I didn't know this place had a storefront, but BOY do I have a story for you. First of all, the reviews on Mercari repeatedly have said that this seller does not ship their items in proper protection. There are multiple instances where it is JUST the figure in another box. PLEASE get your items insured if they offer it if you are unable to purchase from anywhere reliable. Second, they gave me bad attitude when I simply asked them to let me know as I had an interest in an item. I did not ask them to change prices. REPEATEDLY! I repeatedly clarified I am not asking them to change prices but I will be keeping an eye on an item and that I had interest--so if anything changes, let me know. This is through Mercari and they will know who I am. They responded with a message in which I thought, "wow I didn't even ask for all of that." Saying they have to pay staff for customer service and taking pictures of items. Maybe you don't need to pay staff for responding with extra info when I only asked for updates and showed interests. I support a sustainable income, I didn't need to know all of that. Here is where my THIRD red flag came into play. After the explanation of how they pay staff to take nice pictures, I knew this was bullshit. The listing photo is pixelated, crooked, dusty, and showed flaws on the item. Not to mention there was only one picture and one stock photo. So I looked on their website and it is the same. They told me they sold this item sealed in packaging, but the item was pictured as a loose and flawed item. This fact along with further insight into their reviews made this place seem sketchy. All of this could be fine and brushed off, but they were the ones messaging me condescendingly and told me that it is also due to protection from bootlegs. Most collectors that have been doing so for a while can identify bootlegs and find resources and forums in whether or not bootlegs exist for certain items. You are a figure storefront but you don't purchase from reputable distributors to prevent bootlegs? Or have a place to check if bootlegs exist for a certain item? This is a red flag for you to say. This store caught a weird vibe over a strap that at retail is only $8 new and $8 on resale in the aftermarket. I would pay up more for convenience and to supporting small business, but these flags aren't a good look.
If you are collecting in the IL area, there is an asian-owned business with reputable distributors and reliable, authentic collectors items about 50 mins away that you may have a more enjoyable time browsing, and without sketchy energy (please also see the review on this page from 8 months ago). read more