This page describes the terms and conditions for purchases made from Protea Wines Japan.
Regarding purchases from our E-Commerce site, please see the separate Conditions of Use and Shipping & Returns pages of the E-Commerce site.
Latest Update: 24th November, 2019
Legal Age
You must be at least 20 years of age to purchase wine or other alcoholic beverages.
Adult Signature required
By placing your order you have represented to Protea Wines Japan that you are legally at least 20 years of age. All alcoholic beverages that we ship on your behalf must be received and signed for by an adult of legal drinking age; this also includes items shipped outside of Japan.
All first time orders on the E-Commerce site will be required to submit proof of age by submitting a birth date in the sign-up form.
Ordering
Time to process a typical order may take up to 1–2 business days prior to shipping. If your order is time sensitive, please inform us (along with a required delivery date) in writing when placing your order.
All orders will be confirmed via email or other means once they have been received. While we aim to prepare an order same day (see below for shipping arrangements), please allow 2 business days for your order to be prepared for shipping. If there may be a delay we will inform you via email or other means.
How to Order
Orders may be placed by telephone or email (see our Contact page), or via our E-Commerce site.
Please note that products in many cases are extremely limited. Protea Wines Japan will not be liable in case we are unable to fulfill your order.
Maximum Credit Card purchase
Credit Card purchases may not exceed a certain amount (approximately 2,000,000 JPY), depending on the credit card processing. If such a limit is reached, any remaining balance can be paid by bank transfer. Please contact us regarding larger purchases.
Cancellation
A cancellation fee of 10% will apply to any order for which payment has been processed, or in the case of payment on delivery has been prepared for shipping.
Custom Orders
If we do not have the item that you are looking for we will gladly go out of our way to order it on your behalf. Please note that all special orders are subject to final confirmation and payment up-front, with no cancellation possible thereafter unless related to the availability of the product.
Payment
Below are the conditions governing accepted payment methods, and granting of receipts.
All prices exclude 10% Japanese consumption tax.
Payment Options
Credit Cards
Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, Discover, Diner’s Club and EnRoute cards are accepted, other cards maybe available on request (please contact us).
Note that for selected Visa cards install payment plans are available (please check with your credit card company).
Some cards do not have a security code. In such a case, please enter your payment details with the security code left blank. If you are unable to determine your security code please check with your credit card company.
Note that credit card details are not stored or recorded on the Protea Wines Japan site (part of the PCI-DSS compliance of the E-Commerce site). They are only used during the processing of the transaction, entered by the user on the credit card processing company’s interface.
Bank Transfer
Transfer to one of our bank accounts, with remittance fee borne by the paying party. Account information to be provided by email or other medium as part of purchasing transaction.
Available accounts are Mizuho Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, and Japan Post Office.
Payment to our Paypal account is also possible.
When making a payment, after your name please enter your phone number as given when placing your order. Furthermore, if your name as payee is different from your name when placing an order, contact us by email or phone before making payment.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
COD orders (including consumption tax, postage, and other charges) are limited to 300,000 JPY. Orders larger than this require special handling, please contact us for service.
The delivery company will collect your payment at the time of delivery. Fees for this service are 265 JPY (including consumption tax), plus charges depending on the order and total amounts, as follows:
For order totals less than 50,000 JPY (including consumption tax and postage) the charge is 203 JPY.
For order totals from 50,000 JPY (including consumption tax and postage) upwards the charge is 417 JPY.
Stamp duty accrues for larger orders:
For orders (excluding consumption tax) from 50,000 JPY but less than 1,000,000 JPY, stamp duty of 200 JPY.
For orders (excluding consumption tax) from 1,000,000 JPY, stamp duty of 400 JPY.
Paypal
Account information to be provided by email or other medium as part of purchasing transaction.
Receipt
Payment by Credit Card, Bank Transfer, Paypal
A receipt is issued online, via email or other medium as part of the purchasing transaction if requested by the purchasing party.
For individual orders over 50,000 JPY (55,000 JPY inclusive of consumption tax) a printed receipt will be sent to the purchasing party’s postal address.
