Puntastic_ArtemiHello!
I guess this is a topic that has been spoken about over and over again but I really find it interesting to analyze just how much my personal approach to collecting has changed over the years.
As we enter a time where figure companies seemingly do not care about the affordability of their figures, whilst somehow increasing prices and decreasing quality, I find it more and more difficult to resist the temptation of pre-ordering despite being told unanimously by everyone around me not to.
It is incredibly frustrating, as only two years ago, I would happily pre-ordered figures without the worry of them binning to half price, looking awful, or even worrying about affordability. Since figure collecting became my main hobby, the money I spent on this hobby never seemed to be a waste.
However, it's almost impossible to pre-order things with a good conscious nowadays. If you love the figure, you're faced with the dilemma of the company either completely screwing it up (despite the outrageous price) or the figure being expensive at first and the FOMO of not getting a good deal on a figure you loved. As much as having figures makes me happy, there will always be a bit of salt associated if I find out I paid much more for a figure than necessary if I had just waited a few months.
On the other hand, if you decide NOT to pre-order, you run the risk of the figure being scalped even beyond the original outrageous price, and losing out on the chance to buy a figure you loved.
All of this is really to ask the question: How do you handle probably the worst time to be pre-ordering figures? Do you wait until release to see how the figure turned out? Or do you jump the gun and secure your spot no matter what? Please let me know your opinions so I know I might not be the only one who is very discouraged.
I guess this is a topic that has been spoken about over and over again but I really find it interesting to analyze just how much my personal approach to collecting has changed over the years.
As we enter a time where figure companies seemingly do not care about the affordability of their figures, whilst somehow increasing prices and decreasing quality, I find it more and more difficult to resist the temptation of pre-ordering despite being told unanimously by everyone around me not to.
It is incredibly frustrating, as only two years ago, I would happily pre-ordered figures without the worry of them binning to half price, looking awful, or even worrying about affordability. Since figure collecting became my main hobby, the money I spent on this hobby never seemed to be a waste.
However, it's almost impossible to pre-order things with a good conscious nowadays. If you love the figure, you're faced with the dilemma of the company either completely screwing it up (despite the outrageous price) or the figure being expensive at first and the FOMO of not getting a good deal on a figure you loved. As much as having figures makes me happy, there will always be a bit of salt associated if I find out I paid much more for a figure than necessary if I had just waited a few months.
On the other hand, if you decide NOT to pre-order, you run the risk of the figure being scalped even beyond the original outrageous price, and losing out on the chance to buy a figure you loved.
All of this is really to ask the question: How do you handle probably the worst time to be pre-ordering figures? Do you wait until release to see how the figure turned out? Or do you jump the gun and secure your spot no matter what? Please let me know your opinions so I know I might not be the only one who is very discouraged.
Comments19
As such, I've cut back tremendously on what I order.
My criteria now goes something like this:
-Is it a character I like enough to justify the price? > What are the chances of it being available/dropping in price after release? > Will I still want it after release? > Is it limited in quantity?
It's cut my orders by more then just half. Where I used to have maybe 5+ things on PO a month now I only have 2/3, at most.
As for secondhand stuff, if I see something pop up a fair bit -or know other sites are selling it for the same price- I'll leave it be. If it's something I barely ever see and it's being sold for a good price, I usually get it. I keep tabs on majority of the 'old' figs I'm interested in, so I know which ones appear frequently and which don't, and can tell if something is going for a 'good' price vs way too much.
Ex; Found ITEM #998272 going on mandarake for ¥14000 and knowing I haven't seen many if any listings and she usually sells for closer to $300 picked her up immediately.
1) Is this character important enough to me that I would buy merch for them?
(Most characters don't pass this mark, there's only so much space and money that I have. If I don't see me still liking it in a couple of years, I won't buy it.)
2) What's the current available merch?
(Even if there's a character I love, there's a good old chance that they won't have any merch I like. Oberon's nendoroid is cute, but the expressions are not nearly as cute and mischievious as his plush keychain. Not worth settling as that feeling lingers.)
3) How likely would I be able to find it in the aftermarket and would it cost significantly higher or lower compared to preordering it? Would it also be rerun?
(There's some merch that's difficult to find in the aftermarket compared to finding figures, here's a few examples (1,2). Some of the doujinshis I got secondhand were two times or for one case about five times less than the price they originally went for.)
With how things are binning, unfortunately the figures I would preorder have a good chance of not binning (like ITEM #1101143) as there's barely any other figure for the character. From my perspective, if I have doubts and unsure on the quality, I would wait for release, as there might be a chance that it'll bin soon after release like ITEM #1131773.
1. If it's not something i love: I guess if I think it'll go up or down.
If I'm not too interested in the item, and it might go down, I don't PO.
It didn't work out with
Didn't PO: ITEM #739414 (maintained and increased in price)
Did PO: ITEM #317826 (Mine has a common defect, and between defect and lack of interest she binned)
2. If I love it: If I have budget, I PO it
ITEM #549455
ITEM #490595
ITEM #543992
ITEM #591632
ITEM #548722
Idk I don't check the prices after sale much. If it went down, I'll feel bad. If it went up, I'll feel bad for everyone who still wants them. They're not investments to me, they're stuff in my room.
