Do any of you have experience buying Figmas? Advice needed

[HelloGoodbye]

Hi all!  So I have been looking into buying a Figma figure lately, and after doing some research, I'm more than a bit intimidated.  I've been looking at the Attack on Titan figures on pre-order, especially a limited edition one of my favorite character.  The fact that I have to pay in Yen is a little intimidating to me, because I'd be worried about doing the conversion right.  I'd kind of rather buy one on eBay or Amazon after they come out, but I'm worried that there will be a massive price mark up (especially on the limited edition Armin one).  I was also thinking about trying to find one at the anime convention I am attending in a few months, but things are always massively expensive at conventions...  I have also read that the quality of Figmas can be a bit spotty. 

Have any of you purchased a Figma?  Did you buy it directly from the website, or second hand?  Any advice?  I really love the look of these figures, but they're pretty pricey and I want to make sure I do this right.  Thanks!

I hope this is the right place to put this, by the way?  Would off topic be better? 

[melipuffles]

I buy figmas mainly from AmiAmi/HLJ etc, but if you're going for the limited edition ones, you're best buying from the official website. Paypal does the conversion directly for you! If you type in, say, 4,500 yen, it will convert it for you.

I wouldn't buy them off eBay/Amazon not only because of price mark ups, but because eBay and Amazon are known for having bootlegs, and a good majority of figmas get bootlegged.

I don't know how lucky you'd get finding a limited edition at a convention, I've had bad luck with that, I think that if you *really* want a particular one, your best bet is really to just order it online, from the goodsmile online shop.

I've had no quality problems with the ones I've got! I love them! They are kind of fragile, but that's because they are small and have tiny joints...if you're gentle with them, they are fine. =)

Hope you're able to get Armin!

[HelloGoodbye]

Thank you for the advice!  I'm still thinking about it (since it is a pretty good amount of cash, especially with shipping!), but I wanted to have all of the information first.  That is good advice about the bootlegs, I hadn't thought of that.  I'm glad I know now, though, so I won't end up with one!  Have you ever ordered from the good smile shop?  The instructions on the site made it seem kind of tricky.

I'm still kind of torn between Armin and Levi, but since Levi isn't limited edition, I thought I would try to grab Armin first and deal with Levi (and Eren!) later.  I love your signature and avatar, by the way!!

[melipuffles]

Thank you for the advice!  I'm still thinking about it (since it is a pretty good amount of cash, especially with shipping!), but I wanted to have all of the information first.  That is good advice about the bootlegs, I hadn't thought of that.  I'm glad I know now, though, so I won't end up with one!  Have you ever ordered from the good smile shop?  The instructions on the site made it seem kind of tricky.

I'm still kind of torn between Armin and Levi, but since Levi isn't limited edition, I thought I would try to grab Armin first and deal with Levi (and Eren!) later.  I love your signature and avatar, by the way!!

You're welcome! I've ordered from the good smile shop twice....one for a special edition tachikoma nendoroid (from cheerful Japan), and one for Snow Miku....for the tachikoma I had to pay right away because I used a credit card,  but snow miku I had to pay when she was released since I used PayPal. I'm not sure how their wonderfest exclusives work, but if you're paying with PayPal, they ideally shouldn't charge you till he's released.. (If they work the same as the normal orders). The site is a little weird and the English isn't the greatest, but PayPal is pretty straightforward. Just add to cart, order, and "pay", it then pulls the money when he's ready to be shipped!
 I have *all* the AoT figmas preordered, except Armin ATM, but I might have to get Mikasa later. Levi is my #1 favorite, so I had his figures preordered asap xD.

Eren and Levi will probably be easier to find at cons, Levi being the harder of the two since he's apparently one of the most popular characters based on polls. I'd say preorder Armin first. Wonderfest exclusives are always harder to get later!

Also, thanks!
Sorry about the text in this response, I'm on my tablet, lol.

[Radiance]

Crunchyroll is also a good place to get figmas, and you don't have to pay for international shipping! I've also bought from Ami Ami and Hobby Link Japan. Do try to avoid ebay though. Bootlegs are all over ebay and not only are they damaging to the figure hobby by ripping off the original artists the quality really sucks! Sloppy paint and they fall apart easily. I was duped into buying a bootleg figma Madoka but luckily Paypal sided with my & I got my $$ back. I'll never buy another figure from ebay!

[melipuffles]

Crunchyroll is also a good place to get figmas, and you don't have to pay for international shipping! I've also bought from Ami Ami and Hobby Link Japan. Do try to avoid ebay though. Bootlegs are all over ebay and not only are they damaging to the figure hobby by ripping off the original artists the quality really sucks! Sloppy paint and they fall apart easily. I was duped into buying a bootleg figma Madoka but luckily Paypal sided with my & I got my $$ back. I'll never buy another figure from ebay!

