Collectors' Corner: Bargain Hunting Volume One - My Favorite Retailers (April 2023)

It feels like an eternity since I've done one of these Collectors' Corner articles, back when I was making regularly weekly runs to Toys R' Us out of town and sharing what I would snag from my hauls there and across several other stories. 

Several years have passed and times have changed. Money is tighter for a lot of people, married, single, or whatever your current situation is. The pandemic has affected collecting too. Prices have gone through the roof with these companies blaming inflation and the struggling economy, but I feel like we as collectors should be getting more bang for our buck in terms of what we are paying for these figures and collectibles that easily retail anywhere from $22.99 to $64.99 and higher for premium and deluxe figures. You will easily pay double, triple, and quadruple that on the second hand market by purchasing online from scalpers. 

A question I get a lot from my peers, followers, friends, and colleagues is "How can you afford to get all of those figures, man? They are expensive as hell." 

The more I thought about my answer(s) to those individuals concerning it to merely luck or a single sale here or there, I thought I should just detail my favorite retailers where I shop at regularly. Sure, your experience(s) may vary but I see no harm in sharing this information. 

Target

Target has become my go-to store in terms of hunting figure deals almost weekly. While I think their online service is utter dog-shit (both shipped me damaged figures AND mistakenly charged me for stuff I never purchased), their in-store deals are incredible if you can capitalize on them in person. 

If you have an account with them, you can bank in even more discounts with them from what I have heard too, but I'm content as is with what I have been doing without one. Ever since the tale end of 2022, Target has been slapping those yellow clearance stickers on just about everything in the toy sections, ranging from those Avatar: The Way of Water and Lightyear movie tie-in toys to several waves of Marvel Legends, WWE Elites, Masters of the Universe Masterverse & Classics, Power Rangers Lightning Collection, and DC Multiverse action figures. 

Hell, there was one random Target in my area that marked down copies of Mass Effect Legendary Edition (PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series X) down to less than $5 and TMNT Cowabunga Collection (PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch) to $8, but both were completely sold out to my utter disappointment. I don't know if any Target stores are doing this now since most are remodeling their store layout to their modern layout in my area(s) but they used to have a corner near electronics and the collectibles where they would pile up all of the electronics, books, and video games on clearance, but I have yet to see that anymore in the past year or so. If they are still doing that in your area(s), let me know in a comment or DM on social media as I would love to know. The only devoted clearance sections here are just randomly stacked up boxes of assorted toys at the e

Roses

When I was younger, Roses used to be one of the most frequented stores in my hometown. Y'know back when Service Merchandise was still a thing in malls and bigger cities. Roses went away for like a decade or more and by the time I came back home after college that it was back in full swing in my hometown with the main Roses retail store built within the local mall (ironically in the same location that Service Merchandise existed back in the early '90s) and a Roses Express store up the road. 

Outside of snacks and usual goods that you could typically get cheaper here than Dollar Tree, Dollar General, K-Mart, and occasionally Wal-Mart, Roses tends to have some pop culture T-Shirts (some video game, vintage cartoons, and occasional WWE related) and occasional toys and collectibles, mostly stuff that's overstocked from other retailers, such as Target and Wal-Mart. Then there's other stuff they get on a whim out of nowhere. 

When Roses first reopened in my state, I was able to find all kinds of crazy shit in there, such as the GameForged Tomb Raider (Reboot) statue ($5) and The New Day WWE Elite "Booty-O's" 3-Figure Battle Pack ($10). I resold that statue for close to $100 during the pandemic while I was downsizing my collection a bit. 

I haven't seen stuff like that in years, but the closest thing to that I saw during the pandemic years were WWE Championship Showdown Deluxe Role Play Title with 4 Swappable Side Plates ($30). 

Ross

Burlington Coat Factory

I have to credit my father for tipping me off about Burlington to be honest. That was one store I really didn't go into much outside of occasionally buying dress shirts or shoes for wearing to formal events. Now I started making an effort to at least check out one of their stores every time I come across one in my travels. Not a single one carries the same stock and it's often like playing the lottery in terms of finding something worth a damn or not. 

Ollie's Bargain Outlet

When Ollie's first came to my area before the pandemic, it was my go-to spot for most of my graphic novels (over going to the local comic book shops), occasional toys, and snacks for breakfast or while on my work grind due to their reasonable prices. Over the years that followed, more and more people have become hip to Ollie's carrying collectibles occasionally, so it's getting harder to nab this stuff on a bargain, even though I will still occasionally grab a few graphic novels, compendiums, and art books for reasonable prices.

