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🩄 A little bit of positivity for everyone :D

Contents

Getting started

This guide is subject to >opinions, but hopefully we can help avoid bleeding your wallet (completely) dry.


I am the Bone of my Wallet,

Impulse is my Body and restlessness is my Blood.

I have bought over a Thousand Figures,

Unknown to Self-restraint,

Nor known to Common sense.

Have withstood Pain to bear many SAL shipments

Yet, those orders will never amount to Anything.

So as I Pray -

Unlimited Buyfag Works

Mindset

It’s going to be expensive, no matter what you do. This is a niche market. Unless you live in Japan, you are NOT the industry’s target customer. So suck it up and carry on.

Briefly, this is what makes buyfagging (and some other types of collecting) so addictive:

  • Buyfag threads
  • Limited preorder slots, letting you preorder with no upfront payment
  • Long lead times of 6 months or more
  • Small quantities
  • Feels good when you actually receive something
  • Showing off to fellow collectors, receive praise/attention

Most things are made in small quantities and one-time runs, even if they aren’t specified as “limited”. Stock often dries up permanently once sold out and you’ll have to pay extra from scalpers or purchase things secondhand. You usually guarantee your receipt of an item by preordering. The catch is that lead time can be anywhere from 3-6+ months. This is one of the biggest traps of buyfagging since most stores don’t invoice you until items are actually in stock and ready to ship. You order something months in advance without having to pay, and get impatient or bored in the interim so you go and buy other things to keep you occupied while waiting.

The price of this hobby might seem prohibitive at first, but after you pull the trigger the first time and order something and finally receive your product, you’ll usually find it’s pretty nice. Now your inhibitions are lower and most likely you’ll think your thing looks lonely or want to complete a set, and then order more.

Make informed decisions

In order to last long (i.e. not go broke) in this hobby, you’ll need to do your research beforehand. What are you really, truly looking for? What are the manufacturers that make the best products? What are they planning on releasing and when are the preorder dates? Keep abreast of the news. Using the Finding interesting stuff section will help with this.

Avoid impulse decisions

We can’t repeat this enough times. Sit down, think about it and sleep on it before you click that order button. Always fap first to avoid sex-driven purchases. Consider unplugging the internet if you drunkenly order things that you have no recollection of. Make too many impulse decisions and you’ll end up with a lot of items you regret buying and a lot less money in the bank or summarily banned from stores. Just because there are no immediate consequences when you order, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any down the line when you’re supposed to pay and you don’t want it anymore. The only time you’ll probably have to make a snap decision is if something new pops up on Mandarake for a good price. If you’ve done your homework, you should already know how much you want the item and have a budget in mind. Otherwise, you’ll almost always have plenty of time to decide between product announcement and the preorder window.

Commit to your decisions

Be decisive. Waffling is just as bad as impulse buying. You knew what the terms were when you pressed that order button. Or at least I sure hope you did. Now stick to it, shut up and don’t complain. We’re not trying to justify past mistakes in an attempt not to regret something, we want you to own up to your choices. You’re a responsible adult, right?

Avoid bandwagoning

If you’re buying something just because everyone else is hyping it, you’re paying for the hype that will inevitably die down later.

Budget accordingly

It’s possible to get by if you order something now that you currently can’t pay for, but it’s not a good idea and not sustainable. If you’re just starting out, the rule of thumb that you should follow is “only buy things for which you have the money!” See below for details.

You will never own everything that you want

Once you accept this fact, you can sleep much easier. Are you thinking like a buyfag now? Good. Let’s talk money.

Money makes the world go round

Buyfagging takes money. That merchandise ain’t going to buy itself, so consider the following points:

Income

New things come out all the time, so you’re going to want to have a steady source of income. Yes, this most often comes in the form of a full-time job. Don’t try to weasel out of it by saying you’re a student; there are part-time jobs during the school year and full-time jobs in the summer that can net you a good sum of money (minimum US wage $9/hour x 40 hours/week x 10 weeks = $3600 before taxes). NEETs can get by for a while, but this isn’t sustainable in the long run. Do not be a burden to your parents. They have already done you a favor by popping you out.

Bank account

Get one at your local bank if you don’t already and deposit your money into it. A checking account is preferred over savings if you’re going to be buying frequently, since most banks impose a transaction fee for free savings accounts after the first few times.

Debit cards

Takes money directly out of your checking account to pay for your purchases. However, not all stores accept this. Recommended over credit cards if you want to stick to spending no more than what you have. Visa and Mastercard debit cards can be used as credit cards online. Call your bank for details on other debit cards. If your card is not working or is giving an error, call your bank to lift a possible restriction that was placed on your card to prevent theft.

Credit cards

Allows you to buy things with money that’s not yours, provided you pay the bill later. Accepted at many more places than debit cards. Depending on your bank, you might not be able to make international purchases, or you may have to pay a foreign transaction fee (usually 3%). If you are looking to get a credit card the Capital One Quicksilver has no foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, and offers 1.5% cash back (racks up with how expensive this hobby gets). If you use your credit card at a Japanese store, sometimes the transaction doesn’t show up on your statement until the end of the month. A method to build credit if you can make your payments on time every time. Please remember your payment deadlines. Not recommended for people who see the credit line as how much they should blow monthly. If you're using a Visa with an United States of America billing address, with certain merchants you will be prompted with a "Verification by Visa" requirement. This has been brought up in the thread often enough that I'm going to address this issue. The number you need to call (Americans only) is 1-800-654-9214 and you will need to have your card on you. You answer a few questions to verify you are the card holder and submit the payment on your preferred merchant's website while over the phone with Visa. Don't worry, they wont know you're buying scat porn, just some merchant pronounced "¿Man-dah-care-ee?".

PayPal

This is probably what you’re going to be using most of the time. Get an account. Paypal’s exchange rates are shittier than what’s listed on http://www.xe.com/ and they’ll automatically include a currency exchange fee in your transaction. You do not need a credit card to use Paypal - they allow you to link your debit card directly. Highly recommended. It takes 30 seconds to verify and payments can be instant, while payments directly from your bank account take a couple days. Some banks get suspicious if cards are used for foreign purchases, so this allows you to work around that as well.

Instant transactions

You do not need to have money in your Paypal balance to pay. Once you link your bank account and a card (can be either debit or credit) to Paypal, and you have a zero Paypal balance, then transactions via Paypal are charged to your card instead and should clear instantly. You can set it up so that your credit or debit card is charged in the original currency instead („) without using Paypal’s exchange rate. Be aware that this means the exchange will be done by the card’s company (e.x. MasterCard, Visa) only when the credit card is charged (when you have to pay) and your bank may charge for foreign transactions. Instructions below. To do this, go to Profile > My preapproved payments > Set Available Funding Sources > Conversion Options and choose "Bill me in the currency listed on the seller's invoice". When doing a manual payment, enter the payment first using the correct currency, and on the second screen, under “Payment Methods” it will probably list instant transfer from your bank account, and under the conversion rate, click “Change” to charge your card instead.

Backup

Living from paycheck to paycheck is dangerous. We recommend always having at least a couple hundred dollars backup just in case your grail or something you hadn’t planned for suddenly becomes available. Or real life gets in the way (e.g. car accident, sudden illness, douchebag roommate).

Keep track of your money

Things add up very, very quickly. Keep a list of all purchases and their details somewhere. Here are some examples in Excel since it can do calculations for you: Here and here. Also keep an eye on your bank account. Step back every once in a while and consider the big picture. How much have you spent lately, and how much will you need to pay in the future? No, you cannot avoid foreign transaction fees. To avoid going broke, we recommend connecting Paypal to your debit card. Buy with credit cards rarely and only if necessary.

READ THE FAQ OF YOUR MERCHANT

What it says on the tin. Especially the sections regarding payment methods, shipping types, grouping/holding (a.k.a combining shipping), cancellations and returns. Or else you’re going to bitch on /a/ about AmiAmi denying your order cancellations and then permabanning you for ignoring 6 payment requests in a row, and everybody will make fun of you, faggot.

Self-control and moderation

Consume.jpg

Avoid impulse decisions.

Usually you have at least a few days to think if a figure is worth buying, so think about it for a couple of days before placing your order. Various stores will personally hunt you down and cancel your account for cancelling orders later. (The max number of strikes “unpaid orders” with AmiAmi seems to be four, will not test again). See the chart below for an example thought process. This may not apply to everyone, so figure out what works for you.

NewAndImprovedChart.png

Some people deal with the slippery slope by setting limits for themselves. For example, only one figure of any character or series, themed collections, X items in a month, or X amount of money per month, and so on.

Never feel like you must buy something. No one has ever died from lack of plastic toys. Save your money for another more deserving purchase. And don’t ask /a/ to convince you not to buy.

Shipping

Shit is expensive

"Public" services

EMS (express mail service), SAL (surface air lifted) ("""""temporarily""""" suspended without ETA of return due to COVID), airmail and surface mail/seamail. These are handled by the national postal service of the country a package is in (Canada Post, United States Postal Service, Royal Mail, etc.). These services are generally weight based and subject to some size restrictions. SAL and EMS cannot ship to APO or AP addresses (PO Box addresses are OK).

Q: Registered mail?

A: EMS is registered; SAL, airmail and surface mail have registration options. That means you get a tracking number and some insurance. The package must be signed for by you, someone you live with, your neighbors or your post office if you have a PO box. If you miss the delivery, you can arrange a redelivery online in some countries and leave your signature outside, or pick up your package at the post office.

Q: How much does it cost to ship X and Y?

A: There's no way of telling for sure until the store actually packs the box with your things in it, and also dependent on the service you choose. Some stores will give you estimates if you ask. The most you can do is estimate the weight of your products based on things you've bought before and add in a couple hundred grams for the shipping container and packaging. If your order is large enough, there's also no guarantee that the store won't split it into two or more shipments because it exceeds their maximum box size even if it's just by a few millimeters.

Average 1/6-1/8 figure: 1.0-1.75 kg Small size poseable figure (Nendos, figmas) 0.5-0.75 kg Books: Varies wildly, but generally heavy.

You can use the Japan Post postage calculator for some estimates. Here's the unnecessarily long version with air/surface mail (EMS rates are outdated).

International ePacket was a discounted registered airmail small packet service where the sender creates a shipping label through the Japan Post website. Discontinued as of Saturday, September 30, 2023. Registered and Unregistered Airmail Small Packet still exists and is offered.

International ePacket Light (E-Packet Lite) is a similar service for registered SAL small packet. Note that this service is available even for countries that normally don't support registered SAL small packets (Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland).

Shipping pasta.png

Trivia

Some insignificant trivia:

*SAL: '"Surface Air Lift." It's sometimes called "ISAL" for "International Surface Air Lift." It's basically economy air mail. The packages are carried over the ocean by air cargo, but when they're not on the plane, they're treated as surface mail (sea mail) shipments. At the airport, they also fly "standby," only getting loaded on the plane if there's space. Otherwise, they wait for the next plane.' Small packet and printed matter have the same rates, but the weight limit is higher for printed matter. Parcels are more expensive.

*Surface/sea Travels by ocean between continents if there's space on ships, that's why it takes so long.

Q: Where do I track registered packages?

A: Enter the provided number at the following websites

While the package is in Japan Japan Post

After you see "dispatch from outward office of exchange: Your country's postal service website (USPS, Canada Post, Parcelforce/Royal Mail, and so on and so forth).

If you're dumb, use this, this or this
Note: Updates can take 24+ hours to show up online. Updates for EMS packages are generally pretty fast, and updates are faster on the website in the same country as the package.

For registered SAL packages, Japan Post sometimes won't update after the package leaves Japan. Use your country's website instead.

Q: Is the registered version faster than unregistered?

A: In some cases, yes. According to anon, 

They do give priority to RSAL Packages, basically this is how it works: 
Packages are piled together, then start filling labeled bags with the registered packages keeping track of the packages in. Once they are done with them they fill the rest of the huge bag with the untracked leftovers. At each "stop" read customs, and postal offices, the packages are reprocessed depending on the delivery address, so the process is repeated numerous times. Now, since they have   been keeping track of the trackable packages and what bag they are in they may know if a certain package is lagging behind, and they want to avoid that. While the untrackable ones might lag behind without anybody noticing, so, 3 or 4 bags can be processed and since your package is not tracked there's no way to know if it has been left behind until they clear completely the package queue.

That said, if the postal service has too many packages the SAL packages will lag way more than RSAL ones, while if the postal service has little work load the speed should be the same."

Private companies

It’s illegal to ship flammable items such as batteries by normal mail options above (some people buying PS Vitas may have run into this problem), but some private couriers may be cleared to mail them. Contact the merchant for details.

DHL

It's fast (1-5 days usually) and has tracking, but pretty expensive and you probably will get taxed for it if your country rolls that way. Cost depends on the type of item you bought and the total number of items in your order.

Amazon Japan use it for all their international shipping and is calculated on a flat rate per order based on the type of items plus 300 yen per item. It's great if you're buying a lot of heavy items at once. This is also one of the options at Mandarake if you buy from the Nakano store.

It's at least as fast as EMS, and can be cheaper in some cases. DHL is size based, so small and heavy items like books generally are good deals.

Fedex

There are a lot of options depending on the store. Fedex has their own customs office to speed up processing so you'll probably have to pay customs taxes outside the US. One limitation though--they can't ship to PO Box, APO, or AP addresses.

  • HLJ uses International Priority which is based on the box size, not weight. For Americans, it's awesome for small and heavy things (i.e. books), not so great for figures. Speeds are comparable to EMS and for small boxes, Fedex is often a lot cheaper. All packages have online tracking and e-mail delivery notification, and you can choose to divert them to the nearest Fedex office if you know you won't be home at delivery time. More expensive in other countries. Similar services offered at CD Japan (use their pricing calculator before checkout).
  • Otacute has Fedex available, but for the most part it's more expensive than EMS.
  • Some American stores offer Fedex and Fedex Smartpost for big and/or heavy packages. Overnight/2-day options available.

UPS

Very uncommon shipping method but is used by some proxy/forwarding companies. AmiAmi uses UPS Ground for the final leg of Surface (Premium) orders to the US, Toylet uses UPS Priority Ground for larger domestic shipments (pretty expensive by domestic shipping standards). Probably likely to be taxed outside of the US.

OCS

http://www.shipocs.com/ bk1 offers this. Prices on par with EMS, other details unknown. Probably likely to be taxed outside of the US.

Multi-carrier

Normally lower cost services where one carrier picks up and transports the item from the origin point then takes it all the way to the destination area/country and then passes it onto another carrier (normally postal services within that country) to make the final delivery to the customer.

  • Within the United States services such as Smartpost (FedEx), Surepost (UPS) and Smartmail (DHL) are considered multi-carrier which are used by numerous dealers such as Amazon, BBTS and more.
  • For shipments originating from within the USA but being delivered overseas, there are more limited options as dealers must have arranged high-volume custom contracts with carriers who will pickup and deliver parcels to destination post offices worldwide, who then handle customs and deliver to the local customers in that country directly. An example service would be IMS (International Mail Service) which is available to over 100+ countries, is for items weighing under 10 lbs, at it's base level contains no tracking outside the USA and can take 14-45 business days to be delivered. Select countries have premium and enhanced versions of IMS available which arrive faster and/or have tracking all the way thru to the final destination (see dealer/s for more details on which countries these options are available for).

How do I avoid paying customs taxes?

Apart from using the Country specific information page, try the following:

  • Use (unregistered) SAL services.
  • Small packages.
  • Some stores will mark your items as gifts and lower the declared value. However, if your insured package is lost, you can only be reimbursed up to the declared value.
  • Buy from stores in your country.
  • Live in the US.

Shipping disruption

With COVID and now the Ukrainian war some of the shipping methods listed in this section may not be available to you. To see the status of JP Post service to your country see here. Private couriers should be available without disruption.

General domestic shipping

Check the shipping FAQ of the store you're buying from or consult your post office.

List of shops

Figures and most goods

Purchasing from Asia

MFC Shops Database - Subject to >opinions, take everything with a grain of salt.

Buyfriend.moe is a website that monitors newly in-stock and pre-owned figures on Amiami and Mandarake, and sends email alerts based on your keywords.

buyfinder.moe is a website that searches for your figure on most shops listed here at once and sorts the results by price. Also contains price charts and automatic stock alerts for premium users.

Buyfag store digest - Old document on payment and shipping details for the major shops that has largely been superseeded by the information below.

★ - The store is able to undervalue or mark your item as a gift, which may help avoid extra fees. For more details check out Country specific information

✩ - Handles VAT with IOSS (Import-One-Stop-Shop)


The “For sale in Japan only” disclaimer means jackshit. If it’s on the international site (except for things with batteries or alcohol), you can buy it. If the item is truly meant for domestic-only, AmiAmi does not even list the item on their international site. Charges domestic sales tax on most goods, which is hidden by the steep discounts. The main items that AmiAmi have at a higher price than other stores are Cospa brand goods, where they are unable to discount the items at all, so the sales tax is apparent. Updates at 13:00 JST. They rank their products from A-J, anything from A-B will be like new, Japanese are just autistic about this stuff. Their searching system can be quite bad, if you want to find a lewd figure or book, go into the mature section first or else they may not show up. Remember that your order total isn't final until you pay for your payment request, until then, you can always ask them to split or combine multiple payment requests from the same month or recalculate shipping charges if they seem excessive, or if a specific service like Surface (Premium) isn't available. The shipping service you select during checkout is often ignored, shipping costs and available shipping services are made available on the payment request page and NOT during initial checkout. You can see some images of the packaging here. Among the popular online stores, AmiAmi uses an unusually large amount of packing material so shipping may be a bit more expensive. Of course, this also means that it is very unlikely for your order to be damaged in transit.

November 2023: AmiAmi has been very slow to ship out orders due to low staff and a warehouse move, expect to wait 3-4 weeks between payment request and shipping notification, even for expedited shipping methods, surface orders are only marginally slower to ship and are less than half the price on any significant order over 3 items, so always pick boat!

A couple of anon have worked to make browsing amiami easier:

Preowned: anon made a github.io page to make browsing the preowned section of amiami easier by separating recently added items. You can find it here. Don't forget to read the about popup before using it. May you have any questions/issues/want to help just poke Friendlyanon
Buyfriend.moe is a website that monitors newly in-stock and pre-owned figures on Amiami and Mandarake, and sends email alerts based on your keywords. The free version will have later notifications than the paid subscription, the more you pay the higher you are in the queue. Subscriptions start from $3/month.

There's a lot of folklore surrounding AmiAmi and account suspension, they are definitely less lenient than most when it comes to cancelling preorders. If you do it too often they will start denying cancellations, and once they come in stock, repeatedly ignoring payment requests past the deadline plus the unwritten grace period (1 week) will result in a ban. Asking to cancel payment requests is still far better than ignoring them but you'll be on thin ice. Also on the off-chance that 2 or more people at the same address are unknowingly ordering 1 per household items independently of each other is also grounds for a ban because this is impossible to differentiate from scalper behavior. Bans are based on name, full address and credit card information so don't expect to make a new account to evade bans.

Slightly poor quality control on verifying character and series names, can take some stock requests, discounts Cospa goods. They are lenient about cancellations, letting you cancel up until you get a payment request for preorders. They allow customers the option to hold unshipped purchases/preorders indefinitely up to 6 months for free in their "private warehouse", allowing flexible combined shipping, they like to prod you to ship sooner rather than later with occasional discounts on shipping rates. You can ignore the days in warehouse countdown timer because it won't actually auto-ship. They will urge you to ship or refund unshipped merchandise after 6 months, they have only so much storage space at their Sano warehouse and they cite rampant abuse from gaijin as a reason to limit the storage period. Throughout the pandemic, the private warehouse benefit was unlimited duration, and before that, you were given a 2 month window to combine shipping on purchases before they auto-shipped. You can see some images of the packaging here. Always set your display and payment currency to JPY as their payment processor Reach has 20-25% worse foreign exchange rates than your CC issuing bank.

Usually slightly more expensive than HLJ and more recently, slightly cheaper than AmiAmi. They often hold sales which have a limited stock which disappears quickly. RIP dedicated R18 sections as of July 2, 2024. R18 items like figures or dakis are still around, but there's no easy way to filter for just those goods. Sex dolls and adult toys have been nuked entirely.

Low prices for some items (even lower than Amiami sometimes), limited/exclusive figures are sold, they accept upfront payments and have proxy and forwarding services. It will take a very long time to receive a response to an email, if they ever do. If you wish to have a package undervalued, then ask them to value to a specific amount in the comment section of the order.

Mandarake sells preowned items including figures, doujin goods, character goods and more. Their stock is updated several times every day which includes stores in several different locations. In most cases, they will list the condition of a figure in its title. Due to Japanese autism, they will often list the item as "Box damaged" which usually means that it has been breathed on by someone. Check the pictures of the item, if there is any serious damage it will be listed there. Make sure to search with Japanese names for things (you can still do so on the English site), their translation software is pretty garbage. International shipping is available; you must use the English site to enter a non-Japanese address. Mandarake is no longer able to undervalue for you. Alerts can be awkward, therefore it is recommended to use Buyfriend.moe(beta) in order to track items you hope will appear.

