Shopping Guide
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By onemall 
TL;DR
Nendoroids are Good Smile Company’s palm-sized chibi figures — officially described as “around 10cm in size” with swappable face plates and body parts — and the series turned 20 in February 2026, having first shipped in February 2006.[1][2] Good Smile’s own online store does ship internationally, so the useful question is not “can I order one?” but “which ones can I never order?” The answer: kuji-lottery prizes, event and pop-up exclusives, retailer bonus parts, and the entire out-of-print back catalogue — roughly 3,100 numbered releases deep as of August 2026.[1] The cheap route is pre-ordering current releases; the cheapest is Japan’s domestic second-hand market, where sealed figures and loose ones trade at a fraction of the new price. Three live listings below, from $15.94.
- What it is: ~10 cm chibi figure, interchangeable faces and parts, from Good Smile Company.[1]
- Anniversary: 20 years in 2026; first Nendoroid released February 2006.[2]
- New price today: current numbered Nendoroids list around ¥7,300–¥8,900; Nendoroid Doll around ¥10,000.[3]
- The gap: Good Smile Kuji prize figures, pop-up and event exclusives, and bonus face plates never enter the international catalogue.
- Watch out: the international store charges shipping per item type on pre-orders — five pre-orders can mean five shipping charges.[4]
What a Nendoroid Actually Is
Good Smile Company’s own definition, from its store’s explainer page as of August 2026: “Nendoroids are cute chibi-style figures around 10cm in size based on characters from your favorite anime, games and more! Face plates and body parts are swappable, making it easy to create all kinds of poses and looks!”[1]
That second sentence is the whole product. A Nendoroid is not a static statue; it is a small kit of interchangeable parts, and the same page lists four sibling lines that extend it: Nendoroid Doll (the same heads on a dressable cloth-outfit body), sitting-pose Nendoroids that come with a chair, Nendoroid More (alternate outfits, extra parts, clip and suction stands), and Nendoroid-branded goods such as keychains and plush.[1]
The line is also enormous. Good Smile numbers its Nendoroids, and the newest entries on the official lineup page in August 2026 sit above #3100 — #3124 Mutsuki Asagi and #3121 Ritsu Minetsuki were the two most recent listed when this article was written.[1] Twenty years of releases at that pace is why “buying a Nendoroid” and “buying that Nendoroid” are completely different problems.
The 20th Anniversary, and Where It Is Happening
The Nendoroid series began in February 2006, making February 2026 its 20th anniversary; Good Smile has run a dedicated anniversary project site through the year.[2] The programme is worth reading as a map of where exclusives appear, because almost all of it is physical and location-bound:
- Nendoroid Day — officially designated as 8 August, with commemorative merchandise.[2]
- Japan Tour — pop-up shops in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hakata, Sapporo and Sendai, plus a Tokyo finale.[2]
- Rerelease Summit — fan votes deciding which discontinued Nendoroids come back.[2]
- Southeast Asia tour — Singapore 24–30 August 2026 and Indonesia 26 September–1 November 2026.[3]
The Rerelease Summit is the single most useful thing here for overseas collectors. An out-of-print Nendoroid is expensive precisely because it is out of print. If the character you want wins a rerelease vote, waiting costs you nothing and saves you the second-hand premium. If it does not, the second-hand market is the only market — there is no third option.
Good Smile Does Ship Abroad — Here Is What That Does and Does Not Cover
Unlike many Japanese hobby brands, Good Smile runs a genuine international storefront. Its own user guide confirms the shape of it, as of August 2026: for accounts set to any region other than Japan or Taiwan, orders are processed in US dollars and cannot be paid in yen, shipping fees are charged separately at checkout, and customs duties are the customer’s responsibility.[4]
The detail that catches collectors out is the shipping structure on pre-orders. From the same guide: “When you preorder an item, there will be a shipping charge applicable for each item type included in the transaction… When preordering different product types from the same product page, an order number will be issued for each type of product or character. Each order number will be shipped separately and shipping costs will be charged per order number.”[4] Pre-order four Nendoroids releasing across four months and you are paying four international shipping charges, not one.
