GuideSep 1, 2026 JST· By Shu, Tokyo

HobbyLink Japan vs AmiAmi: Which Shop Should You Use? (2026)

When you pay, what you save, and how boxes reach the US: HobbyLink Japan and AmiAmi compared on each shop's own policy pages, September 2026.

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Order from HobbyLink Japan when you pre-order several figures a month and want them charged late and shipped in one box; order from AmiAmi when you buy one item at a time and want the discount, the bonus version, or the pre-owned bargain. For overseas buyers the two shops sell the same catalog at nearly the same real prices, so the decision comes down to storage, payment timing, cancellation rules, and which shipping methods your country currently gets. Every policy below comes from the two shops’ own help pages, checked on September 1, 2026.

The short answer

Both shops charge you only when the figure physically arrives, and both have tightened cancellation rules since late 2025. Neither prepays your import duty. If you also want the Good Smile store in the comparison, see our three-shop buying guide.

Prices: AmiAmi’s discounts vs the sticker illusion

Japanese makers publish a recommended price, so the same figure costs about the same everywhere; the differences hide in tax display and discounts. Take ALTER’s 1/7 Sparkle: HLJ lists it at ¥26,800 (about $180), AmiAmi at ¥28,000 (about $190). Both are the totals you actually pay at checkout — on this figure HLJ really is ¥1,200 cheaper — but the sticker gap looks bigger than it is because AmiAmi’s page also shows the tax-included list price of ¥29,480, while ¥26,800 is that figure without Japan’s 10% consumption tax. Compare checkout totals, not stickers.

Where AmiAmi genuinely pulls ahead is its posted discount rates, which vary by maker. A Kotobukiya Frame Arms Girl kit sells at ¥8,620 (about $60) against a ¥10,780 (about $75) list, a straight 20% off; ALTER’s Sparkle gets 5%; an Aniplex figure like the Marin Kitagawa Race Queen sits at ¥22,000 (about $150) with no discount at all. If your wishlist is heavy on makers AmiAmi discounts, the savings per figure are real.

HLJ’s counterweight is structural: its Private Warehouse stores paid items free for 180 days, so a month or three of pre-orders leaves Japan as one box with one shipping fee. On small figures, where postage can rival the figure’s price, one consolidated shipment routinely saves more than a 15% discount would have. Which effect wins depends entirely on how many items you buy and how patient you are.

Shipping methods and costs

HLJ’s shipping page lists a wide menu: its own HLJ Quick Pack (4–11 business days on average) and HLJ Small Pack (14–24 business days), plus EMS, Air Parcel, Air Small Packet, SAL, Surface Parcel, DHL and FedEx. Which methods appear depends on your country and package, and rates show at checkout or on the Private Warehouse page when you build a shipment. HLJ also lets you split most orders into multiple Air Small Packet shipments when that comes out cheaper, and warns that FedEx may add a customs handling fee with import charges billed separately by your customs office.

AmiAmi publishes a per-country availability table, last updated June 30, 2026. For the United States it lists exactly three options: DHL, Surface Mail Premium and ECMS. DHL has been unavailable for US orders whose merchandise total exceeds roughly $800 since April 2025, because DHL stopped accepting shipments that need a formal customs entry. Shipping cost is calculated only after every item in the order is ready; AmiAmi will estimate it for in-stock items on request but not for pre-orders, whose size and weight are not fixed yet.

Background for US readers: Japan Post resumed accepting US-bound mail on April 14, 2026, with duties prepaid by the sender at designated post offices, and the prepayment ceiling rose from $800 to $2,500 on July 24, 2026. AmiAmi’s June 30 table still lists no EMS or air parcel for the US, so plan around couriers or surface mail there for now. Either way the duty lands on you: AmiAmi’s customs FAQ says every parcel ships as “Merchandise” at full declared value, with no gift-marking, and HLJ likewise leaves import fees to your customs office. Our import duty guide covers what those charges look like per country.

When you actually pay

The two shops share the trait that makes Japanese pre-ordering painless: no money moves at order time. HLJ’s guide states it never requests payment for items not yet physically in its warehouse; the charge comes when your item is in stock and allocated, and for Private Warehouse orders the settlement happens on arrival at the warehouse, which is also when ownership legally transfers to you. Cards run through the processor Reach, so the statement may read “Reach,” “RCH” or “GoInterpay” rather than HLJ.

