Introducing Hobonichi Store's new Hold Shipment option.

Here are 3 good reasons to use the Shipment Hold option.

We’ve added a new option to the Hobonichi Store that allows you to put your shipping on hold. This can be incredibly convenient for people who want to buy several items with different release dates and ship them together, people who will be away from home when the package might arrive, and people who can’t make up their mind whether to buy an item that might sell out too quickly. It’s a little lifesaver that’s easy to use, so let’s take a closer look.

Miss A wants to save on shipping.

Techo, folding fan, haramaki... I want to buy all kinds of things, but they all go on sale on a different date! I wish I could get them all and ship them together when I’m ready.

Mrs. B is going on a trip.

I’m going to be out of town for over a week, and the package might arrive while I’m gone! Is there any way to delay shipping until I’m home to accept it?

Mr. C is getting ready to move.

I’m moving this month, and even if my package does come on time, I’m going to lose it among my sea of boxes! I’d like to have it sent to my new house.
　

Ms. D can’t make up her mind.

I want to think this purchase over a little more, but it might sell out before I make up my mind! I need a little more time.
　
　

Shipment Hold will aside set your order
for up to 70 days.

Here at Hobonichi, we communicate with customers every day about questions and problems with the store. As we brainstormed how we could continue to improve the store and make it easier to use, we realized that a fair amount of the issues could be solved with one solution—give customers the ability to place their order on hold. That’s when we came up with the Shipment Hold button in Hobonichi Store account.

Shipment Hold is an option that’s available after placing an order. This will take your completed order and set it aside for up to 70 days after the initial order date, so it doesn’t ship before you’re ready for it. If you do not release your order from Shipment Hold, it will automatically ship after 70 days. You can find details and instructions about using Shipment Hold here.

There’s a “merge” option available in the store whenever you make a new order while having a previous order that hasn’t entered shipping preparations yet.

We try to ship out our packages as soon as possible, so most items in the store are out the door in 1-3 business days. Some orders are even sent immediately to shipping on the very day they were ordered, and once preparations begin, the order cannot be merged with anything.

So, for instance, if one item goes on sale on Monday, and another item goes on sale on Tuesday, and you wait until Tuesday to buy both, it’s possible that the Monday item sells out the day it goes on sale. If you were waiting one more day so you could buy both items, you’d have lost the opportunity to buy the first item.

That’s one of the reasons it’s a good idea to use the Hold Shipment option. You would buy the very first available item you want, and then go back and hold the shipping right away. This will keep your order available for modifying, and start the clock on the 70-day hold period. Then you can add the rest of the items you want as they become available.

Caution: Some items are not elegible for Shipment Hold!

Food items* and products with expiration dates, including event tickets, cannot be placed on Shipment Hold. Please use caution when purchasing these items in addition to other items you want to hold shipment for, because when Shipment Hold is unavailable, the button will not show up at all next to your order details. In addition, some items may be unavailable for Shipment Hold due to special packaging procedures or distribution through a different company than we usually use.

*Food items are not available for international shipping.

Q: Can I use Shipment Hold anytime?

A: You can place your order on Shipment Hold at any point, as long as it is displayed as “Order Received,” which is before it has entered shipping preparations. As it may enter shipping preparations at any moment, we recommend turning on Shipment Hold immediately after placing your order.

Q: Can I extend the 70-day limit for shipping holds?

A: The Shipment Hold function starts the clock from the time you placed the order of what you’re holding, so there is no way to extend the 70-day limit.

Q: How can I tell if I’m able to use Shipment Hold, or merge to an order?

A: There’s no place at the moment that you can refer to and check the possibility of using these functions. If you’re ordering something that cannot be placed on Shipment Hold, the button will simply not appear next to your order in your Store account. Products that cannot be merged to other orders will have a warning stating so on the actual product page, so please check all information on a product page before ordering.

Q: Can I use Shipment Hold for products that are purchased via lottery sales, or products on presale?

A: You can, but if these items aren’t going to ship until a date that’s more than 70 days from now anyway, there won’t be much point in using the Shipment Hold. 70 days after first ordering the items, the Shipment Hold automatically releases and marks the order okay to ship when ready. Expected shipping dates are listed on each product page, so please verify this when purchasing the item.

If you’re moving or going on a trip and will be unable to pick up your package yet, it’s a good idea to turn on Shipment Hold and wait until you’re available before releasing the order. If the item is scheduled to ship in 1-3 business days, the 1-3 business day timing will start counting once the Shipment Hold is released.

Mrs. B is going on a trip

If you’re going on a trip, go ahead and order the items you want, and put the order on Shipment Hold right away. Then you can just release the hold after you come back home.

*The above graphic illustrates a timeline for products scheduled to ship in 1-3 business days.

Mr. C is moving

You can change shipping addresses for orders in Shipment Hold, so go ahead and order the items you want. Then, after you’re at your new address, just make sure to change your order’s shipping address before releasing the Shipment Hold. You will receive the package at your new address!

*The above graphic illustrates a timeline for products scheduled to ship in 1-3 business days.

Q: What happens if I forget to turn off Shipment Hold?

A: Because the hold has a limit of 70 days, it will automatically release at the end of that time period. You will not get a notification of a Shipment Hold release, but you will get an e-mail as usual for your Shipment Notification.

Q: Where can I check my Shipment Hold time limit?

A: Log in to your Store account here and open up the order you’ve placed on hold. The final date will be listed at the very bottom of the details on this page.

Q: Can I specify when I want my order delivered?

A: Once the order leaves Japan, it’s in the hands of your local mail carrier, so there’s no way to specify the actual delivery time or date through the store. If you’re ordering within Japan, it’s possible to specify certain hourly blocks you’d like to receive the order, but not the actual date.

Q: Can I turn the Shipment Hold on again after releasing it?

A: After you release a shipping hold from your order, the Hold Shipment button will show up again next to the order. So yes, it’s possible to use it more than one time, but the 70-day limit will always be 70 days from the day you ordered the items, not the day you turned on Shipment Hold.

Q: I’ve used the Merge Order option to add three items to my order on Shipment Hold. How do I release the Shipment Hold on just one of these items so I can get it now?

A: After merging an order together, it becomes one order that’s placed on Shipment Hold as a whole. The order can only be released as a whole, so if you want one item earlier, we recommend placing a separate order for it.

“I just bought something today, but I don’t know if I’m going to want that next product that comes out next week...” There’s a lot to think about when deciding whether to buy something, but the Hobonichi Store often stocks limited-edition items that sell out in a short period of time. If you use Shipment Hold, you can just go ahead and buy the item you’re thinking about, place the shipping on hold, and then give yourself more time to think about it. Then, if you decide it’s not a good idea to get the item, you can remove the item from your cart. You’ll have plenty of time to think over your purchase, but try not to take too long—if the item sells out, there’s plenty of other customers who will want to buy it if you decide not to!

Q: If I cancel an order that I merged additional items to, does the entire order get cancelled?

A: Yes. Be careful when cancelling an order, because everything in the order will be cancelled. If you want to cancel only certain items in an order, view your order in Store account and change the quantity of that item to zero. This will erase the item from your order.