I got my first digital camera in 1996. A bit after that, I bought a Delorme Tripmate GPS module which I hooked to a Toshiba laptop seat-belted in my passenger seat, acting as a GPS navigation unit. "hey, GPS is neat!" I then had a small black and white car GPS navigation system. Around 2006, I began geotagging all my photos using a Sony GPS-CS1 module.
All this to say I’ve been using GPS for a long time.
I have over 200,000 digital photos in my online galleries, with the ones after around 2006 being geotagged. Even though today's GPS is much improved, there are still plenty of glitches where photos I took appear to be taken far away. I’ve never considered GPS accurate. Mapping software can get assists by knowing where you are going, or where the road is on the map, etc. But raw GPS has always had issues over the nearly three decades I have been using it.
Does anyone else here not find anything odd about weird GPS glitches?

Dating apps have kinda destroyed my confidence. I feel like most black women are looking a certain archetype tbh. Am I just being a chronically online incel? Or is there some truth. For some context I’ve never in my life actually asked a black woman out IRL, and I lived in a predominantly white area most of my life so I’m probably a bit biased
Also before anyone says it, I’m not going for hood rats on dating apps or 10/10 models either. I’m going out of my way to find nerdy black women who are in my league, and still get nothing 😭😭😭 I’m cooked bro, I’m probably just ugly as sin

So about a month ago my 9 year old dachshund/feist mix started having explosive diarrhea, it was pure liquid. After trying the white rice/chicken/pumpkin diet for a week and reintroducing her food without it getting better we took her to the vet. It wasn't parasites or an infection so our vet gave us some probiotics and pectin with the wc/p diet and then weening back to her regular food nothing was getting better so we went back. Turns out her albumin was low so he threw in another test for Addisons (it came back negative) and suggested an ultrasound. Unfortunately she didn't make it to that ultrasound appointment, that night she was vomiting/ had diarrhea, she wasn't getting up to use the bathroom and was very disoriented. I ended up having to take her to the ER. The vet was saying she has protein losing enteropathy but to find out more an ultrasound was needed. So she had to stay for the day, do the ultrasound, X-ray, and vitals, etc. Which cost us $2,300. After the ultrasound didn't show cancer but there was thickening of her intentestines, she suggested putting her under and doing a biopsy which we couldn't afford. It would have ran us $4-$6k, so we decided to do maintenance at home with meds and a new diet. She was put on dex injection for 4 days then move to Prednisone pills, atopica, paxil, and cerenia for nausea. The new food was hills low fat wet food (which for a month would have ran us $225 a month). We were also given an appointment with an internist for the following Monday.
Unfortunately, she did not do well on this new food with the meds. She was having diarrhea hourly and it was almost completely blood. We took her home last Wednesday and by Sunday she was back at the ER it got so bad (all they did was give her fluids and antibiotics and told us to wait until her internist appt). And on Sunday I started her back on the chicken and rice too curb the diarrhea a little bit which didn't really help. After seeing the internist on Monday she did bloodwork again and suggested a couple of tweaks to the meds (lowered the atopica, and went back to shots of dex for a bit instead of the Prednisone pills). This vet appt cost $500 including the cost of the meds and she said I'm supposed to see heget new meds weekly. It is now Wednesday and she is still having diarrhea multiple times a day that are almost completely blood even on the chicken and rice. She is also losing weight fast, she went from 29.5 when we first went to the vet for this to 23.8 as of Monday.
I love my dog so much, she is the first pet of my own but I realistically cannot afford this treatment. We are already $5k in the hole from this and I don't see an end in sight (besides her albumin going up a little bit from last Wednesday). I'm not sure what to do and I'm very upset I'm forced to make this decision. From looking online and asking the vet, dogs with PLE have a life expectancy of 6-12 months. Do I go into debt over this? What would you do in this situation? I feel like a horrible owner for not being able to afford this. Any advice/experience/help would be greatly appreciated!

