Customer Information

Below, we gathered the most important information you need to know about shopping with Sazen Tea. If you are new to online shopping, you also find a guide here that helps you through the purchase process.

Company name: Sazen Tea Co., Ltd.
Company owner and CEO: Jotatsu Motonari
Managing Director: Agnes Balogh
Address: Enmado-Cho 222-1, MORIYAMA, SHIGA 524-0042, JAPAN
Contact information:
Telephone number: +81 77 585 9661
Fax: +81 77 584 4110

Operating Time

January 2025

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
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6	7	8	9	10	11	12
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20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Current time in Japan:

11:13 AM

*Japanese holidays are highlighted in gold.
Current date is highlighted in grey.

Webstore: open 24/7
Customer Service and Shipping:
from Monday to Friday, 9 AM-5 PM, except on Japanese National Holidays

Our Customer Service is available in Japanese, English, and Hungarian.

General Purchase Terms and Conditions

Introduction

The following General Terms and Conditions of Purchase (hereinafter: GTC) apply to the www.sazentea.com website and they qualify as the general contract terms and conditions. This website, www.sazentea.com, is operated by Sazen Tea Co., Ltd. Throughout the site, the terms "we," "us," and "our" refer to Sazen Tea Co., Ltd.

The GTC applies to all site users, including, without limitation, browsers, vendors, customers, merchants, and contributors of content (hereinafter: customers). Throughout the site, the terms "you" and "your" refer to the customers.

Our company reserves the right to modify the provisions of the GTC. By placing an order on the www.sazentea.com website, customers accept the GTC. Therefore, we kindly ask all customers to read the terms and conditions on the website before they make a purchase. In the event of any amendment to the GTC, the terms and conditions effective on the day of the order will apply.

Watch our step-by-step guide on how to place an order at www.sazentea.com

Payment

The following payment options are available on www.sazentea.com:

PayPal Transactions

Online payment option through your personal PayPal account with your PayPal balance or credit card.
Cards accepted: The payment page of PayPal accepts VISA, MasterCard, JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, and Discover Card. You can pay from any foreign currency account according to the current exchange rate of PayPal.
Using PayPal’s system is a secure transaction method.
Refunds under the value of 10 USD/1000 JPY will only be given in Sazen Reward Points.
Learn more about PayPal HERE.

Credit Card Transactions

Online payment option using the secure web banking interface of Paygent.
Cards accepted: Paygent accepts bank cards belonging to the MasterCard and VISA family of cards as well as JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Discover or Diners credit cards (JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Discover and Diners cards are only available for JPY payments).
Using Paygent’s system is a secure transaction method.

In the case of Credit card payments, we are unable to give refunds for payments made over one month prior or partial refunds in general. If there is a need for a full refund over the one-month period or a partial refund for a Credit card payment, we can only credit the refundable amount to the customer's registered Sazen Tea account in Sazen Reward Points (1 USD = 1 point in USD system, 1 JPY = 1 point in JPY system).
Refunds under the value of 10 USD/1000 JPY will only be given in Sazen Reward Points.

Money Transfer

Direct bank transfer is only available for Japanese bank account holders. We do not accept bank transfers from non-Japanese bank accounts.
For international money transfers, we recommend using Wise.
Refunds for bank transfer or Wise payments are only possible in Sazen Reward Points.

C.O.D. (Cash on Delivery)

Payment upon delivery. This service is only available with Yamato Transport within Japan.

Payment due date:

The total order amount is pre-authorized by the credit/debit card company immediately after the customer approves the payment. The amount is withdrawn from the customer's account on the card company's closing day.

For bank transfers, the total purchase price of the order sent by e-mail is expected to be credited to our bank account within 5 business days following your order. If the full amount is not credited to our account by the deadline specified, your order will be canceled.

If you chose cash on delivery (C.O.D), please pay the total amount of your order (including the shipping fee) to the Yamato Transport courier.

In the case of Debit Cards, the bank issues the payment in two steps. First, it reserves the amount you need to pay (so it disappears from your account), and second, it transfers the amount. They do these two steps at the same time, so it can appear as a double payment, but in fact, the bank is just holding the allocated amount for a while even after transferring the payment to us.

Prices

The sales prices on the website are listed in United States Dollars (USD) or Japanese Yen (JPY). The prices include the Japanese VAT.

In case you choose DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) service for an international order, we reduce the DDP service price with the Japanese VAT (which is 8% of the item’s net price) of the items you have ordered.

If you did not choose the DDP service but customs charges are applicable to the shipment in your country, you can request a refund by forwarding us the payment proof of customs clearance, and we will refund you the Japanese VAT of your purchased items to your Sazen Tea account in Sazen Reward points.

Extra Charges You Need or Might Need to Pay

Package Fee

The sales prices of our products listed on the website do not include the shipping fees. Postage (official prices charged by delivery service providers), and fuel and emergency surcharges (also charged by the delivery service providers) are calculated based on the receiving country, the chosen delivery service, and the measurements of the package. These expenses are shown as “Package fee” in the Cart and are to be paid by the customer.

