[General Discussion] Buyer's Guide to Anime/Manga/Etc. (plus SALES updates)

I got quite a few for ya:
Got these info from hongfire.com

HK

Merchandise

http://www.snowsakura.com.hk/ -
A store specializing in mostly anime/game/manga figures. This shop is based in Hong Kong, I'm not sure if they Bootlegged or not, but my friends who happens to be a legit fanatic(one who makes sure they're legit/official figures) bought a few from them and said theyre not half-bad, fast shipping. Accepts Paypal only.

Merchandise
www.hlj.com - Based in Japan. Carries a lot of stuff, models, R/Cs, gundams, dolls, pre-painted figures, resin figures, books/magazines, etc. Their price tends to be a bit higher than Hobby Search (see below) and shipping is slightly higher too. Their web site design is great, their English is very good. So even though they are based in Japan communication is not a problem. Also they offer SAL Surface Air Lift shipping as well as EMS shipping. SAL is much cheaper than EMS but packages sometimes may or may not get the best treatment depend on the postal services. And also SAL take longer to arrive at the destination. EMS on the other hand is more expensive but does offer insurance and tracking. Packages generally gets better treatment. HobbyLink Japan carries reasonable stocks and hot item restock has indicators of when to expect a restock. For pre-order, HobbyLink Japan will not charge your credit card until the item is ready to be shipped out. And due to the time lage of credit card processing, you might not see it until even your next credit card statement. HobbyLink also takes PayPal if you don't have a credit card or do not want to give out your credit card information.

www.1999.co.jp/eng - Based in Japan. They carries models, gundams, figures dolls, and books/magazines. They are generally a bit cheaper on price as well as shipping than HobbyLink Japan. They have a point system which gives you a equivalent of 5% discount on the next purchase (or you can save the points for later purchases). Their English is not that great, but I've learned to understand them okay. They only offer EMS shipping now. So for those wants to use SAL to save shipping they are obviously no longer an option. They don't have that much stocks, so many of the popular items will just get sold out. They do restock some items but then you have to watch out for it. They are perfect if you pre-order and want to use EMS as shipping method. For pre-order, Hobby Search will not charge your credit card until the item is ready to be shipped out. And due to the time lage of credit card processing, you might not see it until even your next credit card statement.


HK Merchandise
www.e2046.com
Based in Hong Kong. A good source for recast resin kits as well as tools/supplies for building models. Their web site does offer a lot of pictures of their products including pieces from the recast resin kits. Judging from those photos of the resin pieces, they are pretty good but since I never purchased resin kits from them I can't tell for sure. Of course being recast kits you can expect the usual excessive flashing on the parts as well as some fitting issues. They offer some pre-painted models. Their new Gathering series is a collection of high quality pre-painted resin figures. The build and paint on the gathering series of pre-painted model is worth every penny. They offer the regular Hong Kong Post and EMS as the shipping options and shipping cost is very reasonable consider they have to ship out of Hong Kong. They have a forum so you can check out what others are saying about them.


www.Hobbyfan.com - Based in USA. Even though HobbyFan carries a bit more stuff now, they are still just mainly good for resin models as well as tools/supplies for model building. They do offer pre-painted resin models and now have a painting service that can paint/assemble just about any model for you (through a 3rd party model builder). They now also offer some PVC and gashaphon figure. Their resin figures are of course recasts, but for the times I purchased from them, their recasts are done quiet well, not a lot of excessive flashing. Of course being a recast, you can expect some flashing, and some minor fitting problem. The resin material used in the casting is good quality white resin. So compare to original kits (which typically would cost you quiet a few times more) the money you saved vs the extra work you have to put is is reasonably justified. Besides, it's quiet hard to get original garage kits. There's only that many options plus Yahoo Japan auction.


These are mostly figure based site, but if you really want those figures, these sites a must look.

Jam it back in, in the dark.