Buying Figures and Determining Originals to Fakes: Part 2 of FAQ on Figure Collecting
5:00 AM
For
the second part of my Figure Collecting General Information, I will tell where I
buy authentic and original figures for my collection and how to determine fakes
and originals. I will be suggesting online and physical shops locally since I
only tried buying internationally once or twice but not on figures.
I saw figures in Divisoria and they
are very cheap. Do you buy those since they are cheaper than the ones you
really buy?
So
far, I have only seen a few figures in Divisoria and I can say they are not
authentic and original (which is why they are cheap). And no, I don’t buy them because I am more
into the original ones and not into bootlegs.
Believe
me, even if I am an avid figure collector, I still have a lot of figures in my
figure wishlist and I dream of the day when I can get them. No need to rush
(though sometimes it can’t be helped that I suddenly do impulse buying). So,
all I have to do is save up for a certain figure and buy it when I have enough
money---and then I repeat the process for the next figure. (Hahaha and I think this is the reason why I
sometimes take extra work).
 |
| Preview: My figure wishlist XD |
Okay,
I went out of topic there but basically, no I don’t buy the cheaper figures in
Divisoria.
How do you determine the authentic and
bootleg figures?
Again,
with this question, I had the help of wedylawliet as she knows more on how to
determine between the fake and authentic. While I will provide the best
information I can, I will also be giving some links on how to determine if the
figures you buy are fakes or not.
- One way to determine is taking a picture of the figure under typical indoor lighting without the flash. If the light reflects on the figure, it is surely a fake. And obviously, if not, it is authentic.
- If the figure’s texture is not matte like the skin, hair and clothes, then it is a fake.
- You should also look at the stand and when it says “Made in China” and nothing else, it is a fake.
- When it comes to certain parts of the figure, if the texture is not fine (like there is a small plastic protruding), it is a fake.
- A figure is fake too when the paint is not good at all, compared to the real one.
- Fake figures are sometimes missing the official stickers on the box, so check if there is a sticker or not.
Here
is a comparison between a fake and the real one (figure used is Death Note -
Yagami Light - Nendoroid - 012 Good Smile Company):
 |
| AUTHENTIC LIGHT YAGAMI NENDOROID |
 |
| FAKE/BOOTLEG LIGHT YAGAMI NENDOROID |
More
pictures of the bootleg: http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/6150&ref=category%3A3+item%3A595
Here’s more information on how to determine if a
figure is fake or authentic:
Toy Pusher’s “Spotting fake Nendoroids and other
figures” - http://www.toypusher.com/figures/spotting-fake-nendoroids-figures/#.Uh1Hkxvi21s
Pkmncollector’s “Guide to Identifying Bootleg and
Factory Reject Items and Sellers”
Animizzi’s “How to Spot ‘Bootleg’ Figures While
Buying”
So where do you buy your figures?
In my more than one year of collecting figures, I
already have specific online and physical figure stores I go to and these are
the stores I would recommend for newbies out there. My recommendations here are
based on first-hand experiences, the services and trust on the owners who have
made my figure collecting easy and wonderful.
Physical Stores:
1. Greattoys Online – Despite having the word “online”
in their name, Greattoys have various physical stores in Metro Manila, with
Greenhills as their main branch.
Here is the profile according to their FB page:
“We are GreattoysOnline.com (Registered
as GToy's Marketing). The Philippines' Online and Sports Superstore providing
the best original Collectible Toys and Hobby Products 100% Genuine Authentic
from USA and Japan.
GreattoysOnline.com started on eBay in June 2001 and now has 5 Retails stores,
2 eBay stores and online store to serve all Toy and Hobby Enthusiast.
Customers can purchase products via visiting any of our 5 retail
outlets and stores at Makati City, Manila City, Quezon City, Muntinlupa City
and San Juan City.”
I was never disappointed with Greattoys because they
have various figures at affordable prices. Sometimes when I am looking for a
rare figure, I find it in Greattoys. This is also convenient for those who
don’t want to wait for days or weeks of shipping and wants to get the item
immediately in their stores. While they also offer shipping, some figure
collectors like me are very meticulous and would rather get the figure(s) in
the store than have them shipped (and also because there are shipping couriers
who are not very careful in handling figures). The owner, Malvin Lim, is also
very accommodating and will answer your inquiries immediately through email (he
prefers it that way). You can also have your item reserved and get it
immediately in their store (with 3 days reservation). If you want to look at
figures in person first (especially those available in their stores), check out
Greattoys.
