@@alexvn003 most figures tend to at least double in price afterwards and depending on the company as well as popularity of the figure, they may never see a re-release.Pre order prices stay the same when it's in stock but after gg.
As a long time collector, price of figure have sky rocket ridiculously for the past 4 years. Nendoroid used to be max at 65 but 65 now is a starting point. High quality are usually 250 -300 max and now they are starting price, it just hurt the wallet too much
@@holie02 Just checked Archonia's prices, you're really just better off paying the tax yourself scales that are more expensive lol. E: if it doesn't dip above 30+% in your country.
Amiami shipping prices can be justified when you order Multiple items. I ordered 1 figure and paid $30 shipping, where as when I ordered 5 figures I paid $65 for shipping. Way better than buying individually
Thanks for the tips!! I'm still considering at the moment and not allowing myself to actually start buying scales (only prizes for now and as few as possible), but tips on "whether to buy or not" would be very helpful... also because I have never owned a scale and haven't seen one in person since like 2.5 years ago, I can't fathom what it feels like to have one and thus I'm not sure how happy it would make me? but I definitely adore surfing on myfigurecollection it's my new haha
I got one after being very skeptical and the quality difference is unfathomable. As long as it's in your budget I definitely recommend getting a scale.
I recommend it but be careful, it's addictive not unlike gambling (or I suppose gacha is a more apt comparison for us). As a collector nothing quite gives you that childlike glee as receiving a new figure in the mail after waiting months for it to be released and finding a place where it looks nice alongside your collection. But I strongly recommend giving yourself an "allowance" each year of how much you're willing to spend and firmly sticking to not going over that amount (I don't know what your income is like so I can't say what that'd be for you but $750-1500 is probably a reasonable number for a low to middle class income). I've made the mistake in the past of not sticking to that rule and spending unreasonable amounts on figures in pursuit of that almost Christmas morning as a kid like feeling you get when one arrives. The best strategy is to check each quarter what figurines are going to go up for pre-order and plan accordingly. Know what you're going to buy long before you do, otherwise random figures will just pop up without you knowing they were coming and you'll feel the urge to spontaneously buy it because "It's my favorite character and I can go a little bit above what I'm allowing myself right?" rinse, repeat.
@@spongeunction Too real but I imagine helpful to a newcomer. I think anyone who collects figures went through that phase of buying them like candy and then regretting it financially later on. Better to know that ahead of time and not run into that pitfall.
I've been collecting for a while, but this actually had some good tips for me as well! The comparison between 1/4 to scale to figma to nendoroid to prize figs was pretty helpful to think about haha. I roughly know what kind of figs I'm into, but it's a good thing to think about when I have several line options. That stock tracking website is also pretty nifty! I'd love a video about how you decide when to pre-order or not! I seem to have really bad luck with this... I still kick myself for not pre-ordering Elias a few years back haha.
Another tip, make sure what you're preordering on AmiAmi is something you're actually going to buy. They are very strict on canceling orders and can shut down your account if you cancel too much. So don't preorder with the mindset "I'll preorder just in case and if I end up not wanting it then I'll cancel" Idk about other websites and their canceling policies but I know canceling orders on GSC have no repercussions
Another tip I wish I told myself when i first started pre-ordering figures.. if you have the money to pay for the preorder immediately then do it!! Don't be me and leave paying for the figures when they release too much. Especially if you have 5+ figures that are in the same month and suddenly you're $400 down because you put off budgeting.
ebay isnt even bad tbh, theres a bunch of amazing shops japan based aswell as ppl here from the us, the thing is you have to look at the reviews bc for you to even make a review about the seller it would have to be a verified purchase, not only that ebay has a great refund policy, so for her to even say its a scam without actually putting in the effort to find out more abt it is weird, theres alot of fakes but in the description of the seller it would say from china.
Some of my most prized figures were lucky steals on myfigurecollection, but I always have that moment of "this will be the first one that comes busted up won't it" 🤣
What a wonderful video for beginners! The tips on each type of figures and the comparison for price for the amount of figures you can get for each type was amazing!! Keep it up!! ❤️
Very helpful video, thanks! I bought my first figure a few days ago and I was overwhelmed by how complex this world is (I'm specially concerned with fake figures...). I ordered at Solaris Japan. Let's see how it turns out! 🤞
Really wish this video existed when I started my figure collections 5 years ago. Suffered a bunch of bootlegs in my early months >___> Thankfully they are individually cheap, so the damage was more from the volume. Haven’t expanded my army for a while now due to some financial responsibilities, but definitely would come back to collecting a few more again some day.
Yeah kinda annoying as you're going to need reconsider your budget for that month or take more money out of savings to buy all of them. Though sometimes it's a good thing as they maybe able to combine shipping and save a bit of money.
Isn't that a good thing? You save on shipping. Honestly, if you think that's a problem because you don't consider money "dedicated" to a pre-order to be money spent, what you have is a budgeting problem. That is a *really* dangerous way to live your life. And I don't just mean spending for your hobby, I mean your actual life. Of course, there would be an issue if you have an allowance/trust card that have a finite amount of money you can spend each month that doesn't roll over(I've heard of such problems, though not entirely sure how they are set up and if can be reasoned with). That.... I have no idea how you can get around. I reckon buying things instead from sites that charges you immediately could solve it but... nobody likes doing that either. Anyway, just about all of my pre-orders from last year have been delayed to this year due to covid, so this year is quite figure dense.
