Even with the price of shipping, it compares very favorably to buying english-translated manga.Ī bonus to DHL being the cheapest shipping method is that it’s also one of the fastest. The manga itself cost a total of 6,300 yen (~$58USD) and the shipping cost 4,250 yen (~$39USD), for a grand total of almost exactly $4 per book. Ultimately, I ordered 24 used manga volumes of varying prices and ages.
The store pages for the book will estimate the shipping cost of your full cart with the book added, but I found it underestimated compared to the final price shown in checkout. Books are small and heavy, making them ideal for DHL. This is because DHL cost is based on package size, rather than weight. It’s a few screens into checkout, but I recommend ordering from SAHRA if you can and checking every few books, as the price of DHL shipping will plateau for a number of books before jumping up. If you order from SAHRA, you’ll be able to view the shipping cost in checkout before placing your order. The mandarake website allows you to order titles from their physical locations as well as SAHRA, their warehouse. I was nearly scared off when I put a single book in my cart and checked the cost, but DHL very quickly becomes affordable once you’ve put a few titles in your cart. So, while nothing beats the cost of picking up used manga directly from a Book Off if you happen to be in Japan, Mandarake is surprisingly cheap, if you buy in bulk. I figured I’d share my experiences for anyone else who wanted to do the same.Īlso note that while I’m a comic book geek and imported nothing but manga, this all applies to any books you might want to import. Mandarake seemed to offer the best deals, so I gave them a shot. So, since the books I brought home from my trip last year are beginning to thin out, I decided to order more. They look nice on a shelf, and they help limit the amount of cell phone light I’m shining in my face right before bed.
While you can certainly find untranslated manga online, I prefer to have the physical copies. I’ve been going for almost two years now, and I’ve started working a half-hour to an hour of reading manga into my routine. If you’ve been studying Japanese for a while, reading native material becomes an indispensable part of studying. Photos are towards the bottom of the post, if that’s all you want to see.
NOTE: MORE GOOD INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE REDDIT POST: GUIDE TO ORDERING MANGA FROM JAPAN.