Hiii! Hopefully this ask is ok! Basically, I'm quite a new figurew collected (~1 year) and have never bought second hand before. I'm looking for some help identifying if some figures are legit. I know your blog obviously doenst pertain to figures, but I was wondering if you potentially know anything about them, or if youre able to point me in the direction of anyone who does. Thanks!
the best resource for identifying if a figure is legitimate is looking at the website myfigurecollection(dot)net ! virtually every miku figure ever made is available, as well as indications if bootlegs of the figure are known to exist.
warning that the website does feature adult figures and artworks, however!
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MikuMod: I'm gonna add a few extra tips for buying secondhand here now, actually.
If looking through ebay, avoid listings that use ONLY the official stock photos, look for photos taken by the lister of the actual object they own.
Avoid listings that say things like 'China version', 'new without box', or 'new without stand'. These are bootlegs.
If you do see user photos, you can cross-reference them with myfigurecollection's bootleg database.
Prices that are too good to be true ARE too good to be true. Nendoroids under 20 dollars, scales figures that are less than 50% their retail price, etc. The only way these might possibly be legitimate is if the seller notes they are damaged or missing pieces and just needs it gone.
These tips are mostly for ebay. Amazon is a wasteland of disgustingly overpriced stock and, often still, bootlegs.
Oh, another resource that I've gotten a fair amount of my secondhand figures from is amiami.com. They have an entire section of secondhand items for often very cheap. The main downside is the shipping is pricy, I recommend splitting orders with friends or at least getting more than one item to justify it.