I basically purchased the last figure I think that completed my collection (50 figs in total some scale but mostly prize figures). I know people will say you can never really stop but I'm serious here y'allneed to be really careful on what you buy and think hard. Boy was I really pinched on the figure that I got. It was $900 for a 1/4th Nier automata masterline. Basically don't fall into the rabbit hole like me unless you got a plan and are sure you want to spend your money there.
Hello! Just to say that I love your videos, all the edit is fantastic, the audio is on point! Thank you for your content! (I was a nendo/figma collector years back, so it's always a pleasure to see your figures, and to be aware of the novelties thanks to your preorders!)
Amazing tip video!! 😁 I definitely want to see a video where you describe the times you have been burned when buying! I know I buy quite a few figures through ebay (usually prize figures through storefronts) so I haven't had a huge issue yet, but I am always nervous 😟
In all my time buying figures on ebay I've only been burned once and ironically it was a seller in the US, not China like you'd expect. Considering I have quite a few figures that's a pretty good track record. Ebay gets a bad reputation in the figure community that it really doesn't deserve as long as you inspect a listing carefully for any clues it could be fake.
Thanks for the video. Sometimes buying is a bit lottery. Two weeks ago I bought a nendoroid of Renge Miyauchi from Non Non Biyori on MyFigureCollection and I was really happy that I finally found her for a tolerable price. And now GSC offers her and all other girls from the show for a pre-order completely new ones for about a half price that I paid for her. My happiness felt down a bit but not too much. It's not such a tragedy. 🙂
Figmas FTW. Just love the details size and general price. Some scales are nice but the size can really clog the display case however if going large i really love the Real Action Heroes. Great video in general and good to see more people coming out talking about figures.
Only thing I dislike about Figmas is they can be finicky. Since you can't lock their joints into place as well as something like a Nendoroid it's not uncommon to fiddle with them for hours to get just the right pose and then you slightly nudge some piece with your finger and it's back to step one trying to reset that joint without messing any others up. I appreciate how poseable they are but sometimes that's a double-edged sword.
My Fire Emblem Lyn figure will be my first preorder (and order overall) from AmiAmi. Including shipping for AmiAmi, they're are slightly cheaper options from Crunchyroll and Ukiyo Kumo, who offer free shipping onorders over $100 (shoutout to Ukiyo tho, their shipping for in stock items is super fast and packaging is top tier!). Why I'm sticking with AmiAmi is that it comes directly from the manufacturer, and they are very reliable with getting stock. Crunchyroll and Ukiyo Kumo may have open preorders, but not only do they come out a month or more after release, but I'm terrified of that order cancellation email if they over pre-ordered and understocked. To anyone like me who scours for that cheaper option, sometimes its better to go with the more reliable one, in my experience. Of course, money is always an issue, but I'd rather know I'm getting my figure for like $20-$30 more, then drown in worry that I won't get it at all. Best of luck to all figure collectors, may you get all your favorites :)
Also only buy what you actually want, not deals or a figure to make up a group even if you do not like it. I've got three Madoka Magica figures and thats all I wanted, Ultimate Madoka but with a broken full flowered bow, (which seems a regular problem with this figure) so I use the regular bow, Homura with a bow and the red head, (cant remember her name :S ) with her spear.
Awesome video ! I currently collect all types of figures from prize to scale but have been trying to be more mindful with what I buy since I’ve been getting into statue or resin collecting which is even pricer than scale figures. Lol also having the space is sometimes an issue so scaling back in my purchases has helped a lot !
Your video is exactly what I was looking for! :D I am at my very beginning of collecting figurines. In fact I haven´t even bought any figures yet but for about a year now I really want to get into collecting some but I never really knew how and where to start. Again your video really is perfect for me and I just watched a few of your other videos aswell cause they´re really well preduced! :) So thank you and keep up your great work!
There's a few factors I keep in mind when considering a pre-order is. 1. Price. If I had the money and this was out right now would I hesitate buying it? Or in other words if this wasn't a pre-order would I be so eager? 2. Rarity and demand. If I don't pre-order will I be able to buy this figure for a reasonable price afterward? We've seen it happen with the likes of the KDcolle Vladilena Milizé where after predorders it's nowhere to be found on the market and the ones you do find are marked up considerably due to rarity. If you really, really want a figure and you suspect you won't be able to find it easily in the future it might be worth a pre-order. 3. Time, am I willing to wait the specified amount of time for the figure's release? Some figures are released within a few months but some are a year plus, is the wait worth it? Or am I better off spending my money now on something else I want and finally "Wishabillity" How much do I want this figure? Is it enough to justify a pre-order? Or am I sort of 50/50.
BiCute Bunnies, elCOCO and Artist Masterpiece/AMP+ are few of the lines that competes with the pricey scaled figures with good quality/prepainted and scaled!
I see Mashu and Nero (bride ver at that!) in the background... a very cultured person indeed (Umu!). Thank you for the helpful tips and insights for the figures!
