Buying guide  |
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Welcome back dear readers, today is a subject that I think may be of interest to all fans. It 's been quite a lot' of time from my previous posting, Where to buy the model, and several things have changed, so I thought it appropriate to talk again about how, when and where to buy to try and spend as little as possible .
Italian market
now let us take off the teeth: less than deals, buy imported material in the Italian shops costs more than doing it directly in Japan. Sometimes it costs a little more, and maybe some people prefer to sacrifice the savings and speed (Italian outputs are out of phase by at least one month) to buy peace of mind of the comics in the house or the cartoon show or otherwise have no problems customs. But be careful, because sometimes you pay a lot more, even twice!
The only exception to this rule is the Cosmic Group, an increasingly important reality that with our local some commercial agreements with Japanese companies, importers in Italy certain product line. Thanks to the contract with Bandai, for example, have deployed the new series of Super Robot Chogokin , in addition to the latest releases of classic Soul of Chogokin and Myth Cloth , the action figures of Seiya ; within the PVC are official distributors of the products Kotobukiya. All these products are priced more than acceptable in our own various retailers, although I have seen startling changes in price between a store and another sign that there is always the tendency to speculate, and that the only means available of the fan is to always ask before you buy.
said that let us analyze other Italian stores: treat only those with whom I have dealt in one way or another.
are sites that I know the prices that I find most interesting. Some things may cost more in one and not another, then it is always a good idea to do some checking.
These add
Star Shop Brescia (vast catalog, prices almost always very high) To get an idea we see prices of a few pieces at random.
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| Perona: the preorder is sold out in just a few days after the |
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| Reideen : practically unknown in Italy, officially distributed by Cosmic Group |
Perona of One Piece , preorder. On World Japan costs 87 €, 89 € on World Arcadia, Star Shop on 119 €, 128 € Cotaku up. And Raideen SRC, already available and officially released in Italy? € 41.90 on Star Shop, 48 of Japan Style, 50 € on Cotaku, 55 on Japan World. As you can see there is not an absolute cheapest, you'll always get a ride ...
I close, pointing to two things that I have not had the opportunity.
The first is for a retailer that instead the classic site has a forum. Subscription, you will be informed of future releases of pre-orders and generally the prices seemed to me good, but the deadlines are very tight and if the product is not available there is no certainty of it at launch. If you want to browse the forum is Toys Old and New The other reality is that the buying groups, in which a certain number of people you put together for pre-order the same model, and because of that ( and usually the presence of someone able to contract directly with a supplier) you get some discount. I have not had the opportunity to exploit this opportunity, even if you have news suggeritemi as well.
Europe
In continental level there is not much to say. The only site that I would advise is Lapinourose , n egozio French with very good prices and many promotions: shipments are relatively inexpensive, quick and hassle of customs. Unfortunately, the catalog is quite small, find what you're looking for is often a matter of luck. only alternative Archon is Belgian site very well equipped, probably the best in Europe for the shipment is the speech made by Lapin, but prices are generally very high.
Japan and China
Buy from Japan is almost always cheaper than from a shop nostrano, despite the cost of shipping and those for customs. There are also tricks to try to reduce expenses and increase savings.
sites are more We love certainly and HobbySearch , which does not mean they are the ones recommended. Personally I much prefer HLJ and Otac , especially for the many offers that allow you to save a lot compared to the official prices. For preorders, however, should be served by MioBoutique and Anime-Export for a simple reason: prices are up to those of the major sites, but if we can require that the parcel delivery is to be reported a lower value than the real one, so you pay the bare minimum customs, or avoid it altogether. Anime-Export can be contacted by writing in Italian, however, claim that the pre-orders are paid in full at time of order, regardless of when the product comes out. My Boutique also provides custom services: upon request following the auctions on Yahoo Japan or look for products that are not listed. Another important variable of the purchases in Japan is represented by shipments: Retailers typically offer a choice between three or four shipping methods. The fastest but not recommended is the FedEx courier: the goods arrive in a couple of days, but the price is very high and the customs duty is applied automatically. Much better than other means generally offered, EMS (arrive in about 1 week), Air Mail (2 weeks) and SAL (3-4 weeks): the more you extend the delivery time, lower the cost. Personally I almost always used the SAL, but obviously we must prepare ourselves spiritually to wait a month before you see the item purchased: we say that this is the ideal choice if you want to spend as little as possible, the more you hurry, less convenience c 'is. A hint e2046 , site of Hong Kong who until recently was my favorite supplier. Unfortunately, things have changed and lately I'm snubbing a little: in fact happened I resign as a preorder, creandomi many hardships. In addition, its prices have become more expensive than those of Japanese history. So we can say that is a good shop but only pre-order, because the catalog is meager, and there is always the risk that despite all the order was canceled. But if everything is successful with their shipments usually avoids customs.
Auctions and community Finally we talk about the auctions. Of course eBay remains a valuable resource for those who want to buy a statue lost at launch. I would say that I do not have much to add except devices trivial but it is always good to keep in mind: do not look on eBay Italy, bought only by someone who has a lot of positive feedback, always good to read before posting a description and do not forget to make sure you as costing shipments. E 'common practice of some sellers to shoot a very low price for the item except to refer with inflated shipping costs. I would also point out the existence of a single Japanese counterpart, Yahoo Auction . The site is in Japanese only, but a translator can easily understand how to move (the structure is similar to eBay). However, sellers generally do not ship overseas, so must rely on an intermediary to buy on the spot: there are several sites that offer this service, advice MioBoutique personally, I have personally tested and I can guarantee is that the reliability rates than honest. Another way to find rare statues and even a bargain price is to address the community of fans: I specifically point out My Figure Collection and Figure.fm . In both along with many photos and news, you can also find statues and other material that fans all over the world are selling. Being sold by collectors used, generally the conditions are like new and very attractive prices, not to mention that there is always the ability to negotiate.
