Mail Order FAQs
- Are all items on Mandarake used?
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Not all of them, but the majority of items are second-hand. As such they are pre-owned and sold 'as is' (in the same condition as when they came into our stores) so please expect some minor stains and/or damage to both the package and its contents.
Furthermore, some products in Japan - like prize toys and cinema exclusive items - cannot be bought at usual toy stores; they have to be won, pre-ordered or received directly at special events. However, customers in Japan sell these products to us and we make them available for you. Though many of these items may not be 'used', they are still second-hand.
If you are interested in items that are brand new and straight from their makers, check out the consignment doujinshi section (doujinshi and related goods) and the Mandarake Ark (all other goods).
- How can I be sure about the condition of the products?
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Our highly qualified and trained staff check every item thoroughly before setting the price.
Any damage found on the product will be stated on the item page, with the exception of age-related degradation/deterioration and when an item is unopened. For unopened items the product is left 'as is' and the contents are not checked. Please note that we cannot take responsibility for factory defects.
- What are the chances of receiving a bootleg or fake item?
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Almost zero. All products are carefully checked by our staff with the help of our own large database.
- Why is the price of a pre-owned item higher/lower than the price of a new item?
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There are many factors involved when setting the prices for items including rarity, date of issue, the character it is based on, popularity, condition, etc.
- The product I want is sold out. When will it be back in stock again?
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We buy most of our products from the customers, so unfortunately we can't say for sure if/when it will be back in stock.
We appreciate that customers may want different things at different times, but due to the number of requests unfortunately we are not able to take pre-orders or reservations for out of stock items unless mentioned otherwise on the item page. We do have an Alerts system that may be useful in the meantime.
- I'm looking for some particular goods but I can't find any of them on your website. Can you find them for me?
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If you can let us know which specific items you are looking for, we can check the current stock levels within the store. Please note that we cannot answer vague inquiries such as "What types of products and how many do you have?", "Do you have any products from the @@@ series?" etc. Our stores can only also give details about that specific store.
Please also be aware that we are not able to source items from non-Mandarake stores.
- Can I reserve an item(s)?
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Unless otherwise mentioned on the product page, it is not possible to reserve items.
- Does price of the product includes tax? Do I have to pay taxes if I do not live in Japan?
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The prices displayed on the English version of our website are usually displayed without taxes (if taxes are included it will be mentioned). If you are buying items to be delivered within Japan, then you will have to pay consumption tax on the total price. If you are buying items to be delivered outside of Japan, then you will not have to pay. Please be aware that your country may charge customs taxes or import duties when you receive items from Japan, so please check with your local post office or tax office beforehand.
If you are visiting our stores in Japan as a tourist, it may be possible to purchase items without paying the consumption tax. Please click here for more details.
- I placed an order but haven't received any email notification. What happened?
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When an order is placed an order confirmation email is automatically sent to your registered email address. Within three to five days we will inform you of the availability of the products and the grand total of your order (including shipping fee). Occasionally this may take slightly longer if the order spans different departments, or at busy times when we receive a large number of orders.
When you fill out the order form, please make sure that your email address is written correctly. One common error we find is spelling mistakes such as gmial (gmail) and .cmo (.com).
Some email providers have strong anti-spam measures, so please also check your junk mail folder in case your notification is in there.
In the past we have had reports of AOL and Outlook-based (MSN, Hotmail, Outlook) email services not accepting messages from the Mandarake.co.jp domain. If your Mandarake mails are not in your inbox or spam folder, your email provider may be blocking emails from us. Please contact them for details.
If you still have not received your notification, please contact us via the inquiry form with details about your order.
- My payment for my order is overdue. Is there anything I can do?
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Please contact us as soon as possible, ideally before your payment is overdue.
Please note, that all payments must be fully made within 5 days from the first order invoice. Orders that are unpaid and overdue may be cancelled without notice. Please be aware that too many orders cancelled can lead to your account being suspended.
Please also be aware that combining orders will not extend your payment deadline.
- A new item was just announced. Can I pre-order it from your store?
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Mandarake does not have a general pre-order service, unless there is a pre-order page for the item it is not possible to pre-order it.