This video was so useful, I’m brand new to this hobby and kind of a bit lost, I’ve ordered two 1/4 scale Berserk statues from Prime1Studios, one 1/8 Scale Demon Slayer Rengoku statue, two 1/8 scale Seven Deadly Sins statues, then I’ve just bought 6 Demon Slayer Nendroid’s, 3 Demon Slayer Pop Up Parade figures & 3 Seven Deadly Sins Pop Up Parade figures. I think I’m going to try stick to the Nendroid’s & Pop Up Parades, I really like the look of those, I’m mainly sticking to characters from the Manga that I’m reading. And I can place these smaller characters in around my Manga & I think it’ll look cool. The larger 1/4 scale I’m only interested in Berserk statues and won’t get many of those. There’s some really nice Demon Slayer statues that look really cool. But this video was so much help, thank you, except for the Berserk statues everything that I bought was from the Big Bad Toy Store, so having other places to look is great. But I did notice the picture of the Fate/Grand Order Avenger (Jeanne d'Arc) 1/7 Scale Figure you had up had the price at $800, it’s on BBTS for $329, I was just looking at it earlier haha, I absolutely love all those Fate statues, there’s so many cool ones on BBTS.
Hiya! A little tip from someone who uses Amazon. The figures tend to be cheaper, but PLEASE check the reviews. I've seen so many figures I've liked, but I looked at the reviews and they were talking about how it was a bootleg. Please make sure you do this, it will help you
I buy exclusively prize/Coreful figures from Amazon and am verrry happy 😊 If they are from Taito, Sega, Furyu, etc odds are they won't be bootleg. The brand name will be on top of the listing so you will know what you're getting.
Key point being PRE ORDER. Once a figure is released its much harder to get a genuine price figure. You can avoid alot of hassle by doing so. Ive gotten lucky in snagging a few figures that had a re-release and at a discounted prize because they weren't as popular but its not a common reoccurrence thats for sure.
Not collected any Anime figures for a few years now, with all my dragons, star trek ships, tanks, planes etc., I tend to go off on tangents then return to add more stuff later, my last figure bought was a AoT Levi figure which without additional costs came in at £99.99 and is still in its box due to lack of room XD. Think my fave figure is Kiritsugu refined from Fate/Zero, so neat and elegant :)
Talking from an experience, buying from amiami is the cheapest but don't forget the customs and extra taxes you have to pay and amiami doesn't decrease the value on the package, while solaris japan are a couple of bucks more expensive (when it comes to new pre orders) but they decrease the value on the shipment so you'll eather pay less taxes or no taxes at all.
I love AmiAmi. btw, you save me in 15:20 because I was going to add the tracking and just found out that my RWBY Weiss figma have new pre-order available at AmiAmi! Thank you
Sorry if you already said this in the video but is eBay a good site to buy preorders from as long as it’s a highly rated seller with good pictures and price? I don’t really know the logistics of shipping and seller handling through eBay and don’t know if it’s a good idea or not. I sometimes hear horror stories about sellers cancelling and taking money. Thank you.
I just want to say thank you soo much for all of these explaination! I just started collecting one piece figure and this help me a lot to differentiate type pf figures :)
I started off with prize figurines then got some nendoroids bit quite pain in ass to keep their accessories. Now im slowly getting scales with my POs BUT probably my last po since the prize of scales are so crazy today 😭
i was looking things up. if anything is from 200 and up you have to pay customs from japan to the usa. if its under then no. also the store Mandarake is on ebay. and ebay is ok, as long it comes from japan, i always put the figure from japan on ebay, and i got alot of legit stuff. also, AmiAmi is also on ebay. i bought things from both companies on ebay, and it was fast shipping and some times free.
Thanks for the tips and advise! I'm a new collector of figurines, and nendoroids and I was wondering good places to look and shop and where to find good ones I appreciate it thank you! 🙏
New to the hobby. My first pre-order figure is a nendroid followed by 2 prize figure available in my country. Impatient me pre-ordered another figure hahahaha I feel like I will regret getting my first 2 prize figure.. Bought with SRP price and the more I look on internet, the quality and my love for them drops lol I do have a question, miku and sonico have a lot of figures. I wonder if my favorite anime&character will also be like them. I found myself drolling watching more than one of their favorite character on their collection.. Also, tempted to buy bunny figures but I will wait komi-San Ver. Oh yeah lastly, Alter Touhou Flanre Scarlet... I want her. I want her.. But I don't know about her lol and the pre-order price I think is too much for newborn anime collector me hahahahahhaha
I also recommend hobby search along with amiami, prices are similar, their packaging is great so you dont have to worry there. I have ordered... way to many figures from them without issue.
This video was really helpful Haley. I live in Ireland so Amazon is where i usually buy stuff and the star ratings helps from buyers. I had my first bad experience from Ebay even though those sellers have great reviews and see how many items they have sold. Ebay customer was able to fill in some of the stuff I didn’t know. The items are actually stored in a warehouse even though the item is new. You can still get the boxes damaged. And the inside item discoloured. My Rei Ayanami from Evangelion unfortunately her legs part were yellow which i was so upset about. So she is hard to get a good one unless it only came out this year or something. Also i did not know price figures, Sega brand and good smile brands are lower in value and quality aswell. Do you have any tips to keep your anime figures from yellowing? I don’t want to do further damage to Rei in cleaning it if there is a safe product please share. Thank you.
I just grab whatever i like when i can, mostly pre owned with amiami but always reliable, get my pre-orders in when i'm attentive enough to keep an eye on whats new. All i got atm is scale figures but i do want to branch into nendroids in the future cause scale figures....they aint cheap 🤣 but this is helpful so thank you 🤭
This is so useful! I really want to get into collecting this but I don't really know anything about that, like I bought a miku figma of *e-bay* for my first figure. BTW I found a lot of 40-60$ miku figmas on amazon, but they might not be legit.