Mandarake is an mail-order shop, that means when you hit order, you are ordering merchandise located at different physical stores and not from any central warehouse. Even though they recently opened the SAHARA online-only "store" location with a greater selection than their other stores, shipping can only be combined if all items in your order are from the same store, otherwise, expect to pay for separate shipping from each store.

Items listed as a "store-front" item are not guaranteed to be in stock, someone has to manually check when you click order, which is why they have the option to auto-cancel an order if one or more of your desired items is sold out.

In regard to their antiquated mail-order operations, they are not in a hurry to modernize, as domestic shipping is far cheaper within Japan, and they are not interested in expanding their appeal to foreign customers. It's possible that they do this knowing that foreign customers would clean out their pre-owned inventory far faster than they can replenish it if they offered cheap combined shipping like other stores, forcing Japanese customers to complete with foreign customers over the same limited stock. As it currently stands, desirable listings often sell out before the E-Mail product alerts can reach your inbox, cheap shipping would only make it worse.

Bad store turned scammers. They have shut so if you have outstanding paid pre-orders contact your bank.

Chinese shop, garage kits (recasts) and some exclusive pre-painted recasts. Quality varies. A lot of their newer recasts are recasts of recasts, if purchasing a garage kit then read the garage kit section below. One unique aspect of e2046 are their Gathering figures which are painted garage kits, usually requiring very minor assembly such as putting an arm in place. The packaging for these is excellent however the paint job is very hit or miss with some very poor work for the price paid.

Usually the best place to buy GSC exclusives due to their flat 2000 JPY EMS rate. Nope, not anymore. They revamped their global website and the base shipping fee is $18 USD now. They will charge you automatically when your item is due to be released. If the charge fails, you will need to message them for an invoice. If you order multiple figures with different release dates at once then they will charge you when the first item ships, however they will only charge shipping once.

Much like GSC store, you can now pre-order Native products directly from them, sadly they don’t ship to as many countries as GSC store. While most of the time the store sells pre-orders, occasionally it does sell in-stock items of previously released figures. As always be sure to read their help guide before you try to place an order. Native pre-orders have recently also become available at amiami which could be a convenient alternative if you already have open orders there.

You can sometimes find stuff that are sold out at the other big sites here. Almost all shipping options out there are available. Also CDs, DVDs, and games. Does not include Japanese consumption tax. Cheapest site for smaller items if you abuse coupons and pick SAL. For some products, such as CDs then they are willing to mark the item as a gift which may allow you to avoid extra fees. You can see some images of the packaging here

Also CDs, DVDs, and Games. They are usually overpriced and items may be listed as available on their website which are actually out of stock.

Updates every day starting at 21:00 JST. Item quality is listed on the page, similar to Amiami's rating system. Prices can vary from being overpriced to under market prices depending on the figure. While ordering, there will be an option to send as a gift/devalue your package. They recently migrated their backend to a new system and in the process jumbled up the EN/JP descriptions and titles of all items. If you can't find something, try searching for the original Japanese title and vice versa for English. Takes a while to start shipping if you order products from different warehouses in the same order, so pay attention to the city the product is currently in.

There are claims from a few years ago that they have been sending out bootlegs, ask for photos of whatever you're buying and check the photos against user photos on MFC. They often will have rarer items available, however they will be very expensive. Be aware that their new products have arrived with the figure damaged and in very bad condition. Their preowned products have also been very poor even with high ratings, there have been examples of figures rated 4.5 stars arriving covered in scratches or in disgusting condition. They appear to often have significant delays in shipping out products. Their friendly invoice system allows you to value packages at what you want. There is a sales section on the front page that will update with new items around once a month. They have partnered with MFC and will advertise if they have an item available in the comments section.

Able to easily check out yourself (they take credit/debit cards and PayPal) and use a forwarding service. Used items are generally near perfect condition, but don’t be surprised if keychains come without their outermost packaging or batteries are missing from the clock. Actually used goods are marked Rank B (roughly equivalent to AmiAmi Rank C). Cheaper than their Rakuten storefront. Free domestic shipping starts at 1500 yen, constant time sales and combo sales (buy 5 items of same category to get 5% off, etc). They charge a 240 yen transaction fee for orders under 5000 yen for orders at their main warehouse (the one with the 1500 yen free shipping). They ship everything in huge boxes regardless of order size so take that into consideration. Here is a guide for using BiJ with Suruga-ya, use latin character for your name instead of kanji though, like BiJ's faq says. The website also allows you to buy from the physical stores or partner stores as well which have different shipping rates and packaging.

Ships outside of Japan without a forwarder but has a smaller selection of goods and grossly inflated prices of 25% or higher over the domestic site, they have a price minimum so „50 yen TCG singles will be marked up to „500 (1000% markup!)

Shopping on the .jp site via forwarding service is still recommended, they use the same space-wasting boxes for international orders and your shipping fees will be exorbitant unless they are currently having one of their frequent """"""Only Now!""""" free shipping weekends. When you account for the 25% markup, the free shipping may still work out as a considerable discount on DHL/EMS shipping, especially for large or heavy items like books or tapestries, but still be sure to compare prices.

Their machine translation is impressively bad, look up series or character names in Japanese if you have issues. Try to pay with PayPal in JPY unless your cart has R-18 items, they will randomly cancel "high value orders" over „7000 from new accounts paying with foreign CCs directly and then not tell you until a week later. Communication is slow and often borders on word soup, they use the same machine translation as the rest of the site, they'll lowball you if you request refunds on damaged/not as described items so never accept their first offer.

Recommended for heavier books since they have flat rate shipping. Any items that show up under the AmazonGlobalćŻŸè±Ą option can be shipped overseas (non R-18 books/CD/BD/DVD/some figures); all other items will require using a proxy service. If you have a cheap and good proxy, Amazon JP has some of the most aggressive discount systems. Do not use a forwarder unless you know exactly what you’re doing. To see what items are available for overseas shipping, select AmazonGlobalćŻŸè±Ą from the menu on the left after making a search. Note that Amazon.jp rarely add items to the AmazonGlobalćŻŸè±Ą category. A selection of items are available at the AmazonGlobal OTAKU Store. If you order from them directly in this way keep in mind that their packaging is often very unsuitable for international shipping (e.g. lack of padding) and several anons have reported their items arriving damaged, so either accept the risk or use a proxy/forwarder that will repack your stuff better. Camelcamelcamel allows you to track figures on Amazon JP and it will give you an alert when a price drops. KNOWN TO CANCEL PEOPLE'S PREORDERS. BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK. Appears to be blocking viewing of adult items from non-Japanese ip addresses. Browsing requires VPN and clearing cookies.

This will require a proxy or forwarder. If you are looking to purchase a figure that has already been released or character goods of some sort, then there is a good chance that someone will be selling it here. All goods are usually purchased from a person, rather than a store which means you are not able to guarantee the quality of the item you receive. You must check the feedback of the person you are purchasing from.

Most Japanese online stores like Animate or Movic now currently accept foreign credit cards for all items while offering domestic shipping, so you just need a forwarding service.

One of the biggest market places for selling used items online in Japan. A great place to start your search for already released items.

A store that mainly sells figures. Primarily based in Hong Kong, although their web site states they are located in Japan and the United States as well. They are terrible at communication and processing orders, even sometimes shipping orders without giving you tracking and/or without updating your orders page. Their packaging can also be sub-par. While you will receive an authentic figure, their order processing as a whole is terrible, so they should be avoided except as a last resort.

Tokyo based small shop. Barebones interface, but they stock many older figures typically in very good condition or sealed/brand new. As a result, prices skew higher compared to other stores, but that may be worth it for rarer figures. Do note that original purchase bonuses are not included unless explicitly mentioned on the listing.

The following need updated, however they are not necessarily worse than the above. Those who update the guide simply do not have experience with them and so are not able to add information about them. If you do use them, please update with any information or post the information in the buyfag thread where it will hopefully be seen.

Store opened in 2019 from Osaka. Has new and second hand figures, cards, videogames.

Another store located in Osaka. Sometimes has pre-orders up earlier than other stores with competitive prices, even limited/exclusives from WonderFest and P-Bandai. The customer support is almost null.

Purchasing from the US

Most US stores import wholesale via container ship and receive their stock 1-3 months after Japanese release date. For most items that aren't prize figures and prize plushes, buying and preordering from import retailers in the US is more expensive than ordering from Japan via expedited air, you will be paying Japanese distributor retail + western importer retail markup and then receive the slowest domestic shipping available. They pocket the savings in shipping costs and charge you as if you paid for expedited air from Japan and you will still end up receiving your orders later than if you had ordered from Japan directly and used the slowest shipping mode available (surface parcel).


Higher than average figure prices but has free shipping on orders over $150. The only site with a decent points system stateside. They will issue bonus points on holiday orders and during summer sales. They will spam you with promo emails if you subscribe and their boxes are obnoxious. Better than average customer service. They have both Japanese and US based warehouses. They launched a scam "PREMIUM SERVICE" in 2017. The math was worked out and the only conceivable scenario where the membership saves you money is if you purchase multiple figures monthly. It's probably worth waiting for their coupons they send out a few times per year or there is a high chance you'll be paying more and waiting longer compared to importing from Japan.

One of the only stores in the US that sells preowned figures online, they also operate a service that allows you to sell your figures to them. Their preowned prices vary, items which are lower-priced tend to be competitive to Japanese prices however higher-priced items can be more expensive than standard Japanese stores. Make sure to check their item descriptions, the rating may show an item as "A" but the item description may state that there is a smudge on the figure. Shipping is $5.99 per figure if you live in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii).

I know, I know, >CR, but the daily deals on statues and exclusives are generally good. Will sometimes run 20-25% off coupon specials. Premium+ Members get free shipping. You can snag Premium+ using a CR 2-day guest pass right before you order. They have a presence on MFC and will sometimes advertise if they have an item available in the comments section. The sites store search feature is buggy, there have been cases where figures were not accessible browsing but could be directly linked to via MFC.

Bought out by Crunchyroll, who immediately started price gouging what was left of Rightstuf's physical media selection.

Official direct retailer for GSC and GSC-partner products, and because of this is usually the cheapest US option. Shipping starts at $5 for pre-order items, and starts at $10 for in-stock items. Also have an Amazon storefront.

Official direct retailer for Kotobukiya. They offer most of their exclusive variant figures, so it is cheaper to get them here rather than paying a JP proxy. Goods there are generally priced as if 100 yen = $1. Also have an Amazon storefront.

A store owned and operated by Kotobukiya. Expect to see stuff from Koto and other companies here as well as western brands.

Official retailer for Aniplex products. They sell some of their exclusives if you don't want to use a JP proxy, and also offer some bonus exclusive nendoroid parts. May have a free shipping sale. Also have an Amazon storefront.

Site looks like fucking shit, but it’s legit. Also have an Amazon storefront. If you sign up for their mailing list they send 10-15% off coupon codes often. Ignore their 5% off and wait for higher coupons.

Another legit option, but can be more expensive than most other sites even with their $4 flat shipping.

Carries most things seen on other stores. It's a good place to preorder prize figures. Recently they changed their preorder policy so that full payments are due at checkout. Also has a $5 flat shipping but be sure to check prices beforehand.

Website with few filtering options so aimless browsing is difficult, certain in-stock and pre-orders may have tiny discounts (1-6%), and has free shipping within the US with no order minimum. This can make them to be the cheapest option out of all the US shops at times.

Last resort for scales, more better for action figures such as figuarts. Avoid making pre-orders from non-JP Amazon as they are unreliable with stock and may cancel it. Plus, recently many figures have be removed due to being alerted as 'child exploitation.' So ask buyf/a/gs if you’re unsure. Typically if the seller isn’t from China or somewhere similar, it’s safe to buy something in-stock. Be sure to stick with vendors that are “fulfilled by Amazon”.

If you see an item on amazon.com, or any other Amazon sites, sometimes (but not always) you can access the same item on Amazon Japan by changing the "amazon.com" part of the URL to "amazon.co.jp" (And vice versa), which can be useful in comparing price and shipment option across different Amazon sites.

If you want to start a bootleg collection. Absolute last resort: Only buy from Japanese and North American sellers without Chinese-sounding names. Avoid China/Taiwan/Hong Kong sellers. Ask buyf/a/gs if you’re unsure. Even then it’s not infallible if they’re posting stock photos. Read Ebay for a more detailed writeup.


The following need updated, however they are not necessarily worse than the above. Those who update the guide simply do not have experience with them and so are not able to add information about them. If you do use them, please update with any information or post the information in the buyfag thread where it will hopefully be seen.

Purchasing from Europe

French Euro store. Ships worldwide. Well priced and sometimes sells limited editions.

UK based. Free tracked shipping within the UK. Pre-orders require a 10% deposit. Orders can be cancelled if they haven't shipped yet.

Has a physical store in Birmingham, UK. Normie-bait; often seen selling Pocky at conventions. Typically overpriced. Also sells their own brand of clothing/merchandise. Featured in that video about autism.

Germany based store. Ships worldwide, and has a flat shipping fee. They use appropriate padding in their packages. Is a Good Smile Company partner so it has some GSC exclusives, but they carry some other exclusives sometimes as well.

Spanish store with competitive prices. Has a physical store in Barcelona. Ships around Europe with VAT included. Dead store. They don't reply emails. All pre order links were removed. Banpresto disengage from them.

Belgium based store. Offers EMS shipping around Europe. Mostly figures and localised (USA/UK) DVDs/manga.

  • Dekai Anime

UK based store. Prices are unsurprisingly more expensive than shipping from Japan. Ships to EU and limited non-EU countries. Dead store, underwent liquidation around Feb 2024. If you had any pre-orders with them, get your money back from your card issuer

Garage kits

Note: These are made by small independent creators and not by established manufacturers, so they are constrained by copyrights and other logistical issues. For this reason, a good number of kits are event only or made in small batches and thus hard to acquire directly from their respective creators.

New

This site lets circles and other independent creators sell their own products, including garage kits and pre-painted doujin figures. A proxy, forwarder or Buyee account is however required.

Depending on the seller, kits are occasionally restocked.

Exceptionally offers the possibility to obtain GKs from restrictive IPs during Tonari no Mokei Festival Online.

An online event happening a few times per year where GKs from restrictive IPs can be purchased.

A proxy or forwarder is required as well, but unlike Tonari no Mokei Festival Online, you need to buy a virtual ticket in advance in order to participate.

  • Physically at events like Wonder Festival, Tonari no Mokei Festival, Hobby Round or Reitaisai.

Preowned

This will require a proxy or forwarder, you can sometimes buy preassembled and painted garage kits for a high price here in addition to kits.

Occasionally, GKs can also appear on similar sites like Mercari, Rakuten or Ebay.

This will require a proxy or forwarder Here is a guide for using BiJ with Suruga-ya.

Occasionally kits can pop up here.

Similar to Mandarake, do not expect to purchase very many from here.

Recasts

Note: ALL recasts are inherently bootlegs and unauthorized, of inferior quality than originals and have no resale value to any serious collector. Consider only if you really want a certain kit and have exhausted all other options.

Sells decent recasts at decent prices. The site itself is a bit janky and not very user-friendly but has good service.

A better-organized and more user-friendly site for recasts. Also offers low to average quality pre-painted versions of the most requested ones.

Dakimakura

A more complete dakimakura guide is hosted at Daki.info. The following information may be outdated/incorrect compared to it therefore it is recommended to read it.

Research

Fairly comprehensive record of released dakis with basic artist/circle details and original purchase links. Do note that it may include releases from chinese circles, so do not assume that linked stores sell genuine covers.

Cover

Where to purchase:

Search for “pillow”.

Search for “dakimakura”.

Search for “huggable pillow cover”.

Only sells bootleg dakimakura.

Custom dakimakura, bootlegs.

Many artists on Twitter and Pixiv sell their covers here. You will need to use a Proxy service to order from here.

A webshop for a a western doujin dakimakura circle aimed at the international market. They can do custom cover printing and also have a commission service albeit expensive.

US-based doujin dakimakura circle that ships to customers worldwide. They sell dakimakura inner pillows for a decent price too.

A webshop based in Taiwan. Has exclusive works made by the site owner as well as selling those of other artists. Ships internationally.


Custom dakimakura:

eBay seller that offers custom covers.

Hobby Heart’s custom dakimakura.


Stuffing

Filthy bastards that only ship in Burgerland. Very cheap.

The DHR7000H is of the most premium of inner pillows. Look for DHR5000 instead for a 150x50cm version. You may need to use a proxy service to order this but some users have been able to order without one.

Cheap Chinese pillow from a reputable seller. Free shipping.

We recommend that you try picking up a pillow from a local bedroom/household goods store (e.g. Bed Bath & Beyond), since you can squeeze and pick out a pillow with your preferred softness level in person. You wouldn’t need to pay a rape shipping price on a giant pillow from overseas. The pillow size should be the same size as your cover. If it’s too big or too small, the art will be stretched out or wrinkled. Always buy a white pillow. Remember, no one can see the pillow anymore once it’s inside the dakimakura case.

Media

CD/DVD/books

Amazon has the best CD and BD/DVD discounts and work out to be the cheapest generally when buying in bulk, although they don’t ship 18+ material internationally. When buying from others, just remember printed matter is generally very heavy. Also, different stores carry different kinds of products and have different shipping rate tables. For example, buying artbooks through Amazon JP or HLJ with Fedex shipping may be the best option when express shipping is desired. For the absolute cheapest ship rates, Honto offers sea shipping, but keep in mind that it is slow, not insured, and not trackable.

DHL only.

EMS only.

EMS, SAL, Airmail, Sea. Registering and buying guide: 01 02 03.

EMS, FedEx, SAL, Airmail. International version of Neowing.

Markups obviously, but you can do special request orders and free shipping >$100.

Responds to requests. Slow to stock, however.

Manga & Light Novels (in English, German, etc.) with free shipping almost worldwide.

Great deals if you can ever visit their brick and mortar stores.

Recommended for licensed media.

Often have good deals on DVD’s and manga.

List of Japanese releases with English subs here.

Music CDs:

Ships J-Core and other Japanese EDM overseas.

Video games

Purchase localized games from whatever shop is near you or online. If you need a guide for this then you may be suffering from more important problems.

If you’re looking to import untranslated games there are deceptively few reliable options. Shipping is likely to be expensive regardless, but a few good places are:

Only for new preorders. If something is sold out it’s probably not going to restock.

An old favorite. Reliable, but slow to ship.

Preowned Media

It will often be cheaper to purchase media, especially BDs and DVDs, preowned.

Mandarake sells preowned items including figures, doujin goods, character goods and more. Their stock is updated several times every day which includes stores in several different locations. In most cases, they will list the condition of an item in it's title. Due to Japanese autism, they will often list the item as "Box damaged" which usually means that it has been breathed on by someone. Check the pictures of the item, if there is any serious damage it will be listed there. Make sure to search with Japanese names for things, their translation software is pretty garbage. Mandarake is no longer guaranteed to undervalue for you, this picture gives a list of stores someone has made of stores that may be willing to undervalue for you.

Doujin goods

The major doujin stores in Japan to surf:

Mandarake is a good place to get doujinshi (and merchandise in general) from, but their catalog is mostly limited to pre-owned items (opened or new and sealed). But don’t worry, they are picky enough to detect hotglue, stains and any sort of damage in the products they sell, so go ahead and buy. Must be paid for by your credit card if listed for adults. DHL is amazing for doujinshi because it can end up being cheaper than EMS and SAL and still be faster. Try asking for all shipping quotes in the comment section of your order.

Will ship to some forwarders and proxies. Your proxy will let you know if they can or cannot take orders from them.

Allows international credit cards to be used, but does not ship internationally. You must use a fowarder/proxy. There's a small guide from Melonbooks on how to navigate the site. Requires a JP phone number for account verification when you try to buy anything. They used to allow foreigners to bypass the verification with a customer service request, but reportedly they have stopped allowing this. As a result, new accounts without a JP number will probably not be able to purchase anything directly and you will need a proxy buying service in addition to forwarding.

English options and ships overseas, official distributor but with limited selection.

Not much of a webstore, but nice for visiting in person.

Has many old, hard to find doujinshi and other doujin goods. Doesn’t state conditions, although most are passable. There is a barcode sticker on the doujinshi that can be peeled off without leaving any residue if done slowly. Paperback doujinshi come in plastic bags to prevent the sticker from damaging the doujinshi. Use a forwarding service. The checkout process is simple. Do NOT use their overseas Rakuten storefront. They handle orders done through it very slowly because it’s #3 in priority (main site then Japan-only Rakuten storefront), and with proxy fees the main store still ends up being cheaper than their Rakuten storefront because of the forced EMS and the markups. Here is a guide for using BiJ with Suruga-ya

This will require a proxy or forwarder. All goods will be second hand, with no guarantee of quality. To see previously sold or listed goods, use aucfan. The functionality is limited with a regular account but you can at least see when and how often the item you are looking for is listed.

H-manga

For directly buying new h-manga from a store that ships overseas.

They offer SAL, but their catalogue has sudden omissions at times. With Honto you must search explicitly for adult items (æœŹ>ă‚ąăƒ€ăƒ«ăƒˆ), otherwise adult items will not be found by a search. Registering and buying guide: Honto guide part one.png Honto guide part two.png Honto guide part three.png

They have a wider selection, but you only have EMS at your disposal.

