Important note: we did not know this!
We left home at 0800. We got home 1900.
You see, shipping companies ALL think you are using an agent so they are unhelpful and fucking rude in most cases. The wife was stressing, we were sent to the wrong locations. And we were doing this on foot from the nearest train station. The first place took us an hour to walk there, then another 30 minutes to get to the next place. Kobe port is massive and we are not slow walkers.
We had a bill to pay for landing with was around $300 and we finally found the place to pay this and we paid, got the receipt and left for the next place. Short walk this time, only 20 minutes. At this place we were meant to get the location of our container with our household goods inside. They couldn't find it and told us we needed another paper. What paper? They weren't sure.
The wife made several phone calls and someone suggested we go to the Customs house and check with them.
Everyone is used to dealing with agents and they probably thought the wife was the agent helping out the foreigner to get his goods and she was a beginner so they decided to fuck around. Maybe, maybe not. I have no idea. But we ended up at customs.
We were sent to the wrong customs building -- but they were professional and helpful, especially once the wife explained we had no agent and was doing this ourselves. At first they told us not to worry about it, our agent will take care of all these details.
It was now 1630 and the place we needed to go closed at 1700. We called a taxi but it never showed up so we decided to go home and go to the next customs office the next morning.
The next morning we showed up at the right customs house and they were overly helpful. The other customs house we visited yesterday had called and informed them of our situation, so they were armed and ready when we arrived first thing in the morning. They saw our receipt and called the shipping companies -- who ALL bowed before customs. Especially when they took our money and didn't tell us about the delivery notice we were supposed to get. Turns out the delivery notice was already completed. So we were on step 3 of 5.
We were sent to the original Customs office to get a letter of permission to move the items from the shipping port to the customs building for checking none of the seals are broken. That will happen this Tuesday as Monday is a public holiday.
Also on Tuesday our stuff will arrive at the other customs office for scanning while we are filling out forms. The people we arranged for delivery will be helping us as customs can't touch a single item. This will clear step 4 and 5 and then the stuff gets delivered to our house.
Here's the steps you need to follow:
1. When Bill of Lading arrives pay the Lading fee this can be done directly into the bank. The bank and account number will be on the Bill of Lading.
2. Get the delivery note if one exists. If you are bringing a full container there will be no delivery note. Anything less than a full container you will get a delivery note. We used a half container, but our stuff is the only thing in the container so it is considered full.
3. Get permission from Customs House for inspection of seals.
4. Get driver to take the container to Customs (this will cost you a hundred bucks as only one company can do this container delivery without hassles or hold ups).
5. Customs inspects and x-rays items.
6. Hopefully you don't have to pay anything. Customs gives you the cleared items forms. You sign.
7. Driver takes your stuff to your home.
8. You spend HOURS setting up your house.
Done.
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