AmiAmi is NEVER cheaper for me. Their shipping is insanely expensive. For example: GoodSmile is flat 16€, Solaris is roughly 20-30€ and Meccha is 15-30€ AmiAmi ? 50-80€ FOR 1 FIGURE
Almost forgot, a nice chunk of figures I got from a friend I made in Japan, he used to include a few freebies with stuff including a nice Asoka figure, was a really nice guy but just lost contact with him.
I'm currently struggling on the new Amy Rose F4F statue for pre-ordering it. It's soooo expensive but it's also excellent quality! What is bugging me is the 3 different version of her statue. One is the standard version where Amy is posing alone with a small standing grass plate with flowers around. The second exclusive version is Amy posing with an Amy Chao on her hand that you could change between the regular arm, still on a small grass plate with flowers around and bonus stickers inside the box. The last definitive edition is Amy posing with an Amy chao on her hand that you could change to the regular arm and 3 normal chao on a second grass plate which consume a larger space BUT WHITOUT FLOWER DETAILS and no bonus stickers (I checked the promotion add twice to be sure). Second and third version are not the same price but both have something the other on don't and it's killing me... I want 3 more chao around her but I also want flowers and stickers... That stinks.
6:35 - I just recently got into figure collecting and looking back at the first month.. that self restraint on pre-ordering and buying stuff on amiami was practially non-existent lol
Hey what are the best sites to typically look at getting a figure from if I missed a pre-order? I'm new to figures and realized I missed the pre-order of a scale figure I really want. Looking at solaris japan has it listed for like $100 over it's initial pre-order, I'm not sure if I should try to pre-order now or if the price would go down as it gets closer to release.
Great video, another tip which I'm sure most people would see, when they go onto one of the websites like AmiAmi. Is they have a point reward system. So the more you buy with a particular online shop. You can use those points to get a discount for an item later.
Yes! Definitely a good point to bring up, I think Tokyo Otaku Mode has always been the most generous with their points system (despite changing it a while back? idk)
I used to collect so many expensive figures, from Hot Toys to Sideshow collectibles premium statues and a lot of expensive anime/gaming figures. I've sold and gave away all my collection 2 years ago, including all my videogame physical collections (consoles etc). I have no collection anymore, empty shelves, no more game collection either. Never felt so free in my life. No more plastic addition
13:30 FR! I've seen someone selling a Miku prize figure (the wondeland rapunzel I think) for OVER 400€ !!! I really hope no one will ever fall for that :((
Great video! And I think I solved the multiple Miku dilemma: One 1:1-scale Miku. Pros: Just use cosplay wear to intended effect. Cons: You may need to counsel your family and visitors on your new 'waifu'. (Your S.O. also may not approve. Tread lightly.)
me sitting here with thousands of dollars of statues after going head first into this hobby lol. bright side is my collection is worth 3 times as much as I paid for them all lol. ooo my 300 dollar kotobukiya just arrived lol
![โอ้เธอช่าง... - บี้เดอะสกา ft. ต๋อง เทวัญ (Prod. by ป๋าเพชร) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zbWhiLFmVL0/mqdefault.jpg)
Pre ordering is probably the most important rule. Aftermarket prices are ridiculous, so make sure you get whatever you want at retail.
are pre order prices higher than after the item is released?
@@alexvn003 most figures tend to at least double in price afterwards and depending on the company as well as popularity of the figure, they may never see a re-release.Pre order prices stay the same when it's in stock but after gg.
@@alexvn003 pre-orders are lower priced, ranging from 15-20% cheaper than retail as per my experience.
@@cheeseninja7743 @MasterSentinel951 thank you! I've decided to preorder them then
question- I ordered a popup parade from amiami a few months ago, when do those usually arrive? [it was in stock]
As a long time collector, price of figure have sky rocket ridiculously for the past 4 years. Nendoroid used to be max at 65 but 65 now is a starting point. High quality are usually 250 -300 max and now they are starting price, it just hurt the wallet too much
Spent most of my time looking at Emilia while the video plays. No regrets.
As u should👌
@@liaavv_4959 same here dude
She's so cute! I love her nendoroid
SAME!!!
me too 😭😭
this guide feels pretty US based so for anyone outside the US don't forget to calculate those awful custom charges to the total price.
Just don’t live outside the u.s
@@holie02 hi! Thank you a lot for this comment! Can you recommend any stores that have warehouses in the EU or perhaps some EU sellers?
@@holie02 Just checked Archonia's prices, you're really just better off paying the tax yourself scales that are more expensive lol.
E: if it doesn't dip above 30+% in your country.
@@holie02 I'm dumb and somehow misread your comment, cheers. Good luck with importing any future orders!
@@NeekoGood Np! haha, are dont call yourself dumb!
Amiami shipping prices can be justified when you order Multiple items. I ordered 1 figure and paid $30 shipping, where as when I ordered 5 figures I paid $65 for shipping. Way better than buying individually
Thanks for the tips!! I'm still considering at the moment and not allowing myself to actually start buying scales (only prizes for now and as few as possible), but tips on "whether to buy or not" would be very helpful... also because I have never owned a scale and haven't seen one in person since like 2.5 years ago, I can't fathom what it feels like to have one and thus I'm not sure how happy it would make me? but I definitely adore surfing on myfigurecollection it's my new haha
Yow once you started with the scale figure collecting, it's hard to turn back. Speaking from experience 😅
I got one after being very skeptical and the quality difference is unfathomable. As long as it's in your budget I definitely recommend getting a scale.