A second option is to use a forwarding service. If used correctly, it’s the cheapest way to import your h-manga, especially in combination with Amazon as they offer free shipping within Japan.

Since H-manga are towards the expensive end of the manga price range and a lot of older H-manga are out-of-print, it might be worth looking at second-hand options like those mentioned in the Doujin goods section.

Plastic model kits

Many kits can be found in the first section of this page, below is an alternate American store:

Custom goods

There are a number of stores which allow you to print your own custom design on items, this is usually for posters with regards to buyfagging.

Posters

They accept copyrighted materials, always check their deals/discounts.

Accepts most file types, vector or raster. Same-day printing and blind shipping option.

For the Ausfags who don’t want to be charged insane shipping prices. They do canvas printing and stretching and photo printing and framing.

Don’t bother with Artscow unless it’s free, seriously.

You can get decent frames from Amazon, just be sure to read the reviews: 20x28 20x30, etc.

Miscellaneous goods

Operated by /k/, this is a list of their patch sites and other misc merchandise that they make. Some of which is /a/ related and obviously includes patches, wooden boards, stickers and other items.

Run by /o/, this is a list of their sticker sites. You can find their threads here.

Apparel

Rape prices but high-quality goods, especially for their cosplay line of goods.

For the /a/thletes into cycling, Amiami has their own spin-off brand of jerseys featuring characters from Anohana, Idolm@ster, Madoka, and Feudal Anime With Cute Girls #2432. Prices are around 12-14k and sizes go all the way up to 4XL. Be sure to check the sizing chart for measurements if you’re not sure about where you fit.

A webshop that sells streetwear-esque clothing and accessories. The items are designed by six artists/brands, one notably being Hayashida Q with her shop having items based off the Dorohedoro manga series. Princes can range from 2k all the way up to 40k.

Another site with a number of artists featured. While most of their items are iphone cases with Japanese artwork or photography there are a few shirts available, some featuring art from Osamu Tezuka, Suehiro Maruo and Shintaro Kago. Prices are rather low compared to other anime-apparel shops.

/fa/ approved clothing company, although they probably wouldn’t agree when it comes to graphic tees. They sell t-shirts based off of some Shounen Jump manga (particularly One Piece) and franchises like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Mobile Suit Gundam. You might notice after checking out their UK and US sites that these items are only released in their Japanese online shop and stores, although some have a tendency to appear on Ebay (As a warning I can’t confirm if these are imitations though).

Websites like Amiami, HLJ and Hobbylink also sell t-shirts for various anime when they’re airing. Most of them are pretty standard looking with official artwork and have first come, first serve pre-orders. Because of this they usually sell out or go on backorder immediately after their release.

Adult goods

The NEETs at /jp/ have created a guide for purchasing adult toys, take advantage of it.

Cards

There are several stores which sell boxes/booster packs of cards:

However, if you are looking for specific cards or if the stock has run out, then it will be necessary to use one of the following stores. Use one of the proxy or forwarding services to order from these:

Buying Japanese cards is an expensive hobby by nature, but it is possible to get a really nice collection on any budget if you know where to shop and keep an eye out for deals.

They sell everything trading card related, from singles from any game you can imagine to sleeves to storage boxes to booster packs. If you're looking for something very specific they probably won't have it, but if they do it will be half the price you can get it anywhere else. Mandarake has expensive shipping, so it's most practical to buy from them when you're already purchasing something else from them that's bulky/heavy, like books or figures. It's also much better to place all of your order from one of their storefronts so you only have to pay shipping once. (SAHRA has the biggest selection.)

Amazon will sell you anything sealed that came out recently at MSRP, and anything older than that at a small mark up. Hit the "International Shipping Available" option on the sidebar to restrict the offers to things you can actually purchase. The shipping is expensive, but they offer combined shipping, so if you buy a bunch of stuff at the same time they have cheaper shipping than anywhere else. Amazon is ideal for things like structure decks or booster boxes but isn't very good for singles or individual packs. Amazon is the best place to buy character sleeves online and has a solid number of deck boxes too.

    • Be sure to check the information of ăƒ–ăƒ©ăƒłăƒ‰ (Brand) under item name, and ć‡șè·ć…ƒ (Ships from) as well as èČ©ćŁČ慃 (Sold by) information below the purchase button, and click into the èČ©ćŁČ慃 button to check the location of the seller, by checking the spelling of the name of the person responsible, address, and telephone country code (+86 would mean seller from China).

Ebay is Ebay, but if you're looking to make a deal this is the place to go. Ebay has a good selection of singles but poor prices. If you're looking for just a small number of specific cards you really really want Ebay is a good place to start. You can buy individual packs but usually well above MSRP. The best deals available are for mixed lots, but don't touch anything with a twelve foot pole unless you know exactly which cards you're buying. Remember the basics of Ebay: always comparison shop, always be informed, and if it looks too good to be true, it always is.

Troll and Toad has a very small collection of Japanese cards, almost all of them Pokemon. They offer dirt cheap shipping on singles and I've seen the occasional crazy deal, so they're worth a glance.

Country specific information

There are many countries which will add extra taxes onto goods coming into their country. There are many reasons behind this, but for you this is just an additional fee that will cost you money. Depending on your country, there are ways to avoid this. Using these methods may be against the law depending on your country, it is advised that you look into your country's laws before attempting this especially when it comes to porn, as the information below may be incorrect.

Undervaluing

Undervaluing is when the declared price is lower than the actual price you paid. This can be used to avoid paying import taxes.

For stores that are willing to do this, see the ones marked with ★ in the list of shops.

Several of the stores listed that offer undervaluing and ship directly internationally more commonly experience issues such as poor packaging and misleading figure condition descriptions.

Because of this, an alternative undervaluing strategy that anons have had success with is by shopping from a more well regarded retailer through a proxy/forwarder that undervalues, as the combination of domestic shipping and their fee is still less than the import tax that you would have otherwise had to pay if buying from a more reputable store directly, thus allowing you to save money on import tax while also getting what you expected undamaged.

For proxy and forwarding services that are willing to do this, see the proxy and forwarding services page. These are also marked with ★.

The declared value should obviously be lower than the tax threshold in your country. Read the information for your country on this page to find out what this is.

European Union

This section is regarding imports from outside the EU. Imports from other EU counties are exempt from import taxes. VAT is still applicable but is almost certainly included in the item's listed price.

Starting July 1st, 2021, new VAT rules will be implemented in the European Union; the exemption for items valued less than 22€ will be removed; and marketplaces will either have to register and deal with VAT themselves, or be unregistered and have the buyers deal with it, potentially having to pay more than before. See this for more information.

On 17 May 2023, the Commission put forward proposals for the reform of the EU Customs Union. See this for more information.

Austria

In Austria, the following fees apply:

EUSt: Import tax: 10% for books, otherwise 20% of the shipments' total value, including shipping costs and customs tax if applicable. Applies to everything equal to or above a total value of 22€. Items below that go free.

Customs tax: May apply if the total value is 150€ or greater. Various rates apply depending on the nature of the content with some items being exempt altogether. Some of the rates for stuff above the 150€ threshold: Figures: 4.7% (TARIC 9503 00 35), textiles: 8% for anything with cotton or polyester (TARIC 5210*, 5407*, 5408*), 6.9% - 7.5% for anything made of high quality silk and 3% for anything made of lower quality noil silk (TARIC 5007*). 3.7% for the stuffing (TARIC 9404 90 90). Books like Manga or magazines are exempt from this (TARIC 4901*, 4902*), as are non-blank optical media like CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays (TARIC 8523 49*). As said above, the EUSt applies to the shipments' total value including the customs tax, similar to Germany!

Inspection fee: 10€ flat. Applies to each and every package that is being inspected by customs when the "Post.at" is handling logistics, unless the package is found to be exempt from both EuST and customs tax. This applies to SAL and EMS packages, but not to DHL, UPS or Fedex. If a package is misdeclared and you're asked to show a proof of purchase indicating the contents' value, the cost for this re-evaluation is included in those 10€, as long as you don't delay the process by too much - usually the limit is 3 weeks without any extra charge. You may provide the proof of purchase via eMail.

Grand total: Say you import a figure worth 300€ using SAL or EMS for shipping. 4.7% customs tax apply, so do the EUSt and the inspection fee. The total cost for customs would amount to: ((300 + 300 × 0.047) × 0.2) + 10 = 72,82€. So that figure would set you back 372,82€ in total.

Counterfeits: Will be destroyed without any reimbursement if detected.

Loli is legal (§ 207a StGB), as long as the depiction isn't "so close to reality that it might be mistaken for it". There are no known rulings based on this paragraph when related to Manga, Anime or Anime figures as of 2017.

Note that if you're not at home when receiving a registered SAL or EMS package, you will need to present your ID upon pickup at the post office, and said ID will be scanned and OCR'ed. The following extracted data will be retained on a central server for a duration of 6 months: Name, type of ID, ID number, ID issuer and date of birth. The data will be linked to the shipment. See here.

Trying to avoid customs altogether isn't likely to work with EMS packages, you might want to try SAL for that.

Belgium

Like most countries in the area. Packages valued under €22 will exempt from any taxes. Any package above €22 will be taxed 21% (Except for books: 6%). For packages over €150, import duties must also be paid. There's no set value for this duty and varies per product. Some have none, others will be above 10%. (Source)

Packages are generally delivered to their destination and the post man will ask for payment. For EMS services, this might be online instead.

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, for any import with a value below €150 only 20% VAT is required to be paid. Parcels valued above €150 will require both VAT and import duty to be paid. SAL is not available.

If shipping with UPS, you will be contacted when your parcel is stopped at customs. You will have the option of either handling it yourself or letting UPS handle it for you. If you choose to have UPS handle it, you'll have to provide them with screenshots of your purchase and payment, a description of what you ordered, as well as pay the VAT (plus import duty if needed) along with a hefty 54 BGN fee for the service before they do anything.

If you ship with regular airmail, the parcel will be handled by Bulgarian Posts. Parcels with a value below €150 are cleared through customs automatically, and the only time you'll be contacted is when your shipment has arrived at the post office and is ready to be picked up. VAT along with a service fee of 3,90 BGN is paid when you receive the parcel.

For packages with a value over €150, but no higher than €1000, Bulgarian Posts will require you to authorize them to represent you, as well as provide them with proof of purchase, payment, and description of the item. Unlike UPS, the service fee here is only 16,80 BGN.

Denmark

If the package cost is above 1150 DKK, there is a customs duty of 4.7% on value (price + shipping). VAT is 25% on top of that (price + shipping + customs duty). The handling fee is 160 DKK. (Source)

If the package is caught in customs you receive an SMS with instructions for paying online. 

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import sys

#All rates in DKK
def calculate_charges(cost, shipping):
    cost_incl_shipping = cost + shipping

    incur_customs_duty = cost > 1150
    customs_duty = cost * .047 if incur_customs_duty else 0

    vat = (cost_incl_shipping + customs_duty) * .25

    handling_fee = 160

    return customs_duty + vat + handling_fee


Finland

As of 2024 VAT is added to all commercial packages from outside EU. Shipping etc. will be included in taxable value, which is 24% for pretty much everything except notably 10% for books, including manga. The general VAT rate is about to rise to 25,5% sometime in late 2024.

Possible additional customs duties and tariffs of unknown quantity (usually few percent) for packages over 150€ in value. Finding the amount out beforehand is difficult, but it's usually less than 10% of the package's value, often zero. If and when your package gets caught in customs, you just fill in the info online, pay, and wait until they send it off on its way again. Basically anything coming from outside EU is certain to be taxed since there are no exemptions for low-value commercial items anymore after July 2021.

After February 2020 receiving shipment that exceeds the VAT limit (0€ for commercial items from outside EU since July 2021) costs 3,10€ extra in postal handling fees on top of VAT or a recuced rate of 1,00€ if the seller uploads tracking info in compatible form, and you pre-emptively declare the package before it physically reaches Finland. If you do not make the pre-emptive declaration in time, the package is diverted to the customs warehouse and you must do the more expensive full declaration. The amount (1,00€/3,10€) is not customs duty but a handling fee charged by Posti. Debit or Credit card is required for payment, wire transfer does not work. Other carriers and couriers may have their own, notoriously expensive handling fees, so check in advance.

France

Taxes work basically the same way as in the other EU states: 20% VAT on total value (items + shipping + assurance + customs fees) from 45€ if marked as gift or 1€ otherwise (the "gift" mention has no other utility and will not increase your chances of dodging customs.) Tariffs are applicable from 150€ up: 0.8% to 4.7% on figures and models, 12% on clothing, 3.5% on DVDs and Blurays, and 0% on books and vidya.

Only a very small percentage of parcels are inspected by the actual customs because carriers have the required authority to control the parcels themselves. Because of this, carriers will add their own fees (called "frais de dossier/dĂ©douanement", usually between 5 and 20€) on top of your taxes for doing the paperwork.

EMS (Chronopost) and private carriers will control your parcel basically every time. On the other hand, SAL or ePacket depend heavily on the size and declared value of your parcel, so for this reason you should avoid combining orders to keep them small. Finally, Airmail will be taxed almost every time but is on average less expensive than private carriers and customs fees are lower.

Loli is technically illegal (Art. 227-23 of the Penal Code) but the viewing and distribution of artistic works, regardless of the content, isn't. Because the legislation isn't really clear, import at your own risk (fr/a/nons who got their loli doujin intercepted by customs please confirm.)

Germany

Germany will tax packages at the following rate:

EuST: Is calculated for every package with value+shipping above 22€. It's usually a flat 19% although EuST for printed matter is 7%. If the shipping cost isn't stated on the customs form (SAL, air) it is usually ignored.

Flat fee: If your package is valued above 22€ there is a flat fee of 6€ for the post, unless you get called to a customs office (see below).

Tax: Based on the type of stuff you are importing, usually 4.5% for figures. It's calculated if value+shipping is above 150€. If you have to pay taxes, you have to add EuST in.

Package value+shipping = 25€ --> You only pay a 19% EuST --> 25*0.19 = 4.75€. Package value = 160€, Shipping = 20€ --> You have to pay additional taxes, if you are buying figures you are at 4.5% --> 160*0.045 = 7.2€ --> EuST is calculated on top of it, so additional 19% --> (160+20+7.2) * 0,19 + 7.2 = 42,77€ tax+EuST.

If a package isn't labeled correctly (i.e. shipping cost missing, suspected for undervaluing), you may have to go to your customs office, show a proof of purchase and pay. There is an option to send in the proof per mail and let DHL handle the rest, but since 2015, this costs 28,50€ + the taxes you have to pay.

Using SAL or Airmail will normally get through if the package is undervalued to ~2000 yen. SAL parcel most of the time gets caught, same with EMS, but this depends on your customs office. Using USAL to sneak past customs does not seem to work if the package is not undervalued. Keep in mind that RSAL is not available anymore if you're ordering from Japan.

Packages above the threshold are opened by cutoms and can take several weeks to process. Undervalued packages aren't opened and take only a few days.

Shipping also gets added to the value and included for taxes. So if your package costs 20€ + 30€ shipping, you'll have to pay 9,50€ taxes. EMS and DHL packages always include shipping costs on the customs declaration, SAL and Airmail usually don't.

Furthermore, you will only be taxed if the amount would be greater than 5€, which means anything lower than 27€ won't be taxed. For printed matter, this would be 70€.

German customs use their own exchange rate for calculating, which is changed at the beginning of each month. The current exchange rate can be found here.

Loli is legal. (§ 184b, more info)

Hungary

Packages above 22€ will be subjected to 27% VAT and an extra customs fee which varies. If marked as a gift, the threshold will increase to 45€. Shipping fees are not included. If you do not undervalue then you will need to email a specific document and then pay the postman at your door, the post office will inform you of the procedure in detail. Using EMS or SAL makes no difference in whether or not customs will charge you, so feel free to use whichever. Loli seems to be fine, even if opened at customs.

Italy

EMS is usually spotted at customs and charged 22% import tax, there is also a 7.50€ fixed fee. You will pay the postman when the package is delivered. It is therefore recommended to undervalue your package. SAL may be able to help, but this is not guaranteed - it seems to be quite random as to whether or not your parcel will be hit. Some porn and loli items are fine to ship: depiction of underage character involved in sexual act are considered CP, as stated by the Supreme Court of Cassation, in 2023/11/24. It is unknown to what extent the sentence will actually be enforced; therefore, if such items can be imported.

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Poland

Check note in the EU section or FAQ in the PDF format from the Polish Post site (only in Polish) for information about current import rules since July 1st, 2021.

All packages should be charged with 23% VAT. All packages valued over 150€ should be charged with 23% VAT and customs fees. Exactly which fees they use is anyone's guess - you may be looking at fees on toys, books or office/desk equipment. You can calcuate custom fees on this site (click the magnifying glass icon near "Commodity code" field to search for code of your item). There is no way to contest incorrect fees unless you want your package to be returned to sender in the meantime. There are also handling fees, but they are negligible and will usually be below 2€ in total. The VAT and customs fees will be calculated from the total value including shipping costs. VAT for books is actually only 8%, but no one cares, you're gonna pay 23% anyway. That is, if your package gets caught - this depends on the shipping method (surface mail and USAL have the lowest chance to be caught with EMS being basically 100%), the declared value, the forwarding and distribution department your package ended up in (there are five) and how lazy the customs people are that day.

Even packages valued under 150€ may be held in customs. In this case, you will receive a letter asking you to declare the contents of the package, their value (if a translated invoice is not available they seem to favor screenshots of the website and payment confirmation documents - you will need to send both), intended purpose (sale or personal use), your PESEL and delivery address. This can be done by email. VAT and fees are paid to the mailman upon delivery. In some cases you will need your ID to confirm your identity. You might not be notified that a package valued over 150€ is in customs - if the customs declaration is complete and not suspicious, or it was inspected by a customs officer, it will just get delivered to your door and you will have to pay the VAT and fees to the mailman. In reality, evading VAT/customs fees is highly dependent in which region you live, with some regions taxing pretty much every single package, and some rarely if at all.

On evading VAT and customs fees: The customs office can open any and all packages, but they're generally busy with large transports, so most packages are processed by Polish Post employees. They will not open packages unless they have a good reason to believe the material inside is hazardous or law-breaking (they will call for a customs officer in those cases), unless the package has been considerably damaged, or it's getting taxed and they don't know how to translate the list of goods from the customs declaration (even a collectible figure may be ambiguous to them). Use this to your advantage as you don't need to declare the specific name of the item. It is possible to send them shooped website screenshots and Paypal payment screenshots. The more stuff is written in moonspeak on them the better your chances are. The important part is to know what value was declared by the sender. A difference of ~1k yen will not be suspicious, but if you declare 10k less than the sender they might call for a customs officer to inspect the package. Remember that VAT evasion is a crime - if you get caught, blame /v/.

2D loli is grey area (more info), so far there has been no "guilty" verdicts for purely fictional drawings. 

#!/usr/bin/env python3

#All rates in PLN
def calculate_charges(cost, shipping):
    cost_incl_shipping = cost + shipping
    incur_customs_duty = cost > (150 * 4.5)
    customs_duty = cost_incl_shipping * .045 if incur_customs_duty else 0
    vat = (cost_incl_shipping + customs_duty) * .23
    custom_declaration_fee = 8.5
    return customs_duty + vat + custom_declaration_fee

Spain

All packages over 22€ should be charged with 21% VAT, including the cost of shipping. There will also be a transaction fee of between 15-25€ as a result. If the package's value is about 22€ but below 150€ then you are able to pay the courier or go to a post office to receive your package. However, if the value is above 150€ then you will need to send an invoice to customs and wait for them to tell you how much you need to pay, which will be paid by bank transfer and should take around a week. EMS is very likely to get caught by customs which will add a 1-4 week delay, while SAL shipments which are under 2kg are very rarely caught. It is recommended to undervalue using one of the above shops. Porn and loli should be fine to ship to Spain.

Lately there have been increasing reports of SAL shipments getting caught nonetheless, so be warned.

Sweden

VAT (moms) is 25% on item(s), shipping and insurance cost except on food (12%) and printed matter (6%).

VAT is paid on everything over 300 SEK total and over 500 SEK total if marked as gift. Import tax (tull) is paid on over 1500 SEK total. However small packages usually get through no matter value (for example 1-2 Blu-ray(s)) and bigger packages somewhat rarely get taxed no matter the value or if it's marked as gift (for example one figure ~0,75 kg, undervalued to 240 SEK total).

EMS is free from import declaration fee (PostNord is handling EMS). Import declaration fee is 125 SEK for PostNord on anything that isn't EMS, 145 SEK for FedEx and ~60 SEK for DHL.

Starting March 1st 2018 every single package from outside the European economic area will be subjected to an additional 75 SEK fee (125 SEK if package value exceeds 1500 SEK) paid to PostNord, including packages going directly to your mailbox and packages marked as gifts. When your packages arrive they will hold them hostage until you have paid this extra fee.

North America

United States

No tax unless a single package contains 200,000 yen (~$2000) worth of goods. Books and printed matter are generally duty free. Customs & Border Protection state that they check all packages valued at over $200 ($100 for gifts) to fill out necessary paperwork for processing; occasionally, this will result in duty being charged, even for packages under $2000. EMS and Airmail are the most likely to get hit by customs. If an item is sent via Fedex, then they may phone in order to clarify the declaration as Japanese companies have a tendency to simplify the materials into groups which are not accepted by their database.