Customers are notified about Package fees in all cases before the contract comes into force. The final compensation has to be paid in advance for the delivery of the products. Please note that the Package fee is calculated based on the gross weight of the full package (gross weight of the ordered items and the packaging materials). The weights shown in some product descriptions (eg. teas) are of the net weight.

Customs Duties

Customs duties do not belong to our competence and the Package fee does not include customs fees. Duties may have to be paid on receipt of the parcel. These fees are charged by the receiving country and we have no control over them. Please learn about your country’s import rules before ordering.

In case you choose DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) extra shipping service, we undertake all the incurring charges upon the customs clearance. This includes duty fees, VAT, and customs handling fees. Please note that you might still be required to provide some documents to clear the package for customs (eg. invoice, proof of payment), but no extra fees will be charged to you for the release of the parcel.

Be informed that the DDP service is not available for all the countries we ship to.

Discounts and Bonuses

Free shipping offer
★ Free shipping to Japanese addresses over ¥10,000 JPY cart value
★ Free international shipping on USD orders exceeding $150 USD cart value (The delivery service provider for the free shipping offer is chosen automatically by the system. If a different delivery service provider is chosen by the customer, the difference in shipping fees has to be paid). Extra delivery services (DDP, Direct Signature, Shipment Insurance, Cool Box) are not included in the Free Shipping offer.

Free Tea Sample
Free tea samples are included in US Dollar orders as a gift. These samples can be matcha or loose-leaf teas. They are selected randomly by Sazen, and we can not comply with special requests.

Reward Point
At the Sazen Tea online shop, registered and logged-in users can earn and collect points calculated based on the total value of the purchase.

After every 50 dollars spent, we offer 1 point that equals 1 US dollar.

The received points are valid for 12 months. After each purchase, this expiry date is extended. The countdown restarts from the date of the last purchase.

Expired points cannot be revalidated; our system deletes them automatically.

VIP Club Discounts
For our registered Customers we offer VIP Club Discounts

Silver Grade VIP discount
5% off listed prices after spending at least $2,000 USD in a single year, excluding shipping fees
Golden Grade VIP discount
10% off listed prices after spending at least $5,000 USD in a single year, excluding shipping fees

Wholesale Program
Please note that we only sell products directly to private customers; our wholesale program has been discontinued.

Shipping Details

We offer shipping options provided by the following partners:

DHL – International Express Courier Service
FedEx – International Express Courier Service
EMS – International Express Mail Service
Yamato – Japan Domestic Courier Service
Pick-Up – You can pick up your order personally at our headquarters during office hours > Sazen Tea Head Office, Enmado-Cho 222-1, MORIYAMA, SHIGA 524-0042, JAPAN; Phone: +81 77 585 9661

Not all delivery service options are available to all countries.

Optional extra shipping services

+ DDP / All Duties & Taxes paid
+ DS / Direct Signature Request
+ SI / Shipment Insurance
+ Cool Box

Delivery time has three main sections:

1. Process time

The Sazen Team works hard to make sure that each order is shipped as soon as possible. Depending on our inventory, packages are shipped within 3-10 business days (excluding weekends and Japanese holidays) after we’ve received the payment, except for products where a longer waiting time is indicated on the product page. We do not guarantee posting dates, as preparation time can vary due to the manufacturer's capacity, Japanese National Holidays, as well as natural disasters or accidents.

If you order large quantities, delays are expected, because, depending on the makers’ capacities, the preparation might take longer than usual.

Holding back a package at the customer’s request is only possible for 30 days from placing the order. The best-before date of items in the order held back is the same as indicated at the time of placing the order.

2. Transit time

Delivery time after dispatching depends on the destination country and the chosen delivery service.

Some seasons are busier for the delivery service providers, causing delays in the delivery. Eg., in countries where Christmas is celebrated, the delivery may take significantly longer before and during this holiday season.

Please take into account that our shipping partners do not operate on weekends and Japanese National Holidays, thus we are not able to dispatch packages on these days. We do not guarantee delivery dates, as delivery time can vary due to the delivery service providers, the customs clearance of each country, as well as natural disasters or accidents.

3. Customs Process Time

Packages may be subject to customs procedures in certain countries. This may slow down the final delivery and may incur some extra charges. Customs proceedings are beyond our control and we cannot be held liable for what happens to your package once it reaches the country of destination. For more information, please contact your local authorities or the local office of the carrier company you have chosen.

The exception from this is the DDP service, where customs duties and taxes are paid to us by the customer upon placing the order, in which case we are responsible for the customs clearance payments. This includes duty fees, VAT, and customs handling fees. Other expenses - like issuing certificates, etc - are not covered by the DDP service. The consignee might still be contacted for the customs clearance process and asked to provide documents, such as the invoice, proof of payment, etc.

