Japan Overseas Shopping｜Rakuten Consolidated Shipping for Taiwan｜Buy from Rakuten & Amazon
Taiwan shoppers struggling with direct Japan purchases can use Rakuten consolidated shipping to seamlessly buy from Rakuten and Amazon, as demonstrated with Horie titanium cups, ensuring smooth delivery and cost savings.
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Table of Contents
How to Shop from Japan and Ship to Taiwan — Using Rakuten Forwarding to Buy from Rakuten Auctions and Amazon (Horie Titanium Cup) with Delivery in as Fast as 4 Days
Buying what you want yourself: A record and guide on purchasing Japanese products using Rakuten Shipping to Taiwan, using the Horie titanium cup as an example.
Horie Titanium Cup
The main features of the Horie titanium cup that burned me last time in Japan:
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Exclusive oxidation coloring technique creates vibrant, dazzling patterns with a variety of color options.
Exclusive double-layer insulation structure keeps cold drinks sweat-free and hot drinks safe to touch.
Exclusive special inner cup design that automatically creates long-lasting dense foam when drinking beer.
Narrow cup rim prevents lip cuts.
Pure titanium material, very lightweight, antibacterial, and odor-free.
What attracted me the most were the first three exclusive technologies ＋ that it is a thermos cup. Besides, I don’t have any titanium cups at the moment, and I’m troubled by the lingering odor issue in thermos cups, so I really want to buy one to try.
Item to Purchase:
Brand: Horie Titanium Cup
Model: Kiln-made Booster / 400ml
Style: G4B
Official Price ¥19,800 JPY (about NT $4,080 TWD), free shipping within Japan.
I checked the prices in Taiwan; whether on e-commerce platforms or from individual sellers, they are around NT$5,500. Occasionally, group buys or exhibition events offer prices around NT$4,200, which makes it worth buying.
Total Time and Cost of Rakuten Consolidated Shipping
The result is stated upfront.
Because I needed engraving, it took 7–10 days to produce. Additionally, I bought magazines, which added waiting time for the magazines to arrive at Rakuten Consolidation.
Looking solely at the shipping time, the consolidation center received the goods in just 1 day, and it took only 3 days from packing to delivery—truly very fast!
Total cost including shipping: NT $4,744. (See details in the article; shipping is higher due to small purchase quantity)
Rakuten Global Express — Rakuten Global Express
Since I was going to buy from Japan’s Rakuten Market anyway, I decided to try Rakuten’s forwarding service; of course, Rakuten forwarding is not limited to Rakuten purchases only. Other e-commerce platforms such as Amazon Japan (Amazon JP), Japan Yahoo Shopping / Yahoo Auctions, Mercari, Biccamera, and more can also be shipped.
- You can earn Rakuten points and use them for payment!
Special Protection When Buying Rakuten Products with Rakuten Consolidated Shipping
In addition to providing forwarding services, using Rakuten forwarding to purchase items from Rakuten Ichiba also offers the following guarantees:
Compensation Service: Paid but Item Not Delivered
Compensation Service: Product Damage (Please obtain a damage report issued by the logistics company)
Compensation Service: For receiving products that clearly differ from the product description or are defective
Compensation Service: If the received branded product is a counterfeit, infringing trademark rights (covered under the安心購物保障 for over 1,000 brands)
Compensation Amount: Up to 300,000 Japanese Yen
No handling fees or annual fees needed
For details, please refer to the official explanation.
Purchase Protection for Non-Rakuten Items
If the purchased item is not from Rakuten Ichiba, basic forwarding shipping protection is provided:
Compensation Service: Paid but Item Not Delivered
Compensation Service: Product Damage (Please obtain a damage report issued by the logistics company)
For details, please refer to the official instructions.
Shipping Fee Calculation and Quotation
You can use the official tool to estimate the shipping cost.
https://globalexpress.rakuten.co.jp/estimate/?l-id=top_estimate
Shipping Methods and Taiwan Shipping Rates
https://globalexpress.rakuten.co.jp/help/delivery
https://globalexpress.rakuten.co.jp/help/country/fee?country=TW
Please note that the size and weight here are the final numbers after consolidation.