Greattoys Online
Main Branch: Unit S-3029 / S-3030 (former Blue
Lane) 3rd Floor, Shoppesville Bldg, Greenhills
(Above Daiso, Payless Shoe Store and Giordano in
Shoppesville building)
TEL: (+632) 571-8268 / Cell:
+63922-8576268 (+63922-85ROBOT)
Yahoo Messenger / email: greattoysgreenhills@yahoo.com
SCHEDULE: Open on Monday to
Sunday on Mall Hours. Open on non-working Public Holidays. Closed on December
25, January 1, Holy Thursday, Good Friday.
MODE OF PAYMENT: Bank Deposit
through certain banks, Pay in store, Paypal
Website: http://www.greattoysonline.com
2. Anime/Cosplay
Conventions - Aside from Greattoys, we buy our figures in anime/cosplay
conventions where various stores put up a booth to sell their merchandise. I
can’t remember the names of the figure stores (I don’t have my card holder with
me) but you will notice them immediately as the figures are displayed for
customers to see easily. If not, you have to squat and look very carefully at
their big Tupperware boxes that are full of gashapons, trading figures and
prize figures that are sold at affordable prices. This is where we actually
started, so we make it a habit to look for great figures at cons.
Online Stores:
Most of the time, I order my figures online so there
will be more stores here than the physical ones.
1. Onegai Onii-chan Japanese Figure Store – This is one of my trusted
online shops and where I usually buy articulated, small and large scaled
figures. Here is what their FB profile
says:
“Run by the 2 admins of Team Onii-chan, we are a loving
couple of dedicated collectors who have decided to open our once private
ordering service to everyone.
Onegai Onii-chan is an online shop that caters to the needs of all collectors.
Two administrators of Team Onii-chan! Figure Display Crew, the largest and most
active anime figure group in the country, run it and they hope to turn their
passion for collecting into a growing business. Customers can order a wide
range of Japanese collectibles and items such figures, toys, media, books,
merchandise, accessories and wigs. Onegai Onii-chan promises to offer timely,
affordable and excellent service to all its customers. Finally, it aims to
become a reliable and trustworthy source of Japanese collectibles for all
collectors in the Philippines.”
Just like Greattoys, I was never disappointed with
their services and the two owners are very approachable and trustworthy. It is
actually in this store that I bought my first ever large scaled figure, the
Kotobukiya’s ArtFX J 1/7 Seto Kaiba.
When I was inquiring about that, it was my first time
buying a figure online and from their shop so I asked the procedures and other
information. One of the owners talked to me through PM and explained me
everything, which were very easy to do. I bought the Kaiba figure by paying the
downpayment in Paypal and paid it when it arrived a few months later. Since
then, I have been buying some figures from them---especially the pre-order
figures where you can pay a certain amount for downpayment and pay the
remaining balance before the item arrives.
If you want to know more about this store or want to
inquire about their items, here are their information:
MODE OF PAYMENT: Bank Deposit
through certain banks, Pay in store, Paypal
WAYS TO GET ITEMS: Meet ups and shipping
2. Groomy, Inc. –
I just learned this from a friend and decided to check them out when
they had a physical store.
Take from their Sulit page:
“Anime Yasan is an online retailer for products related to
Japanese animation. Founded in 2011 as one of the online retailer to specialize
in Japanese anime, Anime Yasan offer a wide range of products including
T-Shirts,watches, action figures, plush dolls, display models, wall scrolls,
messenger bags and Japanese art supplies.”
This online shop had a physical store before but closed
down and concentrated more in online selling. I also love this store because
they sell not only figures, but also various Japanese/anime merchandise at affordable
prices. I also found rare figures in their catalog and I have bought items from
them around 3-4 times. I already met the owner and she is very approachable and
knows her Japanese. So far they have never disappointed me and plan to buy more
from them.
Phone: (02) 384 8704
MODE OF PAYMENT: Meet up payment,
Paypal
WAYS TO GET ITEMS: Meet ups and shipping
These are just some of the stores where I get my
figures and I plan to make separate posts for each store when I have the time
for a full review. But, at least with this, you will have an idea where to get
your figures. If I find more, I will post it here.
------------------
That ends part 2 of my Figure Collecting General
Information. Watch out for the final
part where I will explain more on MY figure collecting and how it started. Hope
this post was helpful. J
PS. If you want to check out part 1 of the FAQ on Figure Collecting, click here.
PS. If you want to check out part 1 of the FAQ on Figure Collecting, click here.
~Hainrihi
2 comments
Where can I find nendo fakes in divisoria tho? Ory I just want to use it for molds 😄
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for this really an amazing and nice post ,.
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