why are anime figures so expensive

Why Are Anime Figures so Expensive?

• Who Makes Them. Another reason for the high cost of anime figures is who makes them. Anime figures are usually made by...
• Smaller Production Runs. Anime figures are often produced in smaller production runs than other collectibles, such as...
• Higher Costs of Manufacturing. The manufacturing process for anime figures is also more...

Full Answer

What is the most expensive anime figurine?

When One Piece Gold was released, Tokuriki Honten introduced the world to the most expensive anime figure ever made: a gold figure of Monkey D. Luffy himself. It's not the most polished work of art, but it is made of solid gold, adding its uniqueness.

What is a good brand for anime figures?

The 7 Best Anime Figurine Brands for Consistently High QualityGood Smile Company. Amazon. The Good Smile Company is one of the most reputable anime figurine brands around. ... Aniplex. Amazon. ... Kotobukiya. Amazon. ... Bandai Namco. Amazon. ... Square Enix. Amazon. ... Alter. Amazon.

What are anime figurines made of?

The molds are filled with the material the figure will be made of, usually PVC since it's a cheap and somewhat flexible plastic. If not PVC, the next most likely materials are vinyl, polystone, synthetic resin, or ABS. The cooled plastic (or resin) is removed from the molds.

Why are Kotobukiya figures so expensive?

Limited market/limited quantities, cost of production+sculpting/etc. adds up, and since only so many people will buy them, price is higher. You got 7 statues for $200? Damn good deal.

Where can I buy high quality animes?

The 5 Best Sites to Buy Authentic Anime FigurinesAmiAmi.Solaris Japan.Akiba Soul.Crunchyroll Store.HobbySearch.

What do you call anime figurines?

In Japan, the term "figure" can refer to dolls and other collectible figurines. Figures based on anime, manga and bishōjo game characters are often sold as dolls in Japan.

What is a good price for an anime figure?

You can often see the same anime figures that cost anywhere from $50 to $100 US over in the United States inside Japanese claw machines. It's not just that some claw machines in Japan have nicer things, but it's because the cost of production is vastly lower when it is domestic. Worldwide shipping is extremely costly.

How do you maintain an anime figure?

WashingFill a container with lukewarm water. ... Optional: Disassemble your figurine. ... Soak your figurine (or figurine pieces) in the water for about 5 minutes. ... Squirt (or rub) soap on a new, soft-bristled toothbrush and begin gently brushing the figurine. ... Rinse all the soap off the figurine using warm water.More items...•

Where are most anime figures made?

As you might have already known, most anime figures are made in China. Newbies often misunderstood that 'Made in China' means fake. That is not correct. In fact most of the original ones are made in China mainly because it is cheaper for the Japanese company to own a factory and production line there.

Why are resin figures so expensive?

It's very heavy, giving collectibles a substantial, stone-like feel and balance. It allows of an intense amount of small surface and paint detail. As a general rule, resin collectibles are more pricey in their initial offering but also retain or even increase their value overtime.

How is anime mass produced?

Mass production Usually, these moulds are made from silicone, but some can be made from steel. The moulds are used by pouring the material from which the figure is made. For example, hot, molten PVC is poured on the moulds and then cooled so it can take the shape of the figure or the part.

How do I start a collection of figurines?

5:4610:35How to Start Collecting Action Figures - A Buyer's Guide - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo for example don't just grab any figure that says Star Wars. On shelves right now there are fourMoreSo for example don't just grab any figure that says Star Wars. On shelves right now there are four slink Star Wars figures and 12-inch Titans where's figures and toybox star wars figures.

Why are anime cheaper?

The more units of an anime figure that a merchandise company makes, the cheaper the costs for them because they can buy the materials that are unique to one particular figure in bulk.

Who decides how much an anime figure will sell for?

The research and development team is the one responsible for deciding how much an anime figure will sell for and apply that knowledge when deciding how much to spend creating their own figures and how much to charge for them to cover all of the costs that go into creating an anime figure.

Why do anime meetings take place?

There is a heap of meetings that take place in order to ensure that the merchandise is being made to the anime production company’s liking.

What happens when an anime has a small or new production company?

When an anime has a small or new production company, they often lack the budget to create merchandise.

When an anime figure has a high level of attention to detail, will you pay for every detail?

When an anime figure has a high level of attention to detail, you will pay for every detail.

Where do anime come from?

Some of the best anime figures come straight from the home of anime itself, Japan.

What does it mean when a figure is freestanding?

If a figure is freestanding, then the figure designer has to consider where and how they will balance the weight properly.

Why are anime figures so expensive?

I’m jumping right into the meat of this. Licensing is one of the big reasons why anime figures have those hefty price tags. A toy manufacturing company cannot just make any character from any franchise that they want. They need to get permission from the Anime production companies to do it first, even if there is high demand for them to make a particular character. Producing a figure of a character without getting permission to do so will likely result in them being sued for copyright infringement.

What factors determine the price of anime?

Supply and demand, the quantity and quality of the figures, licensing, and distribution are all major factors in determining the price of anime figures/figurines. In a nutshell, that sums things up. It’s difficult to determine the costs of licensing as most of those conversations take place “behind closed doors” and we are not privy to that information.

Where are anime figures distributed?

Many anime figures are not distributed in the West. Some are only distributed in Japan and maybe South East Asian countries. If you lived in one of these countries, those figures could be significantly cheaper—sometimes half the price.

