Chakubarai (着払) means the recipient pays the shipping charge. Daibiki (代引き, short for 代金引換) means the carrier collects a specified payment for the sender when delivering the goods. Asking for chakubarai does not arrange collection of the item’s sale price. This distinction matters when returning a purchase or sending something that has not yet been paid for. Japan Post: the difference between the two methods
This guide covers domestic Japan Post services. It is desk research, not a tested shipment, and does not determine a seller’s return policy.
Already paid for the item? You may still owe shipping
Chakubarai is not free shipping. A seller can receive payment for the item first and send it with shipping payable by the recipient. Before agreeing, check whether the quoted price includes delivery and ask for the shipping charge separately.
For a hypothetical example, not a postage quote, suppose you have paid the seller ¥3,000 for the item and agreed to pay ¥800 shipping on arrival. With chakubarai, you pay the carrier ¥800, not another ¥3,000. Your total outlay is ¥3,800. If a payment request includes the item price again, ask the seller to check the arrangement before paying twice.
Japan Post distinguishes collecting shipping from collecting payment for the goods. It also says that if a recipient does not pay for a chakubarai Yu-Pack and it is returned, the sender is charged the shipping fee. Agreeing who pays before dispatch matters for both sides. Japan Post: payment distinction; English FAQ: refusal of a recipient-paid Yu-Pack (checked October 18, 2026).
Separate the goods payment from the transport payment
Both methods can involve the recipient paying when a parcel arrives, which makes an English phrase such as “pay on delivery” ambiguous. Use the Japanese term and state what the payment covers.
| Arrangement | What is collected on delivery? | What still needs a separate decision? |
|---|---|---|
| Chakubarai | The transport charge and any applicable handling fee | How the goods themselves are paid for, if a goods payment exists |
| Daibiki | The amount specified for collection on the sender's behalf | Which costs are included in that amount and the applicable service fees |
| Sender-paid postage, 元払 | Postage has been paid by the sender | Whether any goods payment has been settled separately |
The first two rows follow Japan Post’s distinction; the table is an editorial comparison, not a quotation of all available payment services. Japan Post: payment comparison
How do you pay when a chakubarai Yu-Pack arrives?
For Japan Post’s chakubarai Yu-Pack, postage stamps can be used to pay the shipping charge, and stamps and cash can be combined. Japan Post confirms both in its recipient-paid Yu-Pack payment FAQ (checked October 30, 2026). Translating chakubarai as “cash on delivery” does not, by itself, tell you every accepted payment method.
Before delivery, confirm the carrier and service with the sender, ask for the shipping charge, and prepare the payment separately from any amount already paid for the item. If you want to use stamps, check the stamp total and the remaining cash amount with the delivering post office. This FAQ is about Yu-Pack shipping charges, not paying the purchase price through daibiki or paying another carrier.
The cited FAQ does not establish whether cards, QR payments or electronic money are available for your delivery. Confirm the actual collection arrangement before relying on one of those methods; a cashless-payment notice for a postal counter is not confirmation of doorstep payment options.
For a return, obtain agreement about shipping first
Japan Post requires the recipient’s advance agreement to pay the transport charge and handling fee for chakubarai. Its instructions specifically identify retailer-funded returns as a use case. For ordinary Yu-Pack, use the dedicated chakubarai label; Japan Post lists no additional chakubarai handling fee for Yu-Pack itself. The actual parcel postage still applies. Japan Post: chakubarai instructions and charges
Consider this hypothetical example: a shop has agreed to accept your return and explicitly told you to send it by recipient-paid Yu-Pack. You are returning an item, not selling it back to the shop through the postal service. Chakubarai matches the agreed shipping arrangement. The shop’s refund, if any, is a separate process; do not enter the original purchase price as an amount to collect.
Before preparing the label, keep three details together: the approved return destination, the requested postal service, and who agreed to pay shipping. If the shop provides its own label, follow that arrangement instead of independently creating a second payment instruction.
A useful clarification is: “Do you mean 着払 for the shipping charge, or 代金引換 for an amount to collect?” This is a suggested phrase, not a form you must submit.
Do not combine COD with chakubarai
Japan Post says daibiki cannot be made chakubarai. The sender initially pays postage. Its FAQ explains that the sender may instead include postage in the amount specified for COD collection. Japan Post: can COD use recipient-paid postage?
For a hypothetical calculation, call the agreed goods price G and the correctly determined postage P. If the agreement is to recover both through COD, the goods-plus-postage component is G + P. That does not mean no money is needed at dispatch, and it is not a complete fee quote. Any collection or remittance costs must be checked separately before fixing the final collection amount.
If the buyer has already paid G, collecting G again would duplicate that payment. Confirm what has already been settled before choosing a label.
An ordinary letter is not a chakubarai parcel
Japan Post’s eligibility FAQ lists Yu-Pack, Yu-Packet and Yu-Mail, and says postal items such as ordinary letters cannot use chakubarai. Their other content and size conditions still matter. Japan Post: eligible services
Do not treat an unstamped letter as a substitute for an agreed recipient-paid service. Select the correct service first, then determine the finished package’s charge. This guide does not establish a universal parcel price, all payment methods for every carrier, or your entitlement to a refund. Those are separate questions from deciding who should pay which amount.