Does anyone know how to get a piano from Japan to the USA? My wife wants to bring two of her grand pianos here to Houston. I have not been able to find any Japanese movers that can do this.

Dear Gr8,

I have shipped pianos from the USA to Tokyo. I will check with my shipper and get a recommendation and follow up this post. They MAY handle shipments in the other direction, I just have never had need to ask.

The PTG has their whole industry database online now, including international movers:
http://ptg.org/resourceDirectory-searchCategory.php?Submit2=Search+by+Category

--Cy--

Gr8music,
I want to be any help for you on this matter, but do not know any transporters in Japna who would accept shipping 1-2 pieces of pianos to overseas. If the number of units is 10 or more up to e.g., 40, any major transportation companies in japan would pleased to accept the order.
As I know of, pianos have to be packed in a air-tight container with a moisture control device. Some transporters might accept orders of shiping only one(or two) pianos, but I am afraid these transporters know well how pianos are climate-sensitive instrument.

Wow, Rich Galassini, that is kind of you to check.

The pianos are near Kumagaya (outside Tokyo). So far we have contacted a few piano movers in Japan, but none of them can ship to the US.

I wonder if any of the grey market importers would be willing to help? They should be setup to do something like this . . .

Masaki, I don’t know if they need to be put in a special container or not? My understanding is the some manufacturers put plastic around the pianos for shipping, but I don’t know if they do anything more?

The grey market sellers ship in packed containers with 25-35 instruments. Costs for shipping just 2 grands is probably going to be prohibitively high.

Check out the local Schenker company in Tokyo. You need to search for locations. In Japan they are affiliated with BAX, I think.

Make sure the piano is well crated[/b]. It will be several thousand $$ in cost.

Good Luck!

Schenker International

Rich,
Is this well crated?

http://e-konpou.com/html/jisseki/16.htm

This is an example of piano packing for shipping to US from Japan. The piano is not moisture barriered. It is only wrapped with a thin plastic film. If this is my piano, I would seal it with moisture barrier bag and nitrogen flush and install a small temp and humidity logger. What do you think?

Used piano exporters in Japan ship used pianos to some Asian counties where labor costs are much less than in Japan, e.g., Malaysia and Vietnam, to restore or recondition and then ship to US or other countries. I think there is no route from Japan to US direct for used pianos.

Can you tell me whether it is worth shipping a piano from Europe to Japan? I checked that there will be no import duties and only 5% sales tax. So the extra costs will only be tuning and shipping. Prices in Japan are a lot higher than that in Europe. Thanks.

Yes, you are right.


I am afraid you are not counting transaction costs(e.g., selecting a piano, making a purchase agreement across the countries, and so on..).


Yes, you are right so far as the pianos that are made in Europe, USA or Asian countries excluding Japan.

There is no hurry, and I can always buy that when I travel overseas. I am thinking whether it is worth buying from Europe and ship it over. Do you know roughly how much it will cost to ship?

Gr8music,

hope that the pianos of your wife don't have ivories..

CITES restrictions demand to have a piano sent without ivories from or to the U.S., from or to Japan IIRC.

The other chance is to obtain an official CITES certificate which certifies that the ivories are more than 100 yrs old which normally only is possible if either the piano is >100 yrs. old or the ivories are from maybe a siberian mammooth source - with certificates also.

A piano friend in germany has sold his Bosendorfer to a dealer who sends pianos to Japan because of the high prices there. The Bosie will get it's ivories ripped off and will get plastic covers on, then will be sent to Japan. The dealer knew that ripping off ivories at Japan customs cost a fortune.. I think that the legal need of "no ivories!" is independent of a direction a piano may be sent across japanese and U.S. borders.

So if the grands of your wife have ivories and the pianos are younger than 100 yrs - maybe you'd better buy similar pianos in the US, or let the ivories taken off yet in Japan and let them replace by plastic key covers..