Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this post go to Solaris Japan, and I get a small commission if you buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra. Links to CDJapan, HobbyLink Japan and the other stores I mention are normal links. More details on my Affiliate Disclosure page.
You Just Want the Real Thing, and You Don’t Want to Get Burned
If you want to buy anime figures from Japan, let me start with something that surprises people.
I’ve lived in Japan for 24 years (a bit more about me on my About page). People overseas sometimes assume that means I’m surrounded by figures, walking into shops and picking up whatever I want for cheap. It isn’t like that.
Where I live, the only place with figures on a shelf is a secondhand chain like BOOK-OFF. What’s there is whatever someone happened to sell that week. If I want to see new figures in person, I have to make a trip to Akihabara or Nakano. Most people here buy online, same as you.
And figures aren’t cheap for me either. I don’t own a huge collection, and I think twice before I buy, just like most of you probably do.
There are a few more things that only make sense once you’re on this side.
Figures sell out here too. When a popular character gets a good scale figure, the preorders fill up, and once it’s released it’s gone. There’s no secret back room for people who live in Japan. If you miss the preorder, you’re paying resale prices, whether you’re in Osaka or Ohio.
Some things only exist on one side. Prize figures and Ichiban Kuji prizes are made for arcades and convenience stores here. If you want one overseas, you’re usually buying from a reseller. It works the other way too. Some editions are made for Western retailers, and you’ll never see them on a shelf in Japan.
The price gap isn’t as big as you’d think. When I look at what shops here charge and compare it with what the export stores list, I expect a big difference. Usually there isn’t much of one. The figure itself costs a bit more, sure. But that isn’t where your money goes.
Your money goes to shipping. And if you’re in the US, it goes to import duties now too.
That’s the part I really want you to take away from this article. Most people pick a store by comparing figure prices. I think that’s the wrong number to look at.
Who This Article Is NOT For
If you want it next week, buy from a store in your own country that has it in stock. Nothing shipped from Japan will beat that, even if you pay a little more.
If you’re hunting something from the 90s that’s been out of print for twenty years, you need auction sites and proxy services. That’s a different world, and I’m not covering it here.
If you buy one prize figure a year, honestly, just get it from wherever is cheapest locally. The differences I talk about below start to matter once you’re buying scale figures, Nendoroids or figma on a regular basis.
Still here? Good. Then you probably want genuine figures from Japan and want to know what you’ll really pay before you click the button.
How I Looked at These Stores
I kept it to three things.
1. Is it the real figure?
Bootlegs are everywhere in this hobby. Fake listings on big marketplaces, recasts sold as the real thing, “too good to be true” prices that are exactly that. Every store in this article sells licensed figures from Japanese makers like Good Smile Company, Kotobukiya and Alter. If a store couldn’t pass this, nothing else mattered.
2. Can you see the full cost before you pay?
This one changed a lot recently.
Until August 2025, the US let small parcels under $800 in without duties. That ended on August 29, 2025. Now basically every parcel from Japan to the US gets charged duty, no matter how cheap the item is. For a while, Japan Post even stopped accepting parcels to the US. It came back in April 2026, but only with duties paid in advance.
So the question isn’t just “how much is the figure?” anymore. It’s “how much is the figure, plus shipping, plus duties, and when do I find out?” A store that shows you the total at checkout is worth a lot more than one that leaves you guessing.
It’s different in other countries, so check your own rules:
- UK: no customs duty on goods under £135, but 20% VAT applies
- Canada: GST/HST kicks in above C$20
- Australia: under A$1,000, usually nothing gets collected at the border, though some stores add GST at checkout
3. How flexible are they with preorders?
Figures are often announced a year or more before they ship. A year is a long time. You might change your mind. Your budget might change. Or you might preorder three things that all decide to release in the same month.
So I looked at whether you can hold items and ship them together, and whether you can cancel if you need to.
Quick Comparison
| Store | Best for | Preorder cancellation | US shipping and duties | My take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDJapan | Buying figures alongside music and Blu-rays | Check per item | FedEx, with an option to prepay duties at checkout | Steady and organized |
| Solaris Japan | Finding everything for one series | Check per item | Duties go to your country’s customs | Best for browsing |
| HobbyLink Japan | Lots of preorders, shipped together | Only before the preorder cut-off | DHL, duties and fees charged at checkout | Great if you plan ahead |
Shipping options and import rules have been changing a lot since 2025. Whatever store you use, look at the final total on the checkout page before you confirm. I can’t stress that enough.
The Stores
CDJapan
CDJapan started as a shop selling Japanese CDs and DVDs to people overseas. Figures came later. You can kind of tell. It feels like a store that has been doing international orders for a long time and knows how.
What’s good
- You can put figures, CDs, Blu-rays and artbooks in one cart. If you follow a series across everything, that’s handy.
- Some items come with store or preorder bonuses. These are more common on music and video than on figures, so don’t count on one for every figure.
