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Mandarake 45 Year Anniversary

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2025 21:02:36 No.11602379 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>11603625 >>11604515 >>11604896 >>11612813 >>11613895 >>11614041 >>11614051 >>11615793

Hey guys. Can we just take a moment to give thanks to the greatest 2nd hand store to exist on their 45 Year anniversary!
I've been addicted every since I found it 20 years ago and have undoubtably spent more with them than any other store.
Share your Mandarake memories, from the elating wins to the crushing misses!

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Oct 2025 18:22:19 No.11603211 Report

Quoted By: >>11603392

>>11602476
I threw out so many of these boxes, now i wish i could see just one more little one.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Oct 2025 22:31:01 No.11603392 Report

Quoted By: >>11603784

>>11603211
…do you want me to take you a picture of one I’m keeping for sending out eBay stuff in?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 Oct 2025 08:28:26 No.11603625 Report

Quoted By: >>11603626

>>11602379
One time I ordered something and when i re-read the description I noticed it was damaged so I cancelled. At that time I was scared they will block me
Think I bought a different one later from them

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 23 Oct 2025 08:44:54 No.11603626 Report

Quoted By: >>11603660

>>11603625
What Mandarake deems as "damaged" is just light signs of use that are hardly noticeable most of the time, I always prioritized buying damaged goods from them because they're significantly cheaper while still being close to new. If they don't provide pictures of the damage you can rest assured that it's a non-issue.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 Oct 2025 10:49:30 No.11603660 Report

Quoted By:

>>11603626
This. If there's anything actually noteworthy they usually list it in the actual description of the listing or take extra photos.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO victoryrobop2.jpg, 84KiB, 533x800

Anonymous Thu 23 Oct 2025 15:19:04 No.11603784 Report

Quoted By:

>>11603392
Well honestly I meant more in person. I suppose I still have one, I just bought a DX GoGoV in the summer and I probably keep some stuff in storage in one. I'm more lamenting not having a package from them every month or two.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 08:23:06 No.11604515 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602379
I didn’t know they had a real store for a second I thought
“No way has online shopping been around 45 years”

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 09:43:29 No.11604533 Report

Quoted By:

I stopped buying so much merch before I found them but I really enjoy going through their listings for obscure stuff. All the old character phone cards and perfumes and whatever. It's neat.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 13:42:25 No.11604645 Report

Quoted By: >>11604649

Never ordered from Mandarake but I lived in Japan for about 7 years and visited probably like 5 or 6 locations. One of my apartments at the time was in Nakano, so I was 3 minutes from the main store.

Right before leaving the country I had friend's dad help me transport my entire Japanese transformers collection to the Mandarake in Akiba. Needed a truck for the whole spread, and sold it to them for so much less than it was worth! lol

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 13:57:35 No.11604649 Report

Quoted By: >>11604956

>>11604645
During the buyout they pay about 20-25% of the price they sell for, Mandarake is notoriously stingy among these types of second-hand hobby shops. Surugaya pays at least 30% and their sell prices are often lower than Manda's. I think the biggest perk Mandarake has over others is that they deal with a really wide range of collectibles, stuff like movie posters from 40 years ago and obscure garage kits that many others wouldn't take.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 0001428528_4.jpg, 456KiB, 1970x1278

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 18:24:50 No.11604848 Report

Quoted By:

I have ordered so much shit from them, though I haven't recently due to tariffs and shit. One of my last orders I got Revoltechs of Melona and Nanael from Queen's Blade. There was this one peg looking part that came with Melona, and I really didn't know what it was for. This was the image from their page for Melona. I check on Nanael and she's missing the milk liquid from her bottle. It turns out I guess when they were cleaning and inspecting the figures, the milk part must had fallen out of Naneal's bottle and ended up being placed with Melona. It's a very loose piece that doesn't stay in the bottle. I'm glad I have it, though I store it away not to lose it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 19:08:20 No.11604896 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602379
I've never bought anything from them, are they really good? I usually buy my stuff from Mercari

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Oct 2025 20:41:49 No.11604956 Report

Quoted By:

>>11604649
I really wish Suruga-ya’s English site wasn’t so jacked up in price, even with free shipping, their jp site is so much more affordable.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20220408_182436.jpg, 403KiB, 1200x900

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2025 03:34:44 No.11608466 Report

Quoted By:

I first visited thwir stores when I went to Tokyo in 2007. Finally listened to threads here and started ordering from their site in like 2019.
I have been hooked ever since. The variety of what they have is crazy. From "used" (ie opened to see the figure) gacha and blind boxes to actual figures and sofubi. Not to mention media like CDs or even Laserdiscs. I ecen have multiple bins of posters I got from Manda.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2025 03:36:22 No.11608469 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602395
>>11602422
>tarrifs
Does that shit keep going up with each order? I notice the fee ia more and more wach time. I thought iynwas a flat rated based on the total of each box.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20250309_133139.jpg, 111KiB, 640x480

