Tomoe River Paper In The Uk

[John545]

Hi guys.

 

A while back I got a sample of tomoe River paper from cult pens, and I absolutely love it. It's so smooth, it makes my Rhodia paper feel rubbish!

 

So what I'm wondering is, what is the best way of getting tomoe River paper in the UK?

You can get it on Amazon but it's VERY expensive. Around £15 for 100 sheets the last time I checked. Is buying in bulk an option, and if so where can I get it from?

 

Thanks!

[Karmachanic]

Yup. TR is spendy in the UK. Paper is heavy - shipping costs.

 

If you want BULK bulk, you may have to import form Japan. See above.

 

For notebooks and pads;

Bureau Direct

GLP Creative

Journal Shop

GoodInkPressions - Spain

 

Or friends in far away places who come to visit.

[migo984]

@karmachanic is right. Bulk buying from Japan is by far the cheapest option for U.K. buyers. About 2 years ago I bought 8000 sheets & organised a Group Buy. I was able to buy the paper, get it shipped here, divide into 100s packs, & purchase decent packaging for posting the packs within the U.K (individual cellophane bags & sturdy cardboard mailers).

Including U.K. 1st class large letter or parcel post costs to participants it cost each participant under £9 per 100s pack inclusive of everything IIRC.

That enabled me to recover my own outlay. All it cost me really was my time :-)

[nibtip]

I strictly buy from amazon japan

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B06W51XTTX/?coliid=I1DGUBT1JUDGBD&colid=29EB3XHEYLW0D&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

be careful to switch to english.

If you buy enough in quantity the price is about 5.5 to 6$ per pack of 100 loose sheets 200 pages A5 format.

You can also order the notebook 368 pages comes with a translucent cover. About 30$.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B079XXYWMZ/?coliid=I2QLTHC03WHIFE&colid=29EB3XHEYLW0D&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

They also have the pads and some 68 grams paper.

Prices include shipping and 8% swiss taxes. Everything.

Delivery estimation, if in stock, is 4 to 10 days.

Funny no one noticed that. Yet i do not speak a word of japanese. Unfortunately.

Edited September 29, 2018 by inkking

[migo984]

I strictly buy from amazon japan

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B06W51XTTX/?coliid=I1DGUBT1JUDGBD&colid=29EB3XHEYLW0D&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

be careful to switch to english.

If you buy enough in quantity the price is about 5.5 to 6$ per pack of 100 loose sheets 200 pages A5 format.

You can also order the notebook 368 pages comes with a translucent cover. About 30$.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B079XXYWMZ/?coliid=I2QLTHC03WHIFE&colid=29EB3XHEYLW0D&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

They also have the pads and some 68 grams paper.

Prices include shipping and 8% swiss taxes. Everything.

Delivery estimation, if in stock, is 4 to 10 days.

Funny no one noticed that. Yet i do not speak a word of japanese. Unfortunately.

Those are good prices.

 

However, free shipping is only available if you spend >¥2000 and we have to be careful in the U.K. as imported goods from outside the EU trigger VAT if their value is over £15. We then have to pay 20% VAT plus the mail/courier standard flat-rate admin charge, typically between £11 and £15, dependent on carrier. The admin fee is a real killer; paying 20% tax plus £15 admin on an item worth, for example, just £20 often makes it not worth buying from non-EU countries.

[John545]

@karmachanic is right. Bulk buying from Japan is by far the cheapest option for U.K. buyers. About 2 years ago I bought 8000 sheets & organised a Group Buy. I was able to buy the paper, get it shipped here, divide into 100s packs, & purchase decent packaging for posting the packs within the U.K (individual cellophane bags & sturdy cardboard mailers).

Including U.K. 1st class large letter or parcel post costs to participants it cost each participant under £9 per 100s pack inclusive of everything IIRC.

That enabled me to recover my own outlay. All it cost me really was my time :-)

 

If I wanted to buy in bulk from Japan, who should I buy it from? I've never done anything like this before so I'm a bit clueless lol.

 

Would you have any interest in doing a group buy again any time soon?

 

£9 per 100 sheets sounds very reasonable!

[John545]

I strictly buy from amazon japan

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B06W51XTTX/?coliid=I1DGUBT1JUDGBD&colid=29EB3XHEYLW0D&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

be careful to switch to english.

If you buy enough in quantity the price is about 5.5 to 6$ per pack of 100 loose sheets 200 pages A5 format.

You can also order the notebook 368 pages comes with a translucent cover. About 30$.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B079XXYWMZ/?coliid=I2QLTHC03WHIFE&colid=29EB3XHEYLW0D&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

They also have the pads and some 68 grams paper.

Prices include shipping and 8% swiss taxes. Everything.

Delivery estimation, if in stock, is 4 to 10 days.

Funny no one noticed that. Yet i do not speak a word of japanese. Unfortunately.

