How to Start Collecting Figures

So you want to become a figure collector, eh? Prepare yourself: it's addicting! You tell yourself "just this one..." and then you find yourself ordering another, then another... Soon, you're scrambling for money to make sure you can afford your preorders! (Joking, but not really)

Today's post is dedicated to helping beginner (or intermediate... or advanced, you never know) figure collectors expand their collection. This post will contain where to buy, what to look for price-wise and bootleg-wise, how to organize, and more.

Step One: How Much Are You Willing to Spend?

The most important part to starting any sort of hobby is to figure out how much you're willing to spend. Figures can be very expensive depending on what they're made of, who they're by, and how old they are. Set a budget for yourself. Try very, very hard not to go over your budget. If worse comes to worse, order on a site that allows cancellations so you don't jeopardize your account (HLJ is a great one).

There are many different types of figures... Here are the two most common:

Prize figures (that is, figures you get out of crane machines) tend to be the cheapest. HLJ and AmiAmi usually have these for preorder for around ¥1500-¥2000. They're also the most abundant, so getting them in the after market shouldn't be a problem. These are usually less detailed and not as accurate compared to scaled figures, but again, it varies. I have seen prize figures look just as good as scaled figures. Examples of popular companies include SEGA, FuRyu, and Banpresto's SQ line. Banpresto also has a line called "Ichiban Kuji" where prizes are won through a lottery. Sites don't have these items for preorder, so your best bet is finding these items in the aftermarket.

FuRyu's Sakura Kinomoto

Scaled figures are the most expensive but look the nicest. These are made of ABS or PVC (usually both). Prices vary by company but can also vary by scale. Obviously, 1/10 will be less than 1/4 since the latter is bigger. 1/8 scaled figures tend to be the most common and can range anywhere from ¥6-11,000+ (or more...). Obviously, you are paying for quality- these figures are the most detailed with superb paint and sculpt job. Examples of popular companies include Good Smile Company, Alter, Kotobukiya, and Phat Company.

Alter's Kotori Minami

Just a warning: Just because it's expensive doesn't always mean that it's worth the price or that the final result will turn out amazing. I say this because certain companies are notorious for having amazing prototypes, but terrible end results. Griffon is one of these companies. Their prototype images are beautiful, but the end results are less than stellar. I recommend checking MFC for images!

Step Two: Find a Reliable Site

The second most important step is to find a reliable site to order figures from. I have a list here of all of the 100% reliable sites that I have dealt with and haven't had issues with. Out of the ones listed, my favorites are Hobby Link Japan (HLJ), Hobby Search, and AmiAmi.

HLJ is my favorite for two reasons: private warehouse method and cancellations. When you order an item from HLJ, you can choose to have it sent to the "private warehouse" instead of a shipping method (EMS, SAL, etc.). Once you pay for the order, it'll automatically be sent to your virtual private warehouse and can be stored there for 60 days. It's awesome, especially if you don't have the funds to pay for shipping! You can combine and ship all of your items at once through this method as well, and it tells you how much it will cost. The cancellation method is also the biggest reason why I choose this site over others. I'm very impulsive and tend to order things as soon as I see it, but then regret it days later. HLJ lets you cancel up until they ask for payment. They almost always ask for payment on the day it comes out, so check MFC for release dates!

Experiment with various sites to see which one you like the most. AmiAmi has the most user friendly website layout, but their atrocious shipping prices mask their "cheap" prices. I used them for a long time but I had to switch over. The only thing that I like about them now is their preowned section. This is a fantastic way to get figures for cheap! Hobby Search has the best shipping prices out of the three. It's up to you which one you ultimately choose!

Step Three: DO NOT BUY BOOTLEGS!

Like I mentioned numerous times throughout this post, figures are expensive.

That being said, you might be tempted to head on over to eBay... BUT DO NOT DO THIS!! I cannot stress this enough. eBay is notorious for bootlegs! If you're already planning on spending the money, why not spend it on one that's 100% official and looks good? It's going on display; you don't want to display something that looks like it stepped on a mine in a minefield!

The easiest way to tell if something is a bootleg is where the seller is from. If the eBay seller is from China, it's a bootleg. Don't risk it. Don't buy it. eBay sellers will often post official images as the photos too without even showing what the actual figure looks like! Just please, do me and yourself a favor and avoid eBay. There are so many ways to find figures for cheap.

Another way is to look at the figure if the seller happens to have non-official images posted. Bootlegs have terrible sculpt and paint jobs. Many times, especially in the case of nendoroids, sellers will have multiple boxes for the one nendoroid to showcase all of their "poses." This is obviously unnecessary and a fake.

Honestly, what is this monstrosity?! Poor Sakura...

Finally, check to see if the object has the official seal/sticker on it. Nendoroids usually have this as well as many figures.

Official sticker circled in red

If you're still unsure, check out the figure's page on MFC and click on the "bootleg" tab to see if what you plan on buying is a bootleg.

