FAQ (Q&A)
Q. How may I order and make a payment?
A. If you'd like to order items, please follow the steps below,
(1) go to the product page that you want to order, and click "ADD TO CART" button
(2) click "Check out with Paypal" button,
and complete the payment in the Paypal page which automatically shows.
or
(2') click "PROCEED TO CHECKOUT" button,
clock "Register an account" to input some necessary items (your name, address and so on),
and complete the payment in the Paypal page which automatically shows.
Q. What payment options are available?
A. The following payment ways are available,
(1) PayPal
(2) Credit Card (Visa, Master, AMEX, etc) --- click "CHECKOUT with PayPal"
when checking out to find "Pay with a ctedit card" optiion....>>details
(3) Bank Deposit (Wire Transfer) .....>>details
Q. Do you offer any finance options on your more expensive knives?
A. Regarding the payment option, please refer to the following page,
https://www.hocho-knife.com/payment-shipping/
You can ask the issue with Paypal or your Credit Card company for payment in installments or revolving credit payment if necessary.
We can not touch them due to the security of your monetary account.
Why was my credit card denied?
A. It's possible that the payment you're referring to has been stopped by Paypal's internal security system. To provide one of the safest online payment services our internal security system reviews every payment before it's approved.
The following URLs would be helpful for you,
Why was my credit card denied?
Why won't my payment go through?
Q. How much is the shipping cost ? or Could you please tell me the total cost(price) including item price and shipping fees?
A. Please follow the steps below, if you want to check the total shipping fee beforehand,
(1) add all the items (that you want to order) into Your Shopping Cart
(2) click "Estimate Shipping & Tax" just above "Grand Total"
(3) select your "Country" & "State/Province" from Dropdown menu, and input "Zip/Postcode"
(4) you'll find the total shipping fee for available shipping methods
Q. Can you ship items to my country?
A. Yes, most of countries in the world is likely to be available for our shipment.
We have a lot of delivery experience to the listed countries.
Q. How long is the delivery time? or
How long will it take for my order to arrive?
A. The expected delivery time for the different areas are listed here.
The day of arrival may be delayed due the state of affairs in the addressee's country, processing speeds at the customs house, or for political reasons. Russia, East Europe, South America and Africa may need more delivery time than that in the table.
Please allow us to take up to 3~5 business days after your payment as our "handling time" excluding Saturday, Sunday, Japanese Public holidays, New-Year (Dec.31~ Jan.3) and Obon-holidays (Aug.13~15).
Q. Could you let me know where my parcel is ?
A. If you chose the Japan Post for shipment, please open the following URL to input the tracking number as listed so that you can trace the information of your parcel.
"http://www.track-trace.com/post"
In addition, please also access directly the URL of your-country's Postal Company for the detailed information after the parcel arrives in your country. The lower section of the above web page will help you.
If there is no information in the URL of your-country's Postal Company more than 1 week after the parcel left Japan, we recommend you to directly call the customer service of the Postal Company and the international customs office in your country. In most cases, the parcel may be stuck in the customs office for necessary check or for your tax payment.
If you chose the FedEx or DHL for shipment, please open the following URL to input the tracking number as listed so that you can trace the information of your parcel.
"http://www.fedex.com/jp_english/" <<-----FedEx
"http://www.dhl.co.jp/en.html" <<-----DHL
Q. How much would Custom Duties(Import Tax), GST (Goods & Services Tax), and VAT (Value-Added-Tax) cost?
A. Please be kindly noted that we (the exporter outside your country) can not handle and know how much the taxation or the customs duty into your country would be imposed concretely.
From our experience, orders to the US may get charged up to 10% once the overall value surpasses $200. It is just a reference and we can not guarantee that these costs will be accurate. Sorry for the inconvenience but please understand the situation.
We recommend you to directly call the international customs office in your country if you need more concrete answer.
Please refer to the link page below regarding Custom Duties(Import Tax),
"http://www.dutycalculator.com/"
Q. I’m having problems when checking out, what should I do?
A. If you are having problems when you try to place your order it is most likely because some of the information you entered is incorrect, or because a necessary information is just missing. Please double check everything you entered at checkout. Especially make sure that your name and billing address match exactly what is on your credit or bank account and that the card number, security code, and expiration date are all correct.