- There’s a points system. It’s not a lot per order, but if you buy regularly, it adds up.
- If you’re in the US, FedEx checkout lets you prepay duties and clearance fees. So the bill gets settled before the box leaves Japan, not when it shows up at your door.
What’s not so good
- The figure selection is smaller than a store that only does figures.
- Prices are usually right at regular retail. Discounts don’t come up much.
- Shipping can get adjusted after packing if the box turns out bigger than they estimated. It’s not common, but it happens.
In my experience, CDJapan makes the most sense for people who already buy anime soundtracks or Blu-rays from Japan. If you’re placing that order anyway, adding a figure is the easiest way to try buying from here. If you only buy figures, you might find the selection a little thin.
Solaris Japan
Solaris Japan is a Tokyo-based shop that sells anime figures and merch to people overseas.
What’s good
- The series pages are the best part. Pick a show, and you can see what’s out there for it in one place. If you just finished a series and you’re wondering “is there even a decent figure of this character?”, this is where I’d look first.
- New and pre-owned figures show up side by side. When something has already sold out, that can save you.
- Every parcel has an English invoice stuck on the outside next to the shipping label. Sounds minor, but it keeps customs simple.
What’s not so good
- Popular or sold-out figures can be priced above what they originally sold for. That’s the market, not just Solaris, but it’s worth knowing.
- There are a lot of listings. Double-check whether you’re looking at new or pre-owned, and what condition the box and figure are in.
- Duties and taxes go to your own country’s customs. Solaris doesn’t collect them for you, so check your local rules before you order something expensive.
In my experience, Solaris is the one I’d open when I’m not sure what I want yet. It’s good for looking around. Once you know exactly which figure you want, compare the total cost with other stores before buying.
HobbyLink Japan (HLJ)
HobbyLink Japan has been shipping Japanese hobby stuff overseas since the 90s. Model kits, figures, all of it. Their main thing is the Private Warehouse.
Here’s how it works. When an item you ordered comes in, HLJ holds it for you instead of shipping it right away. You let a few items pile up, then ship them all together in one box. One box usually costs less than three separate ones.
What’s good
- Private Warehouse storage is free for 180 days. After that, there’s a storage fee based on the size of the item.
- Shipping several figures together usually saves you real money.
- If you’re in the US, DHL shipping is back, and duties and fees are charged at checkout along with the shipping. No surprise bill at the door.
- They’ve been doing this for a very long time.
What’s not so good
This is the part to pay attention to, because HLJ changed its rules in October 2025.
- You can only cancel a preorder before the preorder cut-off date. That window is usually about a month. After that, the cancel button is gone.
- Once something has arrived in your Private Warehouse, you generally can’t cancel it.
- No more backorders. If something is out of stock, you sign up for a restock email. When it comes, you have to order fast, because they only sell the units they actually have.
In my experience, HLJ is great for people who preorder several figures a year and don’t mind waiting to ship them together. If you’re the type who preorders on impulse and cancels later, the new rules will probably annoy you. Older guides that say “you can cancel HLJ preorders anytime” are out of date now.
Two More Names You’ll Run Into
AmiAmi is a favorite with long-time collectors. Prices are often below regular retail, and there’s a big pre-owned section with condition grades.
Mandarake is where you go for older, out-of-print stuff. It’s mostly secondhand, and the site takes a bit of getting used to.
I’m not affiliated with either. I’m mentioning them because if you collect for a while, you’ll end up there anyway.
Which Store Should You Use to Buy Anime Figures from Japan?
“I already buy anime music or Blu-rays from Japan.” Go with CDJapan. Add the figure to an order you were making anyway.
“I love one series and want to see what’s out there.” Look through the series pages at Solaris Japan.
“The figure I wanted sold out.” Check the pre-owned listings at Solaris Japan and AmiAmi before you pay a random reseller. Look at the condition carefully.
“I preorder a bunch of figures every year.” HLJ’s Private Warehouse is made for you. Just know that cancelling is only possible during the preorder window.
“I’m in the US and the duty thing stresses me out.” Use a checkout where you pay duties up front, like CDJapan’s FedEx option or HLJ’s DHL option. You’ll know the full amount before anything ships.
The One Thing I’d Tell You
If you remember one thing from this article, make it this.
The figure price isn’t where you lose money.
You lose it when you buy a “deal” from a seller you’ve never heard of and get a bootleg. You lose it when you skip the preorder, the figure sells out, and you end up paying a reseller 50% more a year later. And you lose it on shipping and duties you didn’t see coming.
Living here hasn’t made me immune to any of that. Figures sell out on me too. I miss preorders too.
So before you buy, look at the total on the checkout page, not just the price on the product page. If there’s a figure you know you want, preorder it early. That’s it.
If you’re ready to start looking, browse figures at CDJapan or look up your favorite series at Solaris Japan.
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