Group Pre-Order Information

When signing up for a group order, please read all of the information in the form carefully. If you have any questions, please read the guide below before contacting me.
Last Updated: October 30, 2024

Posts Related to Shipping Delays


☆Special Group Pre-Order and Shipping Information☆ (Last Updated: July 17th, 2021)



(for Shipping Method and/or Address Change)

Group Pre-Order Q&A


Signing Up and Payment


Shipping


Trading Items



Other Questions


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Signing Up and Payment

What is a "group order"?


A group order is when one person (the host) purchases items on behalf of a group of people. This is done usually to reduce shipping costs for each person, if the online shop is in a language that people in the group cannot understand, or if the store only delivers within a country that the group members do not live in. In a group order, all responsibilities of completing the transaction and contacting the store are passed on to the host; the group order members only need to communicate what they want to buy and pass the money to the host.


What UtaPri items do you do group orders for?


I host orders for the latest UtaPri merchandise, such as items sold at the Shining Store, online orders for concert goods, or other items sold at events. I typically don't host orders for items considered less in-demand. I sometimes call them "group pre-orders" because these are items that usually don't ship out until a few months after the order has been made.

If items are being purchased at an event, I will also include the word "pickup."


How do I join a group order?


I create a Google Form for sign-ups and share them via Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. For minor orders I may only post on Twitter and take requests by DM (Direct Message) or e-mail.


I signed up for a group order, how do I send money?


I will make a request for payment via the payment service you chose (currently I use PayPal, Wise, Google Pay and Payoneer). Regardless of the service chosen, I may send a PayPal invoice as a record of what was requested for you to confirm the information and for my own records. You can still pay using your preferred method and the PayPal invoice will be marked as paid.

Please wait for an invoice and try not to send money to me in advance; if you didn't get an invoice and are waiting for one, just let me know!

How do you decide the item prices?


The commission rate is between 15~30% but sometimes varies depending on the item and the cost of picking it up (transportation fees, entry ticket fees, extra labor required for trading items, etc)

The prices you see listed on the sign-up form covers commission, sales tax, and PayPal (or other service) fees. Shipping costs cover handling (time, labor, cost of packing materials, etc).


If I order over X amount, can I get a discount?


There are typically no discounts for my group orders; however, for boxes of trading items I will make the price lower than if you bought single packs of the same quantity (ex. a box of 12 can badges will be cheaper than getting 12 single badges).

If you want to save some money you can use my shopping guide or a proxy service like FromJapan to order yourself, in fact I encourage you to try it! However, the #1 advantage to asking an UtaPri fan living in Japan to shop for you is the possibility of trading "blind" items, whereas a proxy service will just send you whatever they get.


I signed up, but I want to change my order. How do I do that?


Contact me if you want to make changes to your order, and I'd be glad to do it. If you've already received an invoice and want to make changes, please DO NOT pay the invoice yet--I'll make the necessary changes first! If you want to make changes after the invoice is paid, the amount paid or refunded may vary.


I paid the invoice, but I've changed my mind and want to cancel some or all of my order.


As of late 2019, PayPal has been enforcing a new policy on refund processing. Previously, sending a refund would mean that all money would be returned without the buyer nor seller suffering a loss on behalf of PayPal. Now PayPal will be keeping the fees even if the refund is sent, meaning I would lose money for sending the refund. Therefore I've decided that if a refund is required, I will deduct fees and send a reduced amount. So please think carefully about your order before paying!

If I have already ordered your items and you want to cancel, I cannot send a refund unless I find a new buyer.

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Shipping

Where do you ship from? Do you ship to my country?


I ship from Japan to just about any country in the world, but I cannot ship to APO/FPO addresses for the United States. I use Japan Post to ship packages, which is typically transferred to your country's primary delivery service (ex. USPS, Canada Post, etc.)

Please see this chart for which services are available for your country.

Since 2020, I have also opened the option to send to a forwarding service of your choice.


What shipping options do you offer? Is tracking included?


Yes, tracking will always be included with shipping. Sometimes I refer to the shipping methods with different names, but this is what I always use:
  • Surface Mail, takes 2-4 months. This is the slowest option. Tracking is included but due to the slow speed it may not be updated for weeks or months at a time. Surface Mail also cannot be insured, so I don't recommend this option for high-value packages.

  • Small Packet Registered Airmail, takes 1-2 weeks. In my experience it typically takes one week, but it depends on the time of year and how long it takes for the package to go through customs. Small Packet is limited to packages with a combined length/width/height or 90 centimeters and under 2 kilograms. Insurance is automatically provided up to a certain amount (around 5000 yen). Additional insurance cannot be added.

