Manga Enthusiast Adventures

Finding one's purpose in life.

Saturday, 6 July 2024

July 06, 2024

Buying Manga in Australia Guide [2024 Updated]


I have only been collecting manga for a long time now. Compared to pre-COVID times, manga has become more mainstream and is much more accessible now. Although the increased demand should lower prices, productions costs and other external factors have seen significant increases in manga prices not just in Australia, but over the world. Just in the past 4 years, I recall having 2 price increases. This means that the hobby of collecting manga becomes more and more expensive (and this is certainly something that everyone can relate to). Fortunately, my disposition to be frugal and be critical of my spending has helped me to save money whilst being able to enjoy collecting manga. Whilst this may not be the most in-depth guide for buying manga, it's just a short summary to guide people who want to start collecting manga or continue adding to their collection, while also saving money. 

Outline of the topics this guide will cover:
Where to buy Manga in Australia in a Cost-Effective Manner?
How to Track Prices and Discounts?
Other Tips To Make Buying Manga Easier

Where to buy Manga in Australia (for a Good Price)?

All of these sites I listed offer the lowest prices I could ever find as an Australian buyer. I tried to add some state-specific ones that offer good prices (but not the lowest) if you want to support a local seller that embraces competition. The good old BookDepository was one of my most frequented stores to buy manga but unfortunately that era had come to an end a while back. Keep in mind these are NEW volumes if I didn't specifically say it is second-hand. Stores I have personally purchased from will be labelled with an asterisk (*). I am not affliated with any of these stores and all links are general links for ease of access.
 
TLDR: 
Lowest Prices: Amazon
Best Promotions: MangaMate (1st place), Shumi Shop (2nd place)
Local Physical Stores: ShinTokyo (SA only), Shumi Shop (WA only)

Amazon Australia* [Website]

Dispatch Time: 1-2 business days
Delivery Time: 3-5 business days (Domestic Metro Standard)/ 7-10 business days (International Standard) [Note that there are many other delivery options, but I don't feel that it's worth the premium]

Amazon Australia used to be bare bones when it first launched in Australia (and it was a shitshow), but it has now fixed its teething issues. It has also expanded its range by allowing customers to buy from the Amazon Global Store (from US, JP, UK, DE), but I still find this international range relatively limited. There used to be an amazing add-on called Keepa that was super to track prices for you, but unfortunately they have stopped supporting the add-on. 

There are two sites that I use to monitor manga prices (Booko and CamelCamel). CamelCamel is an Amazon-specific price tracking website that you can subscribe to get price updates, whereas Booko is a general price tracking website for books. Both of these give you a trend and tells you of the lowest and highest prices that the books has been advertised for.

Generally, the prices offered by Amazon Australia is better than local prices especially when considering free shipping with no minimum spend [Amazon Prime] or $59 [non Amazon Prime]. This holds true for purchases from Amazon US/UK etc an an Australian. I generally find the Amazon Australia prices are lower than the other international Amazon sellers, but I have encountered lower prices here and there before from Amazon US, albeit rare. 
 
The dispatch and delivery time are superb (they usually arrive before the estimated date), but please be mindful that Amazon has now switched to couriers (used to AusPost a while back) and some of these couriers sometimes rush with their deliveries and this leads to parcels not being left in a safe place. There was one instance where I coincidentally checked on my parcel update to notice that it has been delivered. I went outside my house and it was on my door, but the parcel could have easily been taken by someone walking by. There has also been cases where they do not deliver to Parcel Lockers anymore and instead leave it at the postal office. This was particularly inconvenient for me since I was working full-time and the parcel lockers were a convenient way for me to collect my parcel after business hours.

Amazon also offers pre-orders for manga volumes. If you pre-order a product sold by Amazon Australia, there's a pre-order price guarantee, where you will always get the lowest price before it is officially released. However, products sold by other Amazon international sellers (Amazon US, UK, etc.) has no price guarantee, which is a bit disappointing.

MangaMate [Website]

Dispatch Time: 1 business day
Delivery Time: 3-5 business days (Parcel Post Standard)
 
One of the relatively new guys that offer very good prices (especially during sales). Some of these sales makes the manga prices even lower than Amazon Australia (which is a rarity nowadays), and these sales are for popular series like Viz series (picture below). Whilst I haven't purchased from them before, their sale prices are good. They also sell figures and merchandise, which are also frequently on sale albeit a relatively small range since they focus on manga. Their only downside is their shipping costs, which are quite hefty for a domestic company. Looking at their "About Us" page, they are currently an online-only store, but they are thinking of a physical store in Brisbane (I am excited!).

