Anyone else feel anime figures have got way too expensive?
Maybe it's just me getting old, but I swear figures cost twice what they used to. Pre-orders that were £100-130 a few years back are routinely £180+ now, and once they sell out the aftermarket is brutal. I've been priced out of half my want list for the last year. Some of it is the yen weakening and bouncing back. Some is post-Brexit VAT. Some is just hype cycles I can't keep up with anymore (every season has a new "must-buy" and I can't justify £200 for a character I'd never heard of three months ago). What I'm actually curious about: - Are you spending more than you used to, or have you adjusted what you buy? - Anyone given up on scale figures and gone Pop Up Parade / Nendoroid only? - Anyone holding out for re-releases instead of paying aftermarket? - Or is this just normal collector grumbling and the market's actually fine? Interested in what everyone else is doing, especially anyone who's been at this more than 5 years.
Most people I know who complain about figure prices are buying through UK retailers or UK eBay. That's where you bleed money. If you set up a Buyee account and pull straight from Mandarake or Yahoo Auctions Japan, the same figures cost 30-40% less even after the proxy fee, international shipping, and VAT. It's a pain to learn the workflow but once you have it dialled in, you stop feeling the aftermarket pain because you're sourcing differently to everyone else. Scalpers don't bother flipping on Mercari Japan because the local market won't pay scalper prices. They flip on UK eBay because UK collectors will pay anything to skip the import faff. If you're not already proxying, give it a try. Game changer.
My wallet says yes, my shelf says it's not enough.
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