Received a Japanese customs enquiry about an EMS or other postal parcel from China? Identify the notice, match orders, payments and postage to the package, and check the handling office's deadline and submission method. Includes Tokyo and Nagoya guidance, a consolidation index and a reply organizer.
Your Taobao or Pinduoduo parcel has reached Japan, but a customs notice asks about its price, postage or contents. Start with the questions on that notice. Match each answer to the actual purchase and parcel records, then use the submission method specified by the office handling your package.
This guide covers international postal parcels, including EMS, processed through Japan Post. For a DHL, FedEx or other commercial courier shipment, contact the courier first. If you need to ask Customs about it, obtain the import declaration date, customs department and declaration number from the carrier. Japan Customs explains how to enquire about an undelivered overseas parcel.
Official guidance checked: 10 October 2026. Procedures and product requirements can change. Follow your notice and the latest instructions from the responsible customs office.
Read the notice title before collecting documents
Photograph both sides. Find its title, reference number, date, postal item number and handling office. The Japanese titles below help you identify the document; they do not all lead to the same procedure.
| What the notice says | Your next action |
|---|---|
| 外国から到着した郵便物の税関手続のお知らせ, asking about price, postage, materials or use | Prepare answers to the questions under the notice's contact or enquiry section. This guide focuses on that enquiry. |
| 輸入（納税）申告を必要とする可能性がある国際郵便物のお知らせ | Contact the Japan Post office listed to check whether an import declaration is needed. Purchase screenshots alone may not resolve it. |
| 認定手続開始通知書 | Follow the accompanying instructions. This concerns an intellectual property infringement determination procedure, rather than an ordinary price enquiry. |
| A request concerning permission, confirmation documents or another legal procedure | Identify the required procedure. Payment evidence cannot replace permission or other required documents. |
Nagoya Customs describes these international postal procedures. An enquiry notice does not, by itself, mean your parcel has been confiscated. Providing its price also does not complete every other possible requirement.
Record the date and confirm how to reply
The deadline does not restart when you open the envelope. Tokyo Customs states that, in principle, postal items are returned to the sender if import procedures have not been carried out within one month, counted from the day after the notice date. Check the date immediately. If the deadline is close or unclear, ask the postal customs branch named on the notice. Tokyo Customs: storage period and import procedures.
For procedures requiring more time, such as those involving food sanitation or pharmaceuticals, Tokyo Customs says you can contact the postal customs branch about a one-month extension, making the total storage period a maximum of two months. It is not automatic. Sending an email does not mean the import procedures are complete.
Submission methods also differ:
| Office guidance | What to do |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Customs: contact the postal customs branch before emailing purchase screenshots or other documents; include the notice number and responsible officer's name in the subject | Confirm the recipient and subject first. Without prior contact or those details, security rules may prevent staff from opening your email. Tokyo email instructions. |
| Nagoya Customs: replies and documents are generally submitted by post or fax; telephone and email are not normally accepted for submitting the answer | A telephone enquiry is different from a formal submission. Check the address, fax number and instructions on your notice. Nagoya submission guidance. |
Contact the office handling your parcel, rather than choosing one based only on where you live or sending documents to several unrelated email addresses.
Find the evidence for each question
Purchase price: use the actual order details
For online purchases intended for the recipient's own use, Tokyo Customs lists purchase records showing the purchaser's name, product details, quantity and price. Copies or screenshots can be used. Purchases between individuals may also be supported by transaction messages and remittance or settlement records. Tokyo Customs: confirming purchase prices.
Open the relevant Taobao or Pinduoduo order, then locate its payment record. A current product listing may help describe the item, but may not show the specification, quantity or price you actually bought.
Keep original evidence of coupons, partial refunds and combined payments. Explain how the amounts relate to the goods in this parcel. If another item from the order was not shipped in this package, identify it and refer to the packing record. The handling office decides what further evidence it needs.
Postage: connect the charge to this postal item
Tokyo Customs lists receipts, slips or settlement records showing the postage and EMS number; screenshots are acceptable. If you cannot produce a receipt, tell the postal customs branch. Its guidance describes an alternative calculation using postage investigated by Japan Post according to weight. Tokyo Customs: confirming postage.
A deposit into a purchasing agent account does not prove this parcel's international postage. If a bill combines goods, domestic delivery, service fees and international postage, request a breakdown and identify the charge linked to the postal item number.
Contents: explain materials, use and import purpose
Tokyo Customs asks for information such as materials or ingredients, use and import purpose. Product catalogues can support the explanation. Tokyo Customs: explaining the goods.