Generally, figures and other plastic articles that you're likely to buy fall into a duty free category for customs and tarrifs, as do printed works, posters, and music and video disks. Bedcoverings, however, fall into a dutied category. Pillowcases carry up to a 14.9% duty rate, depending on material. Wallscrolls probably fall into a separate dutied category, with a maximum 11.3% duty rate, so plan accordingly. You are technically liable for any duty on any import transaction, but for total shipment values under $2500, your transaction is considered an "informal entry" ("goods for personal consumption or enjoyment"). Most of the time, even if there's stuff that is taxed, you won't have to pay because customs has bigger things to do, but if it does get stopped, you are liable for the duty, so plan accordingly.

Importing loli/porn is illegal. Some states like Utah classify it as CP. Other states, like California, do not classify it as such, but you will be charged for obscenity instead. It's unlikely you will get caught unless someone outright reports you, as customs/police often have better things to do than to look through your mail.

Canada

If you're shopping for lewds, buy at your own risk. Unlike the US, customs tend to be very strict about checking international packages. Canada considers any pornographic material that depicts characters under 18 to be CP – this includes both loli (a Canadian from /jp/'s Onahole threads went to court for importing a loli hole) and material that isn't technically loli but that depicts ambiguously underage characters. Customs additionally have broad powers to seize pornography of all types deemed to be "obscene", even if said pornography is freely available domestically.

Taxes technically must be paid on anything marked over CAD$20 ($60 for gifts), but it's possible that you may avoid tax so long as there is no individual item in the package valued at over $10K. RSAL tends to be the most successful option for missing customs, even with high value packages (+200K Yen), whereas items sent through private couriers are virtually guaranteed to be taxed. Shipping costs are not taken into account when determining whether or not to tax something, though proxy fees and any domestic shipping within Japan are. If your package does get caught by customs, then you just have to pay the mailman in any way you want.

SAL shipments are no longer tracked by Canada Post [1]. The item will still be traceable through Japan Post or some third party trackers after it has left Japan.

Mexico

As of July 2019, all packages with a value above $50USD will be taxed. SEPOMEX will send you packages to the SAT office where they'll check the value of contents and tax you the 16%. You need to call SEPOMEX to ask how much you need to pay. Because of all the packages arriving, they take a lot of time to move, so expect times of more than 1 month before being in it's way to you. DHL and FedEx will tax you when the value of the package is over USD50 and will open your package and the contents. In theory, Porn and loli should get to you perfectly fine. Sarcasm (it is actually illegal to mail pornography into and within Mexico)... Unless you know, it is Mexico... Money talks.

South America

Argentina

There is a limit of five purchases per year through courier mail, and no purchases limit using state mail/EMS, though Correo Argentino won't send your package home if it's heavier than 20kg, more expensive than USD $3000, or the box is too big. You can pick it up at the distribution centre for your area, instead. Packages over USD $3000 and 20kgs require importation permits. You can't buy more than 3 items of the same category at a time.

Taxes are 50% of the total cost of items + shipping. Every single package is retained by customs so don't count on avoiding taxes. Additionally, you have to pay an extra ARS $190 fee per package under the excuse of "management costs", so buying in bulk is a good idea. There is a tax exemption of USD $50, applied the first 12 packages of the year. Use it wisely.

Tax declaration and payments aren't in-person so undervaluing might work, just be sure to keep it believable and ask the declared price to the seller so there are no discrepancies, otherwise you'll have to declare again and customs might ask for some additional permits (and if they do so, you are fucked). Gifts pay the same taxes too. Books don't pay taxes and loli is legal.


DO NOT TRY TO UNDERVALUE SOMETHING FROM AMIAMI AS THEY LITERALLY ATTACH AN INVOICE TO THE PACKAGE


Be warned that Correo Argentino is known to lose and steal packages so order without tracking at your own risk. Also, be prepared to wait a long time for your stuff to arrive since mail services are saturated as hell, EMS is pretty much useless.

It is advisable that you track your package every single day, and bother Correo Argentino to send you your telegram. If for some reason they fucked up and you didn't get it, nobody will care and your package will be sent back to origin without notice.

Brazil

Brazil has a 60% import tax for international mail shipments. Depending on your State (i.e. Minas Gerais), you will also pay ICMS (sales tax), which may go as high as 18%. As from 2015, all taxed shipments will also pay a R$ 15,00 (roughly USD 3.50) custody tax to the Correios (post office). Some items, like books/printed stuff have constitucional immunity to taxes (although that is sometimes ignored, and you will have to resort to the Judiciary). Also, if you use your credit card or paypal in an international purchase, you will pay 6,38% IOF. This comes in your credit card bill and is completely unavoidable.

The Receita Federal (Brazil's IRS) has a no tax rule with the following requirements: a) the item must be shipped from a physical person to a physical person (no legal entities like stores or companies); b) the item must be a gift; c) the item must be valued under USD 50.00. With a lawsuit, you MAY get this limited set as high as USD 100.00, due to old legislation that the Receita Federal ignores. Asking the store to undervalue the item below USD 50.00, marking the package as a gift and signing customs form as a physical person, avoiding any store labels, will greatly help at avoiding taxes. Be aware, though, that officers have legal powers to ignore the declared value and estimate one, and all packages are x-rayed. Ordering an iphone and marking it as USD 50.00 will most certainly go wrong.

There are 3 customs offices for shipped items: Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and SĂŁo Paulo. SĂŁo Paulo handles couriers (DHL, EMS etc), and tax probability is close to 100%. Only order by couriers if you are prepared to pay taxes. Rio de Janeiro handles bigger packages, and taxation of figures and games is very rare. Curitiba deals with small packages (anything labeled petit packet) and is much more aggressive, with taxation probability as high as 70%. There have been cases in Curitiba of taxation of tissue packages, towels, pillow covers and soaps. There's a famous case where a father mailed his daughter spare keys to his apartment from the US and Curitiba taxed it. They also like to overvalue items (in one case, I paid USD 11.00 for an amiibo and the officer estimated it at USD 30.00).

Obviously, you want to make your package go through Rio de Janeiro, and the most sure way of guaranteeing that is using SAL PARCEL. I personally have a history of almost 20 SAL PARCEL orders and only 1 got taxed, and even so the items were evaluated at a much lower price than what I actually paid. Registered SAL, Economy SAL, Air Mail and other methods will almost always go through Curitiba.

The customs office offers a tax revision service, but it takes months and almost never gets approved. If you think the taxation was illegal or the items were overvalued, it is highly recommended you pay it and try a refund with a lawsuit (you can go to the Juizado Especial Federal, where you don't even need a lawyer).

So, as a general rule: use SAL PARCEL always (AmiAmi is great for this), but always be prepared to pay 60% + R$ 12,00 taxes. Do NOT buy an item if you can't afford the tax. And, please, don't let items be returned; this only contributes to staining Brazil's images among international stores.

Post-pandemic specific info: starting 2020 the SĂŁo Paulo customs office has been refusing packages for no particular reason at random. Nobody actually knows why this is happening, the common theory is that there is one customs officer that is bitchy regarding the declared info, and will straight up refuse the package if there is even one thing apparently wrong. Unfortunately for us, the Parcel Post Seamail (the only affordable option for us nowadays) will always enter the country through SĂŁo Paulo, no avoiding it. One thing brave collectors and with more money to spare are doing, is sending packages to a forwarder in the USA, and from there ship it using either Packet Standard, Packet Express or private courier. You can use either UsCloser or Box1 for this, the former offers Packet Standard and Express options directly (Standard packages will always enter through Rio de Janeiro, and Express packages up to 6 lbs will always enter through Curitiba, look up their YouTube channel for updates regarding this) and the latter has a private courier option that was confirmed to always enter through Curitiba (as of June 2022, if in doubt contact their support for confirmation). Both of those forwarders will hide the shipping fee in the customs declaration, so you won't be paying the 60% tax on top of the shipping. Of course, even still you'll be paying a lot than just using Seamail outright, but at least it's a sure way to get your packages and faster than boat. Do NOT do this anymore, USA forwarders were one of the first targets of the new RFB requirements, and outside of USPS's Priority Airmail, all shipping methods from the US are entering through SĂŁo Paulo. Prefer shipping directly from Japan as it is not only cheaper, but you have more options.

2022 Update: EMS is back, we have air as an option again. It will always go to SĂŁo Paulo though, so the above note is valid for it too, so beware.

April 2023 Update: Importing has become a total mess, SĂŁo Paulo got worse with package refusal, Curitiba started to refuse entire batches of shipment for no reason, and now the RFB is pushing absurd requirements for customer declarations. In short, here is what you NEED to know:

  • EMS and Parcel Post Seamail (also known as Surface in some storefronts) are still going through SĂŁo Paulo. Avoid at all costs.
  • International ePacket (also known as Air Small Packet) is entering through Curitiba. It can be a good option since CWB sometimes won't tax your items, but on the other hand they might refuse a batch with your order in it for no reason again, so beware.
  • Parcel Post Airmail (do NOT confuse this with Air Small Packet, they are different shipping methods) is checked by the RJ office. Right now, it is the only office not refusing at random.
  • ALL offices can at any point refuse your package by claiming "Incomplete Customs Declaration", there is no way to avoid this. You can, however, decrease the chances by asking the store to write it as detailed as possible with the actual product name instead of putting "Plastic Figure" or something generic. As a concrete example, say you bought "Hatsune Miku GT Project Racing Miku 2021 Private Ver. 1/7 Complete Figure", you should put that exact product name on the customs declaration instead of a generic description. Ask the store to do it like that, or use a forwarder which will enable you to do it yourself.

Unfortunately, even if you follow all the instructions above, depending on the day you may get unlucky and your package will be returned anyway because an officer is on a bad day. Follow the MFC Brazilian Collectors club to see what people are going through at the current moment. The Adrenaline forum has a thread about this that is usually quite active, search for "adrenaline tópico importaçÔes" on Google and it should be the first result. These are dark ages to be an importer in this country, be prepared for the worse.

Chile

Packages above 7000 yen, excluding the shipping cost, will be taxed at approximately 30% of the total value of the package including shipping. The fee will be in USD. Therefore it is recommended to undervalue. Using EMS or SAL will make no difference to customs, so use whichever you want. EMS will take one week to arrive, SAL will take two to three. There are no problems with loli (ART. 367 quåter, Ley N° 21.522, more info) and it is rare for porn to be caught.

Peru

Customs only apply if a single product is valued 200$ or more, shipping included. Undervalue if necessary. Books and printed matter are immune to taxes. There will be delays during holidays.

Serpost is known to steal packages, so make sure your package is registered, Otherwise you risk losing your package. SAL packages can get caught by customs, but taxation isn't probable. As a rule of thumb call Serpost for the estimated delivery date and track your registered packages as often as possible. Avoid letting packages be stolen/returned, it only makes Peru and Serpost's reputation worse.

Other

Australia

As of 1st July 2018 all online purchases are supposed to be taxed at 10% GST on top of both product cost and shipping cost. Currently most major stores, and the biggest proxies are incorporating the GST for all Australian orders. However, since the Australian government is rather incompetent when it comes to implementing an effective tax policy, it can be easily avoided by choosing a retailer from the List_of_shops that doesn't charge GST at all (Mandarake does not at the time of writing), or by choosing a better proxy.

All packages over $1000 will be taxed 10% GST as well as a processing fee AND duty rates depending on the type of item. A savvy user should be able to get most imports duty free, however the other fees will remain. Loli material is ILLEGAL to import however possession laws vary by state/territory. Customs is pretty lazy though so the chances of anything being intercepted is slim. However, if you are caught, the chances of you avoiding jail time are even slimmer. You will need ID when picking up packages.

New Zealand

15% GST (goods & services tax) has been introduced as of December 2019 on all imported goods from overseas companies which ship more than $60,000 NZD per year to New Zealand. Some stores have started charging this online such as Amiami and HLJ, this also extends to proxy services like FromJapan and Tenso. Other sites have yet to bother (highly recommend adding a list of stores that don't charge online GST here). Actual declared value does not matter if it's under $1,000 NZD total, all that matters is whether the store charges GST online or not. It's up to the store if they want to impose this.

Amazon Japan has stopped shipping to New Zealand as a result of the introduction of GST on imports, and recommends using a proxy service at your own risk. [2]

Loli material (at least, figure/daki/doujin) has been imported without issue through RSAL, EMS and DHL.

Russia

Packages above 500€ (since 2018) or above 31kg will be subject to tax of 30%, this is very unlikely which means undervaluing is unnecessary. Customs do not seem to check packages, except to attach a paper if the weight of the package is listed incorrectly (happens all the time with AmiAmi orders) but it only results in slower delivery. As a result of this, porn and loli seem to be fine.


Turkey

As of 2019, there's no longer any exemption and you'll have to pay an import tax of 20% + fixed customs check fee for everything you buy from Japan. The tax is calculated over the value of the item, shipping is not included. Only books "for personal use" which cost less than 150€ are exempt from customs duty, so mangafags can rejoice. It seems like customs inspections have gotten stricter since the exemption limit was removed, so you'd be extremely lucky to avoid paying. You can pay your tax either to the postman or at the post office. Scratched figure boxes are a common occurence because the customs guys are wild with their knives, be mentally prepared for it. Loli status is currently unknown.

United Kingdom

The following is written based on the new rules that came into force on January 1st 2021 when the UK left the Brexit transition period. While stores adjust to the new rules and start collecting VAT at checkout, it is very likely anything under ÂŁ135 will slip in tax free as HMRC and Royal Mail have been very explicit that they will no longer be sending bills for anything under this amount. This has been confirmed by a few /a/nons.

For orders of up to ÂŁ135, you will pay VAT (usually 20%) at the store's checkout. When it arrives in the UK there should be no additional processing and it will proceed straight to delivery.

If the order exceeds ÂŁ135 you will not pay any tax at checkout and instead will get a fee to pay notice in the post. You will have to pay VAT (again usually 20%) as well as pay a customs duty. The percentage for duty this depends on what it is you are importing, but is generally less than 2.5%. This is waived if the customs duty total is fairly small. If you receive a fee to pay notice then you will also pay an additional handling fee of ÂŁ8 if the package goes through Royal Mail or ÂŁ12 if it goes through Parcelforce. SAL Small Packet and Air Small Packet go through Royal Mail whereas EMS and SAL Parcel go through Parcelforce.

Strictly speaking, the cost of shipping should be included in the VAT and duty but this is often ignored as it's not always printed on the shipping slip. If you are trying to work out how much you'll have to pay, err on the side of caution and include the shipping cost in the calculation.

Some items, like books, are exempt from VAT, so you will not be taxed, regardless of their value.

In the event that you get a fee to pay notice due to your order being more than ÂŁ135 with either Parcelforce or Royal Mail, they will hold the package at the local depot and send you a letter. For Parcelforce, you will be sent a letter with the amount due and how to pay this. If the tracking page says that it has arrived at the local depot then you can just go to the depot without having received the letter and pay customs immediately, which is usually faster as Parcelforce's letter will take a day or two to arrive once your package has reached the depot. At this stage you can also pay via phone without the customs reference number by speaking to someone from their customer support team. For Royal Mail, if your tracking shows up as "Held with fee to pay" you can expect a fee to pay card to arrive also in a day or two, which you can either pay online or in person. You can also pay for this online immediately without waiting for the card by clicking the pay online link on your item's tracking page.

If you send your package by SAL Small Packet or Air Small Packet then there is a slightly higher chance of it missing customs.

While EMS should in theory be much faster, the customs process for items that go through Parcelforce tends to take much longer so a lot of the time picking SAL Small Parcel or Air Small Packet is both faster and cheaper.

Finding interesting stuff

New figure announcements and discussion

For most people starting out and for those who don't want to browse many websites, there are two primary websites which will be used to find out about new figures.

4chan Buyfag thread

You can either use the link above for the current discussion thread or alternatively, use this filter: buyf*g*. Select the top option to keep threads at the top. If you don’t find a matching expression, look for a recent preorder picture.

These threads are essentially 24/7 on /a/, with users from many different countries. This means that many figures announced will be discussed at some point here, especially when preorders open for them. During Events there will likely be a number of images posted of new figures and GKs, WonFes especially will hit the image limit many times in a single day. Following Buyfag etiquette is highly recommended.

/jp/, /toy/ and /v/ might have some relevant threads from time to time, but non-articulated statues and nudity are not allowed on /toy/

MyFigureCollection's recent addition page

This page shows recent figure additions to MFC, which may be new figures/GKs or just older figures which hadn't been added until now. MFC has several users who are autistic enough to add things almost instantly, so take advantage of this.

Figure reviews, blogs and pictures

General

  • Akiba Hobby Focusing on scale figures, this versatile photo blog that covers Events, manufacturer samples, sample exhibitions, and figure reviews.
  • çœŸçŽ…ăźăƒăƒ«ăƒ’ - A blog for prize figures and such, rather than scale figures.
  • Moeyo - For your fix of raunchy images and pantsu
  • Neko Magic - Blog puts up pictures of releases
  • Cut A News - Pics and some info
  • OhnoRaptors’ Tumblr - Endless pictures if you scroll down
  • Akiba Weekend - A blog where some Japanese dude uploads nice photos that he takes at events that take place in japan
  • Nichirou - A blog that features some of the highest quality images taken at Wonfes.
  • 1UP - This news site broadly covers the Akihabara subculture but is relevant for it's photo coverage of figure events and sample exhibitions.
  • Honya Akiba - Rather than focusing on figures this blog pertains to displays for Anime. Stores, Cafe's, and other venues are commonly decorated with 1:1 scale cutouts of characters, mannequins adorned with cosplay, and frames from popular and/or airing Anime.

Figure News Aggregators

  • Figurenews - This is a a very reliable, quick, and thorough figure news aggregator. Includes mech stuff and western licenses.
  • ăƒ•ă‚Łă‚źăƒ„ă‚ąæƒ…ć ± - Another figure news aggregator.
  • Figsoku - A figure review and previews site.
  • Hobbylog - This is not as thorough as the above site but instead offers photo reviews/thread coverage from Japanese BBS boards and other figure related interests.

Manufacturer Blogs

Dedicated Photo Reviews

  • Toy-Navi - A figure review site with high resolution and high photo count. Known for having a black background and using a coke can for scale. This site has broad coverage of scales and prize figures so if you you search for an item in Japanese there is good chance to find what you are looking for.
  • Asahiwa - Another high quality figure review site. Has a smaller selection than Toy-Navi. Has a wide variety of backdrops and often incorporates a small Yotsuba or or other cute trinket for scale.
  • figue photo 2 A portion of the pictures that are done for pre-oder promotional shots are done by the owner of this blog. Whereas only a handful are selected for use there are often over a hundred shots with differing angles and backdrops which are hosted here in higher resolution. In addition to pre-painted scales there are is also photo reviews of some of the more renowned/popular garage kits.
  • Hobby Fragments - This site has photo reviews in the highest of quality but it appears to be a personal collection and as such has a tiny catalogue.

Webshop Blogs

Details for each type of buyfaggotry

Before we get started

This is what the buying process is generally like:

  • You place an order or preorder
  • You receive an email from the store acknowledging they received your order
  • The store checks if your items are in stock, then packs things up and calculates shipping costs
  • The stores invoices you for the items and the shipping.
  • You pay (this is important)
  • Usually there’s a payment received email, followed by a shipping notification, with the tracking number if you paid for that too

Note to /v/irgins: If the item you’re looking for is from a western property or made by a western company, obviously you should try to get it locally at Toys R Us or other domestic online stores first.

For where to purchase these products, look at the List of shops

Importing vs. buying from domestic stores

Each has its own advantages. Importing from Japanese stores like AmiAmi means your preorders will be shipped much earlier and often works out cheaper. However, you’ll be paying for international shipping which is almost never cheap, and you may be hit with customs taxes. Very few books and Blu-rays have non-Japanese translations, so either learn Japanese, deal without translations or buy licensed localized versions.

Sometimes buying from stores in your country will be cheaper in the long run, once you factor domestic shipping in, and many offer flat rate or free shipping over a certain amount. Most likely you’ll have to wait a month or two after the Japanese street date before getting your things. Holiday sales are usually pretty nice, though, and you can often find some older figures still hanging around in their shops.

Buying original Japanese vs. localized material

Japanese manga are relatively cheap compared to American versions. Paper is very heavy though, so weight-based shipping for importing these will probably rape your wallet. The French have the best manga releases outside of Japan, so you could also try your hand at learning French.

As for Blu-rays and DVD’s, Japanese versions

  • almost never have subtitles
  • supports the creators more directly
  • get it sooner, obviously
  • very expensive, for reasons discussed in section 8.
  • usually 2-4 episodes per release
  • extras like soundtracks often included
  • nice package design
  • international shipping (although they usually aren’t that heavy)
  • Blu-ray or DVD region might not match yours (DVD and Blu-ray, don’t have the same region system)

Localized

  • translated
  • supports the creators more indirectly
  • sometimes lengthy gap between Japanese and domestic releases to avoid reverse importing
  • almost always cheaper
  • more episodes per disk, season sets available
  • very few extras
  • less fancy packaging
  • domestic shipping in many cases
  • can get discs that match your player

However, Japanese companies seem to be learning that there is actually an international market out there willing to buy their shit directly, so some Japanese BD’s are starting to come with English and other language subtitles. Mostly limited to Bandai, Aniplex, Ghibli and known popular Western releases currently.

