STARWARS ACTION FIGURES The Unofficial Collector's Guide to Star Wars Action Figures

A Quick Guide to Buying Loose Figures

Alright, the first thing I can not stress enough about buying loose figures is not to overpay for them. Loose figures do not appreciate in value the same way carded figures do and as such, paying a little more now because you think you’ll recover your investment later is almost always a very bad idea. It’s simply not going to happen. Remember, if you’re collecting loose figures, then you’re collecting for the joy of collecting and for the nostalgic value that collecting brings to you. If you’re in it for money, get out your wallet and go for carded figures. They’re the only way you’re going to make any kind of gain on action figures over time.

Flea markets often have little shops or stands where action figures are sold. The one near me has one with a fairly large selection of figures, both loose and carded, and while the selection is great, the price keeps me away. Like all businesses, that guy is in it to turn a profit and as such there is a pretty steep markup on the figures sold there compared to what he will have paid for them, and this is the main reason buying loose from a retailer or comic shop is always always a bad idea. You’re paying money you don’t need to be paying. Unless the figure is extremely rare and you can’t find it anywhere else and you must have it, avoid comic shops, collectibles shop and general retail.

So where to buy then? Look for individual collectors or people who still have their figures lying around that don’t want them anymore or are willing to part with them. THis isn’t always easy as people aren’t running around the streets announcing that they have Star Wars figures they’d like to sell, but don’t worry, they are out there. You just need to find them. Use free classifieds in your local newspaper, put notes up on bulletin boards or telephone poles if you need to, just keep your eyes and ears open! One of the best ways to find people like this is Craigslist. You can put wanted to buy ads up on Craigslist completely free, and since figures are so small and light, if you don’t mind paying a few bucks for shipping, you can put these ads up on Craigslist for just about every major city in the United States, Canada and many around the world even. Do this and you WILL find someone willing to part with their figures for very good prices.

The next option, and my favourite option, is our good old friend eBay. Loose figures sell on eBay all the time, and for extremely low prices. I’ve bought quite a few loose figures off eBay for anywhere from 99 cents to 10 or 12 bucks, all in very nice condition and almost always with weapons. If I were buying these figures from the guy in the collectibles shop, I’d be paying probably 10 bucks on the low end and maybe $30 or $40 on the high end. EBay can provide absolutely HIUGE savings, so if you don’t already have an eBay account, get one, now! Go! Do it! There are a ton of figures out there waiting to be owned by someone who will appreciate them and the prices are unbeatable.

Onto condition. How important is it really? Well this is a question you’ll have to ask yourself. As mentioned, if you’re collecting loose, you’re probably collecting for fun, so do you really NEED a figure in perfect condition? Is a little discoloration or a paint nick really going to ruin the enjoyment you get out of that collectible? Probably not, in which chase, don’t kill yourself trying to find (and paying for) perfect specimens, and by NO means go near graded figures. That being said, if you’re a perfectionist, there are some loose figures out there in mint condition, although be warned, it might be hard to find figures with no visible flaws. Remember, if they’re loose, it means they were probably opened 20 years ago or more, and have been played with. So try not to expect too much and you’ll be happy!