Registering a Rakuten Japan Account
Go to the Registration Page:
Enter your email address, password, and English name. Submit to complete the registration.
Here is a random website issue found: If you keep getting server errors on the Rakuten site, try changing the language to Japanese to use it normally. (Possibly a multilingual error)
First, complete the real-name verification on Rakuten Shipping Service
After registering with Rakuten, you will be automatically logged in by default when you visit Rakuten Global Express.
First, click the language option and switch to Traditional Chinese for easier operation.
Click My Page to activate the forwarding service
Go to your email inbox to retrieve the verification code and complete the email verification.
Next, fill in the name information.
Last Name (Kanji), First Name (Kanji): Enter your Chinese name
Surname (Katakana), Given Name (Katakana): Fill in your name in Katakana. You can use this website for translation or use a nickname, for example: リー, ハリー.
Activate Rakuten Consolidation Address and Complete Real-Name Verification
Step 1: Agree to the user terms. Some items such as flammables, sprays, and fresh foods are prohibited for shipping.
Step 2: Enter your personal information. Be sure to input your real passport name in English and your date of birth.
Get Your Exclusive Rakuten Consolidation Address
Be sure to enter the full warehouse address including the final
白石町6–1 RGXセンター XXXXXXXalphanumeric code, as this is your unique identification address.You can click “Add Now” to directly add the address to your Rakuten account.
With this address and phone number, you can shop and ship from major Japanese e-commerce sites! However, to ensure the forwarding service can safely deliver to you, please complete the “identity verification process” before shopping and shipping items from these sites.
Continue with the identity verification process
- Prepare your original ID card and mobile phone, then proceed with face recognition for verification. The entire process can be completed online 24/7 through self-service.
But my ID photo looked too different from myself, so the online verification failed and automatically switched to manual review. I received official notification the next day that the manual review was completed.
My Page
Click the “My Page” or “Top of My Page” above to go to the My Page homepage:
If the verification process is not completed, the following warning will appear:
Please complete verification before shopping.
Your Exclusive Shipping Address and Information
Your page will display personalized information at the bottom right corner.
Prohibited Items for Shipping to Taiwan
Please confirm whether the item is prohibited before purchasing and shipping it back to Taiwan.
https://globalexpress.rakuten.co.jp/help/country/detail?country=TW
Different shipping methods have different restrictions. Please read carefully.
If you want to buy alcohol or cigarettes, be sure to check other tutorials online first. Generally, after shipping to Taiwan, you need to bring the notification letter to pay additional taxes before clearance.
Rakuten Shopping — Horie Titanium Cup Order Tutorial
High insulation double-walled titanium tumbler made in a kiln at 1055℃. Allergy-free, hygienic, rust-resistant, lightweight, durable, and long-lasting. Perfect as a gift for loved ones or a reward for yourself. [Free gift wrapping available] HORIE official shop / Kiln-made personalized pure titanium double tumbler horie titanium tumbler for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Respect for the Aged Day, gifts, beer glass, Horie, Tsubame-Sanjo, birthday presents, farewell gifts, retirement celebrations, thank-you gifts, wedding gifts, SDGs, Christmas
Free shipping from 13,200 to 19,800 yen
Go to Product Page ：
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This is the product page for the Kiln Creation series. To choose other series, you can click HORIE store homepage to view.
Scroll to the very bottom to select the product specifications (商品詳細を選択).
Shape/Size: Choose the style you want (please refer to the product page images; options include wide-mouth, narrow-mouth, and various capacities)
Color: Select your preferred style (please refer to the product page images)
I bought: Kiln-made Booster / 400ml & G4B:
Name Engraving Option: Whether you want engraving (online store exclusive, free engraving), requires 7–10 business days:
Wrapping option: Wrapping paper style, A or B or no style.