What happens if you buy a figure from Japan?

If you purchase a figure from Japan or another foreign country, the cost of international shipping is going to increase the amount you will pay for that figure. Also, tariffs may have an impact on the price.

Is anime expensive?

That reality is that anime figures are expensive —move expensive than your average action figure produced by a company like Hasbro.

Is Overwatch an anime?

The mold, the colors, and painting is just superior in every way. Yes, I know Overwatch is not an anime; however, Good Smile puts the same effort into their Overwatch figures as they do all of their other figures—many of which are related to various anime.

Is anime mainstream?

Even though it is relatively popular, anime is still not mainstream enough for there to be anime figures on the shelves of Wal-Mart and Target across the world. It would be a waste of money to produce that many.

Why are anime figures so popular?

Ultimately, anime figures make a lot of us fans happy. They’re a recreation of our favorite characters that we can transplant from the screen into our own space, a true joy that makes this hobby as exciting and fulfilling as it is. Even if the prices don’t always make us as happy, having a collection that you’re proud of and excited by is more than words can ever explain.

How have figures evolved?

It’s not hard to see how much figures have really evolved — obviously, techniques were not as developed, but earlier figures seemed to focus too heavily on transplanting a character from their 2D appearance into figure form without consideration for how it would turn out as a 3D model. Conversely, figures these days now seem to focus heavily on blending those two things to create an entirely new representation, bridging that gap and recreating our favorite characters in a different light. (◕‿◕｡)

What are prize figures?

For those unfamiliar with them, they’re simply figures you can win from claw machines in Japan. These figures are mass produced solely for the purpose of claw machines, which means they’re usually won and not sold (if you have a prize figure, notice how it doesn’t have a barcode?). These figures are lower on the quality spectrum, but so too are their prices. ¯_ (ツ)_/¯

What percentage of revenue does broadcasting have?

If that number doesn’t already stick out, consider its weight when compared to broadcasting’s relatively measly 23.5% share of revenue. By the way, that number COMBINES TV, film, and digital broadcasting. Yeesh. 😱

How much does Toei make?

Toei Animation didn’t specify how much each of their series earns in terms of licensing fees, but they reported income of over $291,000,000 (USD) from licensing alone in 2019. The 2005 film Guyver had licensing fees of $746,665, even though it’s a relatively unpopular film.

What is the main revenue source for Astroboy?

Based on AJA’s 2019 report, domestic merchandising was the highest income source and accounted for 42.7% (66.9% if you include pachinko and the likes) of the industry’s revenue. (ʘ言ʘ╬)

Is time a good friend in anime?

Much like an aged wine, time seems to be a good friend to the world of anime figures. Improvements within any industry are always expected (practice makes perfect, as they say). The world of anime figures is no exception and has definitely seen an explosion in quality improvements over the years, as well as a nice diversification of product offerings. ( • ̀ω•́ )✧

Why are anime figures so expensive?

The simple answer is. Anime figures are only toys that easily get dirty and broken once kids start to play with them so why sell them at a high cost. the standard may be a major factor as others have stated but collecting anime figures may be a niche market and thereupon comes higher prices.

What is the market of anime figures?

Think of the market of anime figures; essentially, “major” otakus. They are willing to spend lots of money on little plastic figures so they can look up their skirt or something strange like that. Or just to look at.

Why does delivery cost oversea rise?

Because the target audience is smaller, delivery cost oversea rises.

Why do figures cost tons?

The consumers seem to be shortchanged with such a bargain. What are you talking about? Figures cost tons because they cost tons to form.

Where do anime come from?

Some of the simplest anime figures come straight from the house of anime itself, Japan . Getting goods in and out of Japan has always been a struggle for everybody involved. While being an island nation has many benefits and has kept Japan safe throughout history, which will also make it a struggle.

Where are PVC figures made?

Most PVC figures are produced in China (including American brand action figures like Mezco or even some of the physical books for US TRPG), which caused the price to inflate further. Products from companies like Alter had its price raised double since 2009.

Is anime more expensive than action figures?

That reality is that anime figures are expensive more expensive than your average action figure produced by a corporation like Hasbro.

When were figures cheap?

Figures used to be very cheap before the price spike in about 2008 or 2009. I have bought figures Haruhi from Maxfactory or an exclusive from Kotobukiya, it was HKD200 or HKD400, USD25 or USD50, which you cant imagine nowadays.

How much do Sega figures cost?

Figures cost a lot because they cost a lot to make. There are "prize figures" made by Sega and other companies that go for 10-15 dollars (but some can get very expensive because the character is popular. Nendos are around 30-40 dollars and Figmas are 50 around dollars.

Why are supply and demand so expensive?

Essentially supply and demand. They're expensive because people are willing to pay the price for them. It's not even that useful to analyze it's manufacturing process and quality.

Do you play figures in Detolf?

Figures - you open and display them, you don't play them, but you gaze on them, only time I actually touch them from my detolf cabinet is when I'm cleaning and changing pose for my figmas, and I'm collecting for 6 years now.

Is it too expensive to collect scales?

But honestly, if you think 100 dollars is too expensive then collecting scales is not for you. That's the normal price for most scales unless they drop is price drastically. And more sought after ones can get really, really expensive. Most of this hobby is about buying things and then looking at them.

Licensing

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Materials and Production

Supply and Demand

Distribution

Conclusion