I hope everyone out there is doing well given everything that has happened over the past year. I have a number of updates for everyone so I recommend you read through this blog to the end regardless of your location.
First up, I'm still processing May's shipments. May's P-Bandai shipment was especially large and it'll take some time to get everything out the door. I was also unfortunate to fall ill with a stomach flu just after everything came in and lost several days due to that. My current estimate is it'll take another two weeks to complete processing with everything else that's going on.
Also worth mentioning that I have the shipping schedule for June too. Kits are coming in 18th. New releases for June include the R-Type & V-Type for the F90, MG Rey Za Burrel (sold out for June), MG Exia RIII, HG Gelgoog Vertex and HG Rick Dias (sold out for June).
Anyhow, the big news is that EMS to the US is set to restart tomorrow (June 1st). This isn't without drawback however, as Japan Post are applying a pretty hefty surcharge to offset their reduced capacity. I've already added the option to the US shipping table and set the rates to account for the new surcharges. JP are also expecting some delays from the outset as there's sure to be a sudden surge in packages.
Please note that due to the surcharges, courier may still be the superior shipping option (cheaper and faster) in a number of cases. EMS does scale much better though. So if your order is large enough, EMS will work out to be the best shipping option. It's far from perfect and shipping is still quite expensive but this at least gives more options and better scaling. If you have an outstanding order from prior to the pandemic, please contact me to arrange a suitable shipping option. Things may not be getting better than this for a while still.
For those outside the US, please note that the EMS surcharges impact all Zone 2 shipments (Europe, North & Central America, Oceania, Middle East). This primarily affects Europe and NZ as suspensions are still in place for Australia, Canada and the Middle East. Rate tables have already been adjusted to account for the new surcharges. ePacket rates are unaffected.
Finally, for those who have outstanding orders for Gundam Base kits, please note that Tokyo is currently under a state of emergency and the Base is closed. The state of emergency is slated to end on June 20th (EDIT: Looks like it's open on weekdays, so I'll start covering orders soon). I don't foresee it being extended beyond this date given the current trajectory. I'll begin collecting outstanding orders once the shop reopens. Please be patient in the meantime as there are purchase limits and I can only collect so many kits per trip.
I hope the information here helps. If you have any questions, have an order you'd like shipped or would like some help with anything, please feel free to contact me through the site's contact form.
Stay Safe!
Joel