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2025 03:37:50 No.11608470 Report

Quoted By:

I finally found a couple of... interesting figures I'd been looking for thanks to manda.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20230129_095734.jpg, 372KiB, 640x853

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2025 03:40:18 No.11608472 Report

Quoted By: >>11612370

Asidw from general doujins and magazines, I also find they jave a bunch of Japanese books about toys.
I found this awesome one about bootlegs of Japanese and American toys.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221115_220845.jpg, 581KiB, 1200x900

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2025 03:45:10 No.11608477 Report

Quoted By:

I find so many various things in my orders

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221115_221109.jpg, 583KiB, 1200x900

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2025 03:51:26 No.11608483 Report

Quoted By:

Even have found a bunch of Tokyo Disney stuff.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 07:34:46 No.11612225 Report

Quoted By: >>11612300

>>11602607
I usually get a folder of links going for each store of smaller items. That way when bigger item pops up as an alert or something I just run into , I get a few things together. I jave a folder for each store. Sometimes I just add them to mt cart. Right now I got carts for Kyoto, Grandchaos (Osaka) and Complex (Akiba). I just got anorder shipped from the main warehouse in Sahra.
I try not to think of the tarriffs right now. My fomo ials supressing it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 10:30:02 No.11612300 Report

Quoted By:

>>11612225
Yeah. My issue is most of the stuff I want sells out in minutes which is why I have to refresh throughout the day and order it as soon as it's up. It gives me 4 days to combine anything else that may pop up in that time, but otherwise everything gets shipped individually. Hench why I'm reaching 400 orders.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 12:31:20 No.11612370 Report

Quoted By: >>11612745

>>11608472
Ohhh, will you take some photos of the inside?

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221129_151831.jpg, 334KiB, 800x1066

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:23:43 No.11612745 Report

Quoted By: >>11612811 >>11614242

>>11612370
I think I got some I've sent to a friend and maybe posted before. Here we go.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221129_151858.jpg, 305KiB, 800x1067

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:25:22 No.11612747 Report

Quoted By: >>11614305

I think Ashens reviewed the dalmation one years back. I found the cheetah one of these at a Goodwill.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:27:23 No.11612750 Report

Quoted By:

Gee, Vegeta, you look kinda cool.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221215_143600.jpg, 281KiB, 640x853

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:29:12 No.11612754 Report

Quoted By:

Also got this volume.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221215_174837.jpg, 203KiB, 600x800

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:30:34 No.11612756 Report

Quoted By:

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20221215_174851.jpg, 233KiB, 600x800

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:32:16 No.11612757 Report

Quoted By:

A Cars Megazord.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO IMG_20230313_204236.jpg, 372KiB, 675x1200

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 22:37:17 No.11612762 Report

Quoted By:

and I found a pic of this 1/6 Drive figure I got off Manda.
I normally stick to only Japanese figures, but this was too cool a find. I think it ia from a Hong Kong company, so at least it is still from Asia. I avoid buying American toys on Manda. If yhey came from the US and went to Japan, I don't want to send it back here. Plus I can probrably find it cheaper in the US.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 23:41:08 No.11612811 Report

Quoted By:

>>11612745
That looks like a great purchase, much more detailed than I would have thought a book like that would be.
>includes the Thomas Megazord figure
Based book

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 23:42:41 No.11612813 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602379
the first time i went to japan last year i went on a pilgrimage and visited 8 mandarake stores in person

if anyone knows the cute bleached hair lady underneath the secondhand clothing department store
she kept running up and down for my botticelli venus figma

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO mandarake house.jpg, 567KiB, 1333x1000

Anonymous Sat 01 Nov 2025 23:53:01 No.11612820 Report

Quoted By: >>11612841

>>11602476
kek
i built a box storage system of them on my clothing closet
and made a little house to protect my dads vinyl monsters from the sun

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 02 Nov 2025 00:40:20 No.11612841 Report

Quoted By:

>>11612820
>>11602476
I gave a friend some of the boxes because of how sturdy they are and how many I have.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 01:46:20 No.11613895 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602379
This is where i first started buying figures from, so even seeing the shipping box with the logo in it gives me nostalgia. I got so many figures i never thought i would own thanks to that site, like a pretty much brand new Raiden revoltech i got there for 9k yen like 2 years ago and now that shit goes for like 20k yen.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 05:51:05 No.11614041 Report

Quoted By: >>11614234

>>11602379
Import costs still fucked with an extra 80 dollar charge?