  • EMS (Express), takes 3 to 7 days. For North America it is typically 3 days, for other areas it may be longer but usually not more than 7 days. A signature is required upon receipt. Insurance up to 20000 yen is automatically provided and can be increased for an additional cost. For all EMS packages I will always add insurance up to the package's value, so you don't need to make a special request for it.

  • Domestic Shipping within Japan: If you have a Japanese address or if you use a forwarding service like Tenso or Blackship, I can send parcels there. The cost varies depending on the size and weight of the package. I use registered shipping with this method as well, but typically parcels arrive within 1-2 days so it's usually delivered before I have a chance to link the tracking number.

How do I track my package?


When I ship the package, I will link the tracking number to your PayPal transaction. In some cases this may not be possible, in which case I'll contact you directly. For Japan Post tracking, please be aware that they may stop updating after the package has left Japan. If that happens, please use your country's postal service website, or a third-party website like 17Track to track the package.


Can you tell me how much shipping will cost when I order?


I can give you an estimate for the smallest orders, but I do not know exact shipping costs until the items arrive and I pack them for shipment. Because of this, I separate payments into two: First for the item order and second for the shipping (months later, when the items arrive).

Shipping is done by weight, and at the minimum it is $15 US Dollars for the lightest parcels (about 100 grams) for Small Packet Registered Airmail, or $20 for EMS (3-7 days). These estimates are based on shipping to North America (as well as Australia or New Zealand) and may vary if you are located elsewhere. If your package goes over 2 kilograms or if the size is too large for Small Packet shipping, I will send it by EMS.


How long does it take for items to be released? When will I get them?


Every sign-up form specifies the release month for merchandise, but for online pre-orders it's usually around 4 to 6 months after the official order starts. Unless it's a CD or DVD/Blu-Ray I typically don't know the exact dates of release, only estimates (ex. late January to early February). If an item does have a specified release date, I will list it in the form.

Once I receive everything, it can take a few days up to several weeks to sort everything out. If trading blind items is involved, I may hold your order for a few weeks to see if I can trade for the characters you've requested. The more people that participate in a group order, and the larger your order is, the longer it will take to process.


Can I combine multiple group orders to save on shipping costs?


It depends on the timing of each other, but I would like to hold items for up to 6 months. Depending on the size of each order, I may contact you about immediate shipping because space in my home is very limited.

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Trading Items

What are "trading" items?


Trading items, also known as "blind boxes" or "blind items," are items where the exact contents are unknown before opening the package. For Utapri, a trading item is usually one out of 11 characters; the number may be different if it is limited to one group (ex. only STARISH or only QUARTET NIGHT) or if additional characters are included (as many as 18 if HEAVENS is included).


Can I request certain characters for trading items?


Yes, you can list as many characters as you want and I will take that into account when I sort the orders. Even if you buy one trading item, you may list more than one character if you have multiple preferences. If you only list one character, there's a chance you may receive someone completely random, so please think carefully when writing down requests.

You can also state whether you are okay with getting duplicate items. I generally try not to give people copies of items, but in the end it still comes down to luck, so I may have no choice but to give you a copy.


If I make a request for a trading item, am I guaranteed to get what I asked for?


Put simply, you are not 100% guaranteed to get your requested characters. I will do my best to trade, whether it be during Utapri events or over Twitter, but please know that it's not always possible to trade for the right characters. Sometimes I receive a high number of requests for one character and it's very difficult to get enough for everyone, and sometimes I don't have what other people in Japan are looking for.

When I first started hosting group orders I used to contact people to let them know in advance that I couldn't get what they wanted, but these days I get an average of 20 people signing up per group order, and I just don't have the time to message everyone, so I state clearly in every sign-up form that trading items are random and therefore requests are not guaranteed. If you receive your items from me and don't get everything you want, it's simply because trading was unsuccessful.

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Other Questions

I missed a group order! Is there any way to get stuff later?


When I host a group order, I usually close the sign-up sheet a few days before actual online sales end so that I have some time to count everything and make the purchase. If you miss the sign-up, it doesn't hurt to ask if I can take your request, but I may have to add an extra cost for domestic shipping (usually about $5) if I've already ordered everyone else's items.

For limited quantity sales and shopping services, I sometimes purchase extra items to sell later. This solely depends on how much extra money I have to spend though. These extra items are put up for sale after I've shipped out orders.


Are you going to [this UtaPri event]? Can you buy this item for me?


If you don't see me making an announcement for orders or a shopping service, I'm most likely not doing one. On rare occasions I do take requests for individual items if I happen to be attending an event, but I put a high priority on treating everyone equally and sometimes I can't afford to accommodate purchases for anyone else other than myself.

Items that are sold at events are usually sold online afterwards, so if I'm unable to do a shopping service, chances are that I'll be doing a group order when they post online sale information.

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