|
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
72 members (anotherscott, ADWyatt, Calavera, AlkansBookcase, btcomm, bobrunyan, 17 invisible),
2,137
guests, and
377
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 199
Full Member
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 199 |
Does anyone know how to get a piano from Japan to the USA? My wife wants to bring two of her grand pianos here to Houston. I have not been able to find any Japanese movers that can do this.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 13,236
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 13,236 |
Dear Gr8,
I have shipped pianos from the USA to Tokyo. I will check with my shipper and get a recommendation and follow up this post. They MAY handle shipments in the other direction, I just have never had need to ask.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374 |
Gr8music, I want to be any help for you on this matter, but do not know any transporters in Japna who would accept shipping 1-2 pieces of pianos to overseas. If the number of units is 10 or more up to e.g., 40, any major transportation companies in japan would pleased to accept the order. As I know of, pianos have to be packed in a air-tight container with a moisture control device. Some transporters might accept orders of shiping only one(or two) pianos, but I am afraid these transporters know well how pianos are climate-sensitive instrument.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 199
Full Member
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 199 |
Wow, Rich Galassini, that is kind of you to check.
The pianos are near Kumagaya (outside Tokyo). So far we have contacted a few piano movers in Japan, but none of them can ship to the US.
I wonder if any of the grey market importers would be willing to help? They should be setup to do something like this . . .
Masaki, I don’t know if they need to be put in a special container or not? My understanding is the some manufacturers put plastic around the pianos for shipping, but I don’t know if they do anything more?
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 11,199
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 11,199 |
Originally posted by Gr8music: Wow, Rich Galassini, that is kind of you to check.
The pianos are near Kumagaya (outside Tokyo). So far we have contacted a few piano movers in Japan, but none of them can ship to the US.
I wonder if any of the grey market importers would be willing to help? They should be setup to do something like this . . .
Masaki, I don’t know if they need to be put in a special container or not? My understanding is the some manufacturers put plastic around the pianos for shipping, but I don’t know if they do anything more? The grey market sellers ship in packed containers with 25-35 instruments. Costs for shipping just 2 grands is probably going to be prohibitively high.
Piano Industry Consultant
Co-author (with Larry Fine) of Practical Piano Valuation www.jasonsmc@msn.com
Contributing Editor & Consultant - Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer
Retired owned of Jasons Music Center Maryland/DC/No. VA Family Owned and Operated Since 1937.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 13,236
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 13,236 |
Check out the local Schenker company in Tokyo. You need to search for locations. In Japan they are affiliated with BAX, I think. Make sure the piano is well crated. It will be several thousand $$ in cost. Good Luck! Schenker International
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374 |
Rich, Is this well crated? http://e-konpou.com/html/jisseki/16.htm This is an example of piano packing for shipping to US from Japan. The piano is not moisture barriered. It is only wrapped with a thin plastic film. If this is my piano, I would seal it with moisture barrier bag and nitrogen flush and install a small temp and humidity logger. What do you think?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374 |
wonder if any of the grey market importers would be willing to help? They should be setup to do something like this . . . Used piano exporters in Japan ship used pianos to some Asian counties where labor costs are much less than in Japan, e.g., Malaysia and Vietnam, to restore or recondition and then ship to US or other countries. I think there is no route from Japan to US direct for used pianos.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 34
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 34 |
Can you tell me whether it is worth shipping a piano from Europe to Japan? I checked that there will be no import duties and only 5% sales tax. So the extra costs will only be tuning and shipping. Prices in Japan are a lot higher than that in Europe. Thanks.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 374 |
I checked that there will be no import duties and only 5% sales tax. Yes, you are right. So the extra costs will only be tuning and shipping. I am afraid you are not counting transaction costs(e.g., selecting a piano, making a purchase agreement across the countries, and so on..). Prices in Japan are a lot higher than that in Europe. Yes, you are right so far as the pianos that are made in Europe, USA or Asian countries excluding Japan.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 34
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 34 |
There is no hurry, and I can always buy that when I travel overseas. I am thinking whether it is worth buying from Europe and ship it over. Do you know roughly how much it will cost to ship?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 664
500 Post Club Member
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 664 |
Gr8music,
hope that the pianos of your wife don't have ivories..
CITES restrictions demand to have a piano sent without ivories from or to the U.S., from or to Japan IIRC.
The other chance is to obtain an official CITES certificate which certifies that the ivories are more than 100 yrs old which normally only is possible if either the piano is >100 yrs. old or the ivories are from maybe a siberian mammooth source - with certificates also.
A piano friend in germany has sold his Bosendorfer to a dealer who sends pianos to Japan because of the high prices there. The Bosie will get it's ivories ripped off and will get plastic covers on, then will be sent to Japan. The dealer knew that ripping off ivories at Japan customs cost a fortune.. I think that the legal need of "no ivories!" is independent of a direction a piano may be sent across japanese and U.S. borders.
So if the grands of your wife have ivories and the pianos are younger than 100 yrs - maybe you'd better buy similar pianos in the US, or let the ivories taken off yet in Japan and let them replace by plastic key covers..
Pls excuse any bad english.
Centennial D Sept 1877
Working on Berceuse op.57 Nocturnes op. 9-1,3 15-1,2,3 27-2 32-1,2 Going Home (Mark Knopfler)
|
|
|
Learning
by Stephen_James - 04/17/24 10:36 AM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,397
Posts3,349,379
Members111,635
|
Most Online15,252 Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|