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO GSCCuDSbUAAgnv2.jpg, 147KiB, 1085x607

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 06:11:18 No.11614051 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602379
never bought a single thing online from them. I don't think I understand how it works. BUT i did go to Nakano Broadway this year. I was too overwhelmed to really browse or buy anything, but man I just needed more time and money

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 14:04:54 No.11614234 Report

Quoted By: >>11614281

>>11614041
From what I’ve seen FedEx is around $40 everything included at checkout. ECMS might be lower around $30. Problem is not every site offers those options. Mandarake only has DHL and also UPS but only for one of their stores and both of those are more expensive and might ask for duties paid at delivery rather than checkout

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 14:28:23 No.11614242 Report

Quoted By:

>>11612745
Oh shit, I had that nonsense Super Change Thomas transformer, it was a meme here years ago. The plastic was the most fragile shit of all time

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 15:30:32 No.11614281 Report

Quoted By:

>>11614234
Damn. That's really slowed down my toy collecting. I mean financially it's for the best but...

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 15:50:18 No.11614305 Report

Quoted By:

>>11612747
those things were staples of zoo giftshops for years in the late2000's-2010s. It's kinda interesting to see a book bother to archive them like that.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 19:39:22 No.11614491 Report

Quoted By:

>cat sleeps in one
I can see why, they smell kind of nice.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 03 Nov 2025 19:41:37 No.11614494 Report

Quoted By:

>>11602476
>cat sleeps in one
I can see why, they smell kind of nice.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 05 Nov 2025 05:54:57 No.11615793 Report

Quoted By: >>11615826

>>11602379
I love how reliable and in-depth their categories and tags go. It's really easy to find even obscure old doujinshi or figures on their site, and alerts have helped me get a couple of grails. Thanks to alerts I have the Max Jenius VF-1S and VF-22S, and despite tariffs I just ordered a Voltes V Chogokin as a Christmas present for my uncle.

My friend collects Beyblades and so when we made a port call in Japan we hit up a couple of their physical stores. He was so ecstatic about finding some unopened plastic gen boxes he ended up building one on the train ride back to our hotel. Memories like that are things I'll hold on to long after my collection's aged into dust.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 05 Nov 2025 06:32:53 No.11615826 Report

Quoted By: >>11615829 >>11621060

>>11615793
how much are you paying tariffwise? That's what's kept me at bay ordering lately.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 05 Nov 2025 06:41:48 No.11615829 Report

Quoted By:

>>11615826
I'll give an update once I find out, haven't gotten a payment link yet but with how slow the site is these days the thread will probably still be up by the time it finally arrives at my doorstep. Subtotal's a pricey 54,850, ended up adding a few artbooks to scan and some other things since I'd rather make one big (infrequent) splurge with how things are now.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 05 Nov 2025 23:33:27 No.11616397 Report

Quoted By: >>11616416

might be an an odd question but if you guys buy more than one thing on mandarake do you try to get one shipment or do you just take separate shipments? Just considering buying some stuff but noticed the shipping can add up fast, is it based on items or weight?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 05 Nov 2025 23:49:19 No.11616416 Report

Quoted By:

>>11616397
Like anywhere else. Shipping is based on box size and weight. Each time you add an item to your order the shipping is re-calculated. Once you go past the Airmail size limit you only have EMS or DHL as options.
>do you just take separate shipments
Typically I will order when there is something I really want that pops up (Currently stalking for Figma Okuran since it's only 8,000 yen). Once I order I wait 4 days to see if anything else from that store comes up I want, and if not I pay. Most of the time it's single items because it you wait around for a store to get multiple items you want you'll find things get sold out fast.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 09 Nov 2025 07:54:46 No.11619687 Report

Quoted By: >>11620496

Bros just fly to Japan with nothing but your clothes on and the maximum amount of bags you can fly with, then live in a cheap hostel and fill your bags in Mandarake. Might even save you a dollar.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 10 Nov 2025 04:02:31 No.11620496 Report

Quoted By:

>>11619687
Filling bags and trying to carry it all back is a fools errand. Hit up a DHL or Japan post and ship it back through them.
I don't trust customs. Years ago friends and I went to Japan. A friend had his bag broken into and they broke a tea set he got his mom. (Yeah. Because clearly that tea leaves were drugs because of all the drugs coming in from Japan with its tooootally lax drug laws.)
Plus when I went through bag check I had to pay a bunch extra for the weight on one of the bags.
Far cheaper and safer to ship them through the mail.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO customs.png, 137KiB, 1276x1148

Anonymous Mon 10 Nov 2025 21:55:29 No.11621060 Report

Quoted By:

>>11615826
DHL just sent me an Import Duty Payment, TL;DR it's $71.80 on top of a 54,850¥ order ($356.05 based on Google's exchange rates right now), not including shipping. So around 20% tariff.

It looks like $18.34 is fixed, $1.34 from regulatory charges and $17.00 from duty tax processing. The remaining $53.46 being based off the 54,580¥ I paid, which I guess maths out to 15% + almost $20 of fixed fees.

Weird part is that on the itemized documentation DHL provided two of the items in the order are missing on the Customs Duty Invoice, but are present on the Commercial Invoice. So either the Duty invoice just failed to list two items coming up to 8,400¥, or maybe those two weren't factored into the customs total for some reason. In the latter case that's $53.46 on top of a $315.63 order, roughly 17%, plus the fixed processing fees and shipping.

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