Thanks for the info,

 

My only concern would be the extra charges as @migo984 mentioned

[migo984]

If I wanted to buy in bulk from Japan, who should I buy it from? I've never done anything like this before so I'm a bit clueless lol.

 

Would you have any interest in doing a group buy again any time soon?

 

£9 per 100 sheets sounds very reasonable!

If you don’t know anyone in Japan that can coordinate purchase and shipping for you, your best option is probably to buy from Rakuten, via a buying and shipping agent, such as White Rabbit Express, or similar. You do have to pay their add-on fees, but it still makes it much cheaper than buying A4 loose sheets in the U.K.

 

I must admit I haven’t given any thought to organising another Group Buy, as I still have plenty of 52gsm Tomoe paper left to satisfy my own requirements.

 

If you’re only after a small quantity send me a Direct/Personal Message and I’ll see if I can help. Best not to discuss in open forum as moderators here come down hard on selling anywhere other than in the Classifieds or Group Buy thread.

[nibtip]

As i explained further up i order my Sakae tomoe river (or other stationary as far as amazon has then in stock ) from amazon.jp. the total includes detaxed products, shipping cost very much determined by the weigh of what you buy, + 8% swiss taxes, in advance. No extra charge at delivery.

5£ per 100 sheets is a very decent price for the best FP paper out there. Il like also the notebook that equals the nanami one.

Edited September 29, 2018 by inkking

[Karmachanic]

As i explained further up i order my Sakae tomoe river (or other stationary as far as amazon has then in stock ) from amazon.jp. the total includes detaxed products, shipping cost very much determined by the weigh of what you buy, + 8% swiss taxes, in advance. No extra charge at delivery.

5£ per 100 sheets is a very decent price for the best FP paper out there. Il like also the notebook that equals the nanami one.

 

Please explain how this applies to the UK. Thank you

[John545]

As i explained further up i order my Sakae tomoe river (or other stationary as far as amazon has then in stock ) from amazon.jp. the total includes detaxed products, shipping cost very much determined by the weigh of what you buy, + 8% swiss taxes, in advance. No extra charge at delivery.

5£ per 100 sheets is a very decent price for the best FP paper out there. Il like also the notebook that equals the nanami one.

 

£5 per 100 sheets would be very impressive. That would make it even cheaper than Rhodia paper.

 

The problem is here in the UK we have 20% VAT as well as import duty if your order is over a certain value, plus a £12 admin charge.

 

With all those extra fees I can't see the final price being £5 per 100 sheets

[nibtip]

I think you should give it a try. Amazon will charge you automatically with the import taxes due to your country's custom. You should be safe not to pay any extra charges.

But you have to understand that it does not make sense to buy just a few. Price is 400 yen ( roughly 3.5 USD / 2.8 GBP) per package of 100 A5 sheets.

If i order 10 packs: 400x10= 4000 yen + package and handling 3517 yen + 667 yen import fees deposit = 8184 yen.

If i order 15 packs: 400x15= 6000 yen + package and handling 4756 yen + 962 yen import fees deposit = 11718 yen.

If i order 20 packs: 400x20= 8000 yen + package and handling 6053 yen + 1264 yen import fees deposit = 15317 yen.

If i order 25 packs: 400x25= 10000 yen + package and handling 7292 yen + 1264 yen import fees deposit = 18850 yen.

Average about 5£ per 100 sheets as John545 stated it.

If they have all in stock, they will send you all in one time. Or in two parts and two dates. It depends on the basis of their computer's calculations. And shipping may increase in the vicinity of extra 1000 yen or so for two shipping at different dates.

IF you add a S. pro gear large pen (12000 yen at the moment) there will be virtually no increase in shipping since a pen weights nearly nothing. Maybe i should not mention that since not one other seller can even come close to those prices.

You should compare Amazon platform prices. There are big and arbitrary differences. UK IT ES have higher prices than DE COM or JP (for Japanese products) for what we are interested in. Pens inks paper.

Estimate delivery date would be about 4-5 days if i put an order with what they have in stock (10-15 items). Otherwise i will be notified. (somewhere between days to weeks, usually a week or two).

Those shipping rates and import taxes are true for Switzerland. Uk should be a whisper more expensive 8 vs 20 % vat on the product.

I still buy stuff from other than amazon online sellers all over the world because very often those people are nice and it is pleasurable to spend a fair amount more.

David.

[John545]

I think you should give it a try. Amazon will charge you automatically with the import taxes due to your country's custom. You should be safe not to pay any extra charges.

But you have to understand that it does not make sense to buy just a few. Price is 400 yen ( roughly 3.5 USD / 2.8 GBP) per package of 100 A5 sheets.

If i order 10 packs: 400x10= 4000 yen + package and handling 3517 yen + 667 yen import fees deposit = 8184 yen.

If i order 15 packs: 400x15= 6000 yen + package and handling 4756 yen + 962 yen import fees deposit = 11718 yen.

If i order 20 packs: 400x20= 8000 yen + package and handling 6053 yen + 1264 yen import fees deposit = 15317 yen.