Anime on DVD’s list of Japanese releases HERE.

Distributors

There are a few different companies that distribute hard copies of anime to us filthy gaijin. Much like the rest of the guide, following list is subject to >opinion.

  • Aniplex

One of the big two. The most expensive distributor, but you get more for your money. Their releases are usually limited edition and usually come with a box, a booklet with character designs, VA and staff interviews and notes, and possibly various other paraphernalia. Some series get standard edition re-release later on. Yellow subtitles, good video quality not great, translation choices are iffy but decent overall, dual audio and subtitle only releases depending on the series.

  • Funimation

One of the big two. The biggest distributor in the US. Video quality on par with Sentai (not something to be proud of because total shit), though their releases are cheaper and tend to come with a fair bit more than a Sentai equivalent. They offer limited editions with a box, BD/DVD (for what it’s worth, might be cheaper without DVD honestly) and an extra item like an art booklet or mousepad. White subs, dual audio.

  • Sentai Filmworks

Barebones. Releases are generally just the case and a few discs slapped inside. Yellow subtitles, bandy video, dual audio etc. They might add an extra every once in awhile if they can afford it (i.e. Infinite Stratos CD with character songs). Worst pricing out of all the manufacturers for what you get.

  • Madman Entertainment

Ausfag distributors. Relatively comparable to Funimation, though generally better quality. Releases often come with dubs.

Dolls

Asian ball-jointed dolls (BJD, ABJD) and Asian fashion dolls. Extremely customizable, highly posable, addicting, and exorbitantly expensive (upwards to 60~70k for the largest sizes). You may buy some of them from the usual Big 3 stores (AmiAmi, Hobbysearch and HobbyLink Japan) as well various other shops. Bootleg dolls do exist.

Usually cast in a porcelain-like hard vinyl plastic and the parts strung together with a thick elastic. Commonly range in size from about 60 cm. (24 in.) for larger dolls and 40 cm. (16 in.) for smaller dolls. Easy to customize, they can be painted, eyes and wigs can be changed, hundreds of accessories, clothes, furniture, etc. Customization is the keyword here, you can do about anything you might think of, it’s not even funny.

There also exist resin-based BJD dolls, but those are typically of an older classical type of doll less associated with anime type designs. You may find information on those dolls from /toy/ threads instead of here.

Manufacturers

Major manufacturers includes Volks (Volks USA) and Azone.

Volks is widely known for the attention they pay to their fans, while offering the widest variety of dolls of any company in the market and also the only company whose dolls come with built-in UV protection as a standard feature. They’re the most recognized and the most experienced. Also known for their members-only Doll Parties (Dolpa). The Dollfie, Dollfie Plus, Dollfie Dream and Super Dollfie brands, also known from their initials only (e.g. SD), are all made by them.

To clean your dirty, dirty doll, use gentle dish soap and water. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is recommended, as is Volks Cleaning Sponge.

Guides

Start here with /jp/'s BJD Doll Q&A. You should ask /jp/ first if you have more specific doll related questions, the general thread can be found under the BJD Thread title.

/jp/ also has a helpful illustrated guide here: Anime Doll Guide

Look here only if the other links are dead: /jp/'s old pastebin of links

Other Sources

BJD WTF 2.0 - A how to guide for care & modification of BJDs

Den of Angels - The place to get information about dolls. The forum is currently invitation-only however.

What is Volks Full Choice System (FCS). link requires login/may be dead

Azone Flickr Group - Very large photo gallery of Azone dolls, useful for getting an idea of what is available

Video games

There is a huge amount of video games which are never played by western customers, if you are willing to learn or force your way through them then there are many games available to you, including some which are available but have been censored by western companies. For purchasing these, look at the List of shops

Dakimakura

  • What’s a dakimakura?

Dakimakura are a type of pillow from Japan. Usually 160cmx50cm. Dakimakura are also known as “hug pillows”. They usually have anime, game, or original characters printed on them.

  • What can I do with a dakimakura?

You can hug it, talk to it, cuddle and sleep with it or simply look at it. (with onahole, you can j-j-jam it in! ;_;)

  • Is it worth it?

All depends on a few factors. If you think you are paranoid about people coming in your room and criticizing you about it, don’t buy it. If you really love your waifu, buy it. You will never have a better sleep. Amazing back support. It will never reject you or walk out on you for some guy at the bar.

  • Dakimakura all around me, I want them all

Only buy it if it’s your waifu, you fucker. Feel free to buy multiple dakimakura of your waifu though.

  • Ah! What are these fabrics? I wasn’t a Tailor in WoW!

Generally just about all covers will be 100% polyester (synthetic fibers). Good: doesn’t stain easily, doesn’t wrinkle easily, good drape, extremely cheap for the makers to produce & turn profits Bad: pills easily, doesn’t breathe, easy to get sweaty and uncomfortable, cannot iron on high, will melt instead of burn in case of fire The exact qualities will depend on the maker and batch.

2-Way Tricot is extremely smooth and stretchy, and the colors stand out. Highly recommended. 100% polyester, can be cleaned fairly easily. Most common material used for doujin dakimakura these days (via maker A&J). Peachskin fabric is almost always used for bootlegs. It’s fairly soft, and as the name implies, has a skin-like feel to it. Durable. 100% polyester, can be cleaned fairly easily. Velvet is the softest and most expensive if it’s real velvet. The short-pile fibers give a very distinctive “hairy” feeling. Hand-wash. More difficult to clean if it contains cotton or silk.

  • How do I wash my dakimakura?

Instructions are usually labelled inside dumbdumb.

If yours is a bootleg and doesn’t have one, here are some tips on washing it. Wash it with only cold to lukewarm water, inside out. Set it on delicate or similar setting. Dry it with a dry sheet, also on delicate, or hang-dry. Hand-washing (in cold to lukewarm water) is recommended over machine if you can do it. In between washes, you can Febreze to keep her smelling fresh and spot-clean the most used areas. Gently snip off pilling, but usually that’s the first sign of its unraveling.

  • Any special care tips?

It is important for you to shave your neckbeard daily to avoid tearing the fabric. Especially if you get one that’s 2-Way Tricot. Also, take a bath daily, preferably before bed. Your waifu doesn’t want to sleep with you if you smell. It’s inevitable that dead skin cells and body oil will rub off onto the dakimakura over time, so wash it at least once a month if you are using it regularly. Let it sunbathe inside-out twice a year to allow UV rays to kill microbes for you.

Above all, try to take good care of your dakimakura and avoid getting it dirty in the first place. It will degrade faster the more you wash it, and polyester is prone to pilling (forming little lint balls) over time.

  • Is there a way to get a custom printed dakimakura?

Plenty of eBay sellers that sell dakimakura covers will print out whatever art you give them, just try contacting a few of them and if they agree, provide them with your artwork. Note that they are very unlikely to edit it and will just print it "as is", so make sure it is in the correct dimensions and sufficiently high resolution.

  • yande.re - Dakimakura – High-Res dakimakura covers (You need an account to see most of the covers but making one only takes a second).
  • Hobby Heart Custom – MoeMarket's custom dakimakura printing.
  • CuddlyOctopus – Same quality as what they sell on their website.
  • Dakimakuri – Custom printing from Dakimakuri.
  • Mitgard Shop – Offers custom art printing and dakimakura commissions.
  • June Waifu – Middleman between several manufacturers.
  • Fules – One of the prominent and popular manufacturers (Needs a minimum quantity of 12 covers).

Figures

Blame.jpg

Material

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - The standard plastic that constitutes most of your figures. Somewhat flexible. Contains plasticizers to make your plastic more plastic.

Acetyl tributyl citrate in polyvinyl chloride (ATBC-PVC) - PVC with the biodegradable acetyl tributyl citrate plasticizer. Most rubber straps are made of this stuff, so it is recommended that you air them out regularly or risk deformation/degradation.

Acrylonitrile butyl styrene (ABS) - More rigid plastic than PVC. Usually used for the hard parts and figure bases. More likely to break cleanly rather than bend.

Polyurethane (resin or polyresin) - Typically used in garage kits. The components can vary a lot, but this label usually refers to the polyurethane resins that produce heat when casts are made.

Cold cast - Also polyurethane resin, but with components chosen so that the casting process doesn’t produce much heat which allows molds to last longer. Cold cast figures are especially fragile.

Polystone - Polyurethane resin with stone powder mixed in to make the material stronger and give a stone feel. Also a cold cast process. Polystone figures are very heavy and brittle.

Soft vinyl - For some doll bodies. Think Barbie.

Some other minor types of plastic, but the above plastics are the main ones.

Ceramic - Baked clay.

Die-cast - Metal.

Garage kits

Garage kits are resin kits of anime characters which require to be put together and painted in order to create a figure. Unlike pre-painted figures, with few exceptions like Volks' Charagumin series, those kits are produced by small independent circles and released at events and/or sold online in small batches. For this reason, they are very limited in availability, making it very hard to find some of these especially outside of Japan.

> More info on where to buy garage kits

There are multiple reasons why those kits are produced in such small quantities, including financial, logistic and even legal. The people running those circles are often hobbyists with a small budget and limited resources, not to mention the inability to purchase the appropriate licenses to sell what are essentially goods of copyrighted characters. Moreover in Japan, IP violations are reprimanded a lot more strongly than in the West, which means nobody wants to risk selling outside the very limited "one-day licenses" offered by IP holders during events like Wonder Festival, Treasure Festa or Tonari no Mokei Festival. Those one-day licenses are not only very limited in time, but also often limit the amount of kits a circle can sell at a given event. Some overseas companies take advantage of this fact and, by being able to circumvent copyright laws, offer to sell unauthorized lower quality recasts of those garage kits, which are highly controversial given the opportunistic nature of this practice.

Once in a blue moon, a garage kit might get picked up by a figure manufacturer and released as a pre-painted scale figure. In most cases though, painting a garage kit is the only way to obtain a truly unique item. While it is possible to commission someone to paint your kit, you should learn and try painting it yourself as it is part of the experience.

Although some kits may be more challenging than others, it is very possible for you to achieve a result you are happy with if you are willing to put in time, effort and money. Your first kit will most likely look bad, but with some dedication you will end up with a collection of figures which many people would be very jealous over.

Garage Kit Painting Guides

These guides (1, 2) should help in putting together your GK, as well as YunYunFan's end-to-end guide

Plastic model kits

“Gundam plastic model”, or Gunpla (ă‚Źăƒłăƒ—ăƒ© Ganpura). Model kits depicting the mechas, vehicles and characters of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise by Bandai. Assembly required.

“Plastic model”, or plamo (ăƒ—ăƒ©ăƒą puramo). Hobby modeling done in plastic, including mechas, aircraft, ships, automobiles and military vehicles from pre-molded kits. Designated in a well-established scale they’re also known as scale models. Real modelists do it from scratch.

For discussion on these, try on /toy/

Gelgoog Guy !!XOac6frt+Ny ’s Gunpla Guide (Google Docs)

Otaku Revolution - Layman’s Gunpla Guide

Unlicensed Non-Japanese Statues and Figures

Expensive unofficial figures/statues of popular anime and video game characters, typically using resin like GKs, but pre-painted. They are technically bootlegs, but while these unlicensed figures/statues are modeled without permission from the original IP owner---the designs are technically original and rarely re-casted or copied from official PVC figures. These figures/statues are often large in scale (1/6 and 1/4) and are very expensive compared to official PVC figures due to limited production runs and heavy weight (for a figure).

Most of these manufacturers do not have official websites due to the duplicitous nature of their business. Almost all manufacturers are based in China or southeast Asia, so expect little quality control from most companies. Preview pictures are frequently 3D renders rather than an actual sample, so don't get overly excited by a fancy design. That being said, unlicensed figures are one way to find lewd takes on flavor of the month characters given the popularity of r18 designs.

Pretty much all of these figures operate on a pre-order system that produces only as much as are ordered. Stores will typically require a deposit to secure an order due to this. Don't expect to be able to re-sell any of these figures, the after market is virtually non-existent.

If it's not obvious enough yet, take everything you see of unlicensed figures with fist-fulls of salt. Some of these figures are genuinely amazing works of art worth the high price. Many are not. If you decide to take a gamble on one, pay attention to the shop options. Many figures have a SFW and a NSFW version, and sometimes there is an option to buy both at the same time.

Shops

Responsive customer service that manages order updates pretty well. Quick to refund figures that have been cancelled. Offers fast or slow shipping quotes when orders are ready.

Site that sells various PVC figures, garage kits, and statues. Better customer service than any site below. Will send pictures of packed products ready for shipment. Offer a variety of shipping options (Pre-COVID). They even offer to hold shipments in their warehouse, helpful for customers in countries impacted by COVID shipping restrictions. Excellent packaging quality and frequent sales on in-stock products.

Terrible site with horrendous customer service representatives who will lie about a figures completion / shipping date. They have a wide selection but will frequently sell more figures than they have in stock---leaving customers to beg for refunds before the paypal refund limit is reached.

Site with above average customer service but unimpressive packaging. You can save money on shipping large figures because they will basically ship it in a cardboard box sized slightly larger than the figure box inside with protective plastic corners added. But large resin large resin figs are sure to break during shipping unless the manufacturer has high quality packaging.

Smaller selection of figures---there seems to be no consistent theme or reason to their pre-orders when compared to other sites. Good packing though and speedier shipping options compared to other sites (at least for smaller scale figures)

Good site to find older figures if you missed a pre-order date. But they take a very long time to respond to custom service inquiries. Packaging is normal.

Prints

Canvases, posters and wallscrolls: Custom print them online. They’ll look better than most official ones and you can pick whatever size you want. First, find the right picture. You’ll want the highest resolution you can find or else your prints will look blurry: Yande.re (high-res scans), Konachan (wallpapers).

Apparel

Rule of thumb is to buy a size bigger than your western clothing since Japanese people are scrawny (i.e. if you wear American size L, buy Japanese XL). If the manufacturer has a size chart (usually in centimeters), measure yourself or a similar article of clothing that you already own and compare against it for a better fit.

An important note about purchasing apparel is that many of these shops do not ship outside of Japan, and because of this it’s very likely you’ll need to use a middleman/proxy website to obtain them. Like most clothing companies these items are also only around until they sell out, and afterwards are replaced by different designs. Some apparel can be found secondhand or unopened on sites like Rakuten and Yahoo! Auctions Japan. There are also a number of manga artists that have merchandise listed on their personal websites that may not be available in the online stores listed here (for example, Suehiro Maruo has a couple shirts available only on his site), so if there’s anyone you like be sure to look them up online in case there’s any information about merchandise on their website/blog.

If you’ve gotta get shimapan to wear (f-f-for the little girl in you!), consider purchasing from domestic stores instead of Japanese stores, since underwear are generally a lot cheaper (e.g. $3 to $7 a pair in the US vs. $16 on AmiAmi).

Adult goods

Japan has a large amount of products made for your personal enjoyment, however many stores such as amazon restrict these to Japan only. However, there are options to allow you to purchase these products.

The NEETs at /jp/ have created a guide for purchasing adult toys, take advantage of it.

Look for /jp/’s Eternal Onahole thread if you have any questions not answered in the guide and also to discuss onaholes in general.

Do not ask for recommendations, there is a section on their guide to avoid this.

Doujin works

These are self-created works, usually released at Events in small quantities and can be quite hard to find. This does not just mean porn, but can mean CD's, games, and other items. Realistically though, you're not looking for safe for work stuff. Unfortunately, most places will not ship doujin works overseas while others will ship non-adult works only. Therefore it might be necessary to get a forward or proxy from the Proxy and forwarding services section.

Before placing your order make sure you have the correct kind of proxy, some of them charge flat rates per item, so those are generally not friendly to buy doujin (since doujin are relatively cheap), in this case is better to look for a proxy who charges a percent of each item’s price. Remember to look at their guidelines, some of them don’t like adult material.

Now if you are ordering compilations or a bit more expensive items (around 1500+ yen per item) that’s when you start considering using a proxy service with flat rates.

After you have picked a proxy or forwarding service, let them know what you want and ask for estimate fees, usually is either done by emailing them or filling a form at their site. This is when your wallet starts to hurt, since you are not getting second hand doujin directly, like in Mandarake’s case, you will be paying at least 30% more per item in just additional fees.

If you are okay with their estimate you can formally place your order, some will ask for upfront payment so make sure it’s a reputable proxy (see the Proxy and forwarding services list). After that the rest is waiting, the items will be shipped locally to the proxy service, which might take a few days, then the proxy will contact you when your items are ready and ship them to you.

So, added to the original price you’ll have to consider some of the following charges:

  • Proxy fees
  • Local shipping
  • Wire transfer fees
  • Paypal fees
  • Handling fees
  • International shipping

You might be charged for some or all of them, so before placing the order make sure to ask for estimates and read the proxy’s FAQs.

H-Manga

Japanese comic porn. These can be quite thick and quite heavy, so do not go and buy a lot at once unless shipping by boat unless you are fine with paying significantly more for shipping than for the actual product.

If you want a certain extra from a store that outright refuses to deal with foreigners like Yahoo! Auction Japan, you probably will need to employ a proxy service, which might end up in exorbitant prices (see the doujin section for more details on ordering this way). Use this way as last resort.

A small PSA due to current events: Do not blindly buy new tankoubons (after May 2013) from any publisher. Due to increased law enforcement activity they have cranked up the censor a whole lot. There is not much difference left between soft (usually B6 comics) and non-soft (A5 comics, with the yellow 成ćčŽă‚łăƒŸăƒƒă‚Ż mark) for many publishers. Even Wani Magazine is now going for the “four bars across vagina and penis”-approach. It’s become rather unsightly.

Cards

Collecting Japanese cards is a fun hobby that can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be. You can build a collection that you really like for $5 or $50,000 and the only real difference between the two is that one will be shinier. There are all kinds of Japanese cards, from trading card games to arcade game cards to telephone cards to bromides to cards packaged in with wafer cookies for some reason. If you know Japanese yourself, there are Japanese solitaire games you can play, and if you know other people who know Japanese you can play card games with them. You can even buy Japanese versions of cards available in English to let everyone in your local gaming store know how huge a weeaboo you are.

Here are a few basic tips to help you begin your collection:

  • Protect your cards. You can buy 100 penny sleeves for 99 cents, there's no excuse to leave your cards naked and defenseless. There are thousands of anime character sleeves you can use that cost more but are a great collectible in their own right. When you come back from the bathroom and find your card covered in someone's barbecue sauce but completely safe because you sleeved it, you'll thank me.
  • Pay attention to the condition of the cards before you buy them. There's nothing worse than only finding out a card you bought is bent, scraped or dirty when it arrives in the mail. It sometimes makes sense to accept a few scars to get a card at a way better price, especially if it's a card from the nineties where undamaged copies are rare, but you need to be an informed consumer and make that decision yourself. Reputable card sellers will mention major problems but even the best will miss the occasional bent corner so you need to take initiative and stay vigilant for issues.
  • Across all card games, there's a problem where holographic cards bend naturally with age. So if your fancy twenty dollar shiny sparkly card arrives in the mail looking like a pringle with a picture of an anime girl on it, that's actually normal. You'd be surprised how fast you get used to it.
  • The highest rarity version of a card isn't always the most valuable, and the most valuable version of a card isn't always the one you'll like the most. Look at all the various printings of the cards you want before you buy.
  • Always, Always, ALWAYS comparison shop. There are few things in the world that make you feel stupider than paying $13 for a card and finding it at another store for $6 the next day. At minimum, check the list of shops for the card you want, but comparison shopping isn't always that easy. It can sometimes be cheaper to get a card by buying sealed product and opening it yourself. Sometimes the best thing to do is wait for a better price. Consider all your options before you hit that shiny Buy Now button. The only thing that feels better than getting that card you lusted after is getting it at a 80% discount.
  • Never ever ever buy mystery packs or mystery lots or super special surprise boxes. When you buy an official booster pack, there's a chance, however slim, that it will have the cards you wanted in it at a sensible price. When you buy a "custom pack" from some guy, the odds of this are 0%. Whatever cards come out of that non-official pack you could have just bought cheaper as singles. There is only one reason someone wouldn't tell what the cards they're selling you are, and that reason is because they want to rip you off.

Artbooks

Including the setting guides and whatever else. Just like with H-manga, these can be pretty weighty, especially if the books are hardcovers. But being actual books, some sellers offer free but slow shipping options.

Even though you can buy many in-print books directly from retailers, you can get much better deals through Ebay and Yahoo Auctions, not everything there is used stuff. For out-of-print works... You take what you get. If something is very popular it might actually get reprint run, but most often that is not the case, so you gotta decide between spending 10X MSRP on a book with shelf-wear or just skipping out on it.

Books

Whether you've learned Japanese or are just starting out, it's great to have a physical book in your hands to read from. Japanese books are almost always published with marketing material wrapped around the bottom called an obi, and when you start collecting Japanese books you need to decide how important having these obi is to you, as you can get used copies without obi for significantly cheaper.

Japanese books are published in several standard sizes; the bunko size is exactly as tall as a Tide detergent box is wide, so you can make a little bunko bookshelf out of those. It's a great money saver if you have a book addiction.