From my understanding, they receive a lot of stock that is regarded as overflow inventory from other bigger retail chains that didn't sell or merely wasting space that is needed for newer stock. I have noticed that Ollie's has been gradually raising their prices throughout the pandemic too as a lot of collectors have gotten hip to what they have been getting in and have been tipping others off on social media. The days of grabbing this stuff and trying to flip it for a profit on Amazon and eBay are pretty much dead since just about everyone is trying to make a hustle that way when it comes to these collectibles - myself included. That's why I'm VERY hesitant to try to resell stuff I end up seeing in Ollie's as I'm sure most will have these same items as well, unless you're on the other side of the country where Ollie's stores are pretty scarce or live internationally where you can't get these deals in your region. 

Honorable Mentions:

T.J. Maxx | Marshalls | CitiTrends

I personally call these three stores the "trinity" of sorts, in terms of you have absolutely NO idea what you will find in these stores when you find one. I guess you could throw Bealls Outlet (formerly Burke's Outlet here in the Carolinas) in there too to a lesser extent, but these three stores can have anything from board games, video game accessories, collectibles, or even your favorite sports team merchandise on the cheap at any given time. 

There was a time before COVID where I would frequent CitiTrends merely for finding Marvel Legends on the cheap. I found that Luke Cage & Claire Temple 2-Pack while the show was still fresh on everyone's minds on Netflix for less than $5, years before it started popping up left and right in Ollie's and almost everywhere else on clearance. Recently, I saw that Spider-Man: Homecoming (Vulture's wings BAF) Marvel Legends wave in there but it was none of the figures that I actually wanted. I saw a few of them carrying miscellaneous Transformers too, ranging from the Power of the Primes line to the recent War for Cybertron - Kingdom line. Another store had a big multi-figure bundle of all of the Power Rangers from Beast Morphers along with the main villain in that set for $30. If that was one of my favorite seasons, I wouldn't have hesitated on buying that, but unfortunately, it wasn't so I passed on it. CitiTrends still has a lot of that Shang-Chi, Eternals, and Black Panther merchandise too if there's any interest. I can't knock them for that when I got a Black Panther throw blanket for $2 to toss on the end of my bed. 

Back in the day, Marshalls used to be the go-to store for your knock-off third party PlayStation and PlayStation 2 controllers, but they seem to never have any of that stuff nowadays. You might find a few Nintendo Switch accessories and maybe one of those character controllers here and there, but nothing like PlayStation and Xbox controllers anymore. If you collect Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog related merchandise, they have a lot of the toys cheaper than other retailers since they have been warming their shelves for much longer than those related films came out. They also carry assorted Funko Pops too for those who collect those at a reasonable price. 

T.J. Maxx carries mostly the same stuff as Marshalls at the same prices, more or less. It just depends on your location. If you're looking for multi-tier stands to display your figures on, both stores carry those in their spice rack sections for about $4.99 to $9.99 depending on what you're looking for your displays. 

Goodwill

I know a LOT of people who act like shopping in Goodwill is beneath them, but I'm going to drop some knowledge on you folks that you're not aware about. 

A TON of collectors and people who don't even collect stuff period shop in Goodwill nowadays, especially in the years prior to the pandemic where you would find brand new shit in there. Before COVID hit, I would make monthly trips to the Computer Works in my state just to pick up computer parts, DVDs (mostly TV show boxsets and volumes for a $1 each in a lot of cases; hence how I got most of Batman TAS, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel all on DVD), CDs, Blu-Rays, video game consoles and video games to either keep or resell on eBay or at the flea market every couple of months. So many people have gotten hip to this that it's a fruitless endeavor now as I have witnessed people fighting over new shoes and clothes in the other Goodwill stores (the ones that have the bins where you have to fish through the inventory that just arrived). As a precaution, I suggest you wash your hands afterwards and/or bring gloves for your own safety. 

FYI 95% of the mini-figures on my desk or on my bookshelf are from Goodwill or flea market finds that were less than a $1 for tons of them in mint condition. 

It made me sad to see the Computer Works in my state close their doors to the public and strictly limit their stock to scattered sales and auctions on eBay where they really hike up those prices. 

The game consoles that I have found over the years in Goodwill:

• PlayStation (PSX)

  • Original models are pretty common. The ones with the expansion bay intact for easy modding are slightly rare. I have one that has a built-in monitor for gaming on the go.

• PlayStation 2 (PS2)

  • Mostly the bulky original models, but have buyers beware on those as they could be the ones that need the laser replaced. 

