You want how much for shipping? You must be tripping!

So is this how life in the 1/6th lane has always been, or are shipping costs getting out of control?

I ordered a 1/6 figure from an online vendor in Japan that I’ve been dealing with for years. $50 shipped EMS. Still cheaper than I could get it anywhere else.

Yesterday, I bought a Master Team Jill Valentine kit from KGHobby. Shipping by EMS was $40. I added a S17B body, and shipping by EMS jumped to $70. I placed the order because it was still cheaper than just ordering the set and buying the body here in the States. Had I gone with conventional airmail, I could have saved $20, but that’s still $50 in shipping. Again, still cheaper than I could get it anywhere else.

I’m used to $20-$25 for premium shipping from overseas, but maybe that’s coming from the 1/12 world.

I don’t know how Giantoy offers free shipping AND competitive prices, but that’s where I’ll be doing my shopping for new releases. For figures and sets that have already been released, I guess I’m just going to have to suck it up.

Yea shipping has risen quite a bit in the past year. I know GT mentioned it at one point too, but I much prefer the way GT and OSK roll in the shipping with the price. (Out of sight, out of mind ). Better that I don't know and no surprises when they ask for the rest of the invoice when they're ready to ship.

Hey Xavion, dude. I thought you were supposed to cool off with the purchases LOL!

Seriously speaking, those prices are scaring me off from buying overseas. btw is that Japanese vendor HobbyLink Japan by any chance?

Seven Pillars wrote:Hey Xavion, dude. I thought you were supposed to cool off with the purchases LOL!

It’s a sickness.  I tried discussing it with my therapist.  I told him that I bought a Damtoys Leon Kennedy action figure, and before it could even ship, I bought a MT Toys Jill Valentine.  His conclusion was that since I didn’t immediately buy a Chris and Claire Redfield as well, I’m harboring a subconscious resentment over being born an only child.  We’re going to explore that at our next session.

Seven Pillars wrote:Seriously speaking, those prices are scaring me off from buying overseas. btw is that Japanese vendor HobbyLink Japan by any chance?

No, it was Mandarake.  I do buy from Hobby Link Japan and AmiAmi often as well for Japanese 1:12 figures, but I rarely see 1:6 stuff there.  When I do, I can usually get better prices in the States.

Mandrake shipping varies with the store location. I forgot which site location it was, but they charge the more compared to their other sites. It doesn't help that Japan Post increased their rates too. And the fact that pandemic has restricted the shipping choices one has. Depending on what it is, I tend to shop more at Amazon JP than HLJ or AmiAmi.

I think one of the problems is the fluidity of the shipping charges. Rarely do we pay what it actually costs to ship. More often we are paying “shipping and handling” charges that can include “labor to pack item”, “packing materials” , “transport to carrier costs” and a host of other non-disputable fees that should actually be part of the item cost. Shipping, in my opinion, should cover only the shipping cost.
Not every one would agree, but it would make purchasing items easier, when shipping is not stated until the end of checkout.

Well, now I know why I had to pay $50 in shipping from Japan for Leon Kennedy.  Kerr’s box is there for comparison purposes.





The box is freaking huge, even by 1/6 standards.

If you’re wondering why on Earth I would pay $50 to ship Leon Kennedy from Japan, it’s because the figure itself was just over $190.   Even with the ridiculously high shipping cost, it was still one heck of a deal.

Sometimes you can get crazy good deals like that at Mandarake if you’re it the right place at the right time.  Technically, everything they have is  “used”, “open” or the box is “damaged”,  But in six years of doing business with them, I’ve never received anything that didn’t look like it was brand new in the packaging.