Books are fairly heavy and bulky and thus expensive to ship. It's common that the cost to ship a book out of Japan is more expensive than the book itself. You can read free previews, sometimes as long as half the whole book, online, so it's a good idea to check those out before you pay all that shipping. On the flipside, once you've already paid out the ass to ship books internationally the shipping can't get much more expensive than it already is, so if you can combine shipping you can bundle just about anything else alongside your books for little to no additional cost.

If you're having trouble finding books to read, Kimirano is a Japanese website where cute anime girls recommend you different books every day. It has direct links to free previews for just about every light novel ever written and a decently robust search engine and rating system. If you're seriously into reading Japanese books you'll be hard pressed to find a more useful tool.

Proxy and forwarding services

Read the terms of service very carefully.

Before using any of these services, you must make sure that you completely understand how their service works. Do not be the idiot that orders an 18+ product to a forwarder, then complains when they do not allow it to be shipped. Make sure that you read their website often to make sure that their service hasn't changed. This is just a list of various services, with some advantages and disadvantages to some.

Proxy - Someone who buys your shit for you, for a fee of course, and then sends it to you. Proxy services vary in what they offer and what their fees are, so it’s in your interest to investigate them and find the one that best suits you. Used in conjunction with sites where you can’t pay directly or when you don’t feel confident about your moonspeak to place your order.

Forwarding - Use when you can pay for your items but you need a Japanese address. You pay for the item and have it sent to the domestic address of the service. The forwarder then sends the item to you, for a fee.

★ - The store is able to undervalue or mark your item as a gift, which may help avoid extra fees. For more details check the Country specific information section.

✩ - Handles VAT with IOSS (Import-One-Stop-Shop)

List of some well-known proxies & forwarders (not an exhaustive list, go do your own research and find a better deal)

Subject to >opinions, take everything with a grain of salt.

Partnered with Yahoo! Auction Japan, so if you use Y!AJ and click the Buying from Overseas option, this is what you'll be using. They are very simple and easy to use; however, they charge 500 yen per item to consolidate your package, which will quickly add up. Will store your items for 90 days. What they do with it after time runs out is unknown. As of December 21st, 2023, the consolidation fee has been uniformly waived, and is now free.

Since October 24, 2022 it wont undervalue any kind of shipping.

Easy to use, and allow you to bid for things yourself or place a sniper bid. They charge 500 yen per item plus a 3.5% money transfer fee. Their packaging is very good. Their site's search function is not the greatest and it occasionally misses items, so it's recommended that you use the Japanese website when looking through Y!AJ and the like, then pasting the URL into Zenmarket. They charge no consolidation fee for combining items. Will hold your item for free for 60 days; after this, a per-day charge applies. They offer to take 5 photos for 500 yen per item in glorious potato quality. Slow to answer their messaging system, so if you have something that needs to be dealt with quickly, use their support section. They support instant Mercari purchases which work 80-90% of the time.

Good customer service and packaging, and they deal with adult items too. They might be slow to tell you when they get your order, but if you email them and ask them they usually ship it really soon after your email. They allow you to use Paypal when purchasing adult items. They do not allow you to ship loli/shota goods.

Ordering and auctioning high-quality Japanese items for customers is one of our major operations. As a cross-border E-commerce firm, Janbox have established ourselves as one of the most reliable partners with a variety of businesses not only in Japan but also throughout the world. Help customers buy, auction, and ship billions of products from Japan, USA. Send goods to more than 220 countries around the world quickly, conveniently, optimize shipping costs with free repack service.

Shipping can be expensive but the package is usually well protected as a result. It's easy to use and they are very quick to respond if there are any issues. You can bid in real time or place a sniper bid which can be freely edited or cancelled until 10 minutes before the auction ends. Does let not let you buy adult goods. They also support instant Mercari purchases. Efficacy rate is unknown.

Here is a guide for using BiJ with Suruga-ya use latin character for your name instead of kanji though, like BiJ's faq says. When using as a forwarder, purchase a ticket and list what items you are purchasing and from what store. If you are using them as a proxy, then read this page and follow the instructions.

Their fees are on the higher side when you consider that they charge a flat 250 JPY handling fee per store in addition to their 250 JPY commission fee, but and their customer service is good and can undervalue your items. Bidding is in real-time, or you can place a sniper bid (which can't be cancelled). They will only undervalue up to 70% of the original price unless you register as a business user. It is easy to become a business user but is not worth it since it locks you out of using Paypal. Currently will not ship "adult items" such as onaholes using DHL or Fedex.

Very quick and easy-to-use, BUT EXPENSIVE AF YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Simply add the URLs of items you want them to buy and get an instant estimate. The final service cost depends on the shop and the total cart purchase price. Sites like Mercari or Yahoo Auctions have the highest per-item fee of $5, while other generic stores are $1 per-item. This is on top of the sliding service fee that ranges from 9.9% to 1.2% based on the original cart purchase price (the higher the amount, the lower the fee %). Purchased goods can be held for 45 days for free, allowing you to accumulate and consolidate multiple purchases into one shipment. Gives you the option of pre-approving a domestic shipping charge to speed up your order. The pre-paid amount is customizable, and the overpayment will be refunded to you. They will handle adult goods. They don't seem to be as heavily used as other proxies, which means Y!AJ sellers who do not wish to sell to gaijin will most likely not have blocked them yet. Does not allow marking packages as gifts, but does allow setting the customs value. Previously known as "White Rabbit Express".

A forwarding service launched by the same people behind Japan Rabbit, so you can probably expect the same standards mentioned above (INCLUDING BEING EXPENSIVE AF YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED). Blackship will send you a photo of your package when it arrives so you know which shop it came from (but the photos can be rather blurry sometimes). Be careful of their fees - there appear to be lots of them. The fees can potentially be reduced by subscribing to their rewards system for $12, but realistically this probably only benefits whales that consistently buy in large amounts. They allow you to enter your own customs value before shipping. Adult goods are OK. Upon registration you are required to submit a picture of an identifying document showing your full name, date of birth, address, and the document's expiry date (if applicable). You can safely censor all other information (such as pictures, gender, signature, etc.) when submitting. Has the same 45 day free holding for goods like their Japan Rabbit service. It is possible to consolidate purchased goods from Japan Rabbit into Blackship shipments, but there may be additional costs. No longer accepts Paypal as a payment option.

Simple UI that allows you to place bids/sniper bids. They charge 500 yen per item, but consolidation and packaging is free (additional paid reinforced packaging services available for fragile goods). They will store your items in their warehouse for free up to 180 days (will extend this time upon request). Additionally, they offer free insurance for all packages over 200,000 yen and can provide photos of any items which come into the warehouse for a fee. Social media team is extremely quick to respond, so it's easy to ask simple questions if you need to. Their Discord is also fairly active. Adult goods are OK. Not according to their T&Cs, but they will process orders regardless

Offers both proxy and forwarding options. I haven't used it as a proxy but doesn't seem to be worth as it seems it's at least 1000 yen per item minimum + handling fee. As a forwarder it is one of the cheapest since the handling fees are cheap and there is free package consolidation with one month of free storage. Also offers printed matters as a shipping option. Main drawback is absolute abysmal interface and they don't show weight of items until package is consolidated.

The following need updated; however, they are not necessarily worse than the above. Those who update the guide simply do not have experience with them and so are not able to add information about them. If you do use them, please update with any information or post the information in the buyfag thread where it will hopefully be seen.

Bootleg spotting guides

Bootlegs

Bootlegs.jpg
                                                         Figure 5. A wild Wiku appears! Am I kawaii desu uguu~?


Given how expensive this hobby is, there are many fakes out there which means that on certain websites you can't be sure whether or not the item is real or fake. There are a few guidelines you can follow, which may help you avoid a bootleg.

  • Go on the MFC page for the figure, someone in the comments may have received a bootleg or the page might be tagged as having bootlegs. Check to see if there are any photographs in the bootleg section.
  • This is a list of eBay vendors that are known to sell bootleg merchandise.
  • Avoid sellers from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong; those are bootleg capitals.
  • A price that’s too good to be true. Nendoroids and figmas retail for about $30-40 each. If you see one selling for $15-20, it is most likely a bootleg.
  • Many bootlegs have a sort of ’shinier’ plastic or paint used for the skin. If you look at bootleg pictures of nendoroids in myfigurecollection’s bootleg picture category you can compare a legitimate figure and the bootleg and quickly spot the differences. There will also likely be paint smears, loose-looking joints, etc.
  • Bootlegs will often not have any official seals or stickers attached to the boxes. For example, legitimate Black Rock Shooter Nendoroids have a sticker about the enclosed DVD, whereas bootleg ones do not. This isn’t 100% infallible though, as some bootleggers have even gone as far to make fake holos.
  • Look closely at the paint job. This is probably the best way of determining whether something is bootleg or not. If the paint is very imprecise and generally terrible looking, then it’s definitely a fake. Sometimes very small details that appear on legitimate figures don’t show up on the fakes.
  • Sader is the holy grail of bootlegs. Buy it at all costs.
  • False God Sasuke, while not a bootleg but a meal toy of stupendous balance and horrendous quality, is also a must-buy.
  • Almost all bootleg dakimakura covers will be 150cmx50cm, even when the original artwork was designed for a 160cm cover.

FAQs and troubleshooting

FAQ & troubleshooting

You can’t find the figure you want

Check Mandarake or Suruga-ya. Most of the time you’ll have to wait until they have the fig you want. Be sure to buy it as soon as you can because others may buy it too. Even if you are able to place an order on an item you want, someone may have already bought it in the physical stores in Japan which means you might not get it if there aren’t any more, so be quick.

Yahoo! Auction Japan can be a great place to find older, discontinued, and even new figures. However, bar knowing a friend in Japan, you pretty much have to use a proxy service to bid. The upside is, even including proxy fees, it’s usually much cheaper than buying the same (quality) figure on Amazon or Ebay. Additionally, the elevens value a figure’s box and it’s condition very highly, so you can find some unopened figures with a slightly damaged box for reasonable prices. Figures removed from their box drop in price significantly, and can be a bargain; be wary of hot glue and damage though!

Ebay and Amazon are a last resort.

Why is this old figure so damn expensive?

Compared to the original retail price at least.

Figures, by nature, are limited. Even if they aren’t released as limited or exclusive, once they sell out it’s rare for them to be re-released. So naturally, the price to skyrockets once they are sold out, which often happens in the initial days after the official release date.

Preorders are closed on most sites and I really want that figure

Wait for the release date, there’s a good chance you can grab it at the big 3 without spending copious amounts in other sites. Guys tend to cancel some of their preorders and those figures become available after the release date, usually the day after the release up to one week later. New batches may become available after the initial preorder date and the big 3 tend to reopen preorders then. Also monitor the MFC comments.

I want to buy an exclusive figure, where can I order it

The first option is the manufacturer’s site, some of them like GSC and Native do ship to some countries overseas. If the manufacturer doesn’t ship outside Japan then you are either stuck with using a proxy service or waiting for some reseller sites to list them, some of them include Big In Japan, Mio Boutique, Nippon Yasan and Yokatta.

I placed a preorder for a figure but I don’t want it anymore

And this is why you think about it twice before buying a figure, if you don’t want it because you don’t like it anymore you have serious issues and should work on your self control and moderation.

NewAndImprovedChart.png


Now, if you do it because something unexpected came up:

Try cancelling it, most sites don’t like cancellations and if you do so repeatedly you can get your ass banned from them.

Another option is trying to pass the order to some other guy; this is frequently done in MFC and sometimes /a/.

Statues are great but, why are they so expensive?

Most of them involve a really detailed modeling process for the prototyping stage, and even when tools like 3D printers and modeling software are common nowadays, their use is still limited. For said modeling process, check the following video series.

On top of that, even after initial prototypes are finished, much of the detailing is done by hand since machines can’t replicate some details. The majority of figures are mostly hand painted and assembled for both detail purposes and because Chinese sweatshops are cheaper.

GSC recently released a video on how Nendoroids are made and much of it is the same as scale figures. You can watch it here.

For more insight, check the following posts at Mikatan’s site:

The previously mentioned series, building a figure from scratch: Part 1. Danny Choo tours GSC’s offices: video

Mikatan’s Factory Field Trip part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, finale

1/8 Senjougahara Hitagi part 3, part 4

1/8 Millhiore F. Biscotti and 3DCG sculpting

Nendoroid Super Sonico tiger hoodie ver. part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

About the duplication process (Japanese only) part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

Mikatan paints a Nendoroid expression part 1part 2part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, finale

GSC and 3D sculpting

Why is EVERYTHING so expensive?

That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Realistically, anime and related is a niche hobby, and manufacturers have found that they profit more by pricing higher and appealing to “high taste” collectors rather than selling for what you’d think to be more reasonable prices to attract normalfags.

ANN and the anime economy (Yes it’s >ANN but do give it a read, it applies to you) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Why doesn’t character X have a figure?

Lots of reasons. One thing that should be clear if you’ve made it this far is that there are lots of company relations behind the scenes. Figure companies have to license properties from the copyright holders before figures can be made. For this reason, multimedia companies like Bandai and Square Enix will almost only produce figures from copyrights they hold already (Gundam and Code Geass for Bandai, Final Fantasy and Kuroshitsuji for SE and so on).

Check the company credits when you watch OP’s and ED’s. Sometimes you’ll see merchandise companies listed, and you can bet your ass you’ll get figures from them in the future, such as Good Smile Company on Symphogear.

Is there a chance of a re-release?

Probably not. Only popular figures get occasional re-releases when there is a special occasion (new season, new game, etc.). Look on the secondhand market.

The release date says “Early/Mid-/Late [month]”, what does that mean?

Early: 1-10 Mid-: 11-20 Late: 21-28/29/30/31 (Is this some East Asian concept that westerners don’t teach?)

I paid for a shipment, but I don’t see the money taken from my bank. In fact, the package has already arrived! D-Did I totally just get a free figure?

You most likely paid by card and the charge will show up in your next billing cycle or in about 2 weeks. Don’t believe for a moment that you somehow got lucky or outsmarted the store.

My package got caught by customs and they are trying to tax me.

Pay, the knowledge of local laws and customs duties is your responsibility. We give you some tips on avoiding them as much as possible but shit can happen. Check the Country specific information section next time.

My package was damaged, what can I do?

If it’s uninsured, nothing. However if it was insured make sure you don’t sign for the package before you take a pic, you’ll need to fill a claim to your local post office and inform the seller of the damage for him/them to fill a similar complaint on their end. That way you may get refunded for up to the amount your package was insured for.

The tracking shows that my package is “In Retention”, what does that mean?

Check your country’s postal system, it usually means picking up your package at your local postal office and depending on your country it might also mean that you are getting taxed.

Is it safe to buy from MFC?

This depends on how much information you get from the seller and how careful you are. Ask for a lot of photographs and make sure there are no hidden spots where damage could be hidden. Do not send your money as a gift. Make sure to check all feedback that user has had and it is probably a bad idea to buy from a new account. Prices will probably be higher than usual, check all other sources first.

I want something that's only sold as part of a set, but I don't want to buy the whole set. What do I do?

There's a group on MFC that organizes group orders and box splits. You need an account that's older than 3 months to join.

What camera should I buy for figure photography?

Go to /p/'s sticky for this. In particular, this section.

In summary though, we don't know. You will need to do your own research on this, there is no single best camera.

I'm worried about my packages being stolen if I'm not home to receive it. What do I do?

You have a couple of options.

  • Use express mail.
  • Get your package registered.
  • Add restricted delivery (allows you to specify who can sign for your package).
  • Get a PO box.
  • Have it sent to your office/workplace.
  • Send it to a local friend or family member you trust.
  • Tell your post office you're going out of town for a while and ask them to hold packages/mail for you.
  • Leave a note for your mailman to put the packages behind the house or something
  • Move to a more secure neighborhood.

Is there any merchandise/figures of X? Does X series have any figures?

MyFigureCollection - MFC has a very large and comprehensive database of figures, tradable figures, and action figures. Figures are searchable by series, artists, type, subject, manufacturer, and more. They have a smaller database of artbooks, plushies, and merchandise (keychains, mugs, towels, etc.) Search here for figures/merchandise of your waifu. People there are fanatic and often update popular items very quickly.

Is X illegal to import/own in my country?

Possibly. The Country specific information section has some guidelines on whether or not porn/loli is illegal, however there may be mistakes. For your own peace of mind, research your country's laws and find out.

How do I get an item from X event that isn't available online?

You have two options; you can either wait until it appears online or you can pay someone to get it from the event for you.

The item has a possibility of showing up on secondhand stores such as:

Yahoo! Japan Auctions - This will require a proxy or forwarder. After an event there is a chance for it to appear on Y!AJ, the first few auctions will have a very high price which will drop if more are sold after the initial hype. Unfortunately, those initial items may be the only copies of it which are sold so there is a risk in waiting for the price to drop.

Suruga-ya - This will require a proxy or forwarder Here is a guide for using BiJ with Suruga-ya, use latin character for your name instead of kanji though, like BiJ's faq says.

Mandarake

The second option is to pay someone to go to the event for you and get them to buy it. This will be very expensive and it can be difficult to find someone willing to do this. Most people who use such a service are not willing to tell you who they are using in case you do something to ruin it or because they do not want them to become so popular that they are unavailable in the future. Your best bet will be to search on MFC before the event because occasionally someone will post that they are going to an event and are taking orders or that they have a proxy that has an empty space. This will usually only be for big events such as Wonfes.

Is it fine for reflected sunlight to hit my figures?

"Fine" is relative, it's certainly better than direct sunlight, and worse than no sunlight at all. It's not a binary thing, the amount of light, the exposure time, and the quality of the light (UV) all matter, as well as the chemical makeup of the paint on the figure and how hot the environment is. It's not a question that's simple and easy to answer. Here's some reading material to get you started: Library of Congress, Wikipedia entry on photodegredation, Florida Solar Energy Center

Ultimately, the best rule of thumb is to have as little sunlight hitting your things as possible.

What to do if your figure from AmiAmi arrives damaged

Assuming the figure is new, not pre-owned, you might be able to get a replacement. Make sure to take pictures as soon as the damage is noticed. AmiAmi may request pictures of:

  • Pictures of the shipping box.
  • Pictures of the figure box.
  • Pictures of the damage, more images the better.
  • Picture of the damaged figure with the packing slip or shipping label on shipping box.

I have a question not answered here or anywhere on the wiki

Google it. Search for it on MFC. Put effort in and if that fails, then that's when you ask in the thread. Once you get your answer, put it in a suitable place.

Tips

General

  • Some stores allow delayed merchandise to be combined and result in one huge order. For example, if one item in the same release month bundle is delayed to the next month, all of the items in the bundle follow it to the next month, where the bundle can be combined with that month’s orders as well. This event can repeat itself until it forms a massive order.
  • When all else fails, use ‘that’.

Store-Specific

  • AmiAmi

If you must cancel something, use the account page menu. Otherwise, send them a concise e-mail with something like “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but please cancel item [number] from Order [number]. Thank you.” They do not want to hear the story of how your car got totaled or how you have no sense of budgeting. It’s far better to give AmiAmi a heads-up instead of letting invoices expire.

You technically have 2 weeks to pay for an order despite the site saying 1 week, but don’t kill their goodwill.

If you want to combine any orders (whether in-stock or not), both items must be part of a shipment in the same month. Have fun getting orders split up when Alter decides to push that figure back -again-.

There is no point in asking in the buyfag thread whether or not you will be banned for not paying/cancelling after X amount of orders. We do not know so the answer will always be possibly.

  • CDJapan

CDJapan gives a 300 yen coupon upon sign-up and a 300 yen coupon on the first day of your birthday month, so you can easily register for new accounts and set your birthdate to the month you need the coupon for, so come time you’ll have 600 yen sitting in your account. A lot of smaller items like keychains and single CDs/LNs ship for 500 yen via SAL on CDJapan, so you can practically get free shipping and then some discount by purchasing them with the 600 yen’s worth of coupon. You will NOT receive the birth month special coupon immediately, so if you set it to the current month, you won’t see it until next year.

  • Amazon Japan

Amazon Japan has an aggressive discount policy for items that are overstocked or not moving. They generally put things into the bargain bin long before stores like AmiAmi do. The discount is calculated by an algorithm that mainly takes into account the # of units left in stock and the pace of the orders. The price of the item is updated around 6PM JST daily.

Examples: Nendoroid Yuzuriha Inori, GSC ⅛ Ultimate Madoka

The ‘bottom’ price varies, but has ranged from 30% to 80% off original price. The discounts usually come around a few weeks to months after the item’s initial release, but it’s not guaranteed for all items.

  • Big in Japan

BiJ sometimes lets you cancel if preorders for the item are not closed yet. If you ignore a payment request, they will ban you.

Glossary

General

1/* - The scale size ratio, 1/1 meaning the model’s size is the same as the original object’s size. For things like mecha, a 1/144 scale is commonplace, for figures it's more of a suggestion. Identically scaled figures for a specific character can vary as much as 30% in size, even from the same company.

Big 3 - Not Shounen Jump’s big 3. It’s the nickname AmiAmi (Amico), Hobbysearch (HS) and HobbyLink Japan (HLJ) have due to them being the most popular sites for buyfagging.

