There is no way around it – it is very costly to get tatami mats to the U.S. and shipped to a customers house. Here are some of the main reasons that this is the case:
1. Manufacturing
Our tatami mats are made specifically for tatami.us through our chosen supplier - a team of 2nd and 3rd generation craftsmen in Japan. The process takes time and is very exacting. We use the highest quality materials so that we can deliver the highest quality product to you. Please take a look at our “ How tatami mats are made ” page to understand more of the manufacturing process.
2. International Shipping
Once the tatami mats are made they must be prepared for shipping. Each group of tatami mats needs a custom pallet and then a custom enclosure built to withstand the 6 - 8 weeks of ground to ship to ground shipping to our warehouse in Texas. The tatami mats are also heat - treated to prepare for customs clearance into the US.
International shipping has been very expensive recently and has increased up to 6 times pre-2019 levels. There are also customs clearance costs and tariffs for the import of tatami mats into the U.S.
3. Warehousing and Domestic Shipping Preparation
Our mats must be stored in a temperature-controlled warehouse with extra attention and care paid to the storage and handling of the mats so that the corners and edges are not damaged.
We require custom heavy-duty boxes for the mats to ship in, and when the orders are for 3 or more mats, we ship on wrapped custom pallets to the end customer. All of this costs more than any typical product (as soon as you see the word “custom” you know that things are getting more expensive,
4. Domestic Shipping
Tatami mats are big and heavy. We cannot use traditional couriers to ship the mats. We rely on domestic transport companies. Each shipment requires a quote, insurance, and communication with the customer before a shipment is made. Shipping companies charge additional fees for residential deliveries and for a pre-call to customers to set up a window for delivery. There is no such thing as cheap shipping when it comes to tatami mats – a typical shipping fee for a single mat is close to $200 USD!
All of this adds up to more expense than you might initially think of. We hope that this gives you a little insight into the prices that we charge.