I recommend it but be careful, it's addictive not unlike gambling (or I suppose gacha is a more apt comparison for us). As a collector nothing quite gives you that childlike glee as receiving a new figure in the mail after waiting months for it to be released and finding a place where it looks nice alongside your collection.
But I strongly recommend giving yourself an "allowance" each year of how much you're willing to spend and firmly sticking to not going over that amount (I don't know what your income is like so I can't say what that'd be for you but $750-1500 is probably a reasonable number for a low to middle class income). I've made the mistake in the past of not sticking to that rule and spending unreasonable amounts on figures in pursuit of that almost Christmas morning as a kid like feeling you get when one arrives. The best strategy is to check each quarter what figurines are going to go up for pre-order and plan accordingly. Know what you're going to buy long before you do, otherwise random figures will just pop up without you knowing they were coming and you'll feel the urge to spontaneously buy it because "It's my favorite character and I can go a little bit above what I'm allowing myself right?" rinse, repeat.
@@Goldenkitten1 ouch, too real lol
@@spongeunction Too real but I imagine helpful to a newcomer. I think anyone who collects figures went through that phase of buying them like candy and then regretting it financially later on. Better to know that ahead of time and not run into that pitfall.
I've been collecting for a while, but this actually had some good tips for me as well! The comparison between 1/4 to scale to figma to nendoroid to prize figs was pretty helpful to think about haha. I roughly know what kind of figs I'm into, but it's a good thing to think about when I have several line options. That stock tracking website is also pretty nifty!
I'd love a video about how you decide when to pre-order or not! I seem to have really bad luck with this... I still kick myself for not pre-ordering Elias a few years back haha.
me: *about to click off because i have to leave*
her: “so say you like miku…”
me: *I’M LISTENING*
samee
3:14 Are you implying anime isnt real?
If only 😂
NANI!!!
real life sucks :'(
This hurt me lmao
With this hobby it’s very important to have loyalty over one specific character or anime. Otherwise you turn into pervert or figure junkie
Honestly I’m not even new to figure collecting but even still this was super helpful
Another tip, make sure what you're preordering on AmiAmi is something you're actually going to buy. They are very strict on canceling orders and can shut down your account if you cancel too much. So don't preorder with the mindset "I'll preorder just in case and if I end up not wanting it then I'll cancel"
Idk about other websites and their canceling policies but I know canceling orders on GSC have no repercussions
Another tip I wish I told myself when i first started pre-ordering figures.. if you have the money to pay for the preorder immediately then do it!! Don't be me and leave paying for the figures when they release too much. Especially if you have 5+ figures that are in the same month and suddenly you're $400 down because you put off budgeting.
You know what’s sad? Everyone warned me against eBay and Amazon but it was an anime shop at the fair that scammed me.
ebay isnt even bad tbh, theres a bunch of amazing shops japan based aswell as ppl here from the us, the thing is you have to look at the reviews bc for you to even make a review about the seller it would have to be a verified purchase, not only that ebay has a great refund policy, so for her to even say its a scam without actually putting in the effort to find out more abt it is weird, theres alot of fakes but in the description of the seller it would say from china.
Some of my most prized figures were lucky steals on myfigurecollection, but I always have that moment of "this will be the first one that comes busted up won't it" 🤣
This video came at the perfect time because I just started getting into buying figures. 💜💜💜
Really handy tips in here! 💕 The analogy of building an army definitely made me laugh
6:18 admn the base is so nice is like she is in a bar perfect tho better than transparent depending on people but that one look more aesthetic
Man, Tip 5 is super helpful, truly would have never thought of that hahaha Anyway thank you for sharing your experience/opinions!
What a wonderful video for beginners! The tips on each type of figures and the comparison for price for the amount of figures you can get for each type was amazing!! Keep it up!! ❤️
I feel blessed with all of the Love Live references. I love the series so bad
Very helpful video, thanks! I bought my first figure a few days ago and I was overwhelmed by how complex this world is (I'm specially concerned with fake figures...). I ordered at Solaris Japan. Let's see how it turns out! 🤞
Really wish this video existed when I started my figure collections 5 years ago.
Suffered a bunch of bootlegs in my early months >___>
Thankfully they are individually cheap, so the damage was more from the volume.
Haven’t expanded my army for a while now due to some financial responsibilities, but definitely would come back to collecting a few more again some day.
The only thing I hate about pre-ordering is when the figures get delayed they sometimes all get shoved into the same month.
Yeah kinda annoying as you're going to need reconsider your budget for that month or take more money out of savings to buy all of them. Though sometimes it's a good thing as they maybe able to combine shipping and save a bit of money.
Isn't that a good thing?
You save on shipping.
Honestly, if you think that's a problem because you don't consider money "dedicated" to a pre-order to be money spent, what you have is a budgeting problem.
That is a *really* dangerous way to live your life. And I don't just mean spending for your hobby, I mean your actual life.
Of course, there would be an issue if you have an allowance/trust card that have a finite amount of money you can spend each month that doesn't roll over(I've heard of such problems, though not entirely sure how they are set up and if can be reasoned with). That.... I have no idea how you can get around. I reckon buying things instead from sites that charges you immediately could solve it but... nobody likes doing that either.
Anyway, just about all of my pre-orders from last year have been delayed to this year due to covid, so this year is quite figure dense.
