Where to Buy Part 3: Auctions

Let's complete the "Where to Buy" trilogy with a look at secondhand auction sites.  (Part 1, Part 2.)  If you really can't find what you want online, you might have to resort to a auction site.  Also, as a lot of items are secondhand on these sites, you can find them for much lower than MSRP.

Auction Sites

Mandarake (http://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/) - Mandarake is a chain of used otaku goods stores in Japan.  They also have a online storefront for selling items and running auctions, and they ship internationally.  This is a great place to find old, hard-to-find or obscure otaku good, including figures.  It is difficult to use, if you don't speak Japanese, because, even though the website is translated, the item listings are not.  Unless the word is originally in romaji (such as "figma"), you'll have to copy-paste the Japanese name into the search field.  (Myfigurecollection.net is a great place to copy from.)  When ordering or bidding on items, they ship from the brick-and-mortar stores, so combining shipping depends on where the item is currently stocked, which lsited in the item listing.  I have never used their auction feature, but I understand is similar to eBay.  They also feature live auctions, which are similar to real-life auctions, but online.

eBay (ebay.com) - Chances are you're familiar with eBay, so I will go over some of the non-obvious, figure-realted aspects.  First and foremost: BEWARE COUNTERFEITS (aka bootlegs, fakes, HK versions, etc.)  There is an epidemic of counterfeit figures being sold, and the majority (online, at least) takes place on eBay.  While it is impossible to know beforehand if an item will be counterfeit, there are several actions you can take to minimize the risk.  First, use a seller you trust, that has perfect or near-perfect feedback and/or you have googled.  There are lots of blacklists on the internet for sellers who have delivered fakes.  Secondly, avoid ordering items shipping from Hong Kong or China.  There are a lot, but I avoid them all; I've been burned too many times.  Some are legitimate, but it's too high a chance for me.  Thirdly, check pictures.  If they use stock photos from the manufacturer, ask for a photo of the specific figure you're bidding on.  Check it against other photos online.  Fourth, check around to see if there are bootlegs of the item you're considering.  If there is no record of bootlegs anywhere on the internet (especially myfigurecollection.net), then you should be okay.  Finally, scan the listing, or ask the seller to make sure they say it is 100% legit.  I have had several sellers admit it was an "HK Version" (which just means counterfeit - this is not a "variant") and several swear up-and-down it wasn't a fake - even though it VERY obviously was.  I plan on doing a post about telling if an item you've received is fake in the future.

Yahoo! Auctions Japan (http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/) - In Japan, Yahoo! Auctions is far more popular than eBay, so this is the site to use if the above two have let you down.  It does not have an English version, so non-Japanses speakers have their work cut out for them.  You can use a friend, google translate, or Buyee (which is linked to, in English, on the landing page for Yahoo! Auctions Japan or go to http://buyee.jp/?lang=en).  I have never used Buyee, but it looks easy to use and fairly priced.  In most other ways, it mimics eBay's system.