>>11524330The four main sites you can use to buy import toys are
>HobbySearch>AmiAmi>Hobbylink Japan>MandarakeAmiAmi and Hobbysearch are relatively similar in shopping terms; you order an available item, receive a payment option either in-site or by e-mail (that is, an invoice) and then pay, upon which you will have your item shipped to you. Failure to pay, cancelling preorders too much, etc. will usually get you banned. Several shipment options for items usually exist; the slowest is the cheapest whilst more expensive options like DHL tend to be very fast. HLJ is somewhat geared towards westerners, but as a consequence it is relatively expensive. Its main upsides are having very flexible preorder cancellations and a warehouse system which lets you store items you have purchased for a time, to be shipped together later at your convenience. If you are a masochist, you can also try to use sites like Amazon or BigBadToyStore to buy foreign import toys, but these will be expensive.
Mandarake is unique from these options as it is a highly reputable secondhand Japanese shop chain. Mandarake is a chain of stores with various locations in Japan; items you try to buy are located in different stores which are located around the country. When you try to order an item, they check to see if the item is still available and will then charge you accordingly if the item is present. Like the other store options, they will then present you with an in-site option for payment or an e-mail invoice.
AmiAmi notably has a secondhand section onsite; items which are available secondhand will be labelled as pre-owned and will have a description of any damages or so on in their description, or to their packaging if unopened.
Japanese in general are extremely nitpicky about secondhand items; if you buy secondhand items from the Japanese they will typically be in quite good condition.
If you are desperate or a financial masochist, you can use BigBadToyStore or Amazon.
