Shipping policy

Shipping

OTAKUWA is an import business. We source every title from official retailers, publishers and authorised distributors in Japan and China — the same editions sold domestically in those markets, not reprints. That is what makes the catalogue possible, and it is also why our timelines are longer than a local bookshop's. We would rather state that plainly than promise a date we cannot hold.

How an order is handled

1. Sourcing (2–7 business days). We place your order with our supplier in Japan or China and confirm the item, edition and condition.
2. Inspection and packing. Books are checked and packed with corner and edge protection. Sealed items stay sealed.
3. Dispatch. You receive a tracking number by email as soon as the parcel is handed to the carrier.

Estimated delivery times

Counted from dispatch, not from the order date:

• Spain and mainland Europe: 10–20 business days
• United Kingdom, United States, Canada: 12–22 business days
• Rest of the world: 12–25 business days

These are estimates, not guarantees. Customs inspections, public holidays in Japan and China — Golden Week, Obon, New Year and Lunar New Year in particular — and carrier backlogs can extend them. We will tell you if we learn your order is delayed.

Orders with several items

Titles are often sourced from different suppliers. Where one item would hold up the rest, we ship in more than one parcel at no extra cost to you, and you receive a tracking number for each.

Shipping costs

Shipping is calculated at checkout from the destination and the weight of the order. Art books are heavy — a single oversized hardcover can exceed two kilograms — so the cost shown at checkout reflects the real weight of what you are buying.

Customs, duties and import VAT

This matters, so please read it before ordering.

• Orders delivered within the European Union are sold with EU import formalities handled by us. The price you pay at checkout is the price you pay.
• Orders delivered outside the European Union may attract import duty, sales tax or a customs handling fee on arrival. These are set by your own country, are not included in our prices, and are payable by you. We cannot calculate or refund them.
• We declare every parcel accurately, at the price paid. We do not mark orders as gifts or under-declare value, and we cannot make an exception to this.
• If a parcel is refused or abandoned at customs, we can refund the item only once it is returned to us, less the outbound shipping cost.

Tracking

Tracking is provided for every order. International tracking can sit without updates for a week or more while a parcel is in transit or clearing customs — this is normal and does not mean the parcel is lost.

Wrong or incomplete address

Check your address carefully at checkout. If a parcel is returned to us because the address was wrong or incomplete, or because nobody collected it, we can resend it once you have paid the new shipping cost.

Lost parcels

If tracking has shown no movement for 20 business days, contact us and we will open an investigation with the carrier. Carriers usually require 15–30 days before declaring a parcel lost; once they do, we replace or refund it.

Questions

Email support@otakuwa.com with your order number and we will look into it.