Bin/Binned - Bin as in bargain or clearance bin. A figure is said to have binned when the demand is way lower than the supply, forcing retailers to discount the figure to get rid of the unsold stock.

Bishoujo - Figures of cute anime girls, this is often it's own category at many stores because buyers of these rarely overlap with other categories.

Booth - Owned by Pixiv and effectively their official storefront service. Many Pixiv artists use booth to sell their merch which is wide and varied from acrylics to dakis to GKs and so on.

Bootleg - A fake, or counterfeit figure that illegitimate sellers try to pass off as real/authentic. They are usually recasts or QC rejects from a legitimate production run, the quality is often poor, with poor paintwork and the faces will almost invariably look bad or have an "off" look to them.

Busou Shinki - Poseable mecha musume. It has an anime. Manufactured by Konami. Wikipedia

BQ - Beach Queen. A series by Wave which are usually 1/10 scale with the character in a swimsuit on a yellow stand. They have a tendency to be pretty mediocre but there are occasionally some which are pretty good. While rather rare, there are a few which are made of polystone.

BJD/Dolls - Ball jointed doll, usually larger scale than statues with customizable and interchangeable parts, clothes are made of actual fabric. Can be bought in parts or pre-assembled as a specific character.

Cast Off - Also Known as Castoffable, a feature of a figure whose clothes/outfit can be removed.

Dakimakura - Often shortened to daki, a type of body pillow from Japan, usually 160cm x 50cm. Dakimakura are also known as “hugging pillows”. You will want to buy a cover for it, which normally feature an anime character. Both front and back sides of the cover feature the respective character. More info.

Detolf - Popular glass display cabinet from Ikea. Generally considered good value. More info.

Doujin - Self published works, they can be derivative works or completely original. Does not have to be porn (e.g. doujin music, doujin games).

Dragon Dildo - A dildo shaped like a dragon’s imaginary phallus, used as a meme in unboxing threads. It’s never dragon dildos. (Unless it’s an unboxing thread on /v/, in which case it is).

Exclusive - Figures or accessories for a figure meant to be sold at one specific store, including but not limited to the manufacturer’s site. It’s not rare for a figure to be both exclusive and limited.

Figma - Jointed figures usually 5-6 in/12-14 cm tall (Around 1/12 scale), manufactured by Max Factory. Figma are sculpted to resemble characters in an accurate fashion to their respective anime. The word is also often wrongly used to call any pose-able figurine. 5000 - 9000 Yen range.

Forwarder - Use when you can pay for your items but you need a Japanese address. You pay for the item and have it sent to the domestic address of the service. Repacking multiple orders into one shipment is also available. The forwarder then sends the item(s) to you, for a fee.

Garage kit (GK) - Models that are privately made (Read: Not official products). They are usually sold unpainted and not assembled. They vary greatly in molding detail, assembly difficulty, and pricing. See this to use as a general guide with step-by-step assistance.

Gashapon (Bandai) / Gachapon (Tomy) (Capsule Toys) - Super cheap statues. Most stand no more than 4 inches. Almost always have multiples figures in a series (100-500 Yen each).

Gunpla - Short for “Gundam plastic model”. Plastic model kits of machines manufactured by Bandai of the robots featured in their Gundam franchise. These come unassembled, but usually colored and with instructions. Gunpla are poseable after assembly.

Holy grail - The ultimate unobtained prize of your buyfagging. i.e. that one thing you don’t currently own that you do want to own above all else. If you have "multiple grails" then none of them are grails.

Hotglue - To ejaculate with the force of a thousand suns onto a figure. Only attention whores do it and those who only do it because they see others doing it have immediate regret. The odds of your pre-owned figures being hotglued by their previous owner is very low but never zero.

Joint - A point of articulation on a figure in which the limb bends.

Kuji - Real life gacha/lottery game, like Banpresto Ichiban Kuji, Taito Honpo Kuji, SEGA Kuji, etc. where players draw raffle tickets for prize items. Every draw is guaranteed a win, but chances of getting a large prize like a figure is usually very low. You’re far more likely to get a pen, can badge or folder. Kuji games are only available at Japanese convenience locations, so overseas collectors must obtain the prizes secondhand through Mandarake, Yahoo! Auction Japan, Terraformer or other collectors.

Limited - Companies will sometimes produce only a preset amount of figures to be produced and distributed. Once they are all bought and sold, those are the only figures in that run that will ever be in circulation. Such figures are priced very highly, and ascend in value very quickly. Sometimes bundled with games or DVDs.

Lewd - Not decent; obscene, lustful, vile, slutty. Stirs the loins of men.

MFC - MyFigureCollection, huge database of figures and merchandise, it also has a trade/sale section for its users. As usual, avoid the community like the plague. Do enjoy its collection managing features.

Nendoroid (“Nendo”) - A palm sized 4 inch/10cm tall SD proportioned figure manufactured by Good Smile Company (GSC) with limited pose-ability (super movable Nendoroids offer a bit more). They come with an assortment of accessories depending on the character. Nendoroids released after 2011 (#300 or later) have near-universal interchangable head, face, hair, hands, legs and body parts, Pre-#300 nendoroids might be harder to share parts with. Kawaii as fuck. 3500 - 9000 yen range depending on popularity, complexity and amount of accessories included.

Nendoroid Doll - A gateway drug to dollfagging, A 14cm tall SD proportioned BJD doll with fabric clothes, compatible with Nendoroid head parts and hand accessories. Very light on accessories and expensive at 8000-12,000 yen. Clothes and shoes also sold seperately. Best enjoyed when you have lots of Nendos already, you can also buy 2000 yen Nendoroid doll bodies and make your own custom Nendo dolls from one of your existing Nendo heads.

Nendoroid Petit - An even smaller incarnation of a Nendoroid (usually 2 in/5cm) manufactured by Good Smile Company (GSC). These have less articulation than regular Nendoroids but often come in bundles or blind boxes.

Plamo - Short for “plastic model”. A plastic model kit of giant robots, Mech, and military based figures. Many/Most are kits which must be assembled by the consumer. Details are added through paint or stickers.

POP UP PARADE - Often shorted to PUP, Good Smile Company's budget line of figures. Size is roughly equivalent to a 1/10. Quality is similar to a well done prize figure with more consistent quality. Usually 3,900 Yen.

Prize figure - Figures, usually statues, that are prizes for UFO catchers in Japan. Manufacturers sell these for people who can’t win or play them. They vary in quality, but are usually inexpensive, usually 1500-3000 yen, and can vary in from 1/8 to 1/6 in size.

Proxy - Will buy items on your behalf so you don't need to create accounts on Japanese stores. Can cost more but is generally less work than using a forwarder.

PVC - Polyvinyl chloride is a soft plastic material that most figures are made out of. It has a delicious aroma, especially freshly opened figures. Avoid exposition to heat and UV radiation.

Recast - An unofficial bootleg reproduction garage kit, made by taking molds of an original with varying degrees of quality. Recasts of recasts are not unheard of.

Revoltech - Jointed figures like Figma, but manufactured by Kaiyodo. Slightly stylized and usually featuring robots, dudes with guns, and other /m/ related stuff. Also has a Queen’s Blade line. Competes with the Robot Damashii brand. Similarly priced to figmas.

Robot Damashii - A line of pre-assembled poseable robots manufactured by Bandai.

SD - Super deformed, another term for chibi, exaggerated proportions such as small bodies with large heads to accentuate facial expression.

Statue - Non-poseable figure. One of the most accurate figure portrayals of the characters they are based on. Usually not wallet-friendly, with prices from 9000 Yen and more.

Sader - An infamous Chinese bootleg of Clayz’ 1/6 Saber figure. Highly sought after.

Swivel - A point of articulation on a figure in which the limb rotates.

Wonder Festival (Wonfes) - An industry trade show which happens twice a year and where lots of upcoming figures are announced and premiered. Pre-orders for Wonfes announcements usually open shortly afterwards.

Y!AJ - Yahoo! Auctions Japan, an auction site in Japan.

Delivery

EMS - Express Mail Service, fast but expensive, also handled by your national post system in most cases. Can be subject to customs taxes in most countries. Trackable and Insured up to 20,000 Yen (base, you can pay to raise the insurance limit). Expedited air, only takes 2-3 days overseas at the fastest, though it may stall for longer in customs.

DHL - Wizardry. A private carrier service that is quick as fuck but rapes your wallet. Expedited air. Tracking and signed delivery is standard and provides many more options for managing your delivery.

Surface Parcel - Also known as sea mail, it travels across the surface of the Earth, usually by container ship. Insured up to 10,000 yen, tracking is available but updated very infrequently. The slowest shipping speed available but the most cost effective for large or heavy orders. Usually costs 25-50% of expedited DHL/EMS but you must tolerate 1-2 months delivery time from Japan to the US, 3-4 to Europe. Just order and forget, future you will get a surprise package a few months from now. Is often used to evade customs delays in certain countries but not all. Not available from every store or forwarding service due to a pattern of impatient customers issuing chargebacks when they think their package is never gonna arrive.

Japan Post discontinued international SAL since COVID-19 started and has yet to bring it back, no cheap shipping for you.

USAL/Unregistered SAL - The cheapest way to ship. Does NOT have delivery confirmation, tracking, or insurance. Also, slow as fuck. Can be delivered in 10 days or 3 months. Highly risky shipping method. Only use this if you are confident that it will get to you safely (Read, your federal postal service is not shit).

RSAL/Registered SAL - For a fee of 410 yen, you get tracking and insurance up to 6,000 yen. You must sign for the package upon reception. Still slow as fuck delivery since it’s literally SAL with tracking. You can track it on Japan Post until it leaves Japan and on your country’s mail service once it lands there. Tracking doesn’t always update correctly or quickly either, since uploading the scan info has the lowest priority in a mailman’s day.

Selling things

Selling basics

Perhaps you own something now that you don’t want anymore and you think it’d be better off with another collector.

Before doing anything, consult your post office or courier service to find out their pricing models, and registration/insurance options. Make sure you know if dimensional/volumetric weight applies to your packages beforehand. The packing material itself is usually not free, but you can do some ghetto substituting of plastic wrap and crumpled/shredded paper in the place of bubble wrap and packing peanuts, respectively. If you’re broke, shred old newspapers and free padded envelopes from USPS for padding and reuse packing material that came to you from past orders. Make sure you pack the box/envelope securely; if it can’t survive being tossed a few feet or crushed under another box, it’s NOT ready to be shipped.

In the US, USPS generally has the cheapest rates and even cheaper if you use eBay or PayPal to pay for and print the shipping label. A First-class package starts at $1.93 online, including free tracking. Media Mail becomes cheaper than First-class starting at 11oz, but it is only for printed matter. Consider using Priority Flat Rate boxes (which you can order for free from USPS/eBay or pick up at the post office) if the item you’re shipping doesn’t qualify for Media Mail and is heavier than 2 lbs.

If you want to sell a lot, consider investing in a small digital kitchen/post scale ($10-25). They are accurate to 0.1oz/1g and generally can handle up to 6lbs. It will take the shipping guesswork out of the process and speed up your ability to pack and affix shipping labels at home. With this method, once the package is ready, you can simply hand it off to the mailman when he/she drops by or drop the package off at your local USPS office without waiting in line. Even better: if at least one of your packages is Priority, Express, or International, you can schedule for USPS to come to your house and pick up packages, saving you the trip’s gas.

Selling on the buyfag threads

Selling on buyfag threads can be much simpler and quicker than to random people on ebay/mfc/craigslist/etc, however it's a lot harder to bullshit people. There are a few guidelines to follow:

  • When posting that you are selling items, always post a contact email/your mfc account so that people can contact you without filling the thread with garbage.
  • Always put prices. Do not be the idiot that asks people to offer, you will get very low offers and people will laugh at you when you complain. When setting your prices, don't even try to get above market value. People will much prefer to buy from Japan than from some random Anon, given that Japanese are autistic about the condition of a figure and they have no idea what you are like.
  • Say where you are shipping from and where you are willing to ship. These threads are viewed from many countries, don't expect everyone else to be from your country. For Americans, it's recommended to say what state you are from.
  • Don't spam the thread saying that you're selling things. Most people read every post in the thread, they will see your post and contact you if they are interested. If you post too often then people will get annoyed and start calling you out on it.

An example of a great sales post can be found here.

Capitalism, HO!

Capital.png
                                                                        Figure 6: What the picture says.

For people who are a little more serious about selling & trying to make a few bucks off the art: In a nutshell, buy low, sell high. Even AmiAmi is too pricy for turning a profit unless it’s some rare, in-demand item.

  • “But I should preorder this super-popular figure! Preorders will be sold out everywhere! Even if I don’t want it anymore later, I’m sure I can scalp it!”

Very rarely will a figure appreciate in value post-release. Whatever you’re looking at is very unlikely to increase dramatically in value down the road, because the initial hype will have worn off, the market will be saturated, and the popularity will fall once the anime/game had its run.

As for scalping, it will be difficult in most cases unless you really know what you’re doing (in which case, you should be contributing to this section of the guide). For example:

  • You purchase a figure for 6000 yen on AmiAmi. You want to be the fastest to offer it for sale, so you pick EMS shipping, 2000 yen.
  • You want to scalp it for double, so you price it at $120 for sale, plus shipping (let’s say $10 domestic).
  • When the figure sells, PayPal takes a 2.9% + $0.30 fee if domestic. If it was through eBay, eBay takes a 10% fee out of both selling price and shipping.
  • You need some packing materials, tape, and a box. $5. You spend time securely packing up everything and gas getting to the post office.
  • In the end: $120 (selling price) + $10 (shipping) - 6000 yen (purchase price) - 2000 yen (shipping) - $4 (PayPal fee) - $13 (eBay fee) - $5 (packing materials) - $10 (shipping) = $18 (profit)

While you might be able to claim, “I sold it for double I bought it for,” you’ve only pocketed $18 in reality, not an extra 6000 yen. $18 is about an hour or two’s pay for young people in first-world countries. Even if you managed to sell directly and avoid the eBay fee, it still only netted you $31 total. Perhaps you could’ve picked SAL shipping at the beginning and saved yourself $5-$10 on shipping, but the delay in your ability to offer it for sale meant that you would’ve missed the impulsive wave of buyers and met a wall of saturated market.

  • Was it worth the time, effort, or waiting game? Or the risk that you only could’ve “scalped” the item for $100, not $120 (= $0 profit, complete break-even)? Think of the buyer who paid $130 as well. While there are idiots out there who can and will shell out that much, they easily could’ve picked the $110 option from a competing seller and you couldn’t have sold until you’ve undercut prices.

More obvious stuff for eBay:

  • You can get more for stuff from popular series.
  • You can get more for nostalgia series.
  • Never undersell yourself.
  • Sometimes it takes a few weeks or months for someone to bite; it’s up to you to decide whether the wait is worth the profit.
  • Be the cheapest seller to ensure someone sorting by “lowest price first” will get you first.
  • It’s not hard to be cheapest seller because 90% of legit sellers are charging astronomical prices.
  • Check past Sold Sales to see how much people have spent on the same thing; if it has sold a few times for X price, there is likely another sucker who will blow also that much (or close to it).
  • If no one has ever sold the item before and you know it’s some obscure title, it’s probably not worth the time and effort to buy it to resell in the first place.
  • Likewise, if the item has constantly sold for relatively low (or too low for a good profit margin), consider only selling to free up room, not to turn a profit.
  • Mind the fees, keep a spreadsheet, track your earnings and figure out what works and what doesn’t.
  • If you can, advertise on social sites (Facebook, Tumblr) to get impulsive young people to open their wallets; it moves smaller items like keychains and trading figures faster. On the other hand, you are dealing with fujoshit cancer itself.

If you want to get more serious, consult professionals and get a degree. As real life examples have shown, running a purely anime-import business in 3D is not profitable.

Advertising on MFC, /a/’s buyfag threads or /toy/’s BST threads are also options. However, keep in mind that these people most likely know more about the true value of goods and less likely to fall for overpriced shit. Unless you’re selling someone’s Holy Grail.

I thought not.

Display and upkeep

Shelves

This will vary completely depending on where you live, therefore the following information will be rather generic.

In order to get the best shelving for your display, you will need to do your own research and work out what will be suit your other furniture, the space you have and the money you're wishing to spend. It is always worth investing in shelving that looks good since it will improve the appearance of your display greatly, than buying the cheapest piece of shit that fits whatever space you are using. Make sure to read reviews of whatever you are buying if possible, there have been far too many incidents where something has broken/fallen apart with expensive figures on it because the owner wasn't willing to spend more money. However if you do feel the need to pay the least you can on garbage, then please remember to take photographs before you tidy up and share them.

The standard and most recommended pieces of furniture are from IKEA and they are the DETOLF and BILLY.

DETOLF

The DETOLF is a glass cabinet which has four shelves and fits two to three 1/6 scale figures on each shelf, with a lot of vertical room meaning taller figures can fit easily. The DETOLF is easy to build and setup with only one person, although the instructions recommend two. Make sure you follow the instructions and place the metal supports facing inside the DETOLF, there has been at least one case of someone doing this incorrectly which caused the shelves with their figures on it to fall. The DETOLF is not the most secure of displays, it wobbles when there is movement near it and it can be difficult to light without hideous wires making your display look worse. Here is a German blog that shows how to completely hide the wires in a DETOLF. Here is a detailed guide by Anon with a slightly different approach. If you really are worried about dust, then you can dust-proof your DETOLF through different methods. If you need to adjust the height of your shelves, or add additional shelves, you can use 3/16" wire rope clips. See here for a guide.

If it is necessary to transport your DETOLF at a later date, this guide will help you with the packaging.

BILLY

The BILLY series are open bookshelves which come in various sizes and can be adjusted to suit your needs. The largest of these can comfortably fit three 1/6 scale figures on each shelf, with a total of six shelves per BILLY. These are also available in various colors but most anons go for either black-brown or white, purchase whatever color will fit in with the rest of your decor. Adding lighting to your BILLY is very simple, drill a hole in the backing where the shelf above meets the back and pass the wires through there, while sticking your light to the top of the shelf. You can purchase ̶M̶O̶R̶L̶I̶D̶E̶N̶ HÖGBO glass doors for the BILLY, which can improve the look of the bookcase and stop dust from getting to your figures. This increases the weight of the bookcase so make sure to secure it via the included parts. HÖGBO come in black or white frames to match the color of the shelf. If you get the standard wide sized BILLY then you will need 2 HÖGBO doors. There are screws that can be turned to lessen the gap in the middle of the 2 doors, but there still will be a quarter of an inch gap. You can opt to close this gap with foam strips for dust proofing.

Floating/Wall-mounted shelves

Another option available are floating shelves, these are usually very cheap at local stores and can be found at a variety of sizes and colors to fit your needs. However some may be less secure than others, so it is absolutely recommended that you research the weight limits on the shelves and if you are worried then it may be helpful to look into support brackets. These will attract significantly more dust than a closed display, but for smaller collections that is not a problem.

Other

If you're a tippiest toppiest richfag, you could search for and purchase highly professional enclosed glass display cases instead. These are often custom made, so you have to look locally. Be aware that anything airtight will entrap the PVC outgassing and make your figures have that unboxing smell unless you air out the case every now and then. On the plus side, though, you'll probably never have to dust your collection ever again. a compiled list of alternatives Detolf solutions

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There are other Ikea cabinets that have glass doors. However their size, frames, and price may not be as good value as DETOLF and BILLY/HÖGBO are. Still, you may take a look at the following:

KLINGSBO - A tad larger than DETOLF, can be locked, but the shelves are shorter and can only be removed.

BLÅLIDEN - A tad smaller than DETOLF, allows integrated lighting, but has frames although it may be more sturdy.

MILSBO - Basically a wide BLÅLIDEN as it has similar frames and allows integrated lighting. Also can be locked and shelves are adjustable.

RUDSTA - Smaller than DETOLF, back of the shelf works with magnets. Comes in skinny option with an open bottom shelf and a wide option lower to the ground.

FABRIKÖR - Small and has thick frames but some may prefer the quirky colors and lock?

BAGGEBO - Very small and has holes on the sides that would need sealing.

LANESUND - Expensive, sides are not clear but frames on doors are thin.

MALSJÖ - Expensive, very thick frames but some may prefer the sturdy look?

REGISSÖR - Similar to BILLY/HÖGBO and is wider and deeper, but is over twice the price.

BRIMNES - Another BILLY/HÖGBO lookalike but these door frames are way too big, no reason to consider this.

BESTA - Many shelves in the line but you can look at their "storage combo with doors" if you want something low to the ground. Quite expensive.

EKET - Can display a single figure or a group of trading/gachapon figs, but is expensive for a single cube.

Since DETOLF has been discontinued in many areas, BLÅLIDEN and possibly KLINGSBO are the most similar substitutes. Click here for a video comparing DETOLF with BLÅLIDEN for figure use.

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The DETOLF and BILLY are not available to those without an IKEA near them, unless you wish to pay serious shipping prices. Therefore it will be necessary to find alternatives, a search of 'COUNTRY NAME BILLY/DETOLF alternatives' may be helpful in finding something to fit your needs.

Once you have sufficient shelving space to display your collection, it may be worthwhile looking into acquiring some risers, for a better/more compact display. There’s a decent blog article on MFC about them, which you can find here. Not mentioned in the blog: Daiso also has a several types of risers meant for figures.

