Redelivery (Saihaitatsu) and Locker Pickup in Japan

Redelivery Japan starts with a small paper slip in your mailbox when you miss a parcel. That slip begins a 再配達 (saihaitatsu, "redelivery") request where you book a new delivery window by QR code, web form, or phone.¹²³

Miss the new window too and the parcel waits at a sales office or returns to sender. Workers who are rarely home in daytime avoid the loop by designating konbini or locker pickup in advance.

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism redelivery portal and your carrier's redelivery page.

Overview

再配達 (saihaitatsu, "redelivery") is the re-attempt system used when no one answers the door. The driver leaves an absentee notice instead of leaving the parcel unattended.¹²³

You then choose a new date and time slot, or redirect the parcel to a pickup point. The system is uniform nationwide in shape, while each carrier runs its own slip, cutoff, and pickup network.

Parcel volume reached about 5.07 billion in FY2023 (as of 2024-10; confirm current figures with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism).⁴ The sampled redelivery share was about 10.2 percent in October 2024 (as of 2024-10) and about 10.4 percent in April 2024 (as of 2024-04).⁴

The Absentee Notice and How to Read It

Each carrier calls the slip by a slightly different name, but all three list who the parcel is for, a tracking number, and how to rebook. Keep the slip until the parcel is in your hands.

What is on the slip

Yamato's Attempted Delivery Notice shows the recipient name, the reason for non-delivery, the parcel type, the attempt date and time, and a 12-digit tracking number.¹ It also prints the driver's direct number and a foreign-language service number.

The QR code or inquiry-form path plus the waybill number is what you need to rebook. Sagawa additionally asks for the office number printed on its notice, and it tells you to ask the sender if the waybill number is unknown.²

Japan Post's form asks for the 6-digit or 11 to 13-digit tracking or notice number shown on the Undeliverable Item Notice or absence form.³ Its slip vocabulary centers on sender, receiver, redelivery contact, tracking number, and desired date and time slot.⁵

Term	Reading and meaning
不在票	fuzaihyō, "absence notice"15
再配達	saihaitatsu, "redelivery"25
お問い合わせ番号	o-toiawase bangō, "tracking number"13
ご不在等連絡票	go-fuzai-tō renraku-hyō, "absence notification form"5

How long you have to act

Yamato holds ordinary parcels at the sales office for up to 1 week from the date on the notice.¹ Parcels that stay unclaimed for a long period may be returned to the sender.

Cool parcels are shorter. Yamato holds Cool TA-Q-BIN for up to 3 days from the notice date.¹ Kuroneko DM-Bin redelivery opens from the following day.¹

PUDO locker parcels must be collected within 3 days including the delivery-completion date (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with Yamato Transport).⁶ Storage cannot be extended, and overdue parcels are handled under the sender's instructions in the transport terms.⁶

Sagawa and Japan Post print the holding period on the slip itself. Sagawa office pickup requires prior contact, plus the absence notice and official photo ID such as a driver's license.² Japan Post's English web form handles home-address redelivery only, so counter pickup or another destination needs the call center.³

Requesting Redelivery: QR Code, Web, and Phone

Steps vary by carrier, so match the slip logo before you start. All three offer a QR or web path and a phone path, and none charges a redelivery fee.

Request redelivery through the path on your slip, using the tracking number and the contact details shown there.¹²³ The diagram above shows the shared shape across carriers.

Yamato Transport redelivery steps

Yamato accepts requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by web form, Kuroneko Members, and automated phone including the English toll-free line 0120-17-9625.¹⁷

The automated flow enters the waybill number, selects delivery or sales-office pickup, then selects date and time zone before entering a callback number.⁷ Cash-on-delivery and credit-card parcels cannot have the destination changed.¹

Same-day cutoffs for ordinary TA-Q-BIN are 7:00 for the morning slot (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with Yamato Transport).⁷ Afternoon slots up to 18:00 close at 12:40 (as of 2026-09), while evening slots from 18:00 close at 17:40 (as of 2026-09).⁷

Nekopos follows tighter limits. Afternoon redelivery closes at 12:00 (as of 2026-09), evening redelivery closes at 16:00 (as of 2026-09), and morning same-day is not offered (as of 2026-09).¹

Sagawa Express redelivery steps

Sagawa offers Smart Club, internet redelivery, phone redelivery through the number on the absence notice, and office pickup.² Registration with Smart Club makes date and place changes smoother.