MangaExpress [Website]

MangaExpress seems like a relatively new online-only store selling predominantly manga (with some figures as well). Their prices are decent compared to other companies ($14.99 for standard VIZ series like Spy x Family), but it looks like they are still trying to fix teething issues commonly associated with new companies (like slow dispatch times according to Google reviews). Looking at their responses on Google reviews to these critical reviews, they seem to take the criticism on board and hopefully they will grow as a result of that.

Shumi Shop [Website]

Dispatch Time: 2 business days
Delivery Time: 3-5 business days (Parcel Post Standard)
 
A general manga/anime shop rather than a manga-speciality store. Their prices are not normally the best, but they have frequent good discounts on their range. They also offer free shipping if you spend $100+. They have a relatively wide range of manga and figures, and they also have physical stores in Western Australia as well (which is a plus).
 

MangaBooks [Website]

Subsidiary of QBD Books that specialises only in manga. Prices are normally RRP, but sales can reduce prices down to competitive prices (30% off RRP). Otherwise, nothing special.

eBay* (ONLY WHEN THERE ARE COUPONS)

Dispatch Time: Varies depending on seller (usually 1-2 business days)
Delivery Time: Varies depending on seller 
 
eBay occasionally offers $5 or $10 coupons with no minimum spending, so if you are looking to get a big discount, just sign up for an eBay account and wait for these coupons. Usually they send a $5 or $10 coupon every year if you haven't used eBay to buy anything for a while to entice you to come back. Otherwise, nothing special here for new manga volumes during non-sale periods unless you are looking for people who are trying to sell off old volumes. Furthermore, if you are buying from an overseas seller, there's 10% GST that you need to factor into the price as well, and the coupons do not cover this cost. Buying from local sellers will not incur this 10% GST, but local sellers jack their prices up for new volumes so I rarely buy from local sellers on eBay. However, I have had good experiences buying second-hand manga collections from eBay, and it's less risky compared to Gumtree/Facebook Marketplace, since there's protection by eBay and further protection by Paypal if you pay through Paypal.

ShinTokyo [Facebook] (If you are South Australian)

They have a lifetime membership program that costs $5 (students) or $20 (standard) that gives you discounts on manga. So far, I haven't purchased anything from them yet and I am still waiting to monitor their member sales since I purchased their membership a few months ago. I do note that their prices used to be extremely competitive pre-COVID, but their current prices are not the most competitive when compared to other bigger book sellers ($15.90 member price for standard VIZ series like MHA, OP). Whilst they may not have the lowest price in the market, it's the convenience factor of going into a store and purchasing manga if you live in South Australia. You can also guarantee that the manga will be new/unread since they lock the manga behind a glass screen (which is a plus compared to Dymocks where the manga may have been read and flipped through multiple times. The time cost involved with waiting is probably worth it, plus you are supporting a local company.


Angus & Robertson [Website] (Now operational but formerly in voluntary administration)

Dispatch Time: Unclear (Seems like it is combined with delivery time)
Delivery Time: Specified on product (More Info) 

Prices are all over the place, even for a specific series or publisher. However, prices are usually not the lowest that you can find, but prices are one of the lowest offered by Australian companies. If you want to save on time, it's most of the few options to use. Amazon AU prices are usually better and the shipping time is relatively the same (if not faster than Angus & Robertson). Extra sales on top of what they usually offer are almost non-existent so you don't need to heavily monitor the site for big discounts.

There is a a minimum spend of $99 to get free shipping, else it is $9.99 (ridiculous pricing for a relatively large book seller). There used to be free shipping promotions and $5 off with minimum spend requirements here and there, but since this shop has changed hands, no promos were seen. These were not enough incentives to purchase from them anyway, especially when there is Amazon Australia.

BookTopia [Website] (Now operational but formerly in voluntary administration)

Dispatch Time: Unclear (Seems like it is combined with delivery time)
Delivery Time: Depends on where you live (More Info)
Same as Angus & Robertson, but the only way to get free shipping is promotions. 
[As of 28.11.24]: There were some ridiculously good deals during Black Friday sales (e.g. some Manga that cost ~$25 RRP became <$15, which is unheard of). It could have been a glitch since they were restarting operations again.

