US duty on anime figures from Japan, and what else is on the bill

Last checked 19 September 2026. Every claim below links to the document it came from; where nothing official says it, this page says so instead.

The short version

12.5% of what the figure cost. Since 24 July 2026 a Section 301 action on Japan sets the US duty on products of Japan at 12.5% net of the normal rate. Figures, nendoroids, scale figures, prize figures, plush, capsule toys and model kits are all classified as toys (HTSUS 9503), whose normal rate is Free, so the whole duty is the 12.5%. A ¥1,500 prize figure carries about ¥190; a ¥12,000 scale figure about ¥1,500; a $45 nendoroid about $5.60.

Manga, artbooks, CDs and Blu-rays carry none. Books and recorded media are on the action's exemption list as informational materials, and their normal rate is Free too, so the duty on them is 0%.

What you pay is more than the duty. On a posted parcel the duty is prepaid in Japan by the sender through a CBP-approved operator that charges its own fee, and a proxy may add a clearance charge of its own. On a courier (DHL, FedEx, UPS) the carrier charges brokerage. None of those is a rate; each is a line on an invoice, and the invoice is the number to compare with.

Item by item

Scale figures, nendoroids, figmas, prize figures, garage kits
HTSUS 9503, normal rate Free. Total duty 12.5% of the value on the customs declaration.
Plush, capsule toys, blind boxes, model kits
Also 9503. 12.5%.
Trading cards
Playing cards, HTSUS 9504.40, normal rate Free, by CBP's own rulings on Japanese Pokémon cards. 12.5%. The rulings, and why a single card is the worst case.
Manga, light novels, artbooks, doujinshi
Books, HTSUS 4901, normal rate Free, and exempt from the Section 301 duty as informational materials. 0%.
CDs, Blu-rays, DVDs
Recorded media, HTSUS 8523.49, normal rate Free, and exempt. 0%. If a media parcel is charged 12.5%, it has been classified as something else — ask for the HTSUS line.
Acrylic stands, keychains, badges, stationery
Memo pads and notebooks are 4820, Free, so 12.5%. Plastic and base-metal goods carry normal rates of a few percent, and imitation jewellery 8–11%; anything under 12.5% comes out at 12.5%. The rule tops up to 12.5%, it does not add 12.5% on top.

The rule in one line, from the notice itself: where the item's normal rate is less than 12.5%, "the sum of the MFN tariff and the Section 301 tariff shall be 12.5 percent"; where it is 12.5% or more, the Section 301 duty is zero. Anything on the exemption list pays neither.

Why the number your friend paid last winter is wrong now

Three different regimes have applied to a posted figure inside one year. Until the end of February 2026 the duty was the IEEPA rate for the country of origin or a flat $80, $160 or $200 per package. From 24 February 2026 a 10% surcharge under section 122 of the Trade Act took its place, for 150 days. On 24 July 2026 that lapsed and the Section 301 duty began, on the same day CBP's postal rule ended collection at the door. A figure someone received in December, or in June, was charged under a rule that no longer exists.

How it reaches you

Posted from Japan — Japan Post, EMS, a proxy's "air delivery"
Since 24 July 2026 nobody collects at delivery. Japan Post will not accept a US-bound parcel of bought goods unless the sender has prepaid the duty through a CBP-approved operator, and the label is marked DDP. The operator's fee is per parcel and is its own; Japan Post names Zonos. A shop or proxy that posts to you must therefore show the duty and the fee at checkout or on the invoice. If it shows neither, ask before paying.
Courier — DHL, FedEx, UPS
The duty rate is the same. The carrier files the entry and charges its own brokerage or disbursement fee, which it sets and this page does not guess at. Some shops prepay it (DDP), some bill it on arrival (DAP); the checkout says which.
Bought from a US shop
The importer already paid duty on the carton and priced it in. Nothing is charged to you, which is why the comparison on the front page puts duty on one route only.

Three questions, answered directly

How much is duty on a nendoroid from Japan?
12.5% of its declared value since 24 July 2026 — about $5.60 on a $45 nendoroid — plus the prepayment operator's fee on a posted parcel, or the carrier's brokerage on a courier.
Is there import tax on anime figures in the US?
There is no federal sales tax on imports, and postal entries carry no merchandise processing fee. What there is, is the 12.5% duty above; state sales or use tax is a separate matter between you and your state.
Is manga duty-free?
Yes. Books are Free at the normal rate and exempt from the Section 301 duty as informational materials. The same goes for CDs and Blu-rays.

With the duty known, the only unknowns left are the parcel and the fees — and those are two prices away from a verdict. The form has a "use the current rule" option that puts the 12.5% in for you; the fee is still yours to enter, because it is still a quote. How the two big proxies bill both: Buyee, and ZenMarket beside it.

Compare the two routes

Sources

The US duty on a figure from Japan is 12.5% of its value since 24 July 2026, with worked examples: a ¥1,500 prize figure about ¥190, a ¥12,000 scale figure about ¥1,500, a $45 nendoroid about $5.60, and manga, CDs and Blu-rays at 0%.
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