• PlayStation 3 (PS3)

  • I saw one ONCE but someone else snagged it off the shelf before I could.

• GameBoy Color (GBC)

  • Most of the time, it will have a game already in it as an added bonus.

• Xbox (original)

  • Heavy as a brick, but still a solid console. I still have two in storage that I need to do something with, either mod for dumping some emulators onto or sell the other. 

• Xbox 360 (X360)

  • Much like the PS2s, buyers beware. These could be RRoD (Red Ring of Doom) models. Some people still buy these just to repair themselves. I sold all of the ones I had save for one (for parts for my current X360) since I didn't feel like going through the hassle of repairing the RRoD issue. 

• Nintendo Wii

  • I have several of these. Sold several over the years and kept 3 for modding purposes. The games for it are generally cheaper than what you will pay for downloading on a Switch these days and it's easy as hell to mod to run emulators. The only thing you might still pay a ton of money for outside of Nintendo's first party games are the accessories, cords, cables, sensor bar (a must for it BTW), and Wiimotes but if you're lucky, Goodwill will have this thing all bundled up together for less than $5-10. 

• Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) & Super Nintendo (SNES)

  • I've seen a few of those in passing but never were able to snag one before anyone else picked them up. Plus I never saw the point when they would rarely have the cartridges for them. 

• There was one Goodwill I used to frequent that regularly got video games (vintage and current) for reasonable prices with all of the packaging intact. I'm sure regular readers of this blog remember me mentioning my trips there in the past. Then another that would randomly put stacks of PSX or other video games taped together for less than $5. 

Best Buy

I personally think the days of going to Best Buy for all of your electronics needs are all but gone, but to Best Buy's credit, their online deals have been amazing over the past two years. They will regularly markdown and discount a lot of their video games along with their collectibles, mostly Marvel Legends, DC Universe, Star Wars Black Series, and other pop culture merchandise, but boy does it sell out fast. 

That's why it's great to have Preternia, CheapAssGamer, and Wario64 followed on my social media accounts for I can know ASAP whenever these deals go live. 

It should be noted that Best Buy sometimes carries NECA, Super7, and Limited Run Games' merchandise. They never carry a lot of any of that stock, so if you see it in-store or online on sale, there's no guarantee that it's going to stick around for long. 

Their deals on Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black Series, and DC Multiverse figures have been pretty nuts lately. I bought that X-Men (Retro) Sentinel for $24.99 (plus fucking shipping) off Hasbro Pulse when it was first announced, thinking it was going to be impossible to find anywhere, only for Best Buy to list that thing for $3.99 last summer. I INSTANTLY bought like 3 more for army building on my display down the road. I had the same reaction when they listed the Batman: Arkham City DC Multiverse re-release figures on the cheap that INSTANTLY sold out, so I couldn't snag not a single one of those. It's so annoying too because Best Buy will make one of these sales live in the middle of the night and of course that shit will be sold out by the time that most of us on the East Coast wake up in the morning. 

GameStop

If you're still pre-ordering and buying your new video games from GameStop in 2023, then you're a goddamn fool in my eyes. GameStop are still the kings of ripping gamers off for their hard-earned money. The same can be said for the few pop culture and nerd culture collectibles that they have in stock. 

Don't even bother with their website as 9 times out of 10 their online inventory won't reflect what they have in-store anyway, whether it's collectibles or video games. I went to at least a dozen different GameStops trying to pick up Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection for PlayStation 4 during the holidays when it was clearanced out for $1.99 and not a single one had it in stock nor knew if they EVER carried it in their stores, yet their own website said otherwise. I will give GameStop props for adhering to the prices on their website whenever I would show them proof of something they weren't aware of. I never had a problem with them honoring those deals in-person.

Be wary of ordering online from them period as your stuff will show up in horrid condition, whether it's video games or collectibles. I had collectibles show up looking like someone stepped on the boxes and video games come in without any cases, yet weren't used. So yeah, you get what you pay for. 

Closing Thoughts

The deals don't stop here. I just happened to share and list every place I check around to regularly and keep tabs on in terms of hunting for deals for some of my favorite collectibles. Some might see this as me "exposing the business" of collecting in a sense, but you can obtain a decent collection figures and collectibles without taking out a bank loan for some of these very costly toys that go for several hundreds of dollars that you probably won't be able to resell for nearly as much that you paid for it in most cases. I share this information to my loyal readers for we can continue to thrive together as collectors. I don't have to hoard this stuff for myself as I'm not competing with anyone. I want to see everyone get all of the cool stuff that they want in their collections too. If we help each other out, then we all win at the end of the day.