How Many Anime Figures Do You Buy

Collecting anime figures, as well known every bit statues or figurines, can come across as a daunting hobby. For quite some time, it's carried with it a stigma strongly associated with the nearly negative concepts of a nerd, or rather anotakustereotype. And, despite the Japanese animation popularity boom sweeping away this stigma, whether because of classic mainstay Ghibli titles or more recent hits likeDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃), the barrier to entry for figure collecting can withal feel toweringly high.

So what scares potential collectors away, if not the culture? Probably, it's because it'south only so gosh-darn expensive!

Or, at least, that'southward what one might retrieve.

The Scary Expense of Collecting Anime Figures

The anime (or video game and manga) figure collecting scene tends to plow a few heads when the toll tag enters the moving-picture show. Premium effigy releases for popular series and characters can starting time at the ¥10,000 and get up from there. For instance, the currently-airing My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU'due south (やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。) Yui Yuigahama or Sword Art Online's (ソードアート・オンライン) 10th-anniversary Kirito and Asuna, offer preorder periods months ahead of release and retail at the ¥10,000–¥40,000 price range, and can even justify television advert. Fifty-fifty if some lower-premium-class models aren't quite this expensive, spotting price tags like these online or on the shelf of a brick-and-mortar retailer like Animate can brand it difficult to blame someone for not feeling enthusiastic almost the hobby.

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  © Luca Denser

Animate is a pop destination for fans looking for new anime-related goods. If you await closely at the shop sign in the right half of the left photo, you'll likewise find a Lashinbang (らしんばん) on the 2nd floor, simply we'll get more into that later.

Hidden Costs of Anime Figures at Arcades

With all this said, purchasing figures at retail value is non the just way to pick up new releases, though the alternatives tin be only equally scary. If you're familiar with the Japanese arcade scene, you've probably seen the countless rows of crane games (chosen "UFO catchers" in Japanese) that line an arcade'south various floors for, mostly, ¥100 a attempt. Or maybe yous might exist familiar with the multiple raffle systems at Japanese arcades, retailers, and convenience stores that guarantee a random prize for a fee of ¥500–¥one,000. While ¥100 or ¥500 may seem like a far cry from the thousands yous'd be spending on some new figures at retail, these systems are designed to go you coming back and can be deceptively expensive over fourth dimension. (Square Enix certainly made a profit off my married woman's shelf of FF7R Ichiban Kuji raffle appurtenances…).

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Like these found in Den Den Town, many arcades in Nihon are lined with crane games filled with figures and other memorabilia. © Luca Denser

Only for those who aren't willing to invest their life's savings into collecting figures, there's some other option: purchase used!

3 Tips for Saving Money on Used Anime Figures

Collecting anime figures becomes a feasible hobby if you opt for the secondhand alternative, which provides a hugely accessible avenue for getting into the collecting scene. To pros, this tip may seem obvious, or even heretical to some. However, it'southward worth noting for any aspiring collector, casual or not, that in that location are three specific ways y'all can adjust your searching habits while on the hunt for figures in Japan. While none of these are "secrets," per se, keeping these three points in mind volition help you remainder your wants with your wallet.

i) Locate Stores that Sell Low

First and foremost, yous need to know where to await. There are numerous pop chains in Japan that either specializes in or are especially popular for their pick of used figures. Lashinbang has been my go-to shop, simply there are numerous large chains with a focus on otaku goods with reasonable prices, such as Mandarake, Sofmap, and Surugaya. While Tokyo's Akihabara and Osaka'due south Den Den Town are peculiarly well-known for both these sorts of chains and smaller mom-and-pop stores, y'all can discover Lashinbang located all over Japan. All of these stores sell a diverseness of anime-related appurtenances.

Knowing where to look for collectibles alone volition be plenty to get you started. But, every bit I mentioned in our article on collecting retro games in Japan, Japan also has no shortage of big, secondhand bondage that sell items well beyond collectibles. Book Off and Difficult Off are two such examples. Less-specialized stores like these, which sell a bit of annihilation and everything, can sometimes have the all-time, albeit virtually hidden, gems for those willing to do a bit of digging.