Payment by Cash on Delivery
The delivery slip from the delivery company will serve as a formal receipt. Thus, no changes to the delivery address or name, etc., are possible.
Shipping
We deliver within 2–4 working days anywhere in Japan.
Unless otherwise specified, you will receive a 10% discount on orders of full case lots of 1 item (not mixed). This discount is not valid for the online store, where other discount options exist.
Shipping and Delivery Charge
Japan Post Office Yu-Pack shipping rates will be charged for regular and refrigerated delivery service nationwide. The delivery fees depend on the destination and box size. Box sizes used depend on the number of bottles ordered. One bottle (750ml) can be sent by 60-size, 2 to 6 bottles by 80-size, 7 to 12 bottles by 100-size, 13 to 14 bottles by 120-size. Larger orders will use multiple appropriate boxes to minimize postage.
Lanzerac Pionier Pinotage is an exception, since the bottles are already packed in individual boxes. Shipping thus requires different box sizes, starting at 80-size for 1 to 2 bottles, 100-size for 3 to 6 bottles, 120-size for 7 to 8 bottles, and 140-size for 9 to 11 bottles. Larger orders will use multiple appropriate boxes to minimize postage.
Orders comprising combination of Lanzerac Pionier Pinotage and other wines, will use appropriate boxing to minimize postage.
Rates (inclusive of consumption tax) for delivery from our premises in Tokyo, per prefecture:
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/you_pack/charge/ichiran/13_en.html
For orders of more than 25,000 yen (net of tax), delivery charge is free, but optional fee for refrigerated delivery (see below) or cash on delivery (see above) will be charged separately.
Free Shipping
Shipping charge will be free under the following conditions:
- An order total of 25,000 JPY (products net of tax) or greater.
- An order made up of one or more products marked as “Free Shipping” on our E-Commerce site.
Optional fee for refrigerated delivery (see below) will be charged separately.
If you cancel part of a your order so that the total product amount net of tax falls below 25,000 JPY, then delivery charge becomes payable.
Packaging
Wines are packed and delivered in a strong thick cardboard box, with size as appropriate (see above). We will choose the most compact box size for the required number of bottles.
For wine of the size other than 750 ml, wines with original box, or other items with unique form, we will choose an appropriate box and packaging.
Note that weight limits apply to parcels, and orders over 14 bottles (11 bottles for Lanzerac Pionier Pinotage) need to be split into different boxes.
Refrigerated Delivery Service
From May 1st to September 30th, wines are delivered in a refrigerated truck with controlled temperature of around 3 degree Celsius. An additional fee is charged for the service per box, depending on the size of the box: 60-size 225 JPY, 80-size 360 JPY, 100-size 675 JPY, 120-size 675 JPY, 140-size 1,330 JPY (prices include consumption tax). Customers may choose refrigerated delivery optionally also throughout the year.
Wines cannot be delivered and left in the delivery box unless it has a temperature control.
Wines are vulnerable to the change in temperature. As soon as you receive the items, unpack the box and store the wines in a cool and dry area.
For other goods than wine, we use ordinary delivery.
For other periods of the year, where refrigerated delivery is optional, we cannot accept return of goods with quality issues if the issue is owing to the temperature fluctuation, if you choose not to use refrigerated delivery.
Shipping Arrangements
Everyday shipping (excluding End of year/New year holiday season, and any unscheduled holidays).
- Orders received by 9:00 AM: normally be processed for same-day shipping.
- Orders received thereafter: normally processed for following-day shipping.
If processing is expected to take longer than the above schedule, we will inform you.
| Earliest Time of Delivery by Prefecture |
| Following morning: Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Ibaragi, Tochigi, Chiba, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gunma, Nagano, Shiga, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka. |
| Following day after 2 PM: Aomori, Nara, Tottori, Okayama, Shimane, Hiroshima, Kagawa. |
| Following day after 6 PM: Hyogo, Wakayama, Tokushima, Ehime, Kochi. |
| Two days from shipping: Hokkaido, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Saga, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa. |
Note that for certain areas of Kagoshima, Okinawa (including Amami), Izu, and Ogasawara, delivery may take three days or more.
