Japanese people say no swap of Gotochi card. Why?
I saw some Japanese postcrossers wrote no swap of Gotochi card.
I received many messages to ask for a swap of Gotochi card, even though I wrote no interest in direct swap.
A Gotochi card is too expensive to swap? Yes.
The price of one Gotochi card is 180 Yen.
The postage is 190 Yen (Europe, America, Canada, Oceania)and 160 Yen (Asia) only in an envelope.
The shape card with stamped was not allowed to mail before but now it is OK however the postage is higher. So I do not want.
Total 370 Yen = US $4.6 ( Asia 340 Yen = US$ 4.2)
How about the normal card?
The price of one card is from 105 Yen to 157 Yen included tax if you buy one by one.
If you go to a tourist spot, you'll find a souvenir shop which provides a set of 8-12 postcards.
That is affordable but they aren't all nice cards as some are ugly and mostly tourist cards.
The price of the set is from 420 Yen to 630 Yen so that means 35 Yen to 80 Yen per a card.
The postage of a postcard with stamped to overseas is 70 Yen.
So compare to the normal card, Gotochi card is expensive.
If you really want to swap, I suppose the better way is that one Gotochi card and 2 cards with stamped or 3 cards in an envelope. Favorite cards for both.
Or one Gotochi card and one unusual shape card such as London Tower ( below ) if the person is interested in the unusual shape cards.
So please do not ask for a swap only one postcard and one Gotochi card.
Now you might understand that Japanese do not agree with the swap.
That doesn't sound that expensive to me, unless the prices have gone up lately.
ReplyDeleteLet's say I want to send a Japanese postcrosser a normal, tourist postcard.
First I'll go buy a postcard, which is usually 0,50€, unless you buy a really old or ugly one. Then I'll have to add postage, which is 2,00€ for Japan.
That's 2,50€ for a single tourist postcard, 324 yen. Less than a 370 yen, of course, but not that much.
Let's say then that maybe the postcrosser requested nice stamps on their postcard. It is very likely that, especially if I live in a small town, I won't be able to find pictorial 0,50€ stamps, therefore I'll have to mix and match and I'll spend 2,10€-2,20€ on postage. That's 2,60€-2,70€ per card, 337yen-350yen.
But let's go back on the postcard. Let's assume I got my 2,00€ stamp, but I wanted to send something more special than a touristy card, say a watercolour card, a maxi card or some other fancy thing. Then I'll spend 1,00€ for the postcard, so 3,00€, which is 389 yen. A nice card from Italy is already more expensive than a Gotochi card.
If then the swapper asks for something peculiar that comes from a museum or I have to buy online or from a card shop, price usually goes up to 1,00€-1,50€.
Now I understand that if someone has collectibles which are rare and highly sought after has the right to exploit the situation, so I don't blame Japanese swappers for asking two or more postcards in exchange of their gotochi cards, and if I collected them I would gladly swap as much, yet please don't say it's because they're expensive: while some countries have less expensive postal systems, people from many countries spend just as much to send a simple postcard to Japan.
TL;DR
Two (touristy, sender's choice) stamped postcards from Italy to Japan are 649 yen.
Thank you for your great opinion.
ReplyDeletethank you both for very interesting views on the subject of trading gotochi cards and global expense of postage on international postcrossing.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with this post. Yes, gotochi are expensive to send for a Japanese citizen, because it's expensive compared to what they normally pay for mailing a card. But to expect a foreigner to send two cards to swap for one gotochi is simply taking advantage of their rare status and nothing more, like Diplotaxis mentioned.
ReplyDeleteIf I send two simple regular cards to Japan, let's do the math together. In Canada a regular ugly postcard cost about $1 at a drug store, sometimes a bit more. If I want to send something special from a museum or a gallery, or a local designer, we are talking about $1.50-$2 range. Then I would have to pay $5 in postage ($2.50 a piece), plus at least 85 cents (cheapest stamp available) per piece more if the receiver likes special stamps for their collection.
Even if I go the cheapest route, I'd have to shell out $2 for the cards and $5 for postage. That $7 (that's 694 yen in today's conversion rate)!!! If I send both cards in the envelope, I'll be spending $4.50 (446 yen) - still more than what it costs to send one gotochi. But I am yet to see a person who wants to trade for two generic, ugly cards. Everyone wants something special.
