Yamato Transport Co. will launch a new service Wednesday to deliver magazines, catalogs, books and other printed material on behalf of individual customers.
Company officials said Tuesday that the nation's largest parcel-delivery company has simplified its service agreement system, making it easier for individuals to use the service.
Delivering noncorrespondence documents, mostly direct mail, has been basically limited to large-lot corporate customers because the existing system approved by the government requires customers to sign contracts with service providers in advance.
Stamp taxes were also needed. A three-month contract, for example, costs 200 yen. When the contract is rolled over after a year, 4,000 yen must be paid annually.
Yamato's new system allows customers to sign an agreement at its sales offices at the time of use that states settlement methods and the range of its liability.
Customers can pay in cash for each shipment instead of at the end of the month via bank account transfers. Stamp taxes are no longer necessary.
This will also appeal to small-lot corporate customers, they said.
They said the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has approved the new system. Yamato will receive items for delivery at its 2,600 sales offices nationwide. It plans to set up dropoff locations at convenience stores.