I basically purchased the last figure I think that completed my collection (50 figs in total some scale but mostly prize figures). I know people will say you can never really stop but I'm serious here y'allneed to be really careful on what you buy and think hard. Boy was I really pinched on the figure that I got. It was $900 for a 1/4th Nier automata masterline. Basically don't fall into the rabbit hole like me unless you got a plan and are sure you want to spend your money there.
Just getting into figure collecting to decorate my TH-cam “set”, this was helpful. Thanks a ton.
This was awesome, especially as someone who just got into figure collecting! Buyfriend is going to be a game changer haha, thank you for the tips! 😁
Hello! Just to say that I love your videos, all the edit is fantastic, the audio is on point! Thank you for your content! (I was a nendo/figma collector years back, so it's always a pleasure to see your figures, and to be aware of the novelties thanks to your preorders!)
Amazing tip video!! 😁 I definitely want to see a video where you describe the times you have been burned when buying! I know I buy quite a few figures through ebay (usually prize figures through storefronts) so I haven't had a huge issue yet, but I am always nervous 😟
In all my time buying figures on ebay I've only been burned once and ironically it was a seller in the US, not China like you'd expect. Considering I have quite a few figures that's a pretty good track record. Ebay gets a bad reputation in the figure community that it really doesn't deserve as long as you inspect a listing carefully for any clues it could be fake.
Thanks for the video.
Sometimes buying is a bit lottery. Two weeks ago I bought a nendoroid of Renge Miyauchi from Non Non Biyori on MyFigureCollection and I was really happy that I finally found her for a tolerable price. And now GSC offers her and all other girls from the show for a pre-order completely new ones for about a half price that I paid for her. My happiness felt down a bit but not too much. It's not such a tragedy. 🙂
Thank you! You really helped me with this
I'm laughing about how you said the price at 3:50 and added a picture of like my first figure😂
Figure maintenance is definitely a must next watch 🙏
Just preordered a Canti FLCL figure for June and I’m so pumped
This was very helpful since I'm new to figure collecting! Also stay safe and have a wonderful day :D
i started this hobby as in for anime bunny 1/4 scale a little late but this girl Daijoububu looks so pretty. I love her bangs.
Great video!! And the art in the background is just too perfect 👌
Figmas FTW.
Just love the details size and general price. Some scales are nice but the size can really clog the display case however if going large i really love the Real Action Heroes. Great video in general and good to see more people coming out talking about figures.
Only thing I dislike about Figmas is they can be finicky. Since you can't lock their joints into place as well as something like a Nendoroid it's not uncommon to fiddle with them for hours to get just the right pose and then you slightly nudge some piece with your finger and it's back to step one trying to reset that joint without messing any others up. I appreciate how poseable they are but sometimes that's a double-edged sword.
My Fire Emblem Lyn figure will be my first preorder (and order overall) from AmiAmi. Including shipping for AmiAmi, they're are slightly cheaper options from Crunchyroll and Ukiyo Kumo, who offer free shipping onorders over $100 (shoutout to Ukiyo tho, their shipping for in stock items is super fast and packaging is top tier!). Why I'm sticking with AmiAmi is that it comes directly from the manufacturer, and they are very reliable with getting stock. Crunchyroll and Ukiyo Kumo may have open preorders, but not only do they come out a month or more after release, but I'm terrified of that order cancellation email if they over pre-ordered and understocked.
To anyone like me who scours for that cheaper option, sometimes its better to go with the more reliable one, in my experience. Of course, money is always an issue, but I'd rather know I'm getting my figure for like $20-$30 more, then drown in worry that I won't get it at all. Best of luck to all figure collectors, may you get all your favorites :)
Also only buy what you actually want, not deals or a figure to make up a group even if you do not like it. I've got three Madoka Magica figures and thats all I wanted, Ultimate Madoka but with a broken full flowered bow, (which seems a regular problem with this figure) so I use the regular bow, Homura with a bow and the red head, (cant remember her name :S ) with her spear.
so helpful thank u >__< been collecting for about a year but haven't felt very confident with buying from certain manufacturers so this was great
Pop up parade figs are a nice starting point !
you just earned a subscriber because of your kamifox shirt. Loved the shirt, and the tips :)
Thank you for this video! Just got into figure collecting recently, it's nice to have some good tips :)
Glad you liked the tips!
Awesome video ! I currently collect all types of figures from prize to scale but have been trying to be more mindful with what I buy since I’ve been getting into statue or resin collecting which is even pricer than scale figures. Lol also having the space is sometimes an issue so scaling back in my purchases has helped a lot !
Your video is exactly what I was looking for! :D
I am at my very beginning of collecting figurines. In fact I haven´t even bought any figures yet but for about a year now I really want to get into collecting some but I never really knew how and where to start. Again your video really is perfect for me and I just watched a few of your other videos aswell cause they´re really well preduced! :)
So thank you and keep up your great work!
There's a few factors I keep in mind when considering a pre-order is. 1. Price. If I had the money and this was out right now would I hesitate buying it? Or in other words if this wasn't a pre-order would I be so eager? 2. Rarity and demand. If I don't pre-order will I be able to buy this figure for a reasonable price afterward? We've seen it happen with the likes of the KDcolle Vladilena Milizé where after predorders it's nowhere to be found on the market and the ones you do find are marked up considerably due to rarity. If you really, really want a figure and you suspect you won't be able to find it easily in the future it might be worth a pre-order. 3. Time, am I willing to wait the specified amount of time for the figure's release? Some figures are released within a few months but some are a year plus, is the wait worth it? Or am I better off spending my money now on something else I want and finally "Wishabillity" How much do I want this figure? Is it enough to justify a pre-order? Or am I sort of 50/50.
