Two months ago I ordered a set of springs from one of the sponsors of this site. They are coming from Japan. I have never ordered parts from japan before so I could be wrong to think this but,I'm having a hard time believing that it takes this long for them to get here in this day and age of technology. After four weeks I called and asked if they were here yet. I was told no and that they missed the container that just arrived. So, I asked if they could fedex them to the US. I was told that would cost @$400. Which is $100 more than I'm paying for the springs. Is this the normal deal with purchasing parts from over seas or what? That shipping seems incredibly high to me.

 

Stuff that comes by boat is always slow.... but air shipping is expensive. I had to wait 3 months for a set of wheels once from Japan. I was told about the slow shipping up front and it wasn't a problem... were you told that it would take a while?

Keith

 

Yep, it is normal.

Unless they are drop shipping your parts to you from the factory in japan(which can be expensive), parts importers rely on shipping container services to economically get their parts to the US from Japan.

These containers are put on freighter ships along with hundreds/thousands of other containers. Once the boat is filled with these tractor trailer sized containers, the boat can begin its journey. This journey can take 3-4 weeks, depending on the destination port. These ships only run back and forth about once or twice a month. So if they missed having a container ready for a specific boat sail date, they have to wait for the next shipping date. That wait could be 2 weeks to a month. This additional wait time is what greatly delays the delivery of parts to the end customer.

 

It's pretty much normal. Also depend on the production of the parts. Also going through customs. I remember somebody here who waited almost 4 months for his C-West body kit from Japan.

 

these must be some pretty insane springs for $300

2 years ago i waited 6 months for a euro spec front bumper and rubstrip for my golf

 

Had to wait a couple of months for my wheels which came from England.

 

had about a 40 day wait for my absinth from the czech republic

 

I have the same problem also, i have been waiting for my Monster Sport bumper for more than 3 months now .. they said it should take 6-8 weeks .. i guess not!!! anyway, i hope it will be on the container this month or i would go nuts again!