Getting started

🦄 A little bit of positivity for everyone :D

Figure 1. The essence of buyfaggotry.

I am the Bone of my Wallet,

Impulse is my Body and restlessness is my Blood.

I have bought over a Thousand Figures,

Unknown to Self-restraint,

Nor known to Common sense.

Have withstood Pain to bear many SAL shipments

Yet, those orders will never amount to Anything.

So as I Pray -

Unlimited Buyfag Works

This is what you’ll need:

The right mentality

Money and payment

READ THE FAQ

Customs and you

Self control and moderation

This guide is subject to >opinions but hopefully we can help avoid bleeding your wallet (completely) dry.

a. Mindset

It’s going to be expensive, no matter what you do. This is a niche market. Unless you live in Japan, you are NOT the industry’s target customer. Foreign customers make up a tiny proportion of the buyers and you are entitled to very little. So suck it up and carry on.

Briefly, this is what makes buyfagging (and some other types of collecting) so addictive:

*buyfag threads

*preorders with no immediate consequences if no upfront payment

*long lead times

*small quantities

*feels good when you actually receive something

*showing off to fellow collectors, receive praise/attention

Warning: incoming tl;dr

Most things are made in small quantities and one-time runs, even if they aren’t specified as “limited”. Stock often dries up permanently once sold out and you’ll have to pay extra from scalpers or purchase things secondhand. You usually guarantee your receipt of an item by preordering. The catch is that lead time can be anywhere from 3-6+ months. This is one of the biggest traps of buyfagging since most stores don’t invoice you until items are actually in stock and ready to ship. You order something months in advance without having to pay, and get impatient or bored in the interim so you go and buy other things to keep you occupied while waiting.

The price of this hobby might seem prohibitive at first, but after you pull the trigger the first time and order something and finally receive your product, you’ll usually find it’s pretty nice. Now your inhibitions are lower and most likely you’ll think your thing looks lonely or want to complete a set, and then order more.

/tl;dr

*Make informed decisions In order to last long (i.e. not go broke) in this hobby, you’ll need to do your research beforehand. What are you really, truly looking for? What are the manufacturers that make the best products? What are they planning on releasing and when are the preorder dates? Keep abreast of the news. Section 3 will help you with this.

*Avoid impulse decisions

We can’t repeat this enough times. Sit down, think about it and sleep on it before you click that order button. Always fap first to avoid sex-driven purchases. Consider unplugging the internet if you drunkenly order things that you have no recollection of. Make too many impulse decisions and you’ll end up with a lot of items you regret buying and a lot less money in the bank or summarily banned from stores. Just because there are no immediate consequences when you order, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any down the line when you’re supposed to pay and you don’t want it anymore. The only time you’ll probably have to make a snap decision is if something new pops up on Mandarake for a good price. If you’ve done your homework, you should already know how much you want the item and have a budget in mind. Otherwise, you’ll almost always have plenty of time to decide between product announcement and the preorder window.

*Commit to your decisions

Be decisive. Waffling is just as bad as impulse buying. You knew what the terms were when you pressed that order button. Or at least I sure hope you did. Now stick to it, shut up and don’t complain. We’re not trying to justify past mistakes in an attempt not to regret something, we want you to own up to your choices. You’re a responsible adult, right?

*Avoid bandwagoning

If you’re buying something just because everyone else is hyping it, you’re paying for the hype that will inevitably die down later.

*Budget accordingly It’s possible to get by if you order something now that you currently can’t pay for, but it’s not a good idea and not sustainable. If you’re just starting out, the rule of thumb that you should follow is “only buy things for which you have the money!” See below for details.

*You will never own everything that you want

Once you accept this fact, you can sleep much easier. Are you thinking like a buyfag now? Good. Let’s talk money.