As we are not the manufacturers of the products, we are not able to provide documents and certificates (eg. Certificate of Authenticity, Phytosanitary Certificate, Certificate of Origin, etc).

Responsibility for the package

All our packages are sent as FOB (Free on Board), which is a term in international commercial law meaning that as soon as the shipment of goods leaves Japan, we record the sale as complete. You own the products en route as a buyer and you assume responsibility for completing the customs clearance and for managing the final delivery. That also means that if the package is lost or damaged in transit, you must file any claims for reimbursement.

For this reason, we recommend choosing Direct Signature and/or Shipment Insurance extra services for orders. Using Direct Signature greatly reduces the chances of misplaced or stolen packages, and with Shipment Insurance any lost and damaged packages can be fully refunded by the delivery service. Without these extra services chosen for an order, we are only able to comply with refund requests for damaged or lost packages in the value the delivery service decides to compensate (no full refund).

Packaging

We package orders with the utmost care and attention.
Our extensive experience guarantees that the products you order will be delivered without any damage. On the rare occasion that a product does get damaged while shipping, we take responsibility and either replace the damaged item or issue a refund.

Sales Volume Limitations

We offer special and unique products from local manufacturers and artists. Since the works are mostly hand-crafted and the tea is processed by traditional manufacturers, the products are available in limited quantities, depending on stock availability or production capacity.

Refund and Replacement

If you need a refund or replacement, please contact us within 10 days from the date the product was delivered to you.

We can fulfill your request for a refund or replacement if

the item shipped does not match the item ordered,
any product is missing from the package,
the item shipped is defective,
the item shipped is damaged.

Other personal or subjective reasons are not acceptable.

IMPORTANT!
Please check packages for any damage upon delivery.

If there is any visible damage on the outside of the package, take a photo of it before opening it. If the items inside are intact, there is nothing else to do. However, if you notice damage to the actual items inside, please also take photos of all of the individual instances of damage and send them to us. Once we have the evidence of the damage, we will either issue a refund or send you a replacement. Should you have any complaints, please use the Contact Us menu on our website.

In each package, we include a checklist and handling instructions. We always pack orders with the utmost care, but mistakes can still sometimes happen. Please take the time to check whether the checklist and the items you received match.

We do not accept any complaints after 10 days from the date of delivery.

We are also not able to refund perishable goods (tea, sweets, etc) or items that have already been used.

If we cannot deliver the ordered product due to a manufacturer's production disruption, we will contact the customer and offer a refund or replacement.

Any refunds will be processed within 10 business days of the acceptance of the request for refund.

Please note, that we are unable to give refunds for payments made over one month prior or partial refunds in general. If there is a need for such a refund, it can only be credited to the customer’s Sazen Tea user account in Sazen Reward Points.

Refunds under 10 USD will be done in Sazen Reward Points.

ORDER MODIFICATION

Orders can be modified within 12 hours of being placed. This includes changing, removing, or adding items. If you wish to merge two orders, both must have been placed within 12 hours of your request. Address changes can be made before delivery documents are created, but once processing begins, modifications may not be possible. Changing the shipping country is allowed within 12 hours of placing the order, but may incur additional fees. Any refunds resulting from modifications will be issued in Sazen Tea Reward Points only.

Modifying an order in any way is only possible up to a maximum of two times. Modifying an invoice is only possible once, within one month of the issue date of the invoice.

Order Cancellation

Replacing or canceling a purchased item before shipping is only possible within 12 hours after the order was placed. After 12 hours, we start with the preparation process, and we are no longer able to cancel or change the order.
Please carefully consider your purchase before ordering.

Holding a package or reserving items

Once an order is placed, at the customer's request, we can hold a package for up to 1 month. Holding packages for a longer time is not possible.

Reserving specific items is only available for tea tools and accessories, and only in cases where the payment is already made for the item. It is not possible to reserve tea or other perishable goods.
Once an item is reserved, the reservation is kept for up to one month. After that time, we can not guarantee that the exact piece will be delivered.

Warranties and Guarantees

We offer a warranty and guarantee for our products as required by law.

Please be informed that under the laws currently in force your purchase of our products qualifies as a consumer contractual agreement.

The item we have in stock might not be the same piece shown in the photos on the website. Handmade products are unique and slightly different from each other. If you are particular about either the size, the capacity, or the appearance, contact us, and we will share photos or the exact details of our available pieces in stock. We are not responsible for visual differences or variations in design.

Breakage guarantee: If an item gets damaged in transit, we replace it (unless the stocks are exhausted) or issue a refund in Sazen Reward Points. Please follow the instructions above (“Refund and replacement”).

We are not responsible for typos or spelling mistakes on www.sazentea.com.

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact us via the Contact Us menu.

We constantly strive to improve and provide the best service we can offer. We wish you a pleasant shopping experience.

Updated on October 31, 2025

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