Action figure aficionados are a varied group. Some are particular collectors who will only buy action figures that are still in their original packages. Others will only buy action figures that are from obscure television shows. And others still only buy action figures from specific toy companies, like Hasboro or McFarlane Toys.
Whatever niche an action figure collector finds themselves in, this guide is designed to help satisfy the craving and make the collecting easier.
A Hobby Overview
Action figure collecting took off as a hobby around the time G.I. Joes became popular toys, and fans had to have them all. It became standard to display a line of toys on the back of each box, to assist collectors in finding every last one, and to convince them they needed more than one.
It wasn’t until years later, in the late 90’s,that action figures became a hobby partially tailored for adults. This happened when comic book artist Seth McFarlane opened his own toy company to design action figures for his comic book creation Spawn. The toys were meticulously detailed and looked very little like ordinary kids toys. Other toy lines followed suit, making adult-themed action figures a trend in the industry.
Time to Go Shopping
Where you should start looking for the action figures you want largely depends on what kind you like to collect. For mainstream super hero and movie-related toys, large retailers like Wal-Mart and K-Mart will probably have the majority of what you’re looking for. If they don’t, toy-specific stores like Toys-R-Us and Kay-Bee Toys should carry them. If you want to save a bit of money, it never hurts to give close-out stores like Big Lots a look, as they often sell toys that are a few years old for drastically-reduced prices.
If your tastes run more to the obscure (Japanese magna, old TV shows, obscure super hero collections) you’re better off looking at comic book conventions or conventions for your particular interest. There are conventions every year for Star Trek, Star Wars, and everything in between. Conventions are also great places to find specialty toys that don’t appear anywhere else. Toy manufacturers often produce very limited runs of toys they use to show off at comic and toy conventions.
If you’d rather stay in your area for the harder-to-find action figures, you should try your local comic shops. They often have years’ worth of old action figures for slightly higher than retail price.
If you don’t care whether your action figures are still in their original packaging, yard sales and flea markets are great places to find loose toys for very cheap.
The Never-ending Hunt
If you are relatively new to action figure collecting, or you’ve been collecting for many years, there are likely some places to buy action figures that you’ve overlooked. Consignment shops, book stores, pharmacies, pawn shops, and video game stores are all great places to find action figures that most people wouldn’t think of.
If you’re willing to pay higher prices, and you know precisely what toys you’re looking for, it may be time to take your search online. You can fight in a bidding war with others on EBay or other auction sites, or you can go to the toy manufacturer’s website to buy the toys directly.
Online comic book sites are also a good place to look for action figures, as well as the online versions of major retailers. Some of the major retailers’ websites will also let you send your orders directly to your local store for a savings on shipping cost.
Whatever kinds of action figures suit your fancy, there are lots of places and lots of ways to find them.