- Can I cancel my order?
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We usually do not accept order cancellation requests. Please be aware that if you cancel an order without notifying us or make too many cancellations, you may no longer be able to use our services in the future. Mandarake reserves the right to cancel and turn down orders from customers, particularly those who have:
※ Cancelled orders
※ Cancelled items from orders
※ Had orders cancelled due to non-payment
Therefore, please only place an order for items you really want to buy.
- Can I add more items to my order?
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If you have other items that you would like to add, please make a new order for the additional items and write "combine to order ###" in the comment section. Our staff will combine it for you and send you a new invoice. Please note that we can only combine orders if:
※ The order is from the same store location
※ The original order has not yet been paid for
※ The 5 day payment deadline for the original order has not yet passed
- Can I receive a discount on my order because of the number of items in it?
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We don't offer any discounts. The price you see on our website is already fully discounted.
- What shipping methods do you offer?
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We offer DHL Express, EMS, and Air Small Packet.
However, depending on the destination and contents of the order, some shipping methods might not be available. Your order may be modified without notice if your selected shipping method is not available.
Click here to read more about the shipping options.
- How much is shipping?
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The shipping charges vary depending on various aspects, such as the country items are delivered to, the size of the boxes, and the total weight of the boxes (which includes the weight of packing materials). As a guide, you can find the current shipping prices on the Shipping Options page.
- Do I have to pay customs charges, duties, import taxes etc?
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There might be customs duty charges added when the package goes through customs in your country.
We are not responsible for any duties on purchased merchandise. Please contact your local post office or customs office for further information.
- How long does it take to ship my item(s)?
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Items are normally shipped within 1 to 2 days following your payment. We will send you a shipping confirmation when your order has been shipped, which will include a tracking number.
- Can I arrange a pick-up time and date?
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Mandarake doesn't offer a specific delivery time.
- Can I change my shipping method or address?
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If you need to make any changes to your shipping method or address, please let us know before the payment is made. We generally ship out packages as soon as payments are confirmed, so please inform us beforehand and wait for our confirmation.
- Do you offer shipping insurance?
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Yes, please refer here for more details. If you would like to add insurance to your order please contact us before you make your payment.
- Can you gift wrap my items or add a special message to my order?
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Mandarake does not have a gift service.
- I wrote my shipping address incorrectly. What can I do?
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As orders are shipped as soon as the payment is confirmed, we are unable to make any changes to paid orders. Please double-check and verify the shipping address before processing your payment.
If your order has already shipped, please contact your local post office or DHL center, as they may be able to redirect your package (though this is not always possible).
Customers are responsible for any fees involved with resending orders for any reason.
- I was away for a long time and I wasn't able to receive my package. What should I do?
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If you were not at home to receive your package or were not able to pick it up at the post office, your package may have been returned to us. For EMS packages, the post office holding time is usually around one month. If nobody picks up the package in that time, the post office usually returns items to us.
If you were unable to receive your package from the post office, please contact us and we will inform you when your order reaches us. Customers are responsible for any fees involved with resending orders for any reason.
- Can I change my address / shipping method after I place my order?
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As long as your payment deadline has not passed, you can change the address / shipping method by contacting the store your order is coming from directly. You can do this by replying directly to the invoice email.
Please be aware that changing your registered address in the My Page area will not change orders that have already been placed.
Orders that have been paid for cannot be updated as they have already entered the shipping process.
- Can I ship to Japan?
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Shipping to Japan is possible but the purchase must be made through the Japanese website.
- I received my package, but an item arrived with some damages. Can I get a refund or exchange the damaged item?
- Yes, but only if the problem for which we are at fault. For details, please refer to " Returns and Exchanges ".
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Please contact us within 7 days with full details of damages with pictures of the items and shipping box. As items shipped via EMS up to the value of 20,000 yen are insured at no extra fee, we can issue an EMS inquiry form to cover the damage. If your items are valued at over 20,000 yen we recommend taking out additional cover. Please be aware that Mandarake will not be responsible for any damage or loss of uninsured shipments or undervalued packages. If you wish to insure your items please write in the comment section of the order form when you place an order.
