Terms of Service

Terms of Service

These Terms govern use of the website operated by HERCULES LABO Co., Ltd. (“we”) at herculeslabo.com and the goods and services offered through it. By using the service you are deemed to have agreed to these Terms. This is a reference translation; the Japanese version prevails — except that, for consumers resident outside Japan, mandatory consumer-protection rules of your country of habitual residence may apply regardless of these Terms.

Article 1Application

These Terms apply to all relations between us and the customer regarding use of the service. Conditions set out on individual pages (the Legal Notice, the Returns & Refund Policy, the Privacy Policy, and the like) form part of these Terms.

Article 2Nature of the Goods

  1. Artworks (specimen art) sold on this site are all one-of-a-kind. No two specimens are alike, and we do not remake a work once it is completed. Owing to the materials, natural variation between individual specimens, and handmade production, color and texture may differ from the photographs.
  2. Every artwork carries a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) and a unique serial.
  3. Specimens and live insects vary in size, color and form, as living things and natural objects do.
  4. The line names we use (POP / Four Seasons / Masterpiece, etc.) and series names are our own identifiers.

Article 3Claims & Wording

  1. We describe the Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) as “one of the largest insects on earth”, and present our one-of-a-kind art as painted upon its back. This is a statement of fact about the size of the species.
  2. We do not claim any individual specimen’s measured size (mm) to be a “world record” or the like; we make no claim beyond the scope of verified records.
  3. Sizes are stated from actual measurements, with the measurement basis (start and end points) disclosed.

Article 4Formation of Contract

  1. Cart checkout (Route A): a contract of sale is formed upon our order confirmation and completed payment.
  2. “Inquire” / bank transfer (Route B): a contract of sale is formed when we confirm payment against the invoice or quotation we issue.
  3. Live insects (Route C): a contract is formed when we confirm payment following inquiry and negotiation.
  4. Because stock is one-of-a-kind and limited, where several orders are placed for the same work, we prioritize the customer whose contract we confirm first. Regardless of the sequence of payment, an item may sell out owing to timing differences in system updates.
  5. We may decline or cancel orders that are fraudulent or improper, on the basis of credit or fraud analysis, or for other reasonable grounds.

Article 5Price & Payment

  1. Prices are shown on each product page (JPY, tax included, on Japanese pages). “Inquire” items are individually quoted.
  2. Payment methods and timing are as set out in the Legal Notice. Bank-transfer fees are borne by the customer.
  3. Import VAT, customs duties and clearance fees on international orders are borne by you as the importer (DDU) (Article 7).

Article 6Returns & Cancellation

Returns, cancellations and refunds are handled as set out in the Returns & Refund Policy. One-of-a-kind artworks are not returnable or cancellable for customer convenience.

Article 7Shipping, Cross-Border & Duties

  1. Domestic delivery is by Japan Post (Yu-Pack) or similar.
  2. We ship internationally only to countries and regions we judge we can serve. Import VAT, customs duties and clearance fees are borne by you as the importer (DDU); we present an estimated landed cost before shipping and ship only after you confirm. Refusing delivery does not waive these charges.
  3. Depending on the materials, export and import may be subject to the laws of each country (CITES, Japan’s Act on Conservation of Endangered Species, national animal by-product (ABP) rules, and the like). We sell and ship only within what is lawful for the works we handle. Our principal material, the Hercules beetle Dynastes hercules, is not listed in the CITES appendices (its congener D. satanas is listed in Appendix II, so we evidence the species by scientific name and provenance documents). We assume our principal material is this species alone, but because we also use gold leaf, lacquer and other decorative materials, whether export or import is permitted may vary with the destination country’s rules.
  4. Where clearance is impossible (distinguished from your refusal of delivery): we endeavour to confirm importability into the destination country before shipping, but a parcel may still fail to clear customs (and be returned or destroyed) because import is not permitted under that country’s rules. The costs in that case (return, disposal, etc.) and the treatment of any refund are as set out in the Returns & Refund Policy. This is treated as an event separate from “refusal after your confirmation” under Article 7(2).

Article 8Live Insects

  1. Live insects are sold within Japan only; we do not ship them overseas.
  2. Live insects are covered by our 72-hour live-arrival guarantee (conditions and exclusions are set out in the Returns & Refund Policy and on the live-insect product pages).
  3. Never release living insects into the wild. Husbandry is the customer’s responsibility.

Article 9Intellectual Property

Copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights in the text, images, designs, logos, photographs of works, COA formats and all other content on this site belong to us or to the rightful owner. Reproduction, republication and secondary use without permission are prohibited. Purchasing a work transfers ownership of that physical object only, and does not transfer copyright or any other intellectual property right.

Article 10Prohibited Conduct

You must not violate law, infringe the rights of us or third parties, impersonate others, gain unauthorized access, fraudulently acquire works for the purpose of resale, harm our reputation, or engage in any other conduct we judge to be improper.

Article 11Counterfeit Sites & Authenticity

Our only official sales channel is herculeslabo.com. We accept no responsibility for counterfeit sites, unofficial resale, or forged COAs by third parties. Authenticity is confirmed by the COA and by our records.

Article 12Disclaimer

  1. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for damages incurred by the customer in relation to the service — except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, and except where our liability cannot be excluded under the Consumer Contract Act or other mandatory law.
  2. We are not liable for delay in or failure of performance due to causes beyond our reasonable control, such as natural disaster, transport accidents or communication failures.

Article 13Governing Law & Jurisdiction

  1. These Terms and the service are governed by Japanese law.
  2. In the event of a dispute between us and the customer regarding the service, the Tokyo District Court, Tachikawa Branch shall be the exclusive agreed court of first instance — subject to the mandatory rules and forums available to consumers resident outside Japan.

Article 14Changes to These Terms

We may amend these Terms as necessary. Material changes will be announced on this site. If you use the service after a change, you are deemed to have agreed to the amended Terms.

Effective date: 22 July 2026 / Last revised: 22 July 2026