If I don't have budget, I might hope for rerelease haha . I guess I have a lot that worked out cause I joined before 2020 and I haven't ordered much since then.
3. Do I think the fandom is gonna move on in next 3-5 years?
I'm interested in idols and magical girls. They aren't really popular at the moment (compared to maybe 2010-2014 for mahou and 2014-2018 for idols). A lot of the fans are selling off their stuff to replace with new interests too. I don't mind waiting to add items to my LLSIF collection
So thankfully I don't have too many things I want to PO these days.. and what I do want, I'd buy either way? Paying 10-20% extra (if it bins) is okay to me if it means I don't have to hunt and all that.
I think I just like the security that I'm getting the figure no matter what (as long as the comapny doesn't mess up) and if it wasn't ridiculous expensive, I'm not that picky with quality, especially small issues. It's not like I'm sitting there and constantly stare at a figure, nitpicking every single thing. If it's a big issue, I would write the company anyway.
Though looking through my current pre-orders, they are really just figures that I really love.
(though if there is an issue with ITEM #1315943, theres gonna be a hefty complaint from me. They are expensive.)
My main concerns are ITEM #1449123 and ITEM #1781658. I heard some things about these companies that weren't that great... I just hope that they turn out fine. Miku is gonna be especially expensive af with taxes,,,
1) preorder if it is limited / special edition / or I really, REALLY want it.
2) do NOT preorder - if you just like the figure or it is a normal edition.
This can really save you in regards to:
Issues - I actually liked e.g. ITEM #1049502 or ITEM #1253507
It turned out that both figures have SEVERE drooping issue, are thus badly designed and not worth the full price in my opinion. If there is a great bargain, I migt still be tempted.
Price - like you said, many figures bin heavily nowadays
FOMO - If I wait a bit longer it gives me time to realize if I have FOMO or if I actually really want the figure.
Yen - since the Yen decreased this made figures bought / paid later cheaper. Figures prepaid last year were more expensive. If you pay now it's cheaper. (of course this can be reversed in the future)
The wait and see tactic has way too many benefits at the moment
ITEM #1991905
Shop exklusive Made to Order Merch like
ITEM #1829331
Or Prize Figurine, if i really love the character and want to have them ASAP (≧▽≦) like
ITEM #1920930
&
ITEM #1944759
And i only Preorder in Shops that allows to cancel Preorder anytime, like Figuya & SE EU Store (*´ω｀*)
Everything else, especially if it's expensive, I prefer to wait and see (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.). I don't need to have everything IMMEDIATELY. For me, collecting is also a never-ending journey (≧▽≦)
1.) Is it of a favorite, important character that I cannot miss?
2.) Does it have all the necessary accessories/faceplates that are not locked behind a paywall (i.e. having to order from GSC Direct to get an extra part that is absolutely crucial?)
If the nendoroid fits BOTH of these criteria, then I preorder them. I recently had to cancel my preorder of Genjyo Sanzo because I can't, in good conscience as you mentioned, pay that much for such a lackluster figure. Yes he is important to me (Saiyuki was a huge part of my childhood), but if he doesn't look like what I want him to look like, then I feel like I'd just resent owning him.
This was a different case for the Ash and Eiji (Banana Fish) nendoroids. They didn't fit criteria #2, but I was ok with it because I was primarily going to display them in a different outfit anyway (traditional Japanese wedding outfits), and in those alternate outfits they have stayed ever since I first got them. But with Sanzo, I'm not planning on putting him in anything else, so with a heavy heart I had to cancel.
With scales, on the other hand... well, I'm not really planning to collect any more because I'm out of space, so I don't have to worry about it. And with prize figurs, well, they're like $5-20, maybe even 30 max. I don't really worry about the quality with something that cheap, and they're not really something I can preorder anyway.
But most figure companies I've seen don't make a really big mess up. So there are no real lows to me. Except for these situations:
1. A prototype is shown and never released (ITEM #549580).
2. A Garage Kit isn't picked up for a pre-painted release (ITEM #1917737).
3. Or the wait to hope that a company will release favorites in a line (ENTRY #105896).
Before I preorder, I research a lot about the manufacturer, look at actual irl photos where I can, spend a lot of time debating, and carefully planning my budget. So if I ever really truly regret a preorder, it doesn't feel as bad as if it was an impulsive move. But once again, I only have ever regretted it once.
Also, seeing how almost all my Nendoroids are selling for $100+ now, I really can't say I regret preordering at all. Not that I would sell them, but if most your interests are more niche like me, just about any investment you put in has a good chance of coming back. Pour one out if you're missing a dream figure though, I am never getting ITEM #520675 at this rate
Edit: That being all said though, I feel I should add that my tastes have gotten a lot pickier over time to the point I only have like one or two preorders a year. My collection is super small compared to the rest of MFC, lol.