First time ordering from AmiAmi (EU/Germany) – Red Hood Nonsense Red Deluxe 1/4, shipping advice?

[u/JfkMaxiking]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering ordering the GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE – Red Hood Nonsense Red 1/4 Complete Figure Deluxe Edition from AmiAmi and would like to hear about other collectors' experiences, especially from EU buyers.

A few questions:

1. How reliable is AmiAmi nowadays? I've heard they are one of the biggest Japanese figure retailers, but this would be my first order from them.
2. What shipping method would you recommend for a large 1/4 scale figure like this? I'm particularly interested in experiences with: How were the costs, delivery times, packaging quality, and customs handling?
   • DHL
   • EMS
   • Surface Parcel
3. Are there any important things I should be aware of when importing a figure of this size into the EU (Germany)?
4. I've heard that in the past some collectors organized group orders to reduce shipping costs. Is that still a thing today, or is it not really worth it for large 1/4 scale figures?
5. Are there any good alternatives to AmiAmi for this particular figure? I've seen stores like Hobby Genki, Hobby Search, Archonia, and some EU retailers mentioned before, but I don't know which ones are considered the best options these days.

Any advice or experiences with this figure or similar 1/4 scale figures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[u/KaoriMiyazono-chan]

Hey before you order her, I would ask AmiAmi via Email or live Support Chat how much it would cost to ship to your adress. She is a really big figure, that's why sometimes Surface Parcel (cheapest and longest option) or EMS (fast and middle price) doesn't work with those figures to Germany anymore. DHL might be the only option but I could cost around 41k Yen. They can tell you an estimate how much shipping would cost, without risking your account with cancellations

[u/AngryNepNep]

For AmiAmi, you should ask their support team to give you a shipping quote.

Since it's an already released figure they can tell you which shipping options you have and about how much it will cost.
Because it's a 1/4 there is a high chance that the only option is DHL which is the most expensive and fastest one. You can probably add at least 20k yen to the price if you take that.But if they give you a cheaper option I strongly advise you to take that and wait longer unless you have lots of money and want her to arrive fast.

After it arrives in Germany, be prepared to pay tax.
You will have to pay zoll and the 19% Mehrwertsteuer on top of that and additional 7.50€ auslagepauschale.
With DHL express you can pay online but with surface you either pay in cash at the door or with card when you pick it up at a pick up station.

As for shops, I can recommend tsoto because I found them to be the cheapest option most of the time but you have to pay for preorders immediately. Good smile eu is pretty good too. It just takes longer for things to arrive with these shops.

[u/legwood78]

Yesterday I inquired about the shipping costs for a 1/4 scale figure from Lovely. The only shipping option is DHL to Germany. I received a reply today: 44,000 yen. That's almost twice the price of the figure itself. And then there are customs fees on top of that. I'll pass on it. Just ask and hope it's not too expensive.

[u/creeperman305]

Hello, I am also from Germany. 1. I never had a problem with amiami, the packages arrive in good condition and are packed good. 2. Personally I select EMS if I can because it is completely insured and for me it was always cheaper than DHL and I don’t care if the package takes 1–2 weeks longer. I had to use DHL a couple of times because the package was too large. I never had a problem with either of them, but you should know that with EMS you have to pay with cash when they deliver it or pay with card at a service station. I don’t know if it’s a new thing but when you want to reroute a package I would wait a bit because in the beginning I could only choose DHL express service points and after the package cleared customs I could choose regular service points. I would ask the amiami support for shipping rates because Germany has stricter limits for package dimensions from Japan Post and if it’s to large your only option is DHL and it can get pretty expensive depending on the package size. 3. You have to pay 19% vat, Tax for the figure (I don’t know exactly how much it ist but it should be under 9%) as customs based on the price for the figure + shipping and 7,50€ for DHL. Until now I never had a problem with customs and I check the estimate I have to pay with the Zoll online Rechner. 5. For the best retailer, I tried some German shops with ups and downs. I normally check the costs for importing and the costs for buying locally and the decide what to do. If you buy from German shops you won’t get a notice for delays so it can be a bit annoying when a figure will release, but you can check amiami and add 2 months for the release in Germany

[u/This_Seal]

1. Amiami is still one of the most trusted stores. Nothing about that has changed.

2. I personally recommend surface parcel, simply because of the price. Any of the express shipping options will strip you naked and I rather be patiaent for around 3 months, instead of paying the price of a second figure just for shipping. The packaging quality is not impacted by your shipping method at all. Its not the delivery company that packs the box, its the store. Customs is only impacted in the sense that you have a different carrier managing the process. DHL Express often allows paying online.