I love that Crunchyroll sells figmas as well, but idk if they're going to sell the WonderFest exclusives, and AmiAmi and HLJ are amazing sites, HLJ I prefer because they don't have a penalty for canceling preordered items before the release date.

 My first ever nendoroid was a bootleg Yoko from Gurren Lagann...and she was AWFUL. She fell apart, her face was shiny and just looked very plastic-y, her arms would not stay put and were bendy for some reason...ugh. I purchased her in person in Chinatown when I lived in NYC, but I wasn't too good at identifying booties back then. I've gotten so much better at it now, they're pretty easy to spot in person when you know what to look for!! People at conventions also sell bootlegs too sometimes, which makes me angry! > They really are utterly terrible quality. eBay kind of stinks because usually they will just have a stock photo and you can never really tell....

 One thing to look for though, since eBay won't let you sell a bootleg item and say it's authentic (you can get your money back for the false advertising) most bootleg sellers will go out of their way to NOT write "official/ authentic/ real product" etc. If they do, and the price seems right, it's a pretty good chance it's not a bootie.
The other thing being that a lot of bootleg sellers that are located in China will list them as "Chinese version" which is a dead giveaway that it's fake.

[iluvponiez]

I also recommend checking Mandarake. They sell a lot of used figures, but Japan's idea of 'used' figures is often 100% new and taken out of the package once. I've gotten a few of my Figma and Super Action Statues there for a fraction of the price just because the box was dented.

[melipuffles]

I also recommend checking Mandarake. They sell a lot of used figures, but Japan's idea of 'used' figures is often 100% new and taken out of the package once. I've gotten a few of my Figma and Super Action Statues there for a fraction of the price just because the box was dented.

 Yes, definitely this, or "box is slightly yellowed from being in a store's window".

[HelloGoodbye]

Oooh!  Good tips, guys!  I was looking at Crunchy Roll earlier for Levi, and then my friend told me about Armin and I had an "oh my gosh, I need it!" moment.  I'm going to try to get him as part of the actual event, but if I miss out I'll probably stalk Mandarake for him.  On a side note, I never realized how much shipping from Japan will be!  I checked, and it is a pretty significant chunk of change.

[melipuffles]

Oooh!  Good tips, guys!  I was looking at Crunchy Roll earlier for Levi, and then my friend told me about Armin and I had an "oh my gosh, I need it!" moment.  I'm going to try to get him as part of the actual event, but if I miss out I'll probably stalk Mandarake for him.  On a side note, I never realized how much shipping from Japan will be!  I checked, and it is a pretty significant chunk of change.

That's mainly because goodsmile's online shop forces EMS shipping, which is very expensive but the safest method. I use SAL shipping because it's very cheap but also has no tracking, unfortunately.

[HelloGoodbye]

So that's why it is so much!  I think Armin is something like 4500 yen, and the shipping is 2000 yen.  That is almost half the cost of the figure itself!  I think it will be worth it, though, because I know it is a figure that I will really adore owning, and I will be sad if I miss out on getting him just to take a gamble on finding him second hand.

[melipuffles]

So that's why it is so much!  I think Armin is something like 4500 yen, and the shipping is 2000 yen.  That is almost half the cost of the figure itself!  I think it will be worth it, though, because I know it is a figure that I will really adore owning, and I will be sad if I miss out on getting him just to take a gamble on finding him second hand.

I think the extra cost of shipping does put your mind at ease, but it's not always affordable, especially for someone who collects a bunch!
I definitely agree that he's worth it though, especially seeing the amount exclusives go for secondhand!

[Radiance]

I totally forgot about Mandrake! I've never bought figures from them, but I have bought two very rare, limited ball jointed dolls for about half their original retail price, let alone the secondary market markup! Mandrake is great

Here's the real Madoka off to save the world! Figmas are such fun!
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[HelloGoodbye]

Radiance, that is an awesome Figma!  I'm so excited to order one, even though it won't arrive until about July.

[Bow Tie]

I try not buy my figures off of EBay due to high volumes of bootlegs. I usually get mine at cons, but if I were to order online, it would be through Mandarake, AmiAmi, GSC or myfigurecollection.net. I almost nabbed a $100 figure for around $25-30 before shipping on mandarake, but bills come first. I wish you luck with ordering the figure! Sometimes you just have to pay a little more for something you really want. With how popular SnK is, there'll be high demand and the prices, especially for limited editions, will sky rocket. I've seen it happen with Limited Edition Disney dolls. Oh man. Here's my only figma. My sweetie Kirino! Kirino is really the only anime character I collect figures of, but I know there are a few other figures I'd love to pick up. I usually go for the Sega figures because they range between $20-$30. Much better than $70-$100+ for 1/8 figures. ><

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I do need to change her up a bit. I need her big personality to shine!