BiCute Bunnies, elCOCO and Artist Masterpiece/AMP+ are few of the lines that competes with the pricey scaled figures with good quality/prepainted and scaled!
Ahhh i never knew about Buyfriend. That’s new to me, thanks for the tips!
I see Mashu and Nero (bride ver at that!) in the background... a very cultured person indeed (Umu!). Thank you for the helpful tips and insights for the figures!
This video was so useful, I’m brand new to this hobby and kind of a bit lost, I’ve ordered two 1/4 scale Berserk statues from Prime1Studios, one 1/8 Scale Demon Slayer Rengoku statue, two 1/8 scale Seven Deadly Sins statues, then I’ve just bought 6 Demon Slayer Nendroid’s, 3 Demon Slayer Pop Up Parade figures & 3 Seven Deadly Sins Pop Up Parade figures.
I think I’m going to try stick to the Nendroid’s & Pop Up Parades, I really like the look of those, I’m mainly sticking to characters from the Manga that I’m reading. And I can place these smaller characters in around my Manga & I think it’ll look cool. The larger 1/4 scale I’m only interested in Berserk statues and won’t get many of those. There’s some really nice Demon Slayer statues that look really cool.
But this video was so much help, thank you, except for the Berserk statues everything that I bought was from the Big Bad Toy Store, so having other places to look is great. But I did notice the picture of the Fate/Grand Order Avenger (Jeanne d'Arc) 1/7 Scale Figure you had up had the price at $800, it’s on BBTS for $329, I was just looking at it earlier haha, I absolutely love all those Fate statues, there’s so many cool ones on BBTS.
Thank you so much. This helped a lot ✨you are amazing 💕
Hiya! A little tip from someone who uses Amazon. The figures tend to be cheaper, but PLEASE check the reviews. I've seen so many figures I've liked, but I looked at the reviews and they were talking about how it was a bootleg. Please make sure you do this, it will help you
I love your Kasumi figurine!
I buy exclusively prize/Coreful figures from Amazon and am verrry happy 😊 If they are from Taito, Sega, Furyu, etc odds are they won't be bootleg. The brand name will be on top of the listing so you will know what you're getting.
Key point being PRE ORDER.
Once a figure is released its much harder to get a genuine price figure. You can avoid alot of hassle by doing so.
Ive gotten lucky in snagging a few figures that had a re-release and at a discounted prize because they weren't as popular but its not a common reoccurrence thats for sure.
Thanks for the great info.. Planning to collect anime figures, great help for start up..
Not collected any Anime figures for a few years now, with all my dragons, star trek ships, tanks, planes etc., I tend to go off on tangents then return to add more stuff later, my last figure bought was a AoT Levi figure which without additional costs came in at £99.99 and is still in its box due to lack of room XD. Think my fave figure is Kiritsugu refined from Fate/Zero, so neat and elegant :)
Me: *done window shopping online shops for figurines*
TH-cam Recommendation: *hey*
Your video is so complete ! Thank you so much you’re really helping 🥺💕
Talking from an experience, buying from amiami is the cheapest but don't forget the customs and extra taxes you have to pay and amiami doesn't decrease the value on the package, while solaris japan are a couple of bucks more expensive (when it comes to new pre orders) but they decrease the value on the shipment so you'll eather pay less taxes or no taxes at all.
I know nothing about any of this but love these videos
I just pre ordered zero two in the white bunny suite and I’m so excited
Great video / info. New to the hobby so I appreciate the tips!
I love AmiAmi. btw, you save me in 15:20 because I was going to add the tracking and just found out that my RWBY Weiss figma have new pre-order available at AmiAmi! Thank you
Sorry if you already said this in the video but is eBay a good site to buy preorders from as long as it’s a highly rated seller with good pictures and price? I don’t really know the logistics of shipping and seller handling through eBay and don’t know if it’s a good idea or not. I sometimes hear horror stories about sellers cancelling and taking money. Thank you.
Your collections are amazing! Thank you for the video!
I just want to say thank you soo much for all of these explaination! I just started collecting one piece figure and this help me a lot to differentiate type pf figures :)
I started off with prize figurines then got some nendoroids bit quite pain in ass to keep their accessories.
Now im slowly getting scales with my POs BUT probably my last po since the prize of scales are so crazy today 😭
Hello random question should you take your anime figure out the box or keep them in.
Excellent video! You hit some great points, especially about the pre-owned stuff. Added you to MFC. Look forward to more of your videos.
Just got my Xenoblade 2 Kos-Mos figure. Money well spent :)
i was looking things up. if anything is from 200 and up you have to pay customs from japan to the usa. if its under then no. also the store Mandarake is on ebay. and ebay is ok, as long it comes from japan, i always put the figure from japan on ebay, and i got alot of legit stuff. also, AmiAmi is also on ebay. i bought things from both companies on ebay, and it was fast shipping and some times free.
Thanks for the tips and advise! I'm a new collector of figurines, and nendoroids and I was wondering good places to look and shop and where to find good ones I appreciate it thank you! 🙏
I think TOM is probably the best place, specially if you get the annual premium, saves you hundreds.
i just got mine :D ... banpresto gohan/goku ui sign/android 18 ...thank you for the tips :D SUBS!!