Crunchyroll Australia (Formerly Madman) (ONLY IF MAJOR SALE)

Dispatch Time: Up to 3 business days
Delivery Time: Up to 5 business days (VIC)/ Up to 10 business days (Interstate) 
(5 business days to get to Brisbane including dispatch time) 

Ever since Crunchyroll acquired Madman, I haven't purchased anything from them yet since the sales are not as good as they used to be. Looking at the prices, the prices are RRP just like Madman, so I would never shop here if there are no sales. There are sales here and there, typically Summer/Winter Clearance sales (sales for figurines and anime are decent),  but the sales for manga are ok, which can sometimes be up to 50% off for some series (for 2024 standards). Free postage requires a minimum spend of $75, else it is a flat rate of $7. I recommend waiting until the major sales (Jan/Feb & August) to really get the bang for your buck, as the prices are the lowest for most series at this time.

However, the shipping and delivery time used to take a long time (back when it was Madman), especially for a domestic order. When there were Madman, their packaging was not the best. Their boxes were quite thin, and their protection to prevent books from moving around were some air cushions/bags. This means that I had a slight chip on the corner of one of my books. I rather they wrap my books in some paper protection than some plastic protection that only protects the top and bottom. Otherwise, they need to somehow find a way to make the book not move as much inside a box.
 

Gumtree*, Facebook Marketplace* (SECOND-HAND)

I have had bad experiences with buying manga from these sites, either with lazy sellers who do not want to negotiate when their offer allows for negotiation or sellers who don't show up at all. Nevertheless, I have bought some complete sets of off-print series, especially when you find people who just want to get rid of their collection ASAP, so negotiating with these people are easier. Negotiating prices are also easier because the sellers do not need to pay seller fees like on eBay (and the seller fees are quite hefty). You can also find old series/out-of-print series on here if you are that kind of collector. I have also tried selling manga on Gumtree and people can sometimes ghost you or give you a ridiculous low-ball offer, which is frustrating BUT that is life (you are always going to have bad seller and bad buyers).

How to Track Prices or Discounts for Manga?

Booko [Website]

More prices from other stores not shown in picture.
Super easy to use (don't need to register for an account) and also allows you to check the price trend for a product sold in Australia by all the main stores. The stores that Booko tracks are the important ones and the ones that will offer the lowest price if it does occur. Keep in mind that Booko's tracking for Amazon is a bit weird. If you register with an account, you can also set notifications if a product drops below a specific price that you have set (e.g. you set it to notify it at $11, and it will notify you via email if any of the stores that it tracks sells at lower than $11). 

However, the price trend only is recorded if someone actually searches for that product and Booko records that price. If no one bothered to check for the product, there will be no price trend. Let's be honest though, that's how it should work. Nevertheless, it's still the best resource to monitor prices as it allows you to compare the prices easily, rather than individually going to each site. 

Honey (Finding discount coupons, not Tracking Prices) [Website]

I'm sure everyone knows about the Honey add-on due to how many Youtubers have affiliates with them. I found this add-on ok as you can see coupons that people have used on the site, and before checkout, the Honey add-on will prompt you to allow it to apply known coupons to see whether it works. I see no harm in trying since the worst thing is just having no active coupons. I usually disable the add-on if I'm not buying manga. There's also cashback functionalities (1% cashback), but I never used this before.
 

CamelCamel (Amazon specific) [Website]

A relatively good site/addon to have when browsing Amazon AU products to see the price trend and whether the current price is the lowest price or whether you should wait. Perfect tool to save money on Amazon.

Other Tips To Make Buying Manga Easier

Parcel Lockers from Australia Post (For Receiving Deliveries) [More Info]

Australia Post's Parcel Lockers are a godsend as you don't have to worry whether your order has arrived or not. It's perfect for people who work and are not always at home. You will need to sign up for a parcel locker address online on Australia Post and you need to provide identification online (Drivers' License) and it's as easy as that. Really straightforward and best of all, this service is free.

