Mirumi, the shy little plush robot from Yukai Engineering, is sold primarily in Japan. In Switzerland, no physical store distributes it: buyers must go through an online reseller, with the issue of customs lurking in the background. Here is how to get one without any unpleasant surprises, and why ordering from within Switzerland changes everything.
Why Mirumi remains hard to find
Yukai Engineering is a small Japanese studio, already known for Qoobo, the tail-wagging cushion. Its series are produced in limited quantities and sold primarily in Japan.
There is no official distribution of the brand in Switzerland. European stocks are therefore spread among independent resellers, which explains the frequent stockouts and price discrepancies from one site to another.
For a rare product, a price well below the market average warrants suspicion rather than enthusiasm: for limited-edition electronics, such margins do not exist.
Ordering from Switzerland: what it avoids
This is the decisive point. A Mirumi ordered from Japan or the EU arrives with 8.1% Swiss import VAT, carrier customs clearance fees, and a lead time measured in weeks.
From within Switzerland, none of these fees apply: the parcel travels through the domestic Swiss Post network, the displayed price is the price paid, and tracking remains transparent from start to finish.
This also makes returns practical. Returning an electronic object to Japan often costs more than the object itself—a return within Switzerland does not.
Mirumi in Geneva
Our company is established in Geneva, and we ship throughout Switzerland from this base: Geneva and its canton, Vaud, Valais, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, as well as Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Ticino.
We do not operate a shop open to the public: sales are conducted online, with tracked shipping. This is what allows us to maintain a stable price rather than passing on the cost of high-street retail rent.
What it actually does
Mirumi attaches to a bag, a school bag, or a stroller. Thanks to its sensors, it observes its environment, shyly turns away, and then comes back to look at you. No app, no screen, no account to create: it works on its own, with a rechargeable battery.
This is what makes it a unique object in the category of companion robots. It asks for nothing, notifies nothing, and collects nothing. It simply reacts—and that is precisely why people love it.
Warranty and after-sales service
Mirumi contains a battery, sensors, and a motor: it is an electronic device, with all the uncertainties that entails. The question to ask any reseller is simple: where do you send the product in case of a breakdown?
If the answer is "to Japan," the after-sales service is purely theoretical. With us, returns are handled in Switzerland, within thirty days, with no customs procedures.