Shopping buying from mandarake?

It's a secondhand shop, so pay attention to the item condition in the description if you're worried about cigarette smells or the need for repairs. I've used them to buy some older Volks outfit sets that I missed out on during their order period. It's like thrifting for human clothes, if you don't mind doing some extra laundry the bargains are good~

Currently the main problem with Mandarake is that they're shipping via DHL due to Japan Post restrictions, and it's pretty expensive. I bought something that should have fit cheaply in an envelope or plastic mailer and it came in a box x_x Japan Post is supposed to phase in more international service starting in June, so if you can hold on until then, it ought to be more affordable.

 

I love Mandarake and have spent entirely too much money with them over the years. As stated, be cautious to read for condition. Normally you get what you pay for in terms of condition, but their prices are excellent. I just placed an order earlier this week where I got 7 pairs of SD shoes and 8 outfit pieces (including an expensive dealer outfit) for like $200. Shipping was only $15 DHL too, because the items were small enough for a small box.

Certain locations, like Sahra, calculate shipping at checkout and are more expensive than others. Additionally, you cannot combine orders from multiple locations.

I have also bought an expensive Volks doll from them before, and it was packed excellently and arrived in perfect condition. Really just can't say enough good about them. They always wrap everything with such care!

 

I love Mandarake, they have good deals. But yeah the shipping...and you can only order from one location at a time, which is kind of annoying. If you want items from several of their stores, you have to check out separately and pay separate shipping fees.

 

I did a small mandarake GO with some friends just last week actually. We ordered from 2 shops and there was 3 person ordering per shop. We mainly ordered model kits but there was also one doll ordered. Shipping was pretty killer. One shop was $63 and the other was $83. So if you do order anything now, be prepared for possible high ship and try to set more money aside for that if you want to proceed.

 

Mandarake is amazing and dangerous—they sure seem to hit my wallet every time. Everyone mentioning the DHL shipping is totally right—it sure has gotten pricey, and for some reason, they like having the boxes half empty? Strangely they shipped my doll and a bunch of the clothes (both from sahra) in separate boxes, which was odd, but I’ll live. They do have awesome prices on old volks clothes (and SD 17 is surprisingly versatile for my big girls as well). I personally prefer to get dd bodies/accessories there, cause I think they tend to be a little cheaper there than most second hand markets I’ve seen, if you don’t mind a bit of restoration!

 

The 2 times I purchased from Mandarake I had a great service. I purchased a limited DD for a very cheap price because the listing said that the outfit had missing items, when I received the doll she came like new, no missing items at all so I was lucky in that aspect because I see this doll going over $1000 in the aftermarket when I got her for like $600 w shipping included. The second time I purchased small items but I don't remember what was it (this was like 3 years ago)

 

Never bought doll items from them but I’ve ordered a few anime merch and I’ve had great service. I’d keep in mind that items come from different store locations so if they don’t come from the same store you will be paying shipping for both stores to send. But yeah shipping can be expensive. I ordered a rubber strap and a wall scroll and shipping turned out to be over $70.

 

My first and only time I purchased from Mandarake was a used Tinyfairy May with her original outfit, wig and eyes. I got her for a great price. She came well packed and I think it was 4 days later that I had her. The only down side was the shipping cost which I thought would be around $45.00 to maybe $60.00 ended up being $140.00 (for DHL express the only shipping they offered because of the pandemic situation at the time) which made her sale price not as great. Overall I'm happy with the experience but I'm reluctant to purchase again because of the heavy shipping price.

 

Over the last few years I've bought one full vinyl doll and split two other vinyl dolls with a friend as well as having ordered wigs, shoes and clothing numerous times. As a general rule everything I've received has been in better condition than described. Sometimes much better. My advice is to be prepared for used condition but if you can't see anything visible in the pictures you might be surprised by how nice the items actually are. If you buy a doll definitely choose insurance as one of the only times I knew a friend had any trouble was when he didn't get insurance and his vinyl doll got frame damage in shipping (they would not offer any compensation).