If i order 25 packs: 400x25= 10000 yen + package and handling 7292 yen + 1264 yen import fees deposit = 18850 yen.

Average about 5£ per 100 sheets as John545 stated it.

If they have all in stock, they will send you all in one time. Or in two parts and two dates. It depends on the basis of their computer's calculations. And shipping may increase in the vicinity of extra 1000 yen or so for two shipping at different dates.

IF you add a S. pro gear large pen (12000 yen at the moment) there will be virtually no increase in shipping since a pen weights nearly nothing. Maybe i should not mention that since not one other seller can even come close to those prices.

You should compare Amazon platform prices. There are big and arbitrary differences. UK IT ES have higher prices than DE COM or JP (for Japanese products) for what we are interested in. Pens inks paper.

Estimate delivery date would be about 4-5 days if i put an order with what they have in stock (10-15 items). Otherwise i will be notified. (somewhere between days to weeks, usually a week or two).

Those shipping rates and import taxes are true for Switzerland. Uk should be a whisper more expensive 8 vs 20 % vat on the product.

I still buy stuff from other than amazon online sellers all over the world because very often those people are nice and it is pleasurable to spend a fair amount more.

David.

 

I appreciate you trying to help, but when I went to amazon japan the prices seem to be significantly different. I'm looking for A4 paper btw.

 

For me, the price is around £10 per 100 sheets and that's if I buy a large quantity. The shipping and handling adds a lot as do the import fees.

[dapprman]

Of note - Duty and VAT is only covered in a sale on Amazon in your won country, i.e. the paper would have to be ordered through amazon.co.uk, not amazon.co.jp, and even then 3rd party sellers fail to say on the customs declaration and you get charged (almost certainly, at the prices, they've not actually paid any duty and tax either side).

[rafapa]

Of note - Duty and VAT is only covered in a sale on Amazon in your won country, i.e. the paper would have to be ordered through amazon.co.uk, not amazon.co.jp, and even then 3rd party sellers fail to say on the customs declaration and you get charged (almost certainly, at the prices, they've not actually paid any duty and tax either side).

Sometimes the following message appears when buying from amazon.com (I am located in Spain). I believed that the quoted "Import Fees Deposit" covered all the Duty and VAT.

 

About Import Fees Deposit

AmazonGlobal and Amazon Global Store offer customers customs duties, taxes and fees ("Import Fees") estimation during checkout and customs clearance on your behalf for certain eligible countries and regions.

Calculating Fees

When you order products from AmazonGlobal for shipment to countries or regions outside of the U.S. or from Amazon Global Store for shipment to the U.S., an estimate of the Import Fees will be levied on those items in your order. With your authorization, these funds are used by the carrier or another agent to pay the Import Fees on your behalf (or the recipient's behalf) to the appropriate authorities of the destination country ("Import Fees Deposit"). The payment of import fees is the responsibility of the importer and is levied based on the laws of the country into which the products are being shipped.

Import Fees Deposits will vary depending on the selected shipping method. The Import Fees Deposit is an estimation of the taxes and duties that may apply and isn't an actual calculation. Customs regulations and tax rates applicable to certain goods may change between the date the taxes and duties were estimated and the applicable taxes and duties on the date of import into the destination country. The duty or tax rate is often determined by the classification of a good, which varies by country and region.

Duties and taxes are calculated based on the market value (actual price before any promotions) of the product and not the price after Amazon promotions. This allows destination country customs authorities to obtain the accurate import duties and taxes owed to them based on the actual value of the goods.

You won't be charged additional fees if the actual Import Fees exceed the Import Fees Deposit we estimated. For items sold by Amazon Marketplace sellers, please check the seller's policies.

If the actual Import Fees are less than the Import Fees Deposit collected by us on your behalf, you'll automatically be refunded the difference to the payment method you used for the order. You'll receive a notification e-mail confirming the amount of the refund. The process takes 60 days from the shipment date.

Note:

• The cost to ship items from each product category to international destinations varies by item, shipment, and shipping option.
• The above terms also apply to the shipment of any replacement product that might be shipped if there's a problem with the original shipment. If you return a product to us, you'll be the exporter from the original shipping destination and will be responsible for compliance with all export laws of that country or regions.

[nibtip]

I simulated an order for 10 or 20 A4 100 loose sheets: delivery before friday. VAT, import taxes and shipping included: just under 100 or 200 £.

It is strange that Uk citizens are constraint to shop on amazon.uk. All this seem very restrictive and against "freedom" of consumers.

I guess the next best choice is Rakuten or a forwarder like FromJapan or ZenMarket or White Rabbit Express. It take time and one has to be patient. But it work very well and well be even cheaper.

[dapprman]

It's not we're limited to amazon.co.uk, it's Amazon does (or used to) block orders from amazon.oc.jp to outside Japan.

[nibtip]

Please read this: https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202003430.

They do ship and shipping is cheaper to UK than to Switzerland. Import fees prepaid.