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While not all Book Offs sell figures, they are the ones that do tend to have competitive prices if you're willing to get treasure hunting (which is half the fun, really!).

Most of these stores, specialized or not, have some sort of online storefront as well, and numerous other websites allow you to purchase directly from individual sellers, such equally Yahoo Auctions and Mercari. Yet, while these can exist the most economical pick, they're non quite the virtually friendly option if yous're a curt-term visitor.

Okay, just later you've found the location, what's the side by side stride?

two) Decide What Quality You lot're Looking For

Once you know where to look, it goes without saying that you lot need to know what to await for. Like enthusiasts of many hobbies, anime effigy enthusiasts naturally have a greater business organization for more minute details. These details I mention refer not simply to the make of the effigy but the quality of its preservation. Is information technology missing the original box? Does it accept a few scuffs? Is it outright broken and in need of some glue? Each of these faults can have an exponential touch on on the last selling price. While some may feel it is worth paying premium rates for a effigy in mint condition, you demand to decide how much these details mean to you lot.

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If you're an anime fan, you may be able to identify at least a few of these characters for sale at ¥1,000 cost points. (Don't worry about Madoka's seemingly mangled body; many figures are designed to snap together.)

Many casual collectors out there are only interested in displaying their figures, not in preserving or reselling them. I am certainly one of them, and wouldn't normally go out of my way to purchase a damaged figurine despite the significant toll cuts they warrant. All the same, I would be more than happy to buy an anime figure without a box if it means spending less.

By opening up your search to figures that don't have their original packaging, y'all have more options to look at through the walls, racks, and bins of used models sold in bulk at stores like Book Off, as pictured higher up.

3) Keep an Open Mind When Browsing for Characters

The final, and peradventure near subjective point, is setting expectations for what anime characters to look for. Though the cost of a given anime'southward license and high-quality production standards of premium manufacturers may consequence in the high retail cost, information technology's the character's popularity that determines its later on market value, especially in the used-effigy scene. High prices derived from this phenomenon can take two distinct forms: 1) pop anime characters sold by well-known brands demand a premium fee; ii) fewer goods are produced for a less pop anime results in more proportional demand.

For instance, here are a few listings from online shopping sites Mercari and Amazon for cost variance y'all tin expect due to character premiums or downright scarcity.

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Asuna (left) and Asuka (right) from Sword Fine art Online and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Not only do the market prices for figures from the same manufacturer, Modify, differ by character, but also past pose/version.

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Rakka from the cult classic, Haibane Renmei. This particular effigy is so rare, in that location weren't even any agile Yahoo Auctions or Mercari listings at the fourth dimension of writing, so potential online buyers would be express to sites like Amazon.

The trick is to find a happy medium. Find a series or character you like that is popular enough to warrant a big production of those collectible goods to avoid bidding wars, only not so popular that it demands a premium. You're probable to notice entire lines of anime figures that fall into these categories, including classic titles like Lupin 3. Be aware that you lot're more probable to come up away with a steal if you're non looking for i particular graphic symbol or series, and that keeping an open mind during your hunt is your best bet. Knowing is half the battle!

Decision: Store Used, Where to Shop, and Spotter for Quality

In the terminate, anime figure collecting is non a scary hobby people tin can get in out to be. If you know where to await, information technology can make for some of the most memorable AND to the lowest degree expensive souvenirs on your next Japan trip! Of course, there is something to be said for the new anime figure-collecting market, whether you have specific figures in mind for your collection or want to back up your favorite serial or artist. For these reasons, I would never actively deter anyone who knows what they're getting into from going "new." Still, opting for secondhand figures can exist a neat compromise for getting into an otherwise seemingly-inaccessible hobby.

Just remember: Shop used, know where to shop, know what quality you lot want, and keep an open listen. Happy hunting!

Source: https://voyapon.com/3-ways-to-save-money-anime-figure-collecting-japan/

Posted by: hayesaltylets.blogspot.com

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