I do want to say that although eBay is full of bootlegs, there ARE some authentic sellers and products! If you check to see the seller is from Japan and that they have good feedback, you can be sure that what you're buying is authentic! Thank you to ヘンリッケ~ for this ^o^

AmiAmi has a preowned section where you can get figures for less than retail (depending on the item; sometimes a lot more but those are the "rare" ones). Mandarake is also a great site for preowned (or even new) figures as well! You can also check out sellers on MFC and often find good deals on there as well- just be sure to check the feedback.

Step Four: Write Down Your Orders
I highly recommend writing down your orders, either through an Excel spreadsheet, on paper, or through Notes on your computer. Somewhere that you'll check frequently and not forget. It is very easy to forget what you've ordered and how much they cost.

I write down my orders on an Excel spreadsheet and have Sticky Notes open on my laptop. On these, I have all of the months written down, what items I have ordered for each month, how much each item costs, what shipping method I chose (whether individually or as a group order), and what day they come out, if applicable.

Here is an example of my Excel spreadsheet of some orders from last year. Of course, the prices would be filled in on yours:

Step Five: Buy A Display Case!

I'm not lying when I say you're probably going to end up buying more than one figure. It's a very addicting hobby. That being said, you're going to want a place to display it. IKEA has a ton of affordable furniture and they're pretty good quality, so I highly recommend checking them out!

Of course, you are free to put your figures wherever you want, but these are popular cases used by myself and/or figure collectors. I will post various images of display cases with and without glasses, but be warned that if there are no doors, you will have to dust quite often. Figures are not fun to dust, particularly scaled ones, so keep that in mind!

Glass Display Cases

The most popular method of displaying your figures is with a glass display case. It looks sleek, clean, and best of all- little to no dust! These are also the most expensive, but in my opinion, it is worth it. You don't have to dust very often and it makes your room and figures look a whole lot nicer.

Detolf series

Price: $64.99

Where to Buy: IKEA (link to buy HERE)

Color(s): Black-brown, White

It has four shelves and is the most affordable glass display case on the market! This was my first glass display case.
What I think: It is definitely sleek looking, but it is also pretty flimsy. It's glass after all, but when you assemble it, you feel like everything is about to break! The supports don't feel very strong at all. That being said, mine has held up quite fine and I've had it for several months- I've also never heard of a bad Detolf story from any figure collector. These don't offer a lot of room, especially if you don't plan on buying any risers (but I recommend you do), but it's space efficient and cheap so you can't beat that.

Here is an example of my current detolf setup:

Needs to be more organized, so forgive me!

Billy series

Price: varies (left: $169.99, right: $159.99)
Where to Buy: IKEA (link to buy HERE)
Color(s): Birch veneer, Black-brown, Medium Brown, White

The "Billy" series is IKEA's most popular bookcase series. There are several types of models, not just the two I have pictured here, and you can get doors on all of them (or not get doors)!
The only difference between these two are the doors. The bookcase is 79.5" tall and is a standard size for all Billy bookcases.
The one on the left is Billy/Morliden (a Billy bookcase with Morliden glass doors) while the one on the right is Billy/Oxberg (again, Billy bookcase with Oxberg glass doors).

What I think: I actually don't have any of these, however I do plan on buying the one on the left within the next month, so you will be seeing that one in my future Room Tour and Collection posts!

While I don't have a Billy, I do use a bookcase for some of my smaller figures! Here is an example:

Another Option

Kallax series

Price: $64.99 ("high gloss" ones are $89.99)

Where to Buy: IKEA (link to buy HERE)

Color(s): Birch effect, Black-brown, High gloss red, High gloss white, Light Pink, White

I have seen most figure collectors use the Kallax units for books, but you can also use them for figures too! They come in all shapes and sizes and can be attached on the wall as well. I currently have the one pictured above but in white.

What I think: They aren't very big width-wise, but have a LOT of space length-wise! I don't use the two bottom shelves because they get a lot of dust down there, but that's just my personal preference.

Here is an example of what my current setup looks like!

As you can see, risers make all the difference and I'm going to need a LOT more... I also don't like to use the bottom shelves because they get very dusty easily! So they're just storage areas. I use the top of my Kallax for more storage + monthly orders I'm waiting to unbox.

DON'T FORGET THIS!
I recommend this for Detolfs, as I have not tried it for Billy or Kallax furniture (and I don't recommend trying).

Capita legs! These will lift your Detolfs off the ground so you can use the bottom shelf and not worry about dust!
Price: $14.99/4 pack
Where to Buy: IKEA (link to buy HERE)

Final Step: RISERS, RISERS, RISERS
So you have your display case, you have your figures... but maybe you realize that you want them to be organized. Or perhaps you've ran of room.
The solution?
RISERS!

These are LIFE SAVERS. They will make you be able to display more figures AND not make your space look cluttered! You can use whatever you want for risers, but I recommend acrylic risers. They're see-through and make your display look a lot cleaner compared to colored ones- but that's just my opinion!

These ones from The Container Store are my favorite- they're cheap but high quality!

They come in various sizes (smallest is 4x2x2" and the largest is 10x5x5"). Click HERE to browse!

You can also look on eBay for risers as well. Just be sure to check the seller's feedback!

Have any more tips? Feel free to comment below~

Thank you for reading! I hope this was helpful.