Avoid descriptions such as “clothes” or “accessories” alone. An accurate answer might be: “Short-sleeved top; material composition shown on the attached label; quantity shown in the order; for the recipient to wear.” If the material is unknown, ask the seller for a label or composition details instead of guessing from a photograph.
State the actual purpose: your own use, a joint purchase, buying for someone else, resale or business use. Do not label everything personal use to obtain a particular treatment. For beauty-product quantity or use questions, read the Japan personal-use checks for Pinduoduo beauty products. That article addresses the product conditions; this one helps you answer a notice already received.
Match consolidated and agent purchases to one parcel
A consolidated postal parcel normally has one international postal item number, while its contents may come from several orders. Prepare a short index headed with the notice number, postal item number and recipient's name. This is an optional organizer, not a standard Japanese customs form or a substitute for original evidence.
| Goods in this parcel | Purchase evidence | Connection to the package |
|---|---|---|
| Accurate item, specification and quantity; material if needed | Order number, actual amount and currency, order screenshot and payment attachment references | Warehouse or packing record; quantity actually included |
| Next item | Its own order and payment records | Explain any order split across parcels |
Keep amounts in the original currency and name that currency. Support discounts, refunds or allocations with records rather than inventing a price that seems easier to clear.
Hypothetical example: one Taobao order contains a top and trousers, but this parcel contains only the top. List the top in the index, retain the complete order and explain that the trousers were not included, referring to the packing record. Attach the item's actual transaction amount if shown. If only the order total is available, request a breakdown or ask the handling office how to explain it. Do not simply divide the total by two. This example illustrates organization, rather than a real customer case.
If an agent placed the order, explain who commissioned the purchase, who ordered and paid, and which orders were included. Obtain the corresponding records. Do not alter names on original screenshots or treat an account top-up as proof of each item's price.
For goods still in China, use the Taobao Japan direct shipping and consolidation comparison to plan the shipment and retain records. Once a parcel is in Japan, the task is to explain what was actually sent.
Connect each answer to an attachment
Before submitting, check the notice number, postal item number, recipient, questions and supporting attachments. Nagoya Customs also asks for your name and a daytime telephone number. Follow the requirements of the office handling your item.
Use the following English organizer to prepare your reply. It is not an official form. Confirm the accepted language, format and submission method, then put the actual information into the requested answer section or attachments.
Notice number: [copy from the notice]
Postal item number: [copy from the notice]
Recipient and required contact details: [complete]
Questions asked: [list each one]
Answers: [explain the actual purchase, purpose or postage]
Attachment 1: [parcel-to-order index]
Attachment 2: [order details identifying goods in this parcel]
Attachment 3: [payment, postage or product evidence actually supplied]
Missing evidence: [what is missing, whom you have asked, and whether other genuine records could be accepted]
Keep the submission, date and receipt evidence. If no answer arrives, contact the original office with the notice number. Ask whether it received the documents, what remains missing and which procedure must be completed next.
Missing records, approaching deadlines and returns
No purchase screenshot: request records from the purchaser, seller or agent. If still unavailable, explain this and ask about alternatives. Gifts are not automatically worth zero. Tokyo Customs says to check the price with the sender; where it cannot be confirmed, comparable goods may be used to calculate the price. Tokyo price guidance.
Still waiting near the deadline: tell the named office what you are obtaining and when you expect it. Check the deadline and any available extension. Asking a seller for evidence is not itself an extension.
Permission or other legal requirements: follow the notice and contact the appropriate authority. Order and payment screenshots cannot resolve every product requirement. If the purchase is for resale or business use, explain that purpose and confirm the correct procedure.
Considering a return or not collecting the parcel: ask Customs and the carrier about the available procedures, whether a return is possible and the costs. Ignoring the notice is not an approved return request and does not automatically produce a platform refund.
What records can YDA help locate?
For a YDA purchase or shipment, provide your YDA order and parcel numbers, plus the questions on the notice. Check which purchase records, parcel records, existing inspection photos and fee details were actually retained. Availability and format depend on that order. For self-purchased goods, the buyer still needs to supply original order and payment evidence.
YDA records can help connect the goods, orders and parcel. Japanese Customs decides whether evidence is sufficient, further procedures are required and release is possible. YDA cannot guarantee release or timing, and warehouse photos cannot replace required permission, certification or quality evidence.
Prepare four things before contacting anyone: the notice number, postal item number, exact questions, and the evidence you have or still lack. This makes the next request clear, whether it goes to Customs, a seller, the purchaser or the forwarding service.
Cover image: AI-generated illustration of organizing parcel documents, not an authentic customs notice or customer record.
📲 Download the YDA Express App
Use the YDA Express App to place China purchasing orders, view product check photos, manage packages, and arrange consolidation and international forwarding.