Where to Buy Manga in Australia Cheap? + Other Tips to Make Buying Manga Easier

I have only been collecting manga for slightly more than a year now, but Australia is still a relatively small market for manga and anime in general. Thus, manga is relatively expensive in Australia if you are shopping at local companies. 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 Cheap?

How to Track Prices and Discounts?

Other Tips To Make Buying Manga Easier

Where to Buy Manga Cheap?

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. I have purchased from BookDepository more than 10 times, Amazon 2 times, Madman 1 time and eBay more than 3 times. Keep in mind these are NEW volumes if I didn't specifically say it is second-hand.

TLDR: 

Lowest Prices But Longer Delivery Time: Book Depository (VPN to access US, UK and Taiwan) and Amazon

Slightly Higher Prices But Shorter Delivery Time: BookTopia and Angus & Robertson

South Australian Only: ShinTokyo

Big Sales/Coupons: Madman Entertainment & eBay

Book Depository [Website]

Dispatch Time: 1 - 4 business days
Delivery Time: 5 - 8 business days (More Info)

Ever since the implementation of the import GST, the prices for the Australian region is terrible because they can justify raising these prices by saying it's due to GST. Subsequently manga prices increased, and are only slightly competitive. However, there are sometimes amazing discounts but this is extremely rare or for only one volume of a series. Book Depository price changes are random, but I assume it's adjusted based on the strength of a currency.

However, if you use a VPN that allows you to connect to specific countries, you can access that specific's country's Book Depository prices, but keep in mind that the prices shown DOES NOT account for the GST. Before finalizing payment, it factors the 10% GST into the final cost because it detects that it is going into Australia. Nevertheless, the prices and savings you can make can add up, especially if you are collecting multiple series. I personally recommend PureVPN, since there's a browser add-on, and it's super easy to use, but any other VPN that allows you to connect to specific country will work. REMEMBER TO CLEAR COOKIES AND BROWSER HISTORY before transferring to a different country's Book Depository via VPN.

From my numerous experiences with accessing different countries' Book Depository via VPN, the best prices are found in the Book Depository of United Kingdom (UK), United States (US) and Taiwan. I usually save about $5 AUD compared to if I was shopping on the Australian site if there's a decent discount. There are also sometimes coupons for specific regions, which essentially negates the 10% GST on different region's sites, which will save you even more money. However, Book Depository prices vary a lot so one must monitor it frequently to get the best price. It also takes a long time to get to Australia since it's free shipping and there's no tracking. Book Depository says it takes 5 to 8 business days, but that only accounts for the delivery time itself. The dispatch time usually takes at least 3 business days, but can take up to 4 business days if you are unlucky.

Book Depository also offer pre-orders, which are best done in the Australia's version of BookDepository because pre-order prices are usually much lower than after release for Australia's Book Depository. However, you need to pay upfront for the pre-order, so keep this in mind.

Amazon Australia [Website]

Dispatch Time: 1-2 business days
Delivery Time: 3-5 business days (Domestic Metro)/ 9-13 business days (International Standard) (More Info for Domestic & More Info for Prime International Standard Free Shipping)

Like Book Depository, you must monitor the prices frequently and I recommend using an add-on called Keepa that will help track the prices for you. Whenever you go to a specific product, there will be a graph that shows the price trend. Best of all, you don't need to register to use the app. I recommend going to a product that you want to track and just letting the Keepa show the graph for it, then from there, it's gonna track the price trend.

Generally, the prices offered by Amazon Australia is not that good, but it's better than local prices since it's free shipping if you spend $39 without Amazon Prime. Amazon US prices from the Amazon Australia site are much better but you need to activate Amazon Prime to get free shipping if you spend $49 (Only reason I use the Amazon Prime trial). So, if you are intending to buy in bulk, Amazon Australia is a decent place to shop at. The domestic shipping is about 5 business days and the international shipping is about 9 - 13 business days, but usually it comes in 11 business days. Furthermore, there's tracking and a prediction date of when it will come, but it usually comes earlier.

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 Amazon US has no price guarantee, which is a bit disappointing but understandable.

Madman Entertainment [Website] (ONLY WHEN THERE IS MAJOR SALE) 

Dispatch Time: Up to 3 business days
Delivery Time: Up to 5 business days (NSW)/ Up to 10 business days (Interstate) 

(5 business days to get to Brisbane including dispatch time) 

Generally, I never shop at Madman because the prices are RRP. However, there is a major sale at the beginning of every year (January to February) and mid year, (August) and the prices are the best I seen for any type of manga that is sold by Madman (can be up to 50% off). It beats Amazon and Book Depository at its prices, but this sale only went for about two weeks, and you need to spend $50 $75 (as of 1.2.2020) to get free shipping. There's also sale on anime, merch, etc during this time. Keep in mind that there are minor sales throughout the year, but these are not usually that good but still check them out as prices for some series may be cheaper than the major start of the year sale. Nevertheless, I recommend waiting until this sale at the start of each year 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 takes a long time, especially for a domestic order. I live in Brisbane and the package comes from NSW. From payment, it takes about 5 business days to get to me including the time they took to package my order. The box is also not the most solid and I had a slight chip on the corner of my book. 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.

This is the sale to look out for (Around Mid Jan - Early Feb)

eBay [Website] (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, $10 or $20 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 $10 or $20 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 perhaps even protection by Paypal if you pay through Paypal.

ShinTokyo [Facebook] (If you are South Australian)

Unfortunately, I have no experience with dealing with ShinTokyo as they only deal within their physical store. From what I see from videos and their Facebook prices, their prices are amazingly low (competing with Australian bookstores offering the lowest prices). Whilst they may not have the lowest price in the market, you can just go into the store and pick up a book if you live in South Australia. The time cost involved with waiting is probably worth it, plus you are supporting a local company. All the better. If I visit South Australia one day, I will definitely go into the store and see what it's like. 

Angus & Robertson [Website]

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.

If you go through Booko.com.au and search for a specific product, you can get free shipping by clicking on a special link that applies the free shipping code. Alternatively, just spend $60 to get free shipping.

BookTopia [Website]

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 or through Booko.com.au

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. So far, I never have bought any manga from these sites because prices are not worth it. However, I have seen amazing deals that you can find (some people just want to get rid of their collection ASAP), so negotiating with these people are easier. You can also find old series/out-of-print series on here if you are that kind of collector. Personally there should be some sort of protection offered by Gumtree if it's an online transaction as this can get nasty if there's a bad seller/buyer.

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. 

Keepa (Addon) [Website]

This is the best browser add-on that you can get for tracking prices on Amazon. It tracks Amazon AU prices, but if you go on other countries' Amazon, you can also see the price trend specific for that country's amazon. What's so good is that you don't need to register to use it and you can customize how to track, but the basic tracking is good enough for me. Registering does allow notifications via email when the price drops under a specific amount that you set. It also allows you to compare prices to international sites, if that tickles your fancy.

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 very useful 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. There's also cashback functionalities (1% cashback), but I never used this before.

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.