i inherited figure collecting from my older sister. my mother gifted my sister a mini inuyasha fig set, and later she got a mini summer fest hatsune miku we shared. that was almost 10 years ago. im not too serious about collecting, but i still find it fun. ive only recently took interest in GK (garage kits).
garage kits are not light hobbies. you really can just pick up! the amount of resources, space, time, and money it takes is almost ridiculous. thank good im cocky!
personally i've never bought new online. so, i have the help of a dear freind to help!
"amiami" new and second hand (graded conditions)
"otakumode" frequent sales!
Because of the current pandemic, shipping time fluctuates, and resources might be limited. overseas shipping takes longer than when exported via airmail, but comes at a higher price. When looking for upcoming figures, it is recommended to pre-order! After released, figures increase in price or are sold-out by others. The websites listed have are reputable for customer service and package care.
mercari has easy and safe communication. if youre un happy you can refund! shipping never takes longer than 2 weeks! hunting alone is pretty fun.
buyee proxy use "Auction" and "jp mercari" search with japanese characters. keeps you updated, check frequently!
malls (shopping centers) can be a hit or miss. to start, theres round 1s in my experiance r1 has authentic prize figures. often banpresto/q posket or the goodsmile company, and if youre a loser there's also Funko pops. you can get them via claw machine or prize center. theres no promise its worth your money, so play with fun in mind!
if youre in chicago, you might be familiar with collectors outpost> in schaumburg woodfield. It is the most accessible and high end figure store around! they have figures in display, even anime conventions won't risk to put out in the open. their products are often in good condition, come in veriety, as mention theyre in display so you can examine details, a little over priced but resonable. theres also jewlery, replicas, and mecha sets. no promise those are official.
lastly small owned anime stores/too cool (franchise). too cool quality range is crazy! you can find good figs/sets for a good price (as if you bought it online +shipping) or overpriced ugly bootlegs. there is so much stolen art work in too cool and other anime stores. but unsuspecting familiy members or kids with out bankaccounts really dont know better. i do admit i am a fan of their imported snacks and stationary. same thing can be said about small name stores.
id like to note theres a weird thing going on in woodfield where stores share merchandise, you will see the same figures in too cool, hot topic, lumch boc and also XIMI (korean)???
MY GOD ARE THESE OVER PRICED. these people are here to make money in less than 3 days!! only buy figures that are hard to find or youre sure its reasonble. Offical company booths are a safe space for beginers. For the love of god if youre buying merch from a non offical booth at least by from an artist booth.
if youre going to buy a figure irl make sure youre buying it at a good price. when buying a figure, keep in mind, "is it official? what the base price? what would shipping cost? and would a ittle extra be reasonable for it being accessible?" after all, space and time is money!!! no need to pay express shipping if its already in your hands, right? have your phone open and connected, and do the research on the spot if you have to. if its busy i recomment taking a picture and coming back to it.
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recasts should be treated like videogames, if its not available, not resonably priced, not being produce, and doesnt support the original creator, than do what ever you want. be smart and dont over pay for crappy kits, but also remember not every kit is going to be perfect so expect sculpting and sanding.
Daisuke MANNO gothic style gk and jewelry
Suzu (Atomic-bom) gen. miku and eva
tomogomahu amateur
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(Atomic-bom)Suzu PREV mentioned gk modeler
aitakuji figures and merch
akibasoul buy and sell figs
anime NPC new figures
Big Bad Toys.figures, western figures, model kits.
booth Independent artists manage pages-fig n kit hub
Dekai Anime Everything but gk. Uk based
Figuya GERMAN but broken website 7/10/22
Global Freaks figure only. western figures included.
Global republic figures and anime merchandise
hobby bee figs and mecha
hobby link japan. everything.
Hobby search figures, model kits, die-casts models, dolls, cards, hobby tools. jp.
j-figure Just figures
Kotobukiya figure and model kits. japanese based.
Zozuguru. everything, but modelkits and gk
Lunar-toys figures, mecha/model kits, hobby supplies; paints and tools.
Manga Mafia figures, cosplay, anime merchandise. german
Mecha japan figures, model kits, anime merchandise
Neo-Tokyo Proxy server
Nin Nin Games. everything.
Ninoma figures, mecha/models kits, cards, and plushes.
Okani used and new figures, model kits, mecha, trading cards, video games and more!
Otaku mode figures and garage kits
Otaku square europe based figure, toy, model kits store
Right-stuff everything but garage kits!
Solaris japan giant figure and other merchandise
Ukiyokumo figures, model kits, anime merchandise. german
"Usa gundam store" figures, mecha, and LOTS OF TOOLS AND PAINTS!
White Rabbit proxy service
Yorokonde figure, model kits, die-cast models, anime merchandise.