Choice of Paulownia Box Design: Packaging box style, WakuWaku Surprise Edition (left, limited single item) or Regular Edition (right)
Paulownia Box for 2 Sets (※Check only if ordering 2 or more and needed): Check this box to place two cups in the same box (see bottom right of the image).
Skip if buying only one.
Combination for 2 sets (example: Premium and Light) (※If ordering 2 or more sets, please specify clearly): How to combine boxes when buying two or more sets. If it’s troublesome, it’s faster to add them separately to the cart.
If buying only one, you can skip this.
Name Engraving Type ※If ordering 2 or more single name-engraved items, please add them to the cart one by one: No engraving (no engraving needed), you can skip the fields below. If engraving is needed, please select the style and enter the text for each line according to the product page image:
Name engraving line 1
Name engraving second line
Name engraving on the 3rd line
Name engraving line 4
Please note that if you want engraving, add each item to the cart separately. Do not write the engraving text in the product details.
I chose engraving style B (see image at the end).
Gift Wrapping and Greeting Card Style, Content:
Content of Noshi: Type of congratulatory message, such as “Congratulations,” “Happy Birthday,” etc. If not needed, select “No Noshi.”
Types of Noshi: Styles of congratulatory labels, as shown in the image below. If not needed, select “No Noshi.”
Types of Mizuhiki for Noshi: Styles of decorative cords for congratulatory envelopes, as shown below. If not needed, select “No Noshi.”
Name to be written on the noshi (gift giver) ※For joint names, please insert “・” between names. If you want furigana for occasions like thank-you gifts, please also enter furigana. If over 20 characters, please write in the remarks column: Please fill in the name of the gift giver to be printed on the gift wrapping (noshi). For multiple names, insert “・” between them; leave blank if not applicable.
Add to Cart and Complete Checkout
After filling in the product specifications, click “かごに追加” to add to the cart. For the delivery address, select our Rakuten Shipping’s “Kanagawa Prefecture.” Below, the estimated delivery time to Rakuten Shipping and free shipping will be shown. Once everything is set, click the cart at the top to checkout:
After confirming the product specifications are correct, click “Proceed to Purchase” on the right side.
Shipping Address: For delivery information, you can directly select the newly added Rakuten forwarding address or add a forwarding address yourself (please make sure to enter the complete address including the final number).
Payment Method: For payment, I used a credit card directly (since it’s a purchase from Japan, check which banks offer promotions).
After confirming everything is correct, click “注文を確定する” to complete the order.
HORIE Engraving Confirmation
If you choose to add engraving, HORIE will send you a confirmation after receiving the order. If everything is fine, reply with “ご送付いただいたレイアウトを確認しました。問題ございませんので製作を進めてください。” to let them start production.
He will also send a message to inform the shipping time.
Seller Shipping and Rakuten Consolidation Delivery Notification
After receiving the HORIE shipping notification, it takes about 1–3 days to arrive at the Rakuten consolidation warehouse.
Shipping from Amazon JP to Rakuten Consolidation Center
This time, besides buying the HORIE titanium cup, I also purchased a magazine from Amazon JP in Japan, planning to ship them together via consolidated shipping to Taiwan.
On shopping websites, simply remember to fill in the shipping address and contact phone number (use the forwarding service’s) according to your Rakuten forwarding delivery information.
(Non-Rakuten Market Shopping) Pre-Registration for Package Arrival
For items not purchased directly from Rakuten, it is recommended to register them with the forwarding service after placing the order.
Click “Cargo List” → “Register/Confirm”
Enter store, product information, and amount purchased from other platforms.
Amazon JP Purchase - Rakuten Shipping Arrival Notification
After completing the order, wait for the seller to ship the item. You will be notified once it arrives at the Rakuten forwarding center.
Rakuten Consolidated Shipping to Taiwan
Rakuten Global Express offers free storage of goods for up to 30 days. Once all items have arrived, you can request packaging and shipment.
