Tariff Information (USA)

U.S. Import Duties & Taxes

(Delivered Duty Unpaid / DAP)

Last updated: February 1, 2026

Many of our U.S. customers have been with us for years, so we want to be transparent about how our U.S. shipping and tariff policy has changed — and why.

A Note to Our Long-Time U.S. Customers

For many years, shipping from Japan to the U.S. was relatively simple.

When U.S. tariffs were first introduced, we made the decision to share the burden with our customers by covering part of the cost ourselves.

Originally: no tariffs were charged
Later: we charged 7.5%, covering the remaining portion ourselves
More recently: due to rising and unpredictable costs, we began charging the full 15% tariff at checkout

Unfortunately, even with this approach, actual import charges often differed from what we were charged by carriers and U.S. Customs, sometimes significantly. These differences were unpredictable and made it difficult to keep pricing fair and consistent for everyone.

After a great deal of consideration, we’ve decided to move to a clearer and more sustainable approach.

Our Current Shipping Policy (Effective February 1, 2026)

All U.S. orders are now shipped under Delivered at Place (DAP) terms, also known as Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU).

This means:

You pay item price + shipping at checkout
Applicable U.S. state and local sales taxes are collected at checkout by Shopify, where required
Import duties, tariffs, and customs-related fees are NOT included
Any import charges are collected by U.S. Customs or the carrier before or at delivery
The customer is responsible for paying these charges in order to receive the shipment

This is a standard international shipping method and ensures that U.S. Customs determines charges directly, without estimates or markups added at checkout.

Why We Made This Change

This decision wasn’t made lightly. Moving to DDU/DAP allows us to:

avoid incorrect or inflated duty estimates
prevent double-charging or surprise adjustments after shipment
keep product pricing transparent and honest
continue offering unique Japanese antiques and vintage items at fair prices

Most importantly, it allows us to stay in business long-term without passing unpredictable losses on to our customers through higher item prices.

Import Duties & Carrier Fees

When your order arrives in the United States, your carrier (such as DHL Express) may contact you by email, text, or phone to collect:

U.S. import duties or tariffs
customs clearance or processing fees
brokerage or handling fees

These charges are set by U.S. Customs and the carrier, not by Chidori Vintage.

What Chidori Vintage Covers

We handle:

international shipping from Japan
export documentation
accurate customs declarations

We do not cover:

U.S. import duties or tariffs
customs brokerage or clearance fees
import processing fees charged on delivery

Refused or Unpaid Shipments

If a shipment is refused or returned due to unpaid import charges:

original shipping costs are non-refundable
any return shipping costs (if applicable) will be deducted from the refund

A Final Thank You

We truly appreciate the trust and support of our U.S. customers over the years.

If you have questions or would like a rough estimate of potential import charges before ordering, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

As always, U.S. Customs makes the final determination on import fees.