And then there is the category the international store structurally cannot sell you:
- Kuji prize Nendoroids. Good Smile runs lottery campaigns whose prizes are Nendoroids you cannot buy directly — the official lineup lists entries such as the Good Smile Kuji Haikyu!! A Prize and B Prize Nendoroids and a “Last Smile Prize” variant, numbered inside the main series.[1] You draw them in Japan or you buy them second-hand.
- Event and pop-up exclusives. Wonder Festival, Smile Fest and the anniversary tour shops sell figures at a counter, in a city, on a date.
- Bonus face plates and parts. Japanese retailers commission exclusive extra faces as pre-order bonuses. They are sold on afterwards as parts-only listings — 特典のみ.
- The back catalogue. Everything below roughly #2500 that has not been rereleased.
Cheap vs Cheapest: Three Live Japanese Listings
All three were live on the Japanese domestic market on 19 August 2026:[5]
Set those against the ¥7,300–¥8,900 that Good Smile charges for a current numbered Nendoroid.[3] The loose Rengoku at ¥2,600 is roughly a third of a new figure — the ordinary price of a second-hand Nendoroid whose box is gone. The sealed Denji (#1560) at ¥4,300 is the sweet spot: new and unopened, well under current retail, because it is a few years old. And #197 Kurisu Makise & Mayuri Shiina at ¥6,500 is the out-of-print end of the curve — a two-figure set from the early 200s of the numbering, which no store anywhere still stocks.
Four Ways to Buy Nendoroids, Compared
| Good Smile international store | Local hobby shop / importer | JP retailer via proxy | JP second-hand market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current pre-orders | Yes | Yes, selected titles | Yes | No |
| Kuji prize figures | No | No | No | Yes |
| Event / pop-up exclusives | No | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Retailer bonus face plates | No | No | Yes, during pre-order | Yes, as parts-only lots |
| Out-of-print back catalogue | No | Occasionally, at a premium | Yes | Yes — the deepest supply |
| Currency | USD[4] | Local | Yen | Yen |
| Shipping on multiple pre-orders | Charged per item type[4] | Varies | Consolidated into one box | Consolidated into one box |
How to Buy Nendoroids From Japan: Step by Step
- Search ねんどろいど, not “Nendoroid”. Japanese sellers write the line name in hiragana. Searching the English word returns a fraction of the listings — and the English-titled ones are usually the ones already priced for foreign buyers.
- Search the number if you know it. Every Nendoroid has one, sellers put it in the title, and it is the only unambiguous identifier — character names repeat across versions, 2.0 remakes and outfit variants.
- Read the condition words before the price. 新品未開封 is new and sealed, 開封済み means opened, 美品 is excellent condition, 箱なし means no box. On a parts-driven figure, 欠品 (missing parts) is the one that matters most.
- Decide whether you want the box. A Nendoroid ships with a lot of small parts and the box is their storage. Loose figures are meaningfully cheaper, and meaningfully more likely to be missing a hand.
- Check for 特典のみ if you are hunting a bonus face. Parts-only listings are a real market of their own — you can complete a figure you already own instead of rebuying it.
- Have a proxy buy and hold, then ship once. Japanese marketplaces and hobby shops ship domestically. A proxy buys at a Japanese address and consolidates — and because Nendoroid boxes are small and light, three or four in one parcel is dramatically cheaper per figure than three or four parcels. OneMall holds purchases for 90 days.
What the Proxy Actually Costs
| Where the item comes from | OneMall service fee |
|---|---|
| Mercari / Mercari Shops | Flat ¥300 per item — read from the live item pages on 19 August 2026, identically on a ¥2,600, a ¥4,300 and a ¥6,500 listing[5] |
| Any other Japanese shop or brand site (LinkBuy) | 5% of the item price, minimum ¥200, maximum ¥1,000 |
For comparison, as of 2026 Buyee charges ¥500 per order, ZenMarket ¥500 per item (¥800 on Mercari) and Neokyo ¥350 per item. Freight, customs and duty are separate and depend on your country. The flat per-item fee is what makes the out-of-print end of this hobby workable: the fee on a ¥6,500 discontinued set is the same ¥300 as on a ¥2,600 loose figure.
