Every order from Japan Heartful Store travels from Japan to your door in the United States. On eligible orders we use DDP — Delivered Duty Paid. Under this arrangement the seller takes responsibility for the import costs that can become payable when goods cross the border — duties, import taxes, and brokerage or disbursement fees — and settles them as part of your order, instead of leaving them for you to pay on delivery.

What "DDP" means, in plain language

• DDP — Delivered Duty Paid. The seller assumes responsibility for any import costs payable when the goods cross the border, such as duties, import taxes, or brokerage and disbursement fees. Shopify Help Center
• DAP — Delivered at Place. The seller only ships the goods; the customer pays any import costs to the carrier on delivery. Many stores call this "DDU". Shopify Help Center
• Why it matters. When import costs are settled up front, parcels generally clear customs more smoothly and you are not asked for payment when your parcel arrives.

Four different amounts — please don't mix them up

These four things are often confused. Only one of them is a customs charge.

Amount	What it actually is	Where you see it
1. Product price	The cost of the item itself	Product page and cart
2. Shipping charge	The cost of moving your parcel from Japan to your address	Checkout, as its own line
3. Duties and import taxes	Charges owed to the U.S. government when goods enter the country — customs duty, plus import taxes — together with any brokerage or disbursement fee charged by the carrier for clearing your parcel through U.S. Customs. A brokerage fee is a service fee charged by the carrier, not a government tax.	See the section below
4. U.S. state sales tax	A state-level sales tax, where that state requires it. It is not a customs duty, and it is calculated differently.	Checkout, where applicable

When duties and import taxes appear

U.S. state sales tax is handled separately from customs, and is shown at checkout where the destination state requires it.

[CONFIRM: state sales tax treatment — registered states, exempt states, marketplace-facilitator handling]

Who is eligible

DDP applies to eligible orders. Where DDP applies, your checkout shows the complete amount for your order.

Some combinations may not qualify — for example a particular product, destination, or shipping method. If a combination is not DDP-eligible, ordinary import rules apply: any duties, import taxes, and brokerage fees are then payable by you to the carrier, and your checkout will reflect that. We never apply DDP to an order where it doesn't actually hold.

Eligible destination: the United States.

[CONFIRM: whether coverage is U.S. mainland only — and whether Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and APO/FPO addresses qualify]

Will I be asked to pay anything when the parcel arrives?

If DDP applies to your order and every import cost has been settled up front, you should not be asked to pay duties or import taxes at delivery. That is the entire point of the arrangement.

There are limited situations where a charge can still arise, and we would rather you know them now:

• Your order was not DDP-eligible, so normal DDU/DAP terms applied.
• Customs re-assessed your parcel after the fact — for instance, if the declared value or classification was disputed.
• The parcel had to be redirected or redelivered to a remote or restricted location.
• You asked us to change the shipping address after the order was placed.

If any of these happen, we will contact you first and explain the position before you are asked for anything.

DDP and free shipping

We offer free worldwide shipping on qualifying orders over US$250 (or the local equivalent), for eligible shipments up to 2 kg.

Please read that as two separate things:

• Free shipping means the shipping charge is US$0. It does not, by itself, mean duties and import taxes are covered.
• DDP is what governs duties and import taxes.

An order can be free-shipping and DDP-eligible at the same time — but the two are separate promises, so we state them separately.

[CONFIRM: how shipping is charged above 2 kg, and whether over-2 kg items remain DDP-eligible]

Shipping methods and delivery times for the U.S.

We offer three shipping services for orders delivered to the United States. All delivery times below are estimates for U.S. destinations, counted in business days (Monday–Friday).

Shipping service	Estimated delivery to the U.S.	Best for
Express Shipping	2–5 business days	When you need your order as soon as possible
Standard Shipping	4–7 business days	A balanced choice between speed and cost
Economy Shipping	14–20 business days	When price matters more than speed

Please note two things about these timings:

• These are delivery times after dispatch, and do not include our 1–3 business day processing period, which is counted from the moment your order is placed.
• They are estimates, not guarantees. Customs clearance, weather, carrier delays, national holidays, and remote delivery areas can all move them.

We use trusted international carriers, including FedEx, DHL, EMS (Japan Post), OCS, and Yamato Transport. The exact carrier is selected based on your destination, the service you choose, and the conditions of your order.