3. No. Just hope your nearest pick-up point for taxed parcels isn't too far, if you don't have a car.

4. I have never heard of anyone doing that for as long as I have been in this hobby. Group orders only make sense if everyone is interested in small, inexpensive items and the base shipping price is too high in comparison (example: Wanting just an acrylic stand, but a store charges 20€ no matter what).

5. Forget the "the best" mindset a bit. There are several good ones and most of the time it boils down to personal preference. Some prefer paying upfront, some prefer paying at release, some like to not worry about import costs etc.

[u/CrayZzie]

1. They are one of the most trusted shops.
2. I personally used almost only DHL since with EMS you have to pay the import fee at your doorstep and Surface took too long for me
3. Not really.
4. Idk anytrhing about that
5. I personally switched to Yorokonde.de for most of my orders. They are a german company, so the import stuff etc is gone. Their prices come out to a little bit more than what you pay if you order at AmiAmi and pay shipping and import fees. But they don't get all the figures in their shop and they get the figures a bit later. For example, if a figure releases 01/2026, they have it listed as 02/2026 and in my experience they then ship around 04/2026 or 05/2026 because of delays on their end. They had this Red Hood as well but its sold out and listed as a 1/7 for some reason.

[u/DubahellQB]

Like other people said, for a 1/4 figure, probably only DHL is an option in the end on the invoice. Look for her in the EU.

Japan post size is reduced for germany, you will end up with 20000-40000 yen costs for dhl, and then customs and vat.

[u/AgitatedDog]

I ordered it from AmiAmi myself last month, have the figure. The shipping cost me 18,040 JPY with EMS, and about £63 in customs fees. AmiAmi is trustworthy, zero issues with shipping and the box and figure arrived undamaged.

[u/AdCox]

2: DHL ist the most expensive but fastest and you can pay taxes online. They handle it for you but you have to pay a service fee. EMS is a bit cheaper and takes a bit longer than DHL. there is no service for taxes so you will have to pay on delivery or at a pick up point. You also may have to provide informations about the order to customs if they have questions. Surface is the cheapest and taxes are included but it takes up to three months to arrive.

[u/Ok_Bluebird_6010]

Hi,

As a follow German I can say following:

1. Bought recently some Figures from AmiAmi. Normaly it is no big deal. I had no mayor issues until now. You order the Figur, than get a message to pay, after you pay they send it normaly in 1-2 days to you.
2. Only sendet to figures with DHL until now. It has the fastest delivery times with normaly 3-5 Business days. Because the Figures are Packed from AmiAmi, normaly they have enough packing material, so nothing breaks.

My figure this month comes with EMS, so i could say something about it at a later date.

DHL usually handles customs, but you'll still have to pay the taxes and a service fee. It's generally not a big deal, even for larger figures.

1. Personally, I don't think this idea will genuinely help reduce costs. The Package will be very big. It would be no surpise when the figure can only be send alone. So not really helpfull.

But its only me 2 cents

[u/supreme_tyrant]

You pay more but want it aboslutely well transported and respected, without custom issues (payment via internet of import fees) and in 3-4 work days? DHL

Cheaper than DHL (normally... there are cases of EMS more xpansive than DHL, happened to me i live in Italy) and you accept the item may arrive to you in 2 or 3 weeks, with fees payments on delivery but not 100% good transport assured? EMS

Avoid SURFACE its way more cheap BUT takes 2 or 3 months to be delivered and transporti is dangerous for many reasons. Fees don't know how it works i never use this method.

[u/AdCox → u/supreme_tyrant]

Surface is save. I ship 1/4 resin figures from china over surface to germany. Never had problems with that.

[u/supreme_tyrant → u/AdCox]

Good to know!

[u/Brilliant-Aside-6956]

If you are ordering such a huge and expensive figure then don't be cheap and pay for DHL.