More information about insurance, please click here.
- I've tried emailing you some photographs but I get error messages. What can I do?
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Many modern cameras take pictures in a high resolution as a default setting. Therefore it may be likely that the pictures you are trying to send are just too big for our mail server to handle. If possible please lower the resolution on your camera, or alter the image size in your computers photo editing software (Microsoft Paint etc).
If you still can't send your pictures, please send us an email without the attachments. If this email gives you an error there may be a problem with the address. Please make sure that it ends in mandarake.co.jp before sending.
If you still have problems, please contact us by our inquiry form.
- What payment methods are available?
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Credit Card (only cards with 3D Secure* authorization), PayPal, Alipay and Amazon Pay.
* 3D Secure is a technical term and is also known as:
Verified by Visa (for Visa accounts) and SecureCode (for MasterCard accounts)
*Paypal, Alipay, and Amazon Pay cannot be used for adult items.
- Can I use my friend's credit card?
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As the receiver's name must match the billing information, we advise against using another person's credit card. Please ensure that the name on the order and the name on the credit card are the same.
- Can I send the payments directly to the Mandarake PayPal account?
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We don't allow direct payments. Please process the payment through the link in the invoice email and use the "Pay" button to continue your transaction.
- Can I send payment to you in my local currency?
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All payments are dealt with in Japanese Yen. For credit card payments, the total amount will be exchanged from your local currency to Japanese yen by your credit card provider. Please contact your card provider for more details.
- Can I split the payment in instalments?
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We do not accept split payments.
- Can you extend my payment deadline?
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All payments must be made within 5 days from the first order invoice. If you are having trouble making a payment or meeting the payment deadline, please contact us as soon as possible.
- How do you handle and protect my credit card information?
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We do not retain any credit card information at the checkout. The secure process is made via the credit card company's server, so we can assure you that your personal information is safe.
- I can't use my credit card. Why?
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If you could not complete the transaction correctly, please contact us as soon as possible. Card transactions are not directly processed on the Mandarake website so we cannot see any problems during the transaction. Please contact your card issuer as there may be some problems with your card.
Please note that we only accept credit cards with 3D Secure authorisation. If your card does not have this security feature, please contact your card provider for help adding it.
- I'm having trouble with my PayPal account. What can I do?
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Please contact us to let us know that you are having problems with your payment, and please contact your local PayPal help desk to resolve any problems.
- I want to buy adult items but I only have a PayPal account. How can I pay for the items?
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We can only accept payment via credit card for adult items.
- When making the credit card payment, I always get returned to the first page. What am I doing wrong?
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Please contact your bank or the credit card company to make sure that your card can be used on foreign websites and they are not stopping your transaction. Even if it is a card you have used before, they may be stopping it this time.
Please note that we only accept credit cards with 3D Secure authorisation. If your card does not have this security feature, please contact your card provider for help adding it.
- What are Everyday Auctions?
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These auctions are held every day at Mandarake. To take part in Everyday Auctions you need to register on our site, but participation is free of charge.
- What is the Big Web Auction?
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The Big Web Auction is held every 2 months (6 times in a year). Each time before the event we publish an auction catalog called 'Mandarake Zenbu'. To join the Big Web Auction you have to either:
※ Register and pay a $5 participation fee
※ Purchase the Mandarake Zenbu catalog
Starting from vol.62 (March 2014), Mandarake Zenbu has been published 6 times per year (in January, March, May, July, September and November) and the price is 1000 yen per copy. There are more than 1000 items listed that you can check before the auctions.
Mandarake Zenbu is Japan's largest manga and subculture catalog for collectors. Listed items are from all of Mandarake Stores in Japan. It also includes articles about manga and toys.
- Can I take part in an auction if I don't live in Japan?
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Yes! There are different ways to take part in our auctions. You can find more detailed information here.
- How can I be sure that the items are not fake?
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All our products are carefully checked by highly qualified personnel. In addition, Mandarake gives a warranty for most auction items.
- Do you take consignments for the online auctions?
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We currently only take consignments from domestic customers.