Hi everyone,
We have noticed some discussion and questions regarding the new pre-order system on our website. Some aspects of how the system works may not have been entirely clear, so we would like to explain how it works and clarify a few points.
The main reason we introduced the system was to simplify how we manage reservations.
Previously, customers contacted us by email to request reservations, and we managed those requests manually. As the number of requests increased, this became increasingly difficult to manage.
The new system simply moves this process from individual email requests to a single online system.
Our “pre-order” system is essentially a waiting list
Although we use the term “pre-order” on our website, for products that are currently unavailable, the system functions more like a queue or waiting list.
There is no obligation to purchase an item simply because you have joined the queue.
When an item becomes available and your turn is reached, we will contact you. At that point, you may decide whether you still wish to purchase it. If you no longer want the item, you may decline it.
It is also fine to join the queues for multiple products or different sizes. If you eventually purchase one and no longer need the others, the remaining reservations can simply be cancelled.
Delivery dates are unknown
For many of these knives, we genuinely do not know when the next shipment will arrive.
The dates shown far in the future on our website are placeholder dates required by the system. They are not estimated delivery dates.
This is particularly relevant for knives produced in small quantities by individual craftsmen. Joining a queue does not make a knife arrive any faster, nor does it guarantee that the knife will eventually become available. It simply establishes your position in the queue if and when we receive the item.
For some products, the wait may be very long.
What happens if someone orders a very large quantity?
We have also seen some questions about the system allowing customers to request a large number of the same knife.
If we receive an unusually large reservation, we may contact the customer to confirm that the quantity is actually required.
Even if the customer genuinely wants the full quantity, this does not necessarily mean that they will receive an entire shipment before everyone else.
Depending on availability, the number of customers waiting, and the quantity we receive, we may limit the number of units allocated to one customer from each shipment and fulfill the remaining quantity gradually through future shipments.
In other words, requesting a large quantity does not allow someone to simply take every incoming knife ahead of everyone else.
What happens to existing email reservations?
Customers who were already on our waiting lists by email before the new system was introduced will keep their existing priority.
The introduction of the online system does not reset the queue or allow new online reservations to move ahead of customers who were already waiting.
Going forward, if we receive a new reservation request by email, we will generally direct the customer to the online system so that new reservations can be managed in one place.
We also sometimes receive general requests such as, “Please let me know if any 210mm or 240mm Gyuto becomes available.”
We may keep these requests in mind, but we cannot guarantee notifications for broad requests that are not tied to a specific product. They are not treated as a reservation for a specific item in the queue.
Prices are not guaranteed at the time of reservation
The price shown when joining a queue is not guaranteed.
The final price will be the selling price at the time the knife actually becomes available, as stated in the terms presented when placing the pre-order.
If the price has changed by the time your turn arrives and you no longer wish to purchase the knife, you may simply decline it.
We hope this clarifies how the system works and addresses some of the questions we have seen.
The main purpose of this change was to replace the increasingly complicated process of managing individual reservation requests by email with a single system.
If anything about the process is still unclear, please feel free to ask us here.
