Since when can a package to Japan not have an address in Japanese?

[sin-n-dex]

I got a return to sender for "export compliance". It was going to Japan, it said Japan, and the rest of the address was in Japanese. That's what the buyer gave eBay and that's what eBay printed on the USPS shipping label.

I've mailed to Japan before, the buyer provided the address in Japanese (and actually refused to give me an English version so I could mail his package, so I printed the label on eBay and send it anyway, it got there fine).

This is another buyer who gave me the address in Japanese. Well it worked the last time, and the members of this forum told me it's OK to have other languages as long as the country is written in English, that seemed to work fine (and it actually works fine when mailing from Canada as well).

Well this time they sent it back with a bright red stamp that said the destination address must be written in English, even though it clearly said JAPAN in the address. So send it to Japan and let them figure out where to send it... now I'm out $18 in shipping, and have to refund the buyer for the item (which I'm refunding shipping, because had I known they no longer allow foreign addresses I'd have cancelled if he didn't give me an English address).

C.

[a_c_green]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

Well this time they sent it back with a bright red stamp that said the destination address must be written in English, even though it clearly said JAPAN in the address. So send it to Japan and let them figure out where to send it... now I'm out $18 in shipping, and have to refund the buyer for the item (which I'm refunding shipping, because had I known they no longer allow foreign addresses I'd have cancelled if he didn't give me an English address).

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Google Translate works wonders for translating foreign-language addresses (and glyphs) into readable English. I routinely add the English translation next to the foreign-language shipping label.

[sin-n-dex]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

Well this time they sent it back with a bright red stamp that said the destination address must be written in English, even though it clearly said JAPAN in the address. So send it to Japan and let them figure out where to send it... now I'm out $18 in shipping, and have to refund the buyer for the item (which I'm refunding shipping, because had I known they no longer allow foreign addresses I'd have cancelled if he didn't give me an English address).

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Google Translate works wonders for translating foreign-language addresses (and glyphs) into readable English. I routinely add the English translation next to the foreign-language shipping label.

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I didn't do this the last time it came up in case it translated wrong, then it would definitely be on me.

Now that I know foreign languages are not allowed on the address I won't ship anymore like this. I will take the buyer's translation if they provide it, if they don't, it's a refund with problem with address.

C.

[a_c_green]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

Well this time they sent it back with a bright red stamp that said the destination address must be written in English, even though it clearly said JAPAN in the address. So send it to Japan and let them figure out where to send it... now I'm out $18 in shipping, and have to refund the buyer for the item (which I'm refunding shipping, because had I known they no longer allow foreign addresses I'd have cancelled if he didn't give me an English address).

---

Google Translate works wonders for translating foreign-language addresses (and glyphs) into readable English. I routinely add the English translation next to the foreign-language shipping label.

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I didn't do this the last time it came up in case it translated wrong, then it would definitely be on me.

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It's a trivial job to translate addresses, really. Numbers don't change (even the Japanese use Arabic glyphs for numbers) and addresses are simply names and directives. It's not the same as translating language and speech, where nuances and choice of wording can be critical.

I have to say that Google Translate is really good with the latter (translating writing), even better than in past years, and again, translating a mailing address is even simpler than that.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

You would think that as long as the address shows the destination country in English that logically having the address in the language of that country shouldn't be an issue.

[12345jamesstamps]

Yelp...I get addresses in Japanese as well as Chinese. I always email buyer to send me their address in English as well. I assume you used an eBay shipping label. I put both addresses on my envelopes. I prefer USPS for mailing them. Something returned from USPS can go back in the mail for free without additional postage just talking to a clerk at the post office....adding the English address or whatever the problem is.

And Chinese addresses usually have their telephone number included under their address.

And Japanese address in Japanese usually reads right to left and such...which is why it probably didn't make it out of the country.

[nenu-5410 · Accepted solution]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

Since when can a package to Japan not have an address in Japanese?

Well this time they sent it back with a bright red stamp that said the destination address must be written in English, even though it clearly said JAPAN in the address. 

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This was a recent change dissed here on the boards, e.g. USPS 

Addresses in Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Japanese, or Chinese characters must bear an interline translation in English of the addressee’s full legal name (see Note above) and complete address (including country). If the English translation is not known, the foreign language words must appear in roman characters (either printed or script).

[sin-n-dex]

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@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

You would think that as long as the address shows the destination country in English that logically having the address in the language of that country shouldn't be an issue.

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It used to be that way, but either someone didn't abide by that, or it's changed, not really sure. Having it happen once and costing me $18 is enough that I will never make that mistake again.

I even came here when it came up the first time to ask, and everyone said as long as the country is in English it will be sent there and let that country handle the address in their language.

When I used to work for Canada post (20 years ago) we had regular mailings to Iran in Farsi, and as long as they wrote IRAN in big letters on the package, we never bothered to read the rest of it, I sent them, and no one ever complained it came back to them.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

Yelp...I get addresses in Japanese as well as Chinese. I always email buyer to send me their address in English as well. I assume you used an eBay shipping label. I put both addresses on my envelopes. I prefer USPS for mailing them. Something returned from USPS can go back in the mail for free without additional postage just talking to a clerk at the post office....adding the English address or whatever the problem is.

And Chinese addresses usually have their telephone number included under their address.

And Japanese address in Japanese usually reads right to left and such...which is why it probably didn't make it out of the country.

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I'm 100 miles from a USPS outlet and the package was mailed with USPS through my local shipper in Canada, so it's come back, and I can't get it out again without driving to the US (which we are not allowed to do, there are manifests to fill out and border crossing fees to pay to mail packages in the US... and my car has been searched lots of times, so I wouldn't think about lying about this to a customs agent).

I'll sort things out for the buyer. Since it's come back to me some 6 weeks after I mailed it, the best thing to do is cancel the transaction and have him repurchase. If I go send it again I'll lose an INR if he files one.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@nenu-5410 wrote:

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

Since when can a package to Japan not have an address in Japanese?

Well this time they sent it back with a bright red stamp that said the destination address must be written in English, even though it clearly said JAPAN in the address. 

---

This was a recent change dissed here on the boards, e.g. USPS 

Addresses in Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Japanese, or Chinese characters must bear an interline translation in English of the addressee’s full legal name (see Note above) and complete address (including country). If the English translation is not known, the foreign language words must appear in roman characters (either printed or script).

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Good to know of this change, that answers my question. I wish I had seen that before I spent $18 on shipping, but I missed the memo.

Also good to know, if I ever mail to Ukraine again (which I used to do frequently), I handwrote the address in Cyrillic to make it easy for the post office there, but they are fine with Roman character translations.

C.