The Bottom Line
If the Nendoroid you want is currently on pre-order, order it — from Good Smile directly or through a Japanese retailer — and be aware that pre-order shipping is charged per item type on the international store.[4] If the Nendoroid you want is a kuji prize, an event exclusive, a bonus face plate or anything from the first fifteen years of the line, the international catalogue is not where it lives. Japan’s domestic second-hand market is. Browse live Nendoroid listings on OneMall, or read the neighbouring guides: Ichiban Kuji explained covers how Japanese lottery merchandise works, Gashapon covers the capsule-toy equivalent, Gunpla covers the same problem in model kits, and Suruga-ya is the specialist chain for out-of-print figures. For the mechanics, see the Mercari Japan guide, the cheapest Japan proxy services comparison, the buyer’s checklist and the fee breakdown with worked examples.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a Nendoroid?
Good Smile Company describes Nendoroids as chibi-style figures “around 10cm in size” that fit in the palm of your hand, with swappable face plates and body parts.[1]
How much does a new Nendoroid cost in 2026?
Current numbered Nendoroids on Good Smile’s own store list at roughly ¥7,300 to ¥8,900 — for example ¥7,300 for Nendoroid Mutsuki Asagi and ¥8,900 for Nendoroid Rathalos — with the larger Nendoroid Doll line around ¥10,000, as of August 2026.[3]
Is 2026 really the Nendoroid 20th anniversary?
Yes. The series first shipped in February 2006, so February 2026 marked 20 years, and Good Smile has run an anniversary project through the year including a Japan pop-up tour, a Southeast Asia tour and fan-voted rereleases.[2][3]
Does Good Smile Company ship internationally?
Yes. Its online store serves regions outside Japan and Taiwan, charging in US dollars rather than yen, with shipping added at checkout and customs duties payable by the buyer. Note that pre-orders are charged shipping per item type, so several pre-orders can generate several separate shipments and fees.[4]
Why can’t I buy some Nendoroids anywhere outside Japan?
Because they were never sold in a shop. Good Smile Kuji prize figures are lottery prizes drawn in Japan, pop-up and convention figures are sold at a physical counter, and bonus face plates are pre-order incentives from individual Japanese retailers. All three reach overseas collectors only through Japan’s second-hand market.[1]
What is the cheapest way to buy a Nendoroid?
A loose, opened figure from the Japanese domestic second-hand market — the Demon Slayer Rengoku in the listings above is ¥2,600 against ¥7,300–¥8,900 for a current new release. If you want it sealed, a slightly older sealed figure such as the ¥4,300 Chainsaw Man Denji is still well below current retail.[3][5]
What does 特典のみ mean in a Nendoroid listing?
“Bonus only” — the seller is offering just the retailer-exclusive extra face plate or part, without the figure. It is the cheap way to complete a Nendoroid you already own, and a trap if you thought you were buying the whole thing.
References
- Good Smile Company Online Store, “What are Nendoroids?” — official definition, ~10 cm size, swappable parts, sibling lines, numbered lineup including Good Smile Kuji prize entries. goodsmile.com/en/aboutnendoroids (accessed 19 August 2026)
- Good Smile Company, “Nendoroid 20th Anniversary Special Site” — anniversary programme, Nendoroid Day (8 August), Japan Tour, Rerelease Summit. special.goodsmile.info/nendoroid20th/en (accessed 19 August 2026)
- Good Smile Company Online Store home page — current Nendoroid list prices in yen and the Nendoroid 20th Anniversary Southeast Asia Tour dates. goodsmile.com/en (accessed 19 August 2026)
- Good Smile Company Online Store user guide, “Payments” and “Shipping & Shipping Fees” — USD settlement outside Japan/Taiwan, per-item-type pre-order shipping, customs responsibility. goodsmile.com/en/usersguide04 (accessed 19 August 2026)
- Live Japanese marketplace listings and their OneMall item pages, read 19 August 2026 — prices in yen, stock status and the ¥300 per-item service fee shown on each item page.
Last updated: 2026-08-19.