Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice

Discussion in 'Japan Toys' started by annaapple11, Mar 17, 2018.

  1. annaapple11

    annaapple11 Fresh Meat

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Hello!

    I've recently started growing my collection but I find it very difficult to acquire pieces when exhibitions/conventions/ pop up shops are never anywhere close to where I live, lottery sales are far and few between, and when something is released by the artist its in small quantities and its most of the time unaccessible In the US.
    Does anyone have any advice? I feel the only place to turn to is eBay and I feel they are grossly uncharged. I feel by the volume of some individuals collections, they must have some secret way of obtaining pieces. Any advice? I enjoy
    KONATSUYA
    SUN GUTS
    SHOKO NAKAZAWA
    DONT CRY IN THE MORNING
    TAKEPICO
    MAX TOY
    ART JUNKIE
    REAL HEAD
    REFRESHMENT TOY
    To name a few. :)
     
  2. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    The bulk of Sofubi collectors use YJA (Yahoo Japan Auctions) or shops like Mandarake online. For YJA you will need a buying service which costs money. Essentially, you ask them to bid on the toy for you and if you win, you pay a middle-man fee plus the domestic postage and the international postage to you. Its not cheap, but YJA probably has the most choice.

    Shops like Mandarake don't have the extra middle-man fee and domestic postal charge. Mandarake are reliable and have plenty of choice.

    There are also western online shops like Lulubell toys, Rotofugi, My Plastic Heart etc but they don't stock as much as they used to.

    Also don't forget the sales thread on here.
     
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  3. badteethcomics

    badteethcomics Post Pimp

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Several years of checking the same sites several times per day and a lot of patience... however in the current scene, all you need are deep deep pockets and you can show off a huge collection on instagram like any other of the newjacks!

    These toys are something special - it's not like saying "I want to buy some Transformers, where can I get Wave 4?" and expect a reply like "Oh I saw them down in the local Target". Do a little research.. it seems like you haven't done much. Max Toy Co. is a simple google search away from buying, his toys are readily availble in USA through his online shop. Good luck with hyped stuff like RxH and Sunguts.
     
  4. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    First of all, welcome to the board Anne-Marie. You might consider giving a little intro to yourself (if you want) in the Introductions thread. It's always a good place to start.

    I feel like you've just summed up basically the entire essence of the hobby. This is a challenge, even at the best of times, and is not for those seeking instant gratification (unless you have really deep pockets, which, if that is the case, fair enough - we've certainly seen where that gets 'collectors'). People frequently come here and ask for advice on obtaining "X;" and nearly always the answer is the same: patience. It is something you have to have or learn in this hobby, and many people don't stick around. It's tricky for us without easy access, but we're in it for love, and if it's something that you don't enjoy in the end, or just find too stressful/anxious/unfair/etc., then you'll probably find it is best left alone (something else we've seen a lot of). Do some reading here on the board, there is plenty (and I mean oodles!) of information to help you out. Good luck with the hunt(s)!
    All excellent points.
     
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  5. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Collect something else!
     
  6. taviq

    taviq Toy Prince

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    There is also M world, which emails you all the japanese toys they are able to buy and resell you. Sunguts is always represented on m world.
    Most of the toy companies you listed aren't the hardest to find.
    Don'tcryinthemorning is pretty new and you can find that one little three skull head guy on lots of websites
    and max toy co has a dedicated mailing list and website.
    there's always going to be collector envy.
     
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  7. Michael Beverage

    Michael Beverage Line of Credit

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Andy may sound rude but he actually has your best interests at heart...it's very good advice. :dam:

    You'll save yourself thousands of dollars and pretty much any hobby (read: addiction) I can think of aside from opiates is healthier! :lol:
     
  8. Vombie

    Vombie Vintage

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Welcome! And sorry...! :(
    It'll be fun. A lot of folks who are new to the hobby buy up all they find likeable just to burn out and sell off later. It happens. My advice is to stick to what you really can't pass up. It'll take some time, but it will be worth it and much more enjoyable having that balance. This hobby can get costly unless you collect stupid stuff like Booska sofubi (I have a list of stuff you should pass up and let me know about.)
    Anyway, patience, and passion and paypal. Lots of good info on the boards when we're not bitching. :lol:
     
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  9. Michael Beverage

    Michael Beverage Line of Credit

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    g., I have always greatly admired your focus and discipline with collecting. It's definitely the way to go in this hobby.
     
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  10. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    The bitching is the only reason Skulldrain 2018 is still worth visiting!
     
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  11. Vombie

    Vombie Vintage

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Thanks, man. It took a while before I got the hang of it. She can learn a little faster from hard-won "wisdom".
     
  12. Grindingmachete

    Grindingmachete Toy Prince

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Welcome Anna and a BIG hello from one fellow calm cat collector to the next! All great points above ie middleman websites and maxtoy co website. I would just also like to add sign up for any email lists you can (definitely maxtoy) as they’ll usually announce something in advance. Also with maxtoy keep an eye out for his maxtoy club sign ups as they get first pick from leftovers or even just small runs first so they sellout before the hit the website! (I haven’t made it on there yet)
    As for art junkie (or one up) to get calm cats. I know it’s frowned upon but I email one up immediately and or DM AJ after an event if I’m interested. I’ve never got a negative response from AJ he’ll just say either “here’s my PayPal” or “it’s through a lottery, which is so and so email” I just ask if there’s any leftovers. Also the ones on Mandarake are pretty affordable as long as you pick SAL. It takes a while but you’ll be saving almost 14 bucks everytime.
     
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  13. annaapple11

    annaapple11 Fresh Meat

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    I for sure wasn't complaining! If there wasn't the chase it wouldn't be fun! I wanted to make sure EBay was not a complete rip off! I have purchased a few pieces that I thought were worth the value but others I question. I do follow multiple makers on Instagram, I just seem to find myself seeing the posts too late although I have notifications on, I wasn't sure if there was sokmething I was doing incorrectly! I did check out manadrake last night, thank you for the lead, they have a lot of options. I have found one-up so far to be a good place to check out.
    I don't think if you find a hobby you enjoy it' s simply because you just "selected" it from a long list of things to collect, its because your drawn to it. It may be expensive, I fully understand, i have been collecting for years but only just stumbled into Sofubi. I think I will continue to collect ;) sorry if that disappoints!
    Thank you all for the advice!
     
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  14. Vinyl Skin

    Vinyl Skin Toy Prince

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    I'll echo what other folks have said. P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E is paramount. There's helpful information in the Introductions section. You just have to invest the time to read it.
     
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  15. fosa comun

    fosa comun Toy Prince

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    Sofubi/japanese toy collector advice
    Welcome....much like everybody has said patience is the key....money helps....but patience is your best tool. SB is also a great source to get toys are a fairly good prices. Folks in this forum do it cos they like collecting and they are part of a community that has a lot of knowledge.
     

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