A Painful LoveAsk MFCAnteriorPróximoAnteriorPróximo

Mandarake shipping is worth it imo. They have custom boxes that protect the item during the journey.
All my dolls bought through Volks.jp direct have had a ding or two on the packaging because they get roughed up at Chicago international and the shipping box is tightly fit, no bubble wrap.
My one doll from Mandarake arrived in two days and in brand new condition, no dings either.
It’s a fee I’ve learned to accept at this point. But yes, Manadrake is very pricey; but you’re paying for the convenience of good one-on-one customer service and extensive stock.

Yeah, I totally get you. On Mandarake, there are lots of figures that have gone cheaper but their shipping cost remains expensive. The example EsvaldForceswoop wrote is actually real, I've seen it. Like the item priced 2000-3000 yen but it's not qualified for SAL shipment (on the item desription you'd see "SAL not available"). That means the only options available are Air Post, EMS, DHL, and the cost will be upward of 5000 yen if I'm not mistaken.
Sometimes I wonder if there are cheaper options, like shipping by sea or group buying.

Edit: regarding your question, I look at the grand total and compare it to the original retail price (MSRP). If all costs are fully accounted for and the discount is substantial enough to justify the high shipping cost then I order it.

When the shipping is equal or higher than the fig price, i skip.
Usually ems only i buy from europe cause no customs and often costs the same..

Aside from that well, if you go by shops or proxies that offer surface mail, long waiting but often really cheap :)
Thsts how i tackle most ^^

Its sadly part of the deal, i just bear with it and try to pay the least possible on it.

I pretty much have accepted the shipping cost as part of the hobby
If it is a figure I really want, I just go for it.

I've been collecting for a few years, so I pretty much have a good estimate of what I'll be paying, and I normally cheap out and go for SAL. I don't really let shipping costs get in the way of my figure hunting. Sometimes I do try to find domestic sellers who offer good prices to save on shipping. Of course, domestic shipping isn't really that cheap either.

Mandarake always charges super high shipping, but shipping is just something you have to put up with. Sometimes using a proxy and buying it from Yahoo Japan Auctions can actually be cheaper than buying directly from the stores, hilariously enough!
My bigger beef with Mandarake is how they have items posted that aren't even available any more. This is why I rather just bid on items than deal with Mandarake if I can help it. I don't like finding a figure or kit I want only to find it's not even actually available anymore.

my main priority is somewhat uncommon figures, so i’ve pretty much accepted it as the price to pay to get ones that aren’t easy to find for a good price, especially domestically. like others have said i factor it into the price to consider if i think the item is worth that much. mandarake’s shipping so far has been within what i’d call reasonable, air sp has treated me well.

I would say I've mostly just excepted it at this point. I tend to consider shipping to be part of the price of figure buying. Though I do try to be sure I never pay more for shipping the item or items I'm ordering.

Shipping is no issue for me, if I really want a figure and know that I will not get another chance to get one again. The next time I want a figure I'd just have to remind myself to make sure shipping isn't as bad as the last time. I just spent $50 bucks on shipping for ITEM #781002 and I knew it would have to be that expensive since the box was so big. And since I spent that much on shipping, next time I'm going to make sure not to spend so much on that.

So one thing I do want to mention is that 1/7 and 1/8 figures are also usually not that expensive in terms of shipping compared to 1/12. A 1/12 for me with RSAL is around 1000 JPY shipping while a 1/7 is around 1500 JPY. But 1/6 and above are usually expensive to ship though because they end up always being EMS.

That aside, I justify shipping cost as equivalent to me having to pay the Japanese equivalent of GST/HST/VAT, which I would have had to pay if I had bought it in Japan with free shipping. So I am generally OK with the shipping cost being around 10-20% of the item price. So far, unless it’s a special figure with some extravagant base, pose, or equipment, shipping has usually been within those limits.