How it Works
When a parcel arrives and placed into Parcel Lockers, you will get a notification that it has arrived, and you have two working days to collect the parcel, else you will need to collect it at a post office near it (an email will specify where to pick it up). I love using parcel lockers because I don't have to wait for a postie and I don't have to deal with anyone to get my parcel. Furthermore it's 24/7 access so you can access parcel lockers and get your parcel outside of business hours. They generally accept most parcels (especially if the orders are just manga) and there's not going to be a problem unless you order a whole bookshelf worth's of manga.

I recommend downloading the Australia Post app if you are thinking of using Parcel Lockers and Parcel Collect as it's just easier to use, and it's easy to add extra parcel locker address through the app. 

Parcel Collect from Australia Post (For Receiving Deliveries) [More Info]

This is just an alternative for Parcel Lockers if there are no parcel lockers near you, but you have a post office near you. Just like Parcel Lockers, this service is good if you are not often at home. Personally, Parcel Lockers are much better, but this is the next best thing if you want peace of mind.

How it Works
When the parcel arrives at the parcel collect, a notification will be sent to you via text message and email to notify that your parcel is ready to be collected. From there, you go into the post office and just tell them you are collecting a parcel from Parcel Collect and you are good to go. Unfortunately, you will have to deal with people in this process, but if you are a working person, I rather deal with people and get my package safely, rather than risk a lazy postie that may leave your parcel outside your house. Just like Parcel Lockers, I recommend downloading the Australia Post app as there are some post offices that cannot be added normally, but can be added if you physically search through the map in the app.

Using Paypal, rather than bank card

I always use Paypal as the transaction service when purchasing online. It provides protection for both buyer and seller, and allows you to apply for a refund if a parcel goes missing or if you want to cancel orders, etc. Using a bank card is ok too, but I don't see why you wouldn't use Paypal instead. There's no fee incurred by the buyer. All you have to do is just link your card to your Paypal card and then you are ready to go.
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Friday, 26 January 2024

January 26, 2024

2024 Update: New Journey Once Again

Artist: Axle (pixiv)

It's been a while since I posted anything, but I felt bored so I just wanted to write a short post for old sake times. For myself, I started this blog because I felt a void in my heart and mind after I switched university degrees numerous years ago. Looking back, it was an experience where I learned a lot about myself and opened my eyes to the realities of the world - that everyone is going through a series of struggles. In addition, working experience made me even more humbled. 

Now I am on a new journey. It will be a long and arduous process, but it will be worth it. I hope I can cope with the challenges that await me. I say this because my mental cognition and focus is not good as it used to be, but perhaps getting back into the routine will help me reawaken some of my innate capabilities. 

I have started watching some anime sporadically when I'm bored, but I'm always too busy or tired after work haha. I still read manga weekly and that is one of the few pleasured I have left as I age. I hope I can still enjoy these blissful days where I am still relatively young.... (and I hope everyone embraces that mindset too).  You can do it if you have the will and shrewdness... until next time....

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Friday, 20 November 2020

November 20, 2020

Week 155 - 166: Hiatus... perhaps for a while longer

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to make a brief update that I am still here, but I haven't been posting because I have been focusing a lot on university, particularly since it was an important point of my life. I also haven't been watching any anime during this period, and I probably don't plan to for a while as I want to rest up. I may also need to start preparing early for next year. I hope everyone is doing well during this tumultuous period, and keep on persevering until the end of the year. See you next post.

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Sunday, 2 August 2020

August 02, 2020

Guide to Madman Winter Sale 2020

Like many others, I was disappointed at this year's winter sales compared to the previous mega sales that occur during Summer (at Jan-Feb) and the usual winter sale around this year. This year's winter sale's maximum discount is up to 70%, which is comparatively lower to previous sales (80% in this year's Summer Sale, 85% in last year's Winter sale and 75% in last year's summer sale). However, there is one major difference compared to previous sales. In previous sales, a particular discount will apply to all volumes of a specific series (other than the newly released volumes). However, the discounting is all over the place for this year's winter sale, and this was very disappointing. I doubt it's a glitch in the system, but it doesn't really make sense to have different discounts for volumes of a specific series, especially if you are not trying to clear out stock for a specific series. 