Internet redelivery can designate home delivery or an alternate point such as a Sagawa office or service center, a parcel locker, or a partner store.² Some services and sizes are excluded.

Office pickup needs advance contact. Bring the absence notice plus official photo ID such as a driver's license.² If the office in charge is unclear, use the branch search before visiting.²

Use Smart Club before the first delivery attempt

Sagawa Smart Club and delivery notices let you shift the date or pickup place before the driver arrives. That avoids the slip cycle entirely for predictable work weeks.²

Japan Post redelivery steps

Japan Post offers web, LINE app, 24-hour automated phone, staffed call center, and fax paths, and web or phone rescheduling is free.⁵

The English web form accepts home-address redelivery only (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with Japan Post).³ The Japanese web form additionally offers neighbor, workplace, or post-office-counter pickup.⁵

The staffed English line is 0570-046-111, daily 8:00 to 21:00, and the call is charged (as of 2026-09).³ The Japanese automated line is toll-free but Japanese only.⁵

The Japanese flow asks for zip code, notice date, and parcel type including international parcel or EMS, then shows a date by time grid and asks for a phone number.⁵

Choosing a new delivery window

Yamato's standard zones are morning, 14:00 to 16:00, 16:00 to 18:00, 18:00 to 20:00, and 19:00 to 21:00 (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with Yamato Transport).¹⁷

Same-day service is possible only before the zone cutoff. Later requests roll to the next day, which is the standard fallback.¹⁷

Japan Post presents a similar date by time grid. Morning is a broad window rather than a fixed hour, so plan to be home across it.⁵

Item	Amount	As of	Notes
Redelivery request, Yamato web or phone	Free	2026-09	No carrier fee7
Redelivery request, Sagawa web or phone	Free	2026-09	Alternate pickup points included2
Redelivery request, Japan Post web or phone	Free	2026-09	English web form is home delivery only53
Japan Post English staffed line	Charged call	2026-09	0570-046-111, daily 8:00 to 21:003

The table above covers the whole fee picture. Redelivery is free in each case (as of 2026-09), while only the staffed Japan Post English call itself carries a phone charge.

Why Redelivery Is Free but Discouraged

No carrier charges for the re-attempt itself. The discouragement is social and policy driven, framed around wasted trips rather than fines.⁴⁷

Redelivery converts to about 60,000 drivers of annual labor (as of 2024-10; confirm current figures with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism).⁴ Redelivery trucks add about 254,000 tons of annual CO2 under the same trial calculation (as of FY2020 trial).⁴

Sagawa puts one parcel footprint at 1.25 kg CO2e (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with Sagawa Express).² It attributes about 20,050 tons of annual CO2 to redelivery (as of 2026-09).²

About 20 percent of redeliveries in a 2022 survey happened because the recipient did not know a delivery was coming (as of 2022).⁴ Even checkout labels that say free shipping still carry real delivery cost plus social loss from repeat trips.⁴

Do not stack repeat redeliveries on tight evenings

A missed second window pushes the parcel toward office storage or return. Book only a slot you can keep, and switch to locker pickup if the week is unpredictable.¹⁴

Locker and Konbini Pickup Alternatives

Lockers and konbini pickup break the daytime-absence problem at the source. Designate them at order time or switch to them from a delivery notice before the first attempt.

PUDO Stations and open lockers

PUDO Stations are Packcity Japan open lockers at stations, supermarkets, konbini, drugstores, parking areas, and public facilities.⁶ They handle pickup and send at the recipient's timing, subject to each site's hours.