AmiAmi invoices an order after all items in it are available, and does not take prepayment except for large orders and certain high-priced or made-to-order items. The catch is the clock: payment in full is due within 7 days of the first invoice, AmiAmi does not extend deadlines or split payments, and combining orders does not reset the timer. It accepts PayPal, credit cards and UnionPay, and specifically recommends against debit cards. A release delay pushes the bill back too — when WING delayed its Makiatto figure, every pre-order’s payment date moved with it.

The exceptions on both sides are flagged on the product page: HLJ requires prepayment on some high-priced items, and those are explicitly non-cancellable.

Deadlines and cancellations: both shops got stricter

HLJ rewrote its cancellation policy on October 1, 2025. You can still cancel any open, unbilled order yourself — but only until the item’s cut-off date, which is displayed on the product page and in My Account. After the cut-off, cancellation requests are no longer accepted and can result in an account lock, and HLJ reserves the right to limit or close accounts that abuse cancellations, including people who close accounts to dodge the rule. Once the item reaches the warehouse and is settled, it is yours; since the same October 2025 update, returns are accepted only for damaged or defective items.

AmiAmi never promised free cancellation: you submit a request from My Account, and each one is evaluated rather than guaranteed. Requests are typically refused once the payment request email has gone out or for back-order items, and AmiAmi warns that accumulating cancellations may lead to account restrictions. Practically, both shops now expect a pre-order to be a commitment, so check the pre-order basics before you click, and watch deadlines on our Pre-order Radar.

One more HLJ clock to know: the 180-day Warehouse Period. Storage is free for those 180 days, but after they expire HLJ may auto-ship the items at your expense or return them to stock, issuing store credit minus a 15% restocking fee. The warehouse is a consolidation tool, not a permanent closet.

Pick this shop if…

You pre-order three or more figures a month. HLJ. Everything lands in the Private Warehouse as it arrives, and you ship one box on your schedule within the 180-day window, paying international postage once.

You buy one figure at a time and price is the deciding factor. AmiAmi. Check the discount rate on the listing — 20% off a Kotobukiya kit is money HLJ’s consolidation cannot claw back on a single-item order.

You collect a line that releases across many months and want one shipment. HLJ. AmiAmi can only combine in-stock items or pre-orders releasing in the same month; HLJ’s warehouse holds January’s figure until June’s arrives.

You hunt [Bonus] editions, exclusive-sale versions or pre-owned stock. AmiAmi. Its catalog carries bonus-included variants and a pre-owned section that HLJ’s new-item business does not match.

You ship to the US and your carts run big. HLJ. AmiAmi’s US options narrow to ECMS or surface mail once an order passes about $800, while HLJ’s warehouse lets you split a big haul into several smaller shipments yourself.

FAQ

When am I charged at each shop? At both, when the figure physically arrives, not when you order. HLJ charges as stock is allocated to you; AmiAmi invoices when every item in the order is ready and then expects full payment within 7 days, with no extensions.

Can I combine figures releasing in different months? At HLJ, yes — that is the Private Warehouse’s whole purpose, for up to 180 days of free storage. At AmiAmi, no: combined shipment is limited to in-stock items and pre-orders releasing the same month.

Can I get EMS or Japan Post shipping to the US again? Japan Post resumed US mail on April 14, 2026 under a duty-prepaid scheme, but AmiAmi’s country table (updated June 30, 2026) still lists only DHL, Surface Mail Premium and ECMS for the US. HLJ shows your available methods, from its Quick Pack down to surface mail, at checkout.

What happens if I leave items in HLJ’s warehouse past 180 days? HLJ may auto-ship them or return them to stock with store credit minus a 15% restocking fee, and an ignored auto-shipment can end as an 85% store-credit refund. Set a reminder well before the period ends.

Can I cancel a pre-order I regret? Before HLJ’s per-item cut-off date, yes, from your account. After the cut-off at HLJ, or after AmiAmi’s payment request email, expect a refusal — and both shops say repeated cancellations can restrict or lock your account.

Do either of them handle my import duty? No. AmiAmi declares full value on every parcel and refuses gift-marking; HLJ warns that carriers and customs bill you separately. Only Premium Bandai-style exclusives bought through a proxy get duty prepaid on some US routes — see the Buyee vs ZenMarket guide for how that works.

Try them side by side

📦Both shops ship from Japan and neither prepays your import duty. US buyers currently see courier and surface options rather than EMS; compare rates in each shop's checkout before your box gets heavy.

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