The Q&A below would be helpful for you.
Q. An error message popped up when I tried to pay through PayPal. The error message says,
"Your order details are incomplete or invalid. Please email hocho-knife@import.jpn.com for assistance”.
A. Usually this message appears when there is a problem with your billing details on PayPal.
Please try or check the followings to solve the issue,
(1) Delete the items in the cart and then add them back and continue checkout again or try using another browser.
(2) Confirm if there is enough money in your Paypal account before continuing.
(3) Be sure to double check whether the email address you registered in the Hocho-Knife store is the same as that in your Paypal account.
(4) Make sure you sign out of your account on our site first and then select credit card payment when proceed to check out page.
Regardign the payment by Credit Card (Visa, Master, AMEX, etc), please follow the process in the URL below,
https://www.hocho-knife.com/credit-card-payment/
Q. What does 'Awaiting Fulfillment' mean?
A. “Fulfillment” means that the bunch of activities including “picking”-“packing”-“shipping” in the warehouse. So, “Awaiting Fulfillment” means that your order is slated to be in the activities before long. You do not need anything, please just wait for the shipment.
Q. Is Wire Transfrer from my Bank Account available?
A. Yes, it is available in the U.S. and Worldwide. Please refer to the pafe of Bank Deposit & Wire Transfer.
Q. Is it possible to order a product that is not listed on the web site?
A. We do our best to meet any wishes that customers may have, so please contact us and ask any questions.
Q. Whether is the knife ready to use straight away or needed to be sharpened by myself?
A. Normally, a obtuse angle finishing at the blade edge by a machine in manufacturers (called "standard blade finishing (sharpening)") is applied to most of the knives that are stocked and displayed in the store.
It is thought enough for general use, because manufacturers apply the standard finishing for various possible application.
(Regarding some high-end knives, the edge of the blade has to be hand-finished one by one after receiving your order before shipment. That is stated in the description in the item page.)
Professional chefs often apply a hand-finishing (fine-grinding by hand) to the blades by themselves just after they buy the knives.
If the chefs would like to cut just soft ingredients, acute (sharper) angle at the edge would be great to stimulate its cutting performance.
On the other hand, if they have to cut hard ingredients, obtuse angle at the edge must be good to prevent the edge from easy chips.
Some professionals make their knives easier to use through such a self-finishing customization as semi-single edged, semi-double edged (like 70:30) or as special edged with different edge angles from the point to point.
Q. Is there an insurance or an purchase protection for kitchen knives ?
A. Yes, the insurance for delivery is added to your parcel as shown here. And Paypal Purchase Protection will support you. Please set your heart at rest.
Q. Is there a lifetime warranty for kitchen knives ?
A. Please feel secure about the condition of your blade! All the knives in our store passed top-ranked strict inspections by both Japanese maker and our warehouse. We're fully confident of the condition and quality of the item you ordered. In case that there were any serious problem in delivery delay, lost and initial manufacturing defect, please feel free to contact us within 14 days after the item reach you. We're pleased to closely support you to find a better solution as much as we can.
If you need to re-sharpen your knife because of its being worn, the sharpening service is available for you. Please feel free to contact us.
Anyway, we'd appreciate it if you could make sure not to drop the knife onto the floor and not to chop something hard like bones and frozen food (of course including hard bones in the meat). We're afriad that we can't be responsible for these happenings.
If you have to cut such a hard thing, it is better to use a special knife for cutting bones and frozen food.
Prease refer to the following page,
"https://www.hocho-knife.com/frozen-food-knife-reito/"
Q. Would you please send the item as a gift or declare less value?
A. We'd like to say that we’ll do as much as we can, and in the same time we have to follow the law in your and our country as a seller. Please kindly understand that it is difficult to follow the request to mark “gift” or declare less value in the dispatch note on the parcel. We'd appreciate it if you could understand the situation to protect yourself (buyer) as well as ourselves (seller).
Thank you for reading the FAQ page.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.