Yamato receipt needs Kuroneko Members registration, except where an e-commerce site offers direct PUDO designation.⁶ The flow designates a locker from a list or map, waits for a delivery-completion notice, then scans the receipt barcode or enters the authentication number.⁶

Eligible Yamato receipt types are prepaid takkyubin up to 100 size and 10 kg, takkyubin compact in all sizes, PC takkyubin up to 100 size and 10 kg, and qualifying international takkyubin.⁶ Cash-on-delivery, Nekopos, collect, cool, golf, ski, round-trip, airport, time-service, Yu-Packet, Yu-Mail, and koneko-bin 420 are excluded.⁶

The Packcity network serves Yamato, Sagawa, Japan Post, DHL, and SBS Sokuhai Support.⁸ Packcity reports about 7,000 stations nationwide (as of 2024-10; confirm current figures with Packcity Japan).⁸

Amazon-selectable PUDO Stations expanded from about 4,800 to about 6,000 starting 2025-03-05 (as of 2025-04-22; confirm current figures with Packcity Japan).⁹ At Amazon checkout, select a PUDO Station on the pickup-location map, then enter the authentication code from Amazon's completion notice at the locker.⁹

Konbini pickup at order time

Yamato's receipt-place service supports FamilyMart and 7-Eleven pickup through a dedicated authentication barcode or number from the delivery-completion notice or Kuroneko Members parcel details.¹⁰

FamilyMart fallback uses the in-store multicopy machine with the waybill number plus a second number to print an M-copy slip for the register within 30 minutes.¹⁰ Present the barcode or slip at the register with ID where required.

Individuals cannot address a Yamato parcel directly to a konbini as the receiver address.¹¹ Konbini receipt must go through the designated receipt-place flow or the e-commerce checkout designation.¹¹

Cool and international takkyubin cannot be sent from konbini.¹¹ Supported chains for sending include 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, NewDays, Daily Yamazaki, and Poplar.¹¹

Rakuten, Amazon, and Mercari support konbini or locker designation at order time. Only the Amazon to PUDO flow was verified against a primary source in this pass, so treat the other checkouts as store-specific options to confirm at purchase.⁹

Apartment delivery lockers

An apartment delivery locker is a communal parcel bank in the entrance or mail area that the courier uses when the resident is absent.¹²¹³ It is distinct from the personal mailbox for letters and slips.

Dial-type boxes use a 4-digit code left on a paper slip.¹³ Digital boxes use an IC key, PIN, or panel with an intercom or phone notification.¹³

Full lockers, oversize parcels, registered mail, cash-on-delivery, and refrigerated goods fall back to an absence slip and a new booking.¹³ Newer reinforced-concrete mansions commonly include a box, while older wooden or small studio buildings often lack one, so check listings for 宅配ボックス (takuhai bokkusu, "apartment delivery locker").¹³

Term	Reading and meaning
宅配ボックス	takuhai bokkusu, "apartment delivery locker"1312
PUDOステーション	PUDO sutēshon, "open parcel locker network"68
コンビニ受取	konbini uketori, "konbini pickup"410
時間帯指定	jikantai shitei, "delivery time-slot designation"4
暗証番号	anshō bangō, "passcode or PIN"13

Strategy for Working Residents

Default to a pickup point instead of home delivery when the week is unpredictable. Konbini or PUDO designation at order time removes the daytime-absence gamble.

Use time-slot designation with margin, plus carrier mail or app notices, plus diverse receipt methods including konbini, station lockers, and 置き配 (oki-hai, "leave-at-door delivery").⁴ Confirming at-home time at order time also helps.

Kuroneko Members and Sagawa Smart Club plus LINE notices let recipients shift the date, place, or locker before the first attempt.⁶² That pre-arrival change is a reliable habit for full-time workers.