Delivery Company
Unless specified by the customer, Protea Wines Japan reserves the right to use any delivery company as appropriate, and this may change at the discretion of Protea Wines Japan.
Customers may request particular delivery companies during order processing, and Protea Wines Japan will honour this unless circumstances dictate otherwise, in which case we will inform the customer and negotiate a suitable replacement.
Cancellation and Changes
Below are the conditions governing cancellation or orders, changes to orders, and return of items.
Order Cancellation or Change
Prior to Shipping
Depending on the status of the order, the procedure will vary. Please call us during our office hour as soon as possible. Please have your order number handy. If the reason for cancellation or change is not an error of Protea Wines Japan, a service fee may apply.
After Shipping
Orders which have been prepared for shipping (as informed via email or other medium, or order status on E-Commerce site) or already shipped may not be changed or cancelled.
Return or Exchange of Delivered Items
Unopened Bottle
If you receive unordered or damaged item(s), please inform us within 7 days from the date of delivery, and we will replace the item(s) in question. If the items are out of stock, we will give a full refund, and return shipping charges will be paid by us. No service charge will be applied.
We will not accept cancellation, change, refund or returns of any items after 7 days from the date of delivery.
Opened Bottle
Owing to the characteristics of the product, we do not offer replacement or refunds unless the items are deteriorated in quality, and only in the case where refrigerated delivery service was used, and the bottle was opened within 7 days from the date of delivery.
In case the items are deteriorated in quality, and refrigerated delivery was used, we will replace the item in question, and return shipping charges will be paid by us. If the items are out of stock, we will give a full refund. No service charge will be applied.
Caring for Wine after Arrival
Storage
Please immediately store any delivered wine in your wine cellar (at 10–18 degrees Celsius).
Opening the wine
Wine is a living entity, and changes occur naturally within the bottle as part of maturation, including changes in colour, aroma, and flavour, as well as a slow decline in the quantity of liquid. If there is a significant amount of sediment stirred up in the wine, let the bottle stand for a week before opening. Any fungus on the cork is a natural effect, and proof that the bottle was properly stored. Wipe the fungus off carefully.
When opening sparkling wine, ensure that the bottle is held in a safe direction, as the pressure in the bottle may shoot the cork out violently as soon as the metal fastening is loosened.
Security and E-Commerce Site User Registration
Security (TLS Certificate)
Our website and E-Commerce shopping cart pages use TLS (Transport Layer Security, previously known as SSL) certificates issued by LetsEncrypt. Access is only possible via HTTPS (Secure HTTP) which makes use of the TLS certificate to verify the identity of the website to the browser, and encryption for the communication between browser and website.
Ensure that your browser displays a green lock (for Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer), or a black lock (Google Chrome) in the address bar when accessing site pages.
Recommended Web Browsers for different OSes
- Windows: Internet Explorer 11, Firefox (latest version), Google Chrome (latest version), Safari (latest version), SeaMonkey (latest version).
- MacOS: Safari (latest version), Firefox (latest version).
- Linux: Firefox (latest version), Google Chrome (latest version), SeaMonkey (latest version).
- Smart phone: iOS11－Safari, Android 4.4－Chrome (any lower versions not supported).
Furthermore, make sure to the following functionality is active:
- JavaScript
- Cookies
- Stylesheets
- TLS
User Registration
Anybody at legal drinking age can register on the E-Commerce shopping pages of the website for free, and is required to do so for purchasing purposes. Registration is purely for shipping information purposes.
Required information includes name, address, and contact number (see Privacy Policy for details on use of this information). Using your ID allows you to see your previous purchasing history, change or add delivery addresses, contact information, and make use of selected functionality of the shopping cart.
Users can de-register at any time, although order information may be required to be kept for legal purposes (see Privacy Policy for conditions).
We plan to permit users to purchase without creating an account first. However, the information required is effectively the same, the difference will be merely that the information will be entered as part of the checkout procedure, that no password will be required to be entered, and no account ID will be given to the customer. Instead, an automatically-generated password will be sent to the customer for use in accessing the particular order information.