LED lights usually improve a display, these can come in the form of an LED strip or a spotlight, what you want will depend on your display. Furthermore, the color you buy will also depend on how you want your display to look. However, usually people prefer neutral white or cool white due to warm white looking like piss.

Invest in blackout curtains or something similar to limit the sunlight coming through your windows, this will discolor your figures over time. Even small amounts of sunlight can have significant, permanent effects.

Cleaning

Dust your figures often before the dust starts to accumulate and get incrusted. Here are several ways to remove it:

  • Microfiber cloth: Just wipe and you're done.
    Since you're applying pressure directly with your hand, be careful not to break off small parts.
  • Brushes: Choose a very soft brush and dust carefully. Best ones are makeup brushes or the Tamiya 74078 which is specially made for dusting models and figures. Its flat design allows precise cleaning inside every nook and cranny.
    Avoid using them on glossy surfaces as it may scratch them.
  • Compressed/canned air: Probably the safest option but also the dirtiest as it might send dust flying everywhere and make a mess.
    Do not spray for too long or you might freeze your figures, do quick bursts instead.

You can also wash them with running water if they’re too dirty, just don’t do so too often. Hot water can soften plastic and lead to deformation if you’re not careful. Never use cleaning chemicals other than soap, it might damage the paint or the figure itself.

Small stains can be removed by rubbing it with an eraser, be careful to only use it in the stain or you may end taking some of the paint of the figure instead.

Boxes

A commonly asked question is “What do you do with your figure boxes?” or something to that effect.

The general consensus to this question is to keep the boxes. For a few reasons, 1.) It maintains figure value. This will come in handy if you ever sell your figures 2.) More importantly, it is the best option you have when storing your figures in the event that you move. 3.) Some people view the box as a part of the product itself due to its quality, so throwing the box away is equivalent to throwing an accessory away.

Storage

Another question is "Can I leave my figure in the box?" or "What happens if I store my unopened figure in the box for a long period of time?" or similar.

One risk of leaving your figure unopened is that you may not notice damage (E.G., from manufacture or shipping) until opening it, which means you may miss on an opportunity to get a refund or replacement if you wait too long. That aside, the main problem of keeping the figure boxed is that the figure is unable to "breathe," which can cause a buildup of plasticizer on the surface of the figure. If this happens, it should not cause permanent damage, see Figure repair and maintenance below for solutions.

Regardless, keep your boxes in a cool, dark place, and make sure to occasionally check them for rodent/insect/water damage.

Figure repair and maintenance

Good Smile Company has released several guides to maintaining and repairing figures:

Getting rid of the sticky layer (plasticizers)

DIY figure repair series

  1. Broken joints
  2. Reinforcing joints
  3. Scuffed paint

DIY Nendoroid repairs series

  1. Removing broken joints
  2. Cleaning figures

There also many guides online for a number of issues such as with the following, therefore googling your issue is highly recommended.

Broken base pegs

Manga and Doujinshi Preservation

Without freezing, paper will yellow over time due to oxidation breaking down the cellulose fibers. With correct care and climate control, we can greatly reduce the rate of oxidation. The following step are useful in keeping your doujin (and manga) crisp:

1. Sleeve your doujin in acid-free/archival plastic bags. This stops oxidation and reducing scratches from doujin rubbing against each other.

  • Golden age comic book sleeves will fit B5 sized doujin.
  • Treasury sleeves will fit A4 sized doujin.
  • Digest sleeves will fit English manga (Viz, Kodansha, etc). These are sometimes sold as manga bags.
  • Polypropylene sleeves are cheaper but will wear out faster. This is observed as 'ripples' in the plastic. Typically last 3-10 years.
  • Mylar sleeves are more expensive but will last significantly longer. Rated for 100+ years.

2. Lay your doujin flat in small stacks.* Vertical stacking will cause pages to fan out in time, or buckle given their thin nature. Small, flat stacks ensure your doujin keep their factory finish and don't become overly flattened.
3. Store your doujin in Japanese style document folders.* [[3]]
4. Store your doujin in a dark location. In a pinch you can use a garbage bag (as long as they're already bagged and in folders), but the best choice is a black storage container kept in a cupboard. This is to keep UV and humidity out. This also creates a climate buffer, meaning ΔT fluctuation over time will be greatly reduced.
5. Add silica gel packets to your container, especially for long term storage or in areas with high humidity (tropical, etc).

.* if you store your manga on a shelf make sure to use book ends and intermediate pieces of something flat to stop warping, particularly of the top edge.

The ideal climate for paper is 20°C @ 35-45 relative humidity. A lower humidity will cause paper shrinkage. A higher humidity will cause a wavy appearance in pages. High temperatures increases the acid-cellulose rate of reaction.

Manufacturers

Much of this is subject to >opinions, take with a grain of salt. If you wish to see what kind of standard to expect from a manufacturer, then search for them on MFC and look at pictures of some of their most recent figures.


Standard statues and poseable toys

They primarily release anime and Vocaloid figures, but occasionally branch off into video games and some other esoteric copyrights (Yu-gi-oh dragons, Aniki Billy Herrington ;_;). Good quality. GSC itself makes mostly statues and Nendoroids. They are involved with the manufacture and distribution of several smaller companies under their umbrella, such as Max Factory (more below), Gift, >FREEing, Penguin Parade, Phat, Wing, and ThreeA that have their own specialty such as 1/4 or more erotic figures. Quality also varies between the sub brands.

The most popular manufacturer of /a/’s figures currently. Great quality almost all of the time, though they don’t make as many things as GSC. Their Altair line contains male figures; robot and armored girls can be found in the AlMecha line. Prices have arguably gotten ridiculously high for relatively simple figures, such as their new Sinon scale.

One of the companies under GSC’s umbrella. Best known for their figmas, but they also make a few statues. Ero figures are released under the Native brand are normally made to order and exclusively sold on their online shop, so you may need to use a forwarder/proxy/re-seller if they do not ship to you. Very good quality. Native has several sub brands or companies as well, with different specialities, and perhaps different quality.

Usually nice. The Excellent Model line is the highest quality. The G.E.M. line contains mostly male figures. Beware the days when they put Portrait of One Piece figures online. Sites will usually crash due to all the traffic. The Alpha x Omega brand is a collaboration between MegaHouse and Alter.

Figure quality is generally quite nice, although they’re not especially exciting. Shining World figures are on the large end of the 1/8 scale. Koto also makes anime-style figures of Western properties. They have a US branch, so if you don’t mind waiting a few months, buying Koto products from some US-based stores can be very cheap (see Figure Haven). This is because they localize the price to where the Yen-USD rate is essentially 100-1. This will then also save you on shipping.

Get your Gendums and Kamen Riders here. Lines include Figuarts, D-arts, MonsterArts, Robot Damashii, Soul of Chogokin, Chibi-arts, 12” Perfect Model, and various model kits. Their smaller figures (1/12 scale or smaller, trading) are pretty bad (glossy, pallid skin). Bluefin is the US importer for some of their products.

Primarily known for their dolls, but they also release top quality garage kits. Their Moekore line is decent. The prepainted versions of their garage kits, usually 1/4 are very nice but will rape your wallet. Volks USA

Mostly known for their Beach Queens swimsuit figure line, which are 1/10 scale and not super fancy, but they’re getting better (along with an increasing price tag). Larger statues are fine.

Touhous and now just about any series willing to sell out for cheap galore. Mostly sculpted by i-con and suffer from same face syndrome. The photos of the prototypes do not reflect the final result which is often flawed in details and paint, as well as a really irregular QC. The company is dead.

Lots of nice ero figures, but the time between prototype and release tends to be pretty long (2+ years).

Decent manufacturer that likes to make lewd figures.

Buyfags probably know Kaiyodo for their Revoltech line.

Manufacturer of video games and the Busou Shinki girls.

Mainly exclusives for Hobby Japan, ranges from Average to Awesome.

They haven't put out many figures yet, but some of those that are out are very good.

They mostly make girls in swimsuits or lingerie in a very wide variety of scales. A lot of their faces have a distinct style to them and they have made several figures with a wet look, which some people like and others do not.

Creates retail PVC versions of popular garage kits such as those from the hit sculptor @frenchdoll1. They're essentially the remains of Arcadia's pvc figure production with the same ownership as Alter. Almost all their sculpts come from very highly regarded garage kit circles.

Generally decent quality for the price. Have had major production issues in the past with their Yoshino scale and more recently the packaging of their Cocoa scale.

Popular for their production of plush characters. They make soft Touhou girls.

A manufacturer that uses GSC as a distributor. Makes 1/7 and 1/8 sculpts of characters from a wide variety of franchises. Filed for bankruptcy on August 5th 2020.

An offshoot of GSC, started by a couple of their sculptors who were initially contracted to do Aniplex-exclusive meguca. Since then they've started doing other exclusive for other production companies. You will likely have to use a forwarder or store that deals in exclusives to obtain their items.

A recent company with few released figures, which are currently rather low quality due to the poor paintjob and lackluster poses. Their figures are also very highly priced for their scale and quality. Wait until the figure is released to get a complete idea of what you will be buying.

  • B'full (also known as Pulchra, FOTS Japan, Insight, Apricot Blossom, FigureX) & Insight

A merger of all the very worst figure manufacturers. Very poor quality figures that bow under their own weight, and in some cases, leak plasticizer from their feet. Terrible packaging. Overpriced. Should be avoided at all costs. Insight is the adult figure label, still low quality and made of PMMA. Promotional photos are 3D renders, which may be arousing to some. Reviewers say they are slowly getting better, buy at your own risk.

Generally low quality and overpriced.

Previously a maker of trading figures, began making more scales in 2019. Their output is generally of low quality and with poor paint jobs for the price you pay. Avoid.

Prize figures

For what they are, the companies that make these aren’t bad and the quality is going up these days. What else would you expect for figures that are roughly worth around 200 yen to 1800 yen?

Several lines in addition to their video games. The DX figures are usually the cheapest in price and quality. The Super Quality (SQ) figures are a big step up, in the 1/8 scale range, not many figures in this line yet though. Ichiban Kuji and Ichiban Kuji Premium are usually the best quality Banpresto offers and can only be won in Japan through lotteries. The premium figures can go for a lot on the secondary market, but they tend to be quite large, about 1/7-1/6 scale. A prizes are often the most sought after, though it varies between sets. The Double Chance prizes you may see sometimes are extremely expensive. The chance of winning an A prize is something like 2-4%. A prize ticket holders are allowed to draw again. From there, it’s another 2-4% chance of hitting the jackpot and winning the Double Chance prizes.

Most people probably know them for their video games, but they also make a few prize figures, their Super Premium (SPM) line are a step above their previous EX figure lines, though their larger prizes will skimp on QC and paint details.

Actually, they’re an arcade game company owned by Square Enix but they also make prize figures under their own name. Their Artist Masterpiece line uses hidden tricks to lower costs while still offering impressive figure designs, usually by overusing flowing or billowing dresses made out of a single continuous block of molded PVC, so they don't actually have to model the body underneath, and then splitting the figure at the waist to reduce the size of the final packaging.

Their figures can be hit or miss but they do a surprisingly decent job with trading figures, noodle stoppers and non-figure items like plush toys or keychains. Recently, they have expanded into the middle and high end of the figure market with 1/7 and 1/4 scales, with all the growing pains that come with it. They have a habit of asking unreasonable prices for mediocre, simple designs and in some cases, botching launches with figures damaged through inadequate packaging or fragile design elements being damaged by customers during assembly.

Obviously there are a ton more. Ask /a/ for opinions.

Events

Events

February: Wonder Festival (Wonfes) / AOU (Amusement Operators Union) Prize Fair

March: Banpresto Hakurankai (Banpaku) and Deform-paku

April: Miyazawa Model Exhibition

May: Treasure Festa

Late May: Megahobby Expo

Late July: Wonder Festival (Wonfes)

Mid August: Comic Market (Comiket)

Late August: Chara (C3) Hobby

October: Treasure Festa

November: Tamashii Nation and other Tamashii branded events, Miyazawa Model Exhibition

Late November: Megahobby Expo

December: Treasure Festa

Late December: Comic Market (Comiket)

Wonder Festival

Wonder Festival (Wonfes) is a biannual event which has many Manufacturers revealing new figures as well as displaying those which now have prototypes, are now colored and some which have been released. There will also be many Garage Kits shown and sold at this event, which sometimes appear on auction sites after the event. There will be a large amount of new figures revealed at this event, in order to see a decent amount of them, following either the twitter tag for the event or reading the buyfag threads is recommended. During Wonfes the threads will move very quickly and you should not post any image that is not related to the event due to the image limit.

The following websites will help either during the event or after the event:

  • Dengeki Hobby - This is a Japanese website, but it is apparently the quickest at listing everything shown.
  • MFC - During/after each event, a list will be made on MFC of every new figure which was shown at the event. This list will link to the database page of each figure, which makes it's easier to find out information on each figure.

In the weeks following the event there are many blogs and websites where higher resolution and quality images are uploaded:

Buyfag etiquette

So you’ve built yourself up a nice collection and you want to show it off to the masses of people on /a/? Fear not, here are a few tips to make sure you don’t piss off people more than usual.

  • Unboxing posts

Keep unboxing pictures to around 3-4 posts. Nobody wants to see endless pictures of the packaging and only one picture of the actual figure itself. Focus your pictures on your purchase, not how it arrived. It also helps to take your pictures beforehand, in order to avoid taking 5+ minutes between posts. Keep your body parts out of it unless you want to be picked on. Avoid huge resolutions and file sizes, usually images exceeding common modern monitor resolutions are ridiculed. This applies to all photos, unboxing or otherwise. Additionally, if posting images taken on a phone, make sure you properly rotate them before posting.

  • Keep threads on topic

Buyfag threads are mostly posting what you bought, what stuff is coming out in the future, and what’s currently on sale now. Anything not related to that shouldn’t be posted or should be posted somewhere else. Topics such as “what do you guys do for a living” or “what do your parents/friends/other think about your hobby”, etc. are discouraged. Nobody really reads or cares about the responses anyway.

Feel free to post about other things you bought related to anime or manga, and not just figures. There is a wider scope to buyfaggotry than just statues/Nendoroid/figma.

  • Trolls and Shitposters

Don’t respond to them. Just report and ignore.

  • Asking for names/sources

Try a reverse image search before asking, it will often find what you are looking for.

  • Making a new thread

Wait until the previous thread is dead. If there is currently a thread up, do not make one. Use a picture of a recent figure, preferably one from a shop. Buyfag threads on /a/ enjoy a sort of unspoken privileged status, so don't rock the boat by having multiple active threads in the catalog or linking to previous threads in the OP like in a general. To avoid breaking /a/'s rules on generals, add "Buyfag thread" to the subject, do not call it a "general" or use the word "edition" in the OP. Do not link the guide in the OP but instead post a reply to the thread with a message along the lines of 

Read the guide before asking any questions: Buyfag.moe

If you're feeling especially autistic, you can post a new buyfag thread and simultaneously prune the previous buyfag thread off the board if:

  1. It's already hit bump limit.
  2. It's the very last thread on Page 10 of /a/.

Do not use the catalog view to check if there's currently a buyfag thread, it lags behind the actual board by 30 seconds and someone may have already made one in the meanwhile.

Photography

Intro

  • Do you need a dedicated camera?

If you have a modern iPhone, Pixel, or equivalent, you can already take professional looking photos. Smartphones today are powerful computers that have built-in software tricks that make up for most of their hardware disadvantages, usually automatically without you needing to fiddle with post-processing or camera settings. If you don't want to worry about the details, just stick to your phone and focus on learning about composition and basic lighting. On the other hand, get a real camera if you:

  1. Are interested in mastering something with a high skill ceiling
  2. Are also interested, even slightly, in photographing things outside of figures (landscapes, portraits, street photography, etc.)
  3. Are the kind of person that likes to tinker with all the settings for maximum effect
  4. Are willing to trudge through having shitty results until things start to click

With time and practice using a real camera, you will eventually start to have photos that smartphones wish they could take. But not immediately, so don't buyfag a $10,000 camera and then complain to us that all your photos suck. Get a reasonably priced (probably mirrorless) camera (usually within $1000~$1500 USD range as of 2024, lower if you find used) with a decent lens and then commit to using it on a regular basis, ideally with a variety of different subjects and objectives. Do this and you will one day (sooner if you aren't a complete moron), be able to share pictures of figures with us that are pretty fucking cool.

General Advice

Photography can be one of the most important parts of buyfagging, because there's nothing better than bragging about that limited bouncy ball that nobody else owns. Some people like to post review shit, others just like to show off new shit they got and some people are just bored losers looking for attention on the internet. Photography is a very subjective subject, no matter how much effort you put in and how good you think it is, there is going to be someone who calls it shit. The following guides should help limit the amount of people who call it shit, but you will still need to put in effort.

Read /p/'s guide first, especially the what camera section as it is the only resource on this page that contains information on buying a camera. This guide will not contain any information on buying a camera because it is very dependent on the purchaser and what they will be using it for. Do your own research and ask on /p/ if necessary.

If you are using a proper camera, you should be shooting in RAW if you aren't already. RAW formats will allow you to touch up the photo in editors like Adobe Lightroom and generally look better than direct to JPEG.

When posting pictures on the buyfag thread, please follow the following:

  • Please post images that are JPG format, smaller than 1 MB, and/or about 1000 pixels on the longest side. This rule is good enough for /p/, therefore it's good enough for you.
  • Boards outside of /p/ strip the exif data from images, possibly resulting in improper orientation. Before posting from your phone, edit and resave all images using an app such as Photo & Picture Resizer (Android) to correct it. Although the image after being uploaded to 4chan will generally not have identifying exif information, be careful about directly sharing the original image file that may still have traces of metadata such as location.
  • Keep unboxing pictures to around 3-4 posts. Nobody wants to see endless pictures of the packaging and only one picture of the actual figure itself. Focus your pictures on your purchase, not how it arrived.
  • Take your pictures beforehand, in order to avoid taking 5+ minutes between posts.
  • Keep your body parts out of the picture, nobody wants to see your disgusting fingers/etc.

Guides

The following have been posted in the buyfag threads or gathered by an anon and are on a variety of topics.

  • A poorfag's lightbox

  • Aperture exposure and iso

  • Different flashes

  • Exposure triangle

  • Figure shoot tutorial part 1

  • Figure shoot tutorial part 2

  • Figure shoot tutorial part 3

  • Figure shoot tutorial extra

  • Focal length

  • Histogram

  • How do I -not- shot web

  • How to remove the stand in photographs

  • Lightbox studio tutorial

  • Optimum exposure triangle

  • Simple guide to photography

  • Soft lighting for figure photography

  • Valentine's and Xmas photography


Other Gear

The most important thing about gear is that you don't have to spend money if you get creative.

  • Lighting? Use whatever lamps and shit you have around plus natural sunlight when possible (look up golden hour and why that matters).
  • Shooting tent/Lightbox? We have like 3 different visual guides on making one out of the giant boxes Amico sends you.
  • Backdrops/scene props? Print stuff out or use monitors and take advantage of aperture/bokeh.

There is always a way to make your photo scenes interesting or nice looking without breaking the piggy bank. So that's why the rest of the stuff in this section is optional nice-to-haves if you happen to have some cash to splurge.

  • Tripods: Most cameras and smartphones have good enough in-body stabilization or software compensation and you don't necessarily need a tripod for just figure photography. But a tripod is always nice to have around, especially for studio-conditions where you want to take multiple fixed shots of different angles or if you want to experiment with shutter speeds
    • Cheap option: Amazon Basics Lightweight Tripod (60-inch) for $29 USD. This will be more than enough for most of your needs. Don't go with the 50-inch since although it's cheaper, it's rated for a lower weight capacity
    • Expensive option: Manfrotto Befree Advanced Camera Tripod for $164 USD. Has a bunch of much nicer convenience functions that let you configure it faster on the go compared to a cheapo tripod. Also way more sturdy with a high weight capacity that can support large lenses. Get this or another nice tripod after you've spent a lot of time with a cheap one so that you can appreciate the differences
  • Lighting: Learn to use natural lighting or whatever indoor lighting you currently have before you consider buying dedicated lights. For dedicated lights, the most common basic configuration is to try and have a 3-light setup. Look up what key, fill, and back lights are. And additionally, you should try to soften the lights with some sort of diffuser, whether that's an attachment on the light or a physical semi-transparent barrier between the light and the subject.
    • Cheapish option: Godox Litemons LC30Bi (2-Light Kit) for $279 USD. Gets you two decent lights with diffuser attachments and stands. Pretty good starter kit that gets you most of the way to a near-professional setup. You can work with just a key & fill light to begin with and then either buy a back light later or get creative about finding a solution to round out your lighting. (Other brand 2-light kits in the same price range or lower are probably fine too, obviously haven't been able to try all of them. Just try to find something with nice CRI ratings and adjustable color temperature)
    • Expensive option: Too many to list, lighting is fucking crazy man.

Miscellaneous guides

Miscellaneous guides

The following are miscellaneous guides related to buyfagging.

  • Color temperature

  • Making a waifu

  • Printing

  • Putting on a daki cover

  • Shipping a Detolf

  • When to use PNG

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