Where a building locker exists, keep it clear and check the mailbox slip promptly. That prevents a second redelivery loop during peak seasons when banks fill.¹³

Set evening windows only when you are already home

Same-day evening slots look convenient but still need you present across the full window. If overtime is possible, choose locker pickup instead of risking another slip.⁷⁶

Good to know

Requesting redelivery when you will miss the new window too

Booking a window you cannot keep restarts the cycle. Yamato holds ordinary parcels about 1 week and cool parcels 3 days, so repeated misses push toward return to sender.¹

Even time-slotted parcels still go absent when recipients do not watch the slot.⁴ If the evening is uncertain, switch the parcel to a locker or office pickup instead of booking another home window.

A full building locker still triggers a slip

A full bank sends you back to the slip. The courier leaves a redelivery notice and you rebook through the QR code or phone path like any missed delivery.¹³

Clear your locker the evening you arrive home. Sitting on a parcel for days holds a shared locker for the whole building during peak shopping periods.

PUDO and konbini size and holding limits catch large orders

Large, heavy, cold, or cash-on-delivery orders do not fit locker or konbini pickup. Yamato PUDO receipt caps prepaid takkyubin at 100 size and 10 kg and excludes cash-on-delivery, cool, and Nekopos types.⁶

Pickup must finish within 3 days including the delivery date, with no extension.⁶ Split large orders across dates or send them to a sales office or counter with longer holding.

Refrigerated and cash-on-delivery parcels narrow your options

Constrained parcel types must be received at home or at the sales office or counter. Yamato bars destination changes for cash-on-delivery and credit-card parcels.¹

Konbini sending bars cool and international takkyubin.¹¹ If you order groceries or cash-on-delivery goods, book a home window you can keep or plan a direct office pickup.

See also

• Hanko and Signature for Delivery Receipts
• Mail-Forwarding at Move and Departure
• Takkyubin: The Parcel-Delivery Network
• Japan Post (Yu-Pack): Letters and Parcels
• Customs on Inbound Personal Shipments

References

Footnotes

1. Yamato Transport. "When Receiving an Attempted Delivery Notice." https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/redelivery/notice.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

2. Sagawa Express. "再配達のお申込み." https://www.sagawa-exp.co.jp/redeliver/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

3. Japan Post. "Entering tracking number/notification number | Application for redelivery." https://www.post.japanpost.jp/receive/redelivery_form/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

4. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. "物流：宅配便の再配達削減に向けて." https://www.mlit.go.jp/seisakutokatsu/freight/re_delivery_reduce.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

5. GaijinPot Blog. "How to Redeliver a Package in Japanese." https://blog.gaijinpot.com/redeliver-japan-post/ (2024-06-26) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

6. Yamato Transport. "宅配便ロッカー PUDOステーション." https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/customer/pudo/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

7. Yamato Transport. "Request Redelivery Using the Automated Phone Service." https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/redelivery/auto.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

8. Packcity Japan. "Consumer Service." https://www.pudo.jp/ja/service-consumer ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Packcity Japan. "Amazonで商品購入時にお届け先として選択できる「PUDOステーション」が全国約6,000カ所に拡大." https://www.pudo.jp/ja/pudo-amazon-expansion ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. Yamato Transport FAQ. "What do I need to take with me when receiving / collecting a parcel at a convenience store." https://faq-en.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/app/answers/detail/a_id/5618 ↩ ↩² ↩³

11. Yamato Transport FAQ. "Is it possible to send luggage/parcel from 7-Eleven or FamilyMart." https://faq-en.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/app/answers/detail/a_id/6070/~/is-it-possible-to-send-luggage%2Fparcel-from-from-7-eleven-or-familymart ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

12. Wagaya Japan. "Delivery Box | Real Estate Glossary." https://wagaya-japan.com/en/glossary_thing.php?id=44 ↩ ↩²

13. Arealty. "Apartment Delivery Box in Japan: The Expat's Practical Guide." https://arealty.jp/blog/apartment-delivery-box-in-japan/ (2026-05-07) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