Amiami or HLJ for Canadian

[RedCell]

Both Amiami and HLJ are great choices. Amiami tends to have cheaper prices overall but higher shipping cost whereas HLJ is the other way around. But the total cost at the end really isn't that much different.

One great feature with HLJ is private warehouse where you can store your pruchases with them for up to 60 days and then have everything shipped to you at once. You can save a lot of money on shipping if you have the patience to wait for pre-order items to be released before shipping them out together.

Amiami allows you to combine items together to one shipment but all items must be released by the end of the current month so you don't have the same type of flexibility.

[bishop]

It's off topic, but if money is a concern, buying second hand is great and cheaper from japan. Re figma, they are mostly in great shape. Check Mandarake's website.

[Chigimus]

Originally Posted by Dark Rage

You pay for EMS prices, and you get the shipment in about a month (SEA mail speed, which is like half the price of EMS, but you pay EMS prices). Thanks COVID

Amiami is not restricting alternatives to EMS only, there are other shipping options that you can compromise with between EMS and the usual cheaper SAL methods.

I just had Mafex Hush Batman shipped from them via Air Small Packet for only 300¥ more than what SAL would've cost.

You can also pick from Air Parcel but you have to contact them for a custom quote, or you can pick DHL which is only slightly slower than EMS.

[CyberDragon10K]

HLJ has been where I nabbed stuff from before the HasTak brand unification. Grabbed a lot of Legends and Unite Warriors stuff.

I think the only time I was hit by unexpected customs was when my Unite Warriors Bruticus boxset got dinged and my sister had to fork over $38.65 or so (which I obviously paid her back).

Definitely make use of the private warehouse. 60 days is good to bundle a lot of stuff together, and HLJ does their best to prevent your stuff from jiggling about inside the shipping box (cardboard back and saran wrap to keep it in place inside).

[QuadESL63]

HLJ allows cancellation of preorders but AmiAmi doesn’t (at least not through their website). Both collect money when in stock. Both offers a wide range of shipping methods. Usually CBSA won’t collect any HST + $10 processing fees for anything goes through their Mississauga custom for the GTA folks (not a guaranteed but true for most of the time for me). All Japanese sellers/stores declare full value.

I only use Anime Export for exclusives (not just TFs) that cannot be acquired from HLJ and AmiAmi. They don’t entertain cancellation, but if they couldn’t fulfill a preorder they do promptly refund you (happened once).

The other option for TakaraTomy MPs is Amazon Japan. Deep discounts and extremely fast and cheap DHL shipppng but they do collect tax upfront.

Due to my bad experiences with Nippon Yasan and have seen quite a few negative comments online in the last couple of years I have stopped shopping there. You can google it.

[burgerhui]

Is it a separate Amazon account that you need to create for Amazon Japan?

I used Hlj before and they are quite good (i got dinged with customs though so I may have been unlucky). The other place I order from is Robotkingdom. Just comparing prices around, their prices are not bad at all. (I pre-ordered MP tigatron from them and I think they had the lowest price all-in with EMS shipping).

Originally Posted by QuadESL63

HLJ allows cancellation of preorders but AmiAmi doesn’t (at least not through their website). Both collect money when in stock. Both offers a wide range of shipping methods. Usually CBSA won’t collect any HST + $10 processing fees for anything goes through their Mississauga custom for the GTA folks (not a guaranteed but true for most of the time for me). All Japanese sellers/stores declare full value.

I only use Anime Export for exclusives (not just TFs) that cannot be acquired from HLJ and AmiAmi. They don’t entertain cancellation, but if they couldn’t fulfill a preorder they do promptly refund you (happened once).

The other option for TakaraTomy MPs is Amazon Japan. Deep discounts and extremely fast and cheap DHL shipppng but they do collect tax upfront.

Due to my bad experiences with Nippon Yasan and have seen quite a few negative comments online in the last couple of years I have stopped shopping there. You can google it.

[miyinan]

Anime export tends to only declare the shipping cost as value on the custom form so you usually won't be hit by custom fee and hst when it comes in. Judging from my experience with HLJ and Amiami, highly likely you will be hit by custom and hst.

[CyberDragon10K]

Originally Posted by burgerhui

Is it a separate Amazon account that you need to create for Amazon Japan?

Yes, you'd need a separate account for Amazon.co.jp as opposed to Amazon.ca.

I've had a shipment that was phoned in from Amazon Japan though; my MP-36 Megatron got a dent in the lower left side of the box because the genius packed it in a shipping box only marginally bigger than the figure's box and didn't bother to pad it at all.

Long story short, Megs crossed the ocean a few times before somehow ending up back at my door and Amazon Japan let me have him for free.

[MilanX3]

This is great information!

So with AmiAmi, it is possible to get the lower shipping options? For PreOrders, do you select it in the initial checkout?

I dont mind waiting as much as wanting to lower the costs. What do you think is the best and most economical option for PreOrders from them considering low cost and decent shipping method?

It looks like the two items I am considering are both PreOrders, and come out one month apart, so considering that I may have to pay shipping twice to them, I might try AmiAmi for one item, and Amazon.co.jp for another.

From what I read for dinged items from Amazon Japan, you can contact them as all international Amazon Global are sold direct by Amazon, and see if they will sort you out thru refund or new item. I read someone had a similar issue, and while they ask u return post, because it was expensive sending back to Japan they just sent a free new item.

Cheers!

[lifedragon99]

Might be off topic, but has anyone shipped EMS from HLJ lately?



I ordered a few things and it's been stuck at Arrival at outward office of exchange since September 01. Is this typical for our current times?


Last time I ordered was in March and it took 1 day to go from arrival to departure.



I'm getting concerned because it was a large order.