DDP-eligible shipping methods: [CONFIRM: Express / Standard / Economy / all three]

[CONFIRM: whether all three services are offered on every product, or whether availability varies by product category, weight, or destination]

[CONFIRM: which carrier or carriers each of the three services maps to, so this table and our Shipping Policy describe the same services]

If you want to return an order

Our Return & Refund Policy allows a voluntary return request within 14 days after delivery, provided the item is unused, unaltered, and complete with its original packaging, tags, and accessories.

For a voluntary return, the customer is responsible for return-related costs, which the policy defines to include return shipping, tracking, insurance, customs duties, import or export taxes, VAT, brokerage, and customs-clearance fees. Approved refunds are generally submitted to the original payment method within 5–10 business days after approval.

About the duties you paid through DDP: because those amounts are remitted to the authorities, they are not something we can simply hand back. If a duty refund or drawback is available to you, it is generally claimed directly from the relevant customs or tax authority. We will provide the documentation you need to make that claim, and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot recover.

[CONFIRM: whether DDP-collected duties and import taxes are refundable, and the operational process for a refund claim]

If a parcel is refused

If a parcel is refused, left uncollected beyond the carrier's holding period, marked unclaimed, or returned because the customer did not pay the applicable import charges, it comes back to us. We then review the product on arrival.

Where the law permits, the actual costs caused by the failed delivery may be deducted from any eligible refund — the policy lists original shipping charges, return shipping, carrier charges, customs-clearance charges, customs duties, import taxes, brokerage fees, storage fees, redelivery fees, and handling charges. If those costs exceed the value of the product, no refund may be due.

Simply put: please don't refuse a parcel without talking to us first. Write to us and we will work out the best route together.

Possible exceptions

Even with DDP, a few things sit outside our control, and we would rather flag them than surprise you:

• Remote and restricted areas. Some addresses are served only by limited delivery networks, and a redelivery or remote-area charge can apply — and Economy service may not reach them at all.
• Restricted products. Some items — for example those containing lithium batteries, alcohol, or certain food and cosmetic products — are subject to additional U.S. import requirements, and some may not be permitted on every service.
• Address limitations. P.O. boxes, APO/FPO addresses, and some freight-forwarding addresses may not be supported.
• Oversized or heavy parcels. Shipments above the weight allowance for free shipping are priced separately.

Our commitment is simple: if your specific order cannot use DDP, we will tell you before you are affected, not after.

[CONFIRM: excluded product categories; excluded destinations (remote areas, P.O. boxes, APO/FPO, freight forwarders); weight and size limits]

Frequently asked questions

What does DDP mean?

DDP stands for Delivered Duty Paid. Under this arrangement the seller — us — takes responsibility for the import costs that can become payable when goods cross the border, such as duties, import taxes, and brokerage or disbursement fees.

Will I have to pay anything when my parcel arrives?

If DDP applies to your order and all import costs were settled up front, you should not be asked to pay duties or import taxes at delivery. If your order wasn't DDP-eligible, normal import rules apply and charges are paid to the carrier — your checkout will make that clear.

Which shipping methods can I choose for a U.S. delivery?

Three services are available: Express Shipping (2–5 business days), Standard Shipping (4–7 business days), and Economy Shipping (14–20 business days). Times are estimates for U.S. destinations, counted in business days after our 1–3 business day processing period, and are not guaranteed.

Is delivery faster if I pay more for shipping?

Yes — the service you choose is the main factor in how quickly your parcel arrives. Express is our fastest option, Standard sits in the middle, and Economy is our most economical option. Whichever you choose, processing time before dispatch is the same.

Is U.S. state sales tax the same as a customs duty?

No. State sales tax is a state-level tax, where the state requires it. Customs duties and import taxes are charges owed to the U.S. government when goods enter the country. They are calculated differently and shown differently.

Does free shipping also mean duties are included?

Not automatically. Free shipping applies to the shipping charge on qualifying orders over US$250 for eligible shipments up to 2 kg. DDP is a separate arrangement that governs duties and import taxes.

Is DDP available on all three shipping services?

DDP eligibility by shipping service: [CONFIRM: Express / Standard / Economy / all three]. Where a service is not DDP-eligible, the ordinary rules apply and your checkout will say so.

What happens if I refuse the parcel?

It will be returned to us, and where the law permits, the actual costs caused by the failed delivery — including return shipping, duties, and carrier fees — may be deducted from any eligible refund. Please contact us first instead.