It certainly is your right to refuse to trade gotochi, and I understand some swappers can be annoying, constantly asking for the same thing from you, but same can be said about lots of Japanese people who want nothing but Moomin from Finnish people and Krtek from Czechs. Should they take offense? If you find it's too expensive for you to send gotochi, then don't send it. Period. But please don't say it's fair to trade 1 for 2, due to cost, because you don't know how much it costs other people to get these cards to you.
Thank you for your opinion. You are right. I traveled a lot in many countries and mailed many postcards there so I know the postage is more expensive, except some Asian countries. I want to write more about that but now I am traveling in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany soon so busy to plan. I send some gotochi cards from forum postcrossing. I decide to delete this post before leaving. Thank you.
DeleteBefore deleting the post, I want to think of the postage.
DeleteI wrote this post before.
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The price of one Gotochi card is 180 Yen.
The postage is 190 Yen (Europe, America, Canada, Oceania)and 160 Yen (Asia) in an envelope.
Total 370 Yen = US $4.6 ( Asia 340 Yen = US$ 4.2)
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The price of one Gotochi card is now 185 Yen.
My previous post about the postage of the envelope is within 12cm X 23.5cm but most of the sizes of the gotochi cards are larger.
So the postage is 260 Yen (Europe, America, Canada, Oceania) and 220 Yen (Asia) in an envelope.
Now the rate has been changed so at the rate of 120 yen to the U.S. dollar.
Total 445 Yen = US $3.７ ( Asia 405 Yen = US$ 3.4)
So I should think to mail gotochi cards more for nice postcrossers.
I'm sorry, now that I'm rereading my reply, I think I sounded harsh. I just wanted to get my point across. I appreciate your response. It really sucks that prices for postal services are so high nowadays everywhere. I hope you receive a lot of beautiful cards in return for your generously sent gotochis.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteMy friend is going to Japan on Summer. I ask him to buy for me some gotochi. But I don't know where we can buy it. Could you tell me please?
Thank you for the inquiry about the gotochi cards.
ReplyDeleteThe gotochi cards are sold in many post offices in 47 prefectures and they are all different ones. So if he goes to Kyoto, please go to a post office and ask for the gotochi cards.
There might be some sample cards in a large post office, such as the one in front of Kyoto Station.
So if you let me know the place or the prefecture, I may help you so feel free to ask me.
Here is the website of gotochi cards by Japan Post official. Sorry only in Japanese.
http://www.postacollect.com/gotochi/
The first version was published in 2009 in 47 prefectures and the new versions were sold every year and this year 2015, the seventh version.
Some extra cards were also published, such as Mt.Fuji.
Sometimes I travel in the exact prefectures to buy my favorite gotochi cards.
Additional, the old version might be sold out in small post offices
but I may get the old version in a large post office.
I am traveling abroad often so while I leave home, I won't reply quickly, sorry.
My friend is going to Okinawa and Tokyo. I only ask him to buy the new one. May he sent the Gotochi card without through the post office? I mean, he only buy the gotochi card and he come back to my country and give that card directly to me, so, it is without postage cost.
ReplyDeleteAre you understand? Sorry for my bad English :(
I am sorry for the delay as I traveled a lot and now I found your post. I hope it is not too late.
DeleteHe can buy the gotochi cards and he doesn't need to mail so no postage.
He can buy some kinds of gotochi cards in the post offices but some old cards were sold out. The hotel staff will help him about the post offices.
I hope he will have a great trip in Japan. Thank you for your interest.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI'm gooing to Japan and I really want to buy those postcards for myself ^^. Can you find these postcards quickly? Or do you have to look for it in a special shop? Do you have hints? :-)
Thank you.
Thank you for your interest in gotochi cards.
DeleteYes, it is easy to buy if you go to some post offices and ask for gotochi cards. Most post offices are closed on Saturday and Sunday, except the head post offices .
I hope the hotel staff will help you with the direction of the post offices. Or you can find through Google map. I always check the map before traveling.
In my opinion, there are many kinds of gotochi cards in the head post offices so maybe easy to buy many. Some of the local post offices don't have any because they are sold out so try to find some post offices.
If you have any question, please feel free to leave a message. Thank you.