How to Buy Anime Figures // Retailers, shipping, and how to find the best price!

Hi everyone! I got so much positive feedback about my manufacturer's video that I decided to make another "educational" figure video. In this video, I talk about how I buy my anime figures. I talk about my experiences with Amiami, Mandarake, Solaris Japan, Tokyo Otaku Mode (TOM), Crunchyroll, FUNimation, Good Smile US, and KotoUS. All of these websites guarantee authentic anime figures. I also talk about the different shipping options available on each site and the costs and delivery speed associated with each one (with examples). I also talk about what methods are currently available from each retailer due to shipping restrictions.

I hope you learn a little from this video! Thanks for watching!

WEBSITES MENTIONED (with timestamps)
0:00 - 1:22 Intro
~Japanese Retailers~
** I recently Pre-ordered some figures from TOM (after filming this video) and they let me pick between EMS and Surface parcel at checkout. Since EMS isn't available to Canada right now I'm assuming they would hold my order until it is. Surface parcel was free for my pre-order but it will take 1-4 months.
~American Retailers~
25:53 - 26:48 end
**Correction: In the video, I say that Koto sent the bill for customs but it was actually FedEx that sent the $74 bill

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My Figure Collection:

Thanks for 1800 subscribers, you all mean the world to me!
Gwyn

[theabbynica]

I love that I found a Canadian collector ! It's so nice to hear things in our damn Canadian dollars lol

[weebtairo]

I can answer the question why Japanese website always look like they are still stuck in the 90s. Japanese culture as a whole does not like change very much, that is why communications within companies are still being done by fax machines instead of just emails. Dont get me wrong, everyone uses emails, but if you are sending something formal and want to be seen as professional, they will require you to fax it to them. The lack of want to change the old ways is also why Japanese people still uses stamps as a form of identification/signature. Following by that logic, website look like they are from the 90s simply because to the culture, that is just how professional website is suppose to look. If it aint broken, dont fix it.

[kira]

This video is gonna help me a LOT with collecting. ty 🤣

[niamhr]

Solaris can be expensive but I find buying at the right time is important! I recently saw a figure that looked incredible for around €100 and when there was only 3 days left before she released, they discounted it and it dropped to around €85!
I think their second hand prices are a bit much and are more often than not the same or close brand new.
Also they have a preorder DISCOUNT that lasts usually about a month (depends on release date, so it could be longer) that CONSIDERABLY marks prices down. Eg: Ahri LOL Apex figure? On AmiAmi she's about 180. Solaris? She's below 160 thanks to the preorder discount. They have constant special offer sales too so once you do a lil homework on it Solaris can be a viable option!

[scrubs]

First time figure buyer here - thanks for the overview! I was so confused by all the shipping options on AmiAmi. Ended up going with Solaris for faster shipping and paying up front.

[damiendavila]

Thanks so much! I was scared of ordering from amiami but now I have a better understanding of which shipping method to select.

[nikoladrca]

Solaris is my go-to store for anime figures. There are some insane prices there sometimes, but I usually find the figures there for less money, the shipping packaging is great and they had some figures I couldn't find elsewhere (for example the Gintama figures, that either are sold out or insanely expensive on other sites).

[Alude]

Thank you for the video! This helped me out a ton. I've been buying from only crunchyroll or at conventions, because I didn't even know about the other websites!

[mrinalrohilla]

I live in India and my sister lives in Canada. My country has a massive 70% custom duty on action figure. I took your advice and saved a ton in shipping from AmiAmi. Thanks.

[lindseyneon]

Thanks so much for the video! It really helped me out. I changed one of my AmiAmi pre-orders from DHL to Air Small Packet because of you. I’ve seen those options there for a little bit now but I haven’t known if they were trustworthy again so I’d been suffering DHL prices on more orders than I probably needed to. My collecting journey has been kind of bumbling but I’ve learned a lot with the help of cool people online sharing. Love what you’re doing!

[jenniferklayer]

Thanks for making this video Gwen. You are a wealth of information! My boyfriend and I have been after Pyrah Nikos for a while and now I know where to look!

[ryanapril]

This is the best in depth and practical tips for beginner collectors. I only figured out amiami's preowned system after a week since I started checking out that section everyday

[hasniichasnii]

For TOM in US, they show you the shipping cost at check out and from my experience it tends to be average $10 for the cheapest option. I haven't bought big scale figures so the shipping cost might change. Additionally, they have free shipping option for total cost $150+. You can combine In-stock and preorders to meet the free shipping. Also for preorders, they charge you upfront at the checkout.

TOM RECENTLY changed their shipping policy. In short: shipping charges per figure have increased rather dramatically. You can only combine for free shipping for over $150s together for products being released on the same month or buying instock figures totaling $150+. If you use your TOM points, your total after redeeming points should be above $150 to get free shipping. Additionally this new free shipping option is the slowest shipping option through seas parcels for figures coming from their Japan warehouse.

[Poor_Mikey]

Thanks for including Australia in your video! 💖 Hard to find good guides out there for Aus

[MrSalas]

This was extremely helpful. Thanks. I ended up paying like 60 usd for a 100 usd figure and now I know why! 😬

[jpoblano]

Wow, love this video, gave me all the information I needed so I can purchase anime characters, thank you so much !

[AdmXoklY]

As an American I typically think Ami Ami is the way to go for pre-orders. DHL shipping can be expensive but other retailers end up charging more their figures in comparison anyways so there's not that much difference by the end. Plus you get your stuff in a couple of days like Gwyn says. Otherwise, I will usually use Crunchyroll just because I have a membership which gives a small discount.

[allyimperial]

Thanks for this video, I was unsure about Amiami for a while but your video has definitely gotten me to try out the site with some good knowledge :)
Also, TOM is pretty good (atleast for US), I got a few figures there at really good prices, sometimes cheaper than their retail price though this is on figures that have already been released previously. Their point system is really nice plus you can do their premium for a month free to get a few good deals as well, their shipping is pretty fast and nothing comes damaged. I have yet to do preorders but again if you take advantage of TOM's offers, its a pretty good deal.

[Mdnyht]

Thanks for making this. I just ordered my first figure from Amiami and this information helped a bunch!

[Nina-ptnn]

Thank you so so much for this in-depth video! Especially that it’s super recent in regards to shipping delays :))