 

My favorite store, lol. I recently placed a small order with two OT 1/6 scale dolls and the DHL shipping came to $43.66. That is quite expensive, but it was worth it to me to get extremely reasonable prices on those dolls.

 

Mandarake is usually really good with listing any damages, both in the description and in photos, so 9.5 times out of 10 you know exactly what you're getting. DHL shipping is expensive, but so incredibly fast. Packages will reach you in like, three days. My biggest but best Mandarake purchase so far was a Dollfie Dream Hatsune Miku, complete in box, priced at only $500 because her eye putty melted. I paid $120 in shipping (which included $50 to insure it) and I still paid less than retail for her in the end for what turned out to be a brand new DD.

 

I've been buying a lot of dolls (mainly vinyl) and doll stuff from Mandarake lately and there are certainly lots of great deals there and everything has come as described. But like others have mentioned, you need to be careful to make sure everything in your order is from the same shop or else you'll have to pay separate shipping from each shop.

They are very quick to ship after you pay. For all their shops other than Sahra, you place your order first, then wait for them to check their stock and calculate shipping, then they'll send you an email asking you to pay.

I'm lucky to be in a place where EMS from Japan is available so the shipping cost isn't too bad. You can check here to see what shipping methods are currently available to your location.

 

I found mandarake a while ago and I'm super excited because I found many limited volks dolls from years that I want but even with these comments I still feel a little scared lol

 

I bought my grail Unoa from Mandarake just last week. The shipping is expensive but their selection is fantastic. I’ve been buying from them for many years.

 

I shop Mandarake just for all of the clothes available~ I also have gotten some really nice limited heads on there. 10/10 recommend

 

I have purchased from Mandarake several times and it has always been a good experience.

 

Mandarake is great, they always ship fast and they are very clear and up front about the condition of the items. I purchased a full SD doll from them and in the description it said she had scratches and yellowing, but when she arrived she looked completely brand new. I'm sure that isn't always the case but I feel like they are very meticulous about checking over everything they sell.

The shipping can be expensive but honestly it's worth it because it's always super fast in my opinion~

 

I've never had an issue with Mandarake! They pack well, ship fast, and they are very honest with item conditions. If anything, they overemphasize faults/damage. I've received several items that were less damaged than I thought they would be.

 

I think I've ordered from them 8 times now... they're seriously addictive.

They definitely overemphasise faults. I bought a used Dollfie Dream Kirika last year for a knock-down price, then realised they also had a brand new one, so I bought her as well. They said used Kirika had staining but I couldn't see it. She got a huge markdown because the previous owner had removed her eyes. That didn't really bother me because I wanted a doll I could put new eyes into so I could make an Empty Sekai Miku.

If they have one fault it's that their alerting system isn't always triggered when it should be. I've found it's better to use the Japanese keywords for a product rather than basing an alert on a previous product. I still don't know if this will work, but now I have my easy to find dolls, so my grails are pretty rare.

 

Mandarake is honestly a great resource. I bought several doll items from them as well as other secondhand things (I find they have great priced animations cels mainly). I agree with the overemphasizing of faults. Most of the items look brand new. I got a doll from them in 3 days from Japan. To the U.S.

Navigating can be super challenging but to be honest I’ve never had too many issues. You definitely have to use the Japanese name to search or specifically look under a certain category sometimes.

Shipping has definitely gotten more expensive, but from what I’ve experienced I always receive it and get it really quick too.

A 10/10 for me too.

 

I ordered three dolls from Mandarake and I definitely agree with others who are saying to pay close attention to the condition. (I had somehow missed that a magnet on one doll had been glued in incorrectly. I would've still bought the doll but I would've been more prepared for a little maintenance.)
Shipping was a little pricey, which made sense for three dolls, but I had been genuinely surprised at how quickly they arrived! I think it took a little over two weeks.
I would also say overall the dolls looked better in person than they had in the pictures. I'll definitely be buying from them again in the future.