Shipping policy
Every MATOI order is made by hand in Japan and shipped from Japan. There are two parts to the time you wait: the days we spend making your order, and the days the carrier spends bringing it to you.
Production time
Orders are folded after they are placed. Current production time is 2 to 4 weeks from the day your order — and any personalisation — is confirmed, before your parcel is handed to the carrier. Bulk orders of 50 pieces or more, and custom or personalized orders, take longer — we confirm a production date with you in writing before we begin.
If you have a wedding or event date, tell us at checkout or by email. We will tell you honestly whether we can meet it before we take your order.
Shipping method
All orders ship with a tracked service. We do not offer untracked shipping, even on small orders — a set of place card holders that cannot be traced is not worth the few dollars saved. You will receive your tracking number by email as soon as your parcel leaves us.
We ship with Japan Post. Standard orders travel as a tracked airmail parcel; EMS Express is the same carrier on a faster service. Both are handed over with a tracking number.
Delivery times
Transit times are carrier estimates counted from the day your parcel ships, and exclude customs delays, which we cannot control. Choose your service at checkout.
- Standard shipping (tracked) — 10 to 15 business days (about 2 to 3 weeks)
- EMS Express (tracked) — 3 to 7 business days (about 3 to 10 days)
Add these to the production time above when you are working back from an event date.
During December and around Japanese national holidays, carriers run slower than usual. If your date is tight, please order earlier rather than paying for faster shipping later.
Shipping rates
Shipping is a flat rate per order, shown at checkout before payment is taken.
- Standard shipping (tracked) — US$12.50
- EMS Express (tracked) — US$32.50
Within Japan, standard delivery is ¥870 and is free on orders over ¥7,700; express delivery is ¥3,762.
Import duties and taxes
Our shipping rates are set to cover estimated import duties and taxes, so you should not be asked for an additional payment when your parcel arrives. If a carrier does contact you for a customs charge, please do not pay it before contacting us — send us the notice and we will resolve it with you.
This applies to every destination we ship to. If you are charged anyway, send us the notice and the receipt and we will reimburse you in full — you should not be out of pocket for a charge we told you would not come.
Your shipping address
We ship to the address exactly as entered at checkout. Please include apartment, unit or suite numbers and a phone number — international carriers often need a number to arrange delivery. We cannot refund parcels that are returned or disposed of because of an incomplete address, or because they were left unclaimed at a local depot.
If you notice a mistake in your address, email us immediately. We can usually correct it before the parcel ships.
Bulk and trade shipments
Orders of 50 pieces or more are packed and quoted individually. Place card holders travel folded and cushioned, not flat-packed, so a large order arrives in more than one carton. If your pieces need to go to more than one address — a venue and a home, say — tell us when you order and we will quote it.
If something goes wrong
Damaged, defective or lost parcels are covered by our refund policy. Contact us within 14 days of delivery with photos and we will replace or refund your order.
Contact
MATOI Japan
info@matoijapan.com
We reply within 2 business days, Monday to Friday, Japan time.