So about a month ago my 9 year old dachshund/feist mix started having explosive diarrhea, it was pure liquid. After trying the white rice/chicken/pumpkin diet for a week and reintroducing her food without it getting better we took her to the vet. It wasn't parasites or an infection so our vet gave us some probiotics and pectin with the wc/p diet and then weening back to her regular food nothing was getting better so we went back. Turns out her albumin was low so he threw in another test for Addisons (it came back negative) and suggested an ultrasound. Unfortunately she didn't make it to that ultrasound appointment, that night she was vomiting/ had diarrhea, she wasn't getting up to use the bathroom and was very disoriented. I ended up having to take her to the ER. The vet was saying she has protein losing enteropathy but to find out more an ultrasound was needed. So she had to stay for the day, do the ultrasound, X-ray, and vitals, etc. Which cost us $2,300. After the ultrasound didn't show cancer but there was thickening of her intentestines, she suggested putting her under and doing a biopsy which we couldn't afford. It would have ran us $4-$6k, so we decided to do maintenance at home with meds and a new diet. She was put on dex injection for 4 days then move to Prednisone pills, atopica, paxil, and cerenia for nausea. The new food was hills low fat wet food (which for a month would have ran us $225 a month). We were also given an appointment with an internist for the following Monday.
Unfortunately, she did not do well on this new food with the meds. She was having diarrhea hourly and it was almost completely blood. We took her home last Wednesday and by Sunday she was back at the ER it got so bad (all they did was give her fluids and antibiotics and told us to wait until her internist appt). And on Sunday I started her back on the chicken and rice too curb the diarrhea a little bit which didn't really help. After seeing the internist on Monday she did bloodwork again and suggested a couple of tweaks to the meds (lowered the atopica, and went back to shots of dex for a bit instead of the Prednisone pills). This vet appt cost $500 including the cost of the meds and she said I'm supposed to see heget new meds weekly. It is now Wednesday and she is still having diarrhea multiple times a day that are almost completely blood even on the chicken and rice. She is also losing weight fast, she went from 29.5 when we first went to the vet for this to 23.8 as of Monday.
I love my dog so much, she is the first pet of my own but I realistically cannot afford this treatment. We are already $5k in the hole from this and I don't see an end in sight (besides her albumin going up a little bit from last Wednesday). I'm not sure what to do and I'm very upset I'm forced to make this decision. From looking online and asking the vet, dogs with PLE have a life expectancy of 6-12 months. Do I go into debt over this? What would you do in this situation? I feel like a horrible owner for not being able to afford this. Any advice/experience/help would be greatly appreciated!

Still fairly new to Etsy, and creating designs.
Someone ordered a hoodie I have on my Etsy, and the colors came out so faded, not at all matching the mock-ups I have online.
I reached out to printify and they responded within a few hours (I requested a reprint)! They notified me that I had some slightly transparent layers and that it would fill in with white, yada yada. What do ya know, they even have an info page on transparency and gradients 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
I feel so dumb, and obviously didn’t do as much homework as I needed to. They did, however, agree that it shouldn’t have looked the way it did and asked me to fix the graphic, which I have done.
What a pleasant first experience with that! AND I may as well put my shop in vacation mode.. I’ve got to double check all of my graphics for the opacity, because I don’t want this to happen again.
Just wanted to share, in case anyone else didn’t know 🙂

Hello!
I have a student who knows I’m very knowledgeable about folklore, mythology, and magic, and he came to me seeking resources on Norse mythology.
My lineage and practice both don’t really have any ties to that, and while I have some basic knowledge, I’d love to be able to point him to age and education level appropriate material.
He is a very bright sophomore, but can struggle with remaining engaged. I’ve compiled a basic list for him and warned him not to go willy nilly online, so so much has been co-opted by white supremacists.
So far I have: Norse Mythology - Nail Gaiman
Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor, and Loki
And then the poetic and prose Eddas.
Podcasts, videos, and books are all welcome suggestions!
Thanks y’all 💖

About me, Job compensation + benefits, CoL for reference

About me:

• Ethnicity + Name: Indian (south asian) as hell.
• Work experience: 3+ years of co-op / internships. (Didn't matter, read full post). No big name internships, just random startups.
• University: University of Waterloo (Mech eng Bachelors; robotics / AI / ML background)
• Graduated 2023, 2.1 GPA
• Applications sent: over 10,000; this is not a joke. Shotgun approach mostly.
• Interviews: 5. Not 50 or 500, but FIVE.
• Disabilities: Autism / Aspergers. Made the interviews hell for me.

Compensation / Benefits:

• $70,000 Base (salaried, boss doesn't care if I leave early as long as I get work done)
• Work as little time as you want as long as you get the work done. I work 5 hrs a day on average now.
• $10,000-30,000 Profit sharing + Bonuses (directly put into 401k / Roth, company does additional 4x matching for bonuses only; reaching bonuses literally made a senior engineer a multi-millionaire here over 20 years in his 401k).
• Guaranteed raise after 6 months of stay / onboarding finished.
• Subsidized Masters / Ph.D. sponsored by the company.
• Full health + life + vision + dental insurance.
• Contracted inflation pay raise every year.
• Weekly pay.
• Paid maternity + paternity.
• Vacations whenever, just make sure you get your job done on time and let manager know before hand. Any vacation over 1 week must be approved by HR and other management levels. Be reasonable about how often you take it (Senior devs often take 1-2 weeks off every 