Delivered items: A total of three.
Click “Cargo List”:
Click “Submit Packaging Request”
Confirm the contents of the merged package for shipping, and if correct, click “Confirm Shipment of Package.”
Click “Select other paid packaging services.”
You can choose packaging services: (Click the i icon for illustrated instructions)
Remove packaging boxes, shoe boxes, flyers, catalogs, invoices, etc.: to reduce weight and volume, saving shipping costs.
Package Waterproofing Treatment
Use reinforced boxes for international shipping: I chose this option, which means using a large cardboard box plus bubble wrap to protect your items.
Packaging Request (Choose Shipping Location)
Enter shipping address:
- Passport English name, English address, your phone number (remove the leading 0 and replace it with 886)
After submission, the status will change to: Packaging in progress. Please wait for the process to complete before making payment and shipping.
I received the packaging completion notification the next morning.
Pay Consolidation Shipping Fee and Shipping Request
Status: Pending Payment.
Click “Shipment List” → “Pending Payment” shipments → “Proceed to Payment”.
Final size and weight: 2,330 g, 38 x 30 x 21 cm
Confirm the package contents and recipient information. If correct, click “Select Shipping Method.”
You can choose:
DHL Express (Super Express Air): 1–3 days 9,100 yen
According to a friend’s advice, if you use DHL, remember to apply for tax payment before delivery to avoid extra handling fees if customs inspects and charges additional duties.EMS Express Air Shipping: 3–8 days 6,550 JPY (I chose this, actually received in 2 days, very fast)
ECMS Economy Air Shipping: 6–11 days 6,280 JPY
Sea shipping: 20–40 days, 5,620 yen
The price is similar to the estimate from the Cost Estimation Tool.
Next, enter your credit card or PayPal information to complete the payment:
Shipping fees also earn Rakuten points (1%)!
Shipping Consignment Completed
Status will change to: Shipping in progress.
Complete EZWay Registration
If you have no experience buying items from overseas, be sure to complete the EZWay real-name verification by downloading the EZWay App, registering, and completing the verification.
Rakuten Consolidated Shipping Dispatch
Rakuten will send a notification after shipping is completed, including a tracking number to check the package status.
The shipping origin might not be found immediately; check again after some time and it will appear.
Waiting for delivery!
Up to this point, registration on the Japan Rakuten site, using Rakuten consolidation service, placing orders, shipping, sending back to Taiwan, and EZWay are all completed. Now just wait for the goods to arrive!
Rakuten Consolidated Shipping, Horie Titanium Cup Unboxing
10/14 Requested Rakuten shipping, received it on 10/16!
The two cups plus one magazine actually fit in a small box.
Covered with Japanese-style warning stickers.
The reinforced box for international shipping means adding this cardboard box plus shockproof paper packaging around and at the bottom.
The above is the magazine bought from Amazon (the paper packaging was damaged during shipping, but the contents are intact), and below is the Horie titanium cup.
The Horie titanium cup’s original sealed box was placed intact inside the Rakuten forwarding box.
It seems you can choose to remove the original packaging during consolidation to reduce volume and weight, saving on shipping costs.
Contents: 2 titanium cups.
Horie Titanium Cup
The overall colors, patterns, and gradients are very vivid and magical, beautifully surreal.
Open a bottle of draft beer immediately and add ice to test. The ice retention is indeed good, the beer has fine bubbles, tastes great, and it really doesn’t sweat.
Final Cost Calculation
Horie Titanium Cup Kiln-Made Booster / 400ml ¥19,800 — NT $4,079
Shipping cost per person: NT$665
Customs Duty: Not charged
Total: NT $4,744 purchased.
Because titanium cups are very light, it makes sense to find a few people to buy together and share the shipping cost. This could bring the price down to around NT4,200. I only bought two, so the shipping cost was a bit expensive.
Of course, the best deal is still to buy directly at Japanese department stores and get a tax refund! The estimated price is around NT$3,600.
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to contact me.
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