New to the hobby. My first pre-order figure is a nendroid followed by 2 prize figure available in my country. Impatient me pre-ordered another figure hahahaha I feel like I will regret getting my first 2 prize figure.. Bought with SRP price and the more I look on internet, the quality and my love for them drops lol
I do have a question, miku and sonico have a lot of figures. I wonder if my favorite anime&character will also be like them. I found myself drolling watching more than one of their favorite character on their collection.. Also, tempted to buy bunny figures but I will wait komi-San Ver. Oh yeah lastly, Alter Touhou Flanre Scarlet... I want her. I want her.. But I don't know about her lol and the pre-order price I think is too much for newborn anime collector me hahahahahhaha
I also recommend hobby search along with amiami, prices are similar, their packaging is great so you dont have to worry there. I have ordered... way to many figures from them without issue.
Thanks for the suggestion! I actually have an upcoming order from them for something I missed the preorder for on AmiAmi 👀
I've had pretty good experience with finding older / retro figures on mercari and ebay
This video was really helpful Haley. I live in Ireland so Amazon is where i usually buy stuff and the star ratings helps from buyers. I had my first bad experience from Ebay even though those sellers have great reviews and see how many items they have sold. Ebay customer was able to fill in some of the stuff I didn’t know. The items are actually stored in a warehouse even though the item is new. You can still get the boxes damaged. And the inside item discoloured. My Rei Ayanami from Evangelion unfortunately her legs part were yellow which i was so upset about. So she is hard to get a good one unless it only came out this year or something. Also i did not know price figures, Sega brand and good smile brands are lower in value and quality aswell. Do you have any tips to keep your anime figures from yellowing? I don’t want to do further damage to Rei in cleaning it if there is a safe product please share. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the tips!
great video! and oh man can I relate to that Cyberpunk pre order haha worst pre order of my life
Ty for the tips, the frist one is really really good
I just grab whatever i like when i can, mostly pre owned with amiami but always reliable, get my pre-orders in when i'm attentive enough to keep an eye on whats new. All i got atm is scale figures but i do want to branch into nendroids in the future cause scale figures....they aint cheap 🤣 but this is helpful so thank you 🤭
your collection is beautifull, love it :)
Another great video, so many good tips :)
Don't forget the Popup parade line! Wish this was a thing when I first started collecting haha
Great information, thanks!
This is so useful! I really want to get into collecting this but I don't really know anything about that, like I bought a miku figma of *e-bay* for my first figure.
BTW I found a lot of 40-60$ miku figmas on amazon, but they might not be legit.
AmiAmi is NEVER cheaper for me. Their shipping is insanely expensive. For example: GoodSmile is flat 16€, Solaris is roughly 20-30€ and Meccha is 15-30€ AmiAmi ? 50-80€ FOR 1 FIGURE
Almost forgot, a nice chunk of figures I got from a friend I made in Japan, he used to include a few freebies with stuff including a nice Asoka figure, was a really nice guy but just lost contact with him.
I'm currently struggling on the new Amy Rose F4F statue for pre-ordering it.
It's soooo expensive but it's also excellent quality!
What is bugging me is the 3 different version of her statue.
One is the standard version where Amy is posing alone with a small standing grass plate with flowers around.
The second exclusive version is Amy posing with an Amy Chao on her hand that you could change between the regular arm, still on a small grass plate with flowers around and bonus stickers inside the box.
The last definitive edition is Amy posing with an Amy chao on her hand that you could change to the regular arm and 3 normal chao on a second grass plate which consume a larger space BUT WHITOUT FLOWER DETAILS and no bonus stickers (I checked the promotion add twice to be sure).
Second and third version are not the same price but both have something the other on don't and it's killing me...
I want 3 more chao around her but I also want flowers and stickers...
That stinks.
6:35 - I just recently got into figure collecting and looking back at the first month.. that self restraint on pre-ordering and buying stuff on amiami was practially non-existent lol
Hey what are the best sites to typically look at getting a figure from if I missed a pre-order? I'm new to figures and realized I missed the pre-order of a scale figure I really want. Looking at solaris japan has it listed for like $100 over it's initial pre-order, I'm not sure if I should try to pre-order now or if the price would go down as it gets closer to release.
Great video, another tip which I'm sure most people would see, when they go onto one of the websites like AmiAmi. Is they have a point reward system. So the more you buy with a particular online shop. You can use those points to get a discount for an item later.
Yes! Definitely a good point to bring up, I think Tokyo Otaku Mode has always been the most generous with their points system (despite changing it a while back? idk)
I used to collect so many expensive figures, from Hot Toys to Sideshow collectibles premium statues and a lot of expensive anime/gaming figures. I've sold and gave away all my collection 2 years ago, including all my videogame physical collections (consoles etc). I have no collection anymore, empty shelves, no more game collection either.
Never felt so free in my life. No more plastic addition
13:30 FR! I've seen someone selling a Miku prize figure (the wondeland rapunzel I think) for OVER 400€ !!! I really hope no one will ever fall for that :((
Thanks for this the first one tip is what i needed
Great video! And I think I solved the multiple Miku dilemma: One 1:1-scale Miku.
Pros: Just use cosplay wear to intended effect.
Cons: You may need to counsel your family and visitors on your new 'waifu'. (Your S.O. also may not approve. Tread lightly.)
I’m waiting 8 months for the FREEing b-style Taiga 1/4, don’t know the shipping price yet 😅
me sitting here with thousands of dollars of statues after going head first into this hobby lol. bright side is my collection is worth 3 times as much as I paid for them all lol. ooo my 300 dollar kotobukiya just arrived lol