Amazon Japan hikes shipping rates by up to 50% amid rising logistic costs

This is 100% okay with me. I hope some of it at least trickles down to the overworked awesome delivery people. Amazon is still cheaper than 95% of the brick and mortar stores in Japan. I just can't comprehend how so few people in Japan don't comparison shop. I was in an electronic store that was selling off all stock at 30% for renovation. Everything I was remotely interested in was still more expensive than Amazon. (That being said my local small brick and mortar store computer store is actually cheaper on Amazon and I love to give them the business over Amazon)

I signed up with Prime after they started charging shipping for certain items I buy, a couple of years ago. It makes no difference re. delivery speed, but free shipping makes a difference if you use them a lot, which I do.

Given the sterling service of the delivery companies, I hope their driver-carriers benefit from this increase.

Amazon Prime's yearly subscription is quite cheap compared with other countries monthly fee.

I try not to use Amazon. They are not paying tax in Japan. wrong , Japan Amazon charges tax on domestic sales, Amazon USA will collect taxes on products if theyre over 20,000yen, under this Japan tax agency calculates the cost of collecting the tax will be more than the actual tax collected. I just bought something from Amazon USA yesterday and can verify it.

Have been using them for years. The Prime service is still relatively cheap, and also comes with Amazon Prime TV and Amazon Prime music, at no additional charge. The delivery company they use is Yamato, who last year increased the pay, and break times for their drivers. The Yamato guy knows me by name now because I get so many deliveries, and he seems to have an affinity for the fact we're both bald. So it's not uncommon for him to yell out to me by name when he sees me as he's driving up the road in my part of town.

As another poster mentioned, most of the products purchased are actually sold third party by Japanese businesses. In that sense, Amazon is more like Rakuten, or Yahoo shopping.

Any regular user of Amazon probably has Prime anyway and I think the deliver costs are useful and also good business for Amazon as it will probably encourage people to make an order of over 2000yen to get the free shipping.

There is a very long list of companies that don't pay tax in Japan. Toyota being at the top. Drivers were repaid all their unpaid overtime last year and received a pay rise, also more drivers wer hired to stop the unpaid work practice. These delivery companies are breaking the mold in a very good way. I have no problem paying a little more for the service they provide.

@Thefu:

I expected 3 pkgs to arrive on Thursday, but instead they arrived on Wednesday. Wish they'd give an option to stick to a delivery date even if earlier delivery could be possible.

They do, with Prime. Or you can choose delivery to a pickup location, ie your nearest convenience store.

@Schpenhauer - I am not calling into question what you say but is this true about Amazon not paying tax here in Japan? If so can you please provide me a link. I am interested in reading about this (seriously).

Not surprised at all the shipping fees have been raised. They were ridiculously low in the first place.

It will most definitely trickle down to the drivers, so I guess I need a good hiding?

Shopenhauer - Thanks!

The delivery company they use is Yamato, who last year increased the pay, and break times for their drivers.

In my area, Amazon uses all 4 major carriers, Yamato, TMG, Sagawa, and JP. (Similar to what they do in the US with UPS, FedEx, USPS, and now their own "Amazon Logistics".)

Without a doubt, the Yamato guy is the friendliest. JP folks are pretty nice, as well.

Sagawa and TMG not as much.

Amazon and Apple and the like, have very cleaver structures to ensure they pay minimal on profit.. Yes they will collect the consumption tax and pass that onto the government, but magically they will not make any profit from doing so.

More so with Apple, but they can use a practice to sell the item to the divisions so no profits arise. For example (using invented numbers) say you buy a 50,000 (plus tax) yen phone (You'll pay the 8% tax, which is on passed to the government) however that same phone could cost Japan division (where you transact via) 47,000 yen to buy from the supply division, which is based in a low or no profit tax country. So once they add over heads to their Japan purchase price, they all of a sudden make no profit in Japan. But the supply division made the profit of marking up say a 20,000 cost item to 47,000 , and as where they are situated pax no or minimal taxes the system is cheated.

They are raising rates because the Japanese Fair Trade Commission got on their case regarding their squeezing of suppliers. Since they can no longer do that... they have to figure another way to stay profitable while putting everyone out of business at the same time.

No problem with me. In fact, anyone who moans about this needs a good hiding.

Tokyo-Engr

https://matome.naver.jp/odai/2140400153428480901

https://lmedia.jp/2014/04/01/1625/

Main thing that bothers me about Amazon deliveries is they often change the expected delivery date.

I expected 3 pkgs to arrive on Thursday, but instead they arrived on Wednesday. Wish they'd give an option to stick to a delivery date even if earlier delivery could be possible.

Amazon is a tax dodger and a scheme. Most of profits they make in Japan is sent to Amazon U.S.A. and they pay taxes there. They pay a small tax money in Japan.

Amazon is exploits its workforce horribly. I dare say that any hike will trickle down to the employees but rather to Senior Management bonuses.

I try not to use Amazon. They are not paying tax in Japan.