For those, who are new to collecting Godzilla figures or just need some quick references, I'd like to share what online stores I personally shop starting with the place most frequently visited. This article serves as a quick shopping guide, based on my experiences.
1. eBay
By far one of the best places in finding Godzilla and other Kaiju figures from various brands, times, and rarity. Almost anything a collector could think of can be listed up for sell or in an auction at any time. Of course, rare and highly collectible items are not guaranteed to always be in stock with a reasonable price, but with a little patience an opportunity eventually shows itself.
2. AmiAmi
An online store from Japan that sells the most recent Godzilla and Kaiju figures that were made by X-Plus and S.H. MonsterArts. There are also a few Revoltech figures in stock and for reasonable prices. The advantage from shopping with AmiAmi is not only are their prices cheaper than most leading competitors in America, but pre-ordered figures will likely arrive in your mail long before they are available in American online stores. As another benefit, all pre-ordered items from AmiAmi will not be charged on your account until they are in stock and ready to ship, which buys customers enough time to get those payments ready before they are due.
Another online store from Japan that sells Kaiju figures made from X-Plus and S.H. MonsterArts. HLJ's prices on Kaiju figures tend to be a little higher than AmiAmi, but their service is still excellent. One major advantage HLJ has over AmiAmi is all customers have an option to control when they want their item shipped through HLJ's Private Warehouse option, but for a nominal fee. Much like AmiAmi, all pre-ordered items will not be charged on your account until they are physically in stock and ready to be shipped.
Located in America, Monster Planet Toys always offers the most recent X-Plus and S.H. MonsterArts figures released and their services provide priority shipping with tracking numbers. This store is one out of a few American stores, where S.H. MonsterArts web exclusive figures are available for purchase. They also resell some vintage vinyl figures from Bandai, but not too often since X-Plus and S.H. MonsterArts figures are more popular, which deserves higher priorities. For those wanting to make a quick buck from their collection, without the hassle of putting figures on sale on auction-sites like eBay, Monster Planet Toys also offers to buy unwanted Kaiju toys. Unlike AmiAmi and HLJ, all pre-ordered items processed through this website will require a payment immediately after an order is made.
Kaiju Fan Marketplace is a relatively new site that operates much like Craigslist, but with only collectible figures. Sellers contact the administrator for permission, provide photos and information about the item up for sell, then have the complete listing posted on the web. Potential buyers then respond to the add by contacting the seller through email and hopefully make a deal. Most sellers accept PayPal.
Even though I have covered what seems to be a substantial amount of sources, there are more online stores out there that do offer similar services as the previous sites covered here. If there are better deals elsewhere, do give that business a try, and who knows maybe that store might gain another long-term customer. Good luck and have fun going toy hunting!
Even though I have covered what seems to be a substantial amount of sources, there are more online stores out there that do offer similar services as the previous sites covered here. If there are better deals elsewhere, do give that business a try, and who knows maybe that store might gain another long-term customer. Good luck and have fun going toy hunting!
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