaging, handling, or delivery to Yamato. We use 4 different sizes of box for shipping wine. The smallest holds 1 bottle. The next size up holds 2 bottles. The next size after that holds 6 bottles and the largest size holds up to 12 bottles. The table below shows the prices Yamato charges for shipping each size box. Please also note, shipping charges are based on the box size and not the number of bottles.
| Capacity | Shipping Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 Bottle | $49.00 |
| 2 Bottles | $59.00 |
| 6 Bottles | $89.00 |
| 12 Bottles | $119.00 |
How long will it take to ship my order from California to Japan?
Your order should arrive about one week after we have shipped it. Each weekend, we deliver orders to a Yamato shipping agent located near San Francisco in the town of El Cerrito, California. After we have delivered your order to the shipping agent, we will send you an email with tracking information telling you your order has been shipped. Then, on the following Monday or Tuesday, Yamato will pickup the order from the shipping agent. Once they do this, they will also send you another email with additional tracking information. For more information about this, please contact Yamato directly through their website here.
How much duty and taxes will I have to pay?
According to Yamato, there is no Japanese tax or duty on the first three bottles of wine you import. For shipments greater than three bottles, the tax is 180 Yen per bottle for the extra bottles. Therefore, for twelve bottles, the total tax would be 9 x 180 Yen = 1,620 Yen. For more information, please contact your Customs officials in Japan.
Can I change or cancel my order?
You can change your order at any time while its status is still "Pending" by cancelling it and then placing a new order. Normally, we try to deliver your order to a Yamato shipping agent on Saturday or Sunday. When we do this, we will change your order status to "Processing" and you will no longer be able to cancel the order. Then, after we have delivered the order to Yamato, we will change the status to "Shipped" and send you an email with tracking information. To cancel your order before we begin processing, please log in to your account. Once you login, click the "My Account" button at the top of the page. You will then see a list of your most recent orders. Click the "view" button next to the order you want to cancel. You will then see all details about the order. If the order status is still "Pending" you will also see a button near the bottom of the screen that says "Click Here To Cancel." Simply click this button and your order status will be updated to "Cancelled." Once the order status has been set to "cancelled," we will not process or ship it.
Where is my order?
If you have already received an order shipment email notice from us, please check the Yamato website. Otherwise, please login to your account to check your order status. For more information about order status, please visit our order status page.
Why can't I order more than 12 bottles?
To ship more than 12 bottles, we must use more than one box. Therefore, to provide better order tracking, we have configured our system to only allow a maximum of 12 bottles per order. To purchase more than 12 bottles, simply place additional orders. We apologize for any inconvenience.