If you are looking to buy manga, the maximum discount for manga is 60%, so if you are a frugal buyer of manga, I recommend holding off as better prices have been observed from Madman before. Generally, the current offered prices are about 10-20% away from the lowest price Madman has ever offered. However, these is a perilous and unpredictable period and Madman is one of the only sellers that can deliver manga relatively fast to Australians at a comparatively low price when you compare it to other sellers. 

If you are looking to buy anime, the maximum discount is 70%. I'm not really the type to buy blu-ray/DVD copies of an anime since I rather just subscribe to AnimeLab/Crunchyroll or view through other means to watch a series. Therefore, I can't really comment on the price trend.

If you are looking to buy anime figures, the maximum discount is 50%. There are some decent discounts if you are looking to buy anime figures/merch. If it's 50% off, I would buy it since I usually never see more than 50% discount on an anime figure (unless it is stock that they want to get rid of asap). 

Overall, this winter sale is disappointing when you compare to previous sales, and I'm sure many other "seasoned veterans of Madman sales" would hold the same sentiment. However, you have to factor in the impact of COVID-19 on businesses. Perhaps it's worth it for you.
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Saturday, 25 July 2020

July 25, 2020

Week 148 -154 Update: An Arduous Path

Hello everyone. I apologize for the lack of updates. I have been busy trying to sort for the next university semester since the break is short and I had to fix things around the house with my dad. Whilst I have been watching anime, I haven't been watching too much of it. Furthermore, I have writer's block so I can't really find the motivation to write a review. This lack of motivation also applies to other aspects of my life. I feel lost and lack of purpose, but I don't feel "depressed" either. I think it's because of the COVID-19 situation that has made me demotivated, and I'm sure it has also done the same thing to many other people. 

Anyway, I think I may be switching to monthly updates since there's not really any point to write weekly updates since there's nothing exciting in my life and it would just make me regurgitate the same things over and over again. Hope everyone is healthy and staying safe and sane in these tumultuous and unpredictable period.
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Wednesday, 3 June 2020

June 03, 2020

Week 144 - 147 Update: Prudence

I have always been a prudent individual and try to take the safest path as possible, whilst always having a backup. In life, I always believe in having a backup, even if it means "sacrificing" your desire. Reality is a cruel mistress and most people will most likely never do what they truly want. Currently, I think I'm in a good path, where I am trying to venture in the health field. I always wanted to be an artist/streamer, but I knew that I wasn't going to do well because I lack certain qualities that makes one successful/well off. At least in the health field, I can somewhat excel....

The COVID-19 situation in my country is good right now. Many things are already open so that's a good thing. A lot of people are already walking around like no care in the world. Whilst there is no need to worry, vigilance is still needed because the state I am in has relatively low testing rate (tests per million people) compared to other tests. Some smaller states even have way more tests than us, and I found this extremely puzzling. Hopefully nothing goes wrong. On another note, many anime unfortunately has been delayed but that's to be expected. It's better to have the studio employees to be safe and healthy. Short term pain, long term gain.

Anyway, apologies for the lack of posts in this blog. I have been concentrating on an important exam that could change my life, so I had to really focus on it. I still have my final exams for this semester, so this lack of posts will continue until at least Mid July as this period is possibly one of the important periods of my life, other than my high school final exams. Until then, stay healthy and hope everyone can strive on continue striving on forward...
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Tuesday, 5 May 2020

May 05, 2020

Week 138 to Week 143 Update: Frustration and Stagnation

Sorry for not being active on this site, but I had to keep up with university work especially since everything had shifted online due to COVID-19. It wasn't a major change for me since I usually watch lectures online anyway. I do this because I can watch it at my own pace, usually 1.5x speed because the lecturer is talking too slow. What is frustrating is that it's almost impossible to order from overseas now without either waiting for an extremely long period of time or paying perhaps exorbitant prices for the faster deliveries. Fortunately, it's not too bad in my country, and I feel lucky to not be embroiled in worse situations like we see in Europe and USA. 

During this period, I have periods where I feel extremely demotivated to do anything, but I am doing some basic exercises to help relieve some of that frustration. I also became more anxious about my study, and always double, triple checking my notes and sometimes even doubting my notes. I found ways to decrease this like playing games to help keep my mind off etc. Anyway, I'm probably going to be much more occupied by the university workload from here on out, so these updates are going to be irregular again. Apologies in advance, and stay healthy and safe everyone. We will emerge a stronger world (hopefully) from this situation.
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