1st purchase from takahashi; please help

[Ali321]

Hi everyone, this is my 1st time posting here; I recently discovered Takahashi and is planning on purchasing several pieces; they offered me a discount and free shipping if I buy $10000 or more; it's final sale so I'm a bit hesitant to spend so much all at once, but the pieces are beautiful and the prices are incredible, and I'm afraid someone else will buy it first since some items are one of a kind.

I've been burnt by online purchases before; years ago I bought a natural white hanadama necklace from pearl paradise based on rave reviews from people on another forum; very disappointed when I got the necklace; luster was not great and quite a few blemishes; much inferior compared to an akoya necklace I got from costco. I couldn't return it b/c it was a custom 22" necklace.

anyway, I don't want to get duped again, but takahashi has been very helpful and seems very honest; they seem to really care about my satisfaction; can anyone share about their experiences purchasing from takahashi? how is their quality compared to pearl paradise? can their akoya pearls compare to lower grades of mikimoto? thanks so much for any insight you can give

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I am sure @yssie will be along shortly

she has a thread or two you will find helpful

 

[Cinders]

I would advise caution with a new-to-you vendor at that price point. I've only ordered from Takahashi once & everything was beautiful but I would never suggest buying blindly if you are at all risk-averse.

However, only you can decide if the FOMO outweighs the potential buyer's remorse.

 

[Ali321]

does anyone know anything about import duties from Japan? my understanding is that over a certain amount, US customs holds the package until you pay the duty. how do they calculate how much to charge? is it based on the shipping invoice, or what they perceive the item to be worth? is around 6% for jewelry from japan? how long does shipping usually take, and do I also need to pay my state sales tax?

 

[Ali321]

also, since they ship from fedex, does fedex charge brokerage fees on top of the import duty?

 

[katbran]

My experience with Fed EX is that they hold the package , send you a message or phone you to tell you that you owe duty and the amount you owe.. You pay them the duty either over the phone or through a text message link and they send the package on for delivery. I'm not sure how America works but here in Australia there is a duty on everything imported or purchased from overseas. Many times the less expensive packages come through without being stopped but if the declared value is over a certain amount then duty is charged at a minimum of 10% .

So I would imagine that you'll pay duty through Fed Ex and they handle that part of it. The duty is based on the declared value that the seller provides. It's illegal for them to under declare and if it's suspected to be under declared to avoid duty, the package will be seized.

I don't know how State taxes work - Etsy handles that part automatically but I'm not sure about FED EX , I'd be surprised if they didn't.

To be safe, expect that duty and state tax would be owed. That way you have at least planned for it.

 

[Cinders]

Shipping was quick. I have read that some people have had delays as a result of customs/FedEx but that did not impact my order.

 

[yssie]

I would advise caution with a new-to-you vendor at that price point. I've only ordered from Takahashi once & everything was beautiful but I would never suggest buying blindly if you are at all risk-averse.

However, only you can decide if the FOMO outweighs the potential buyer's remorse.

100% this. I’ve bought tens of thousands of dollars of stuff from Takahashi. But my very first direct purchase was a few hundred dollars. That was my personal comfort level.

Regarding import fees - best to be safe and plan on /budget for FedEx brokerage fee, import duty, and your state comptroller sending you a letter next quarter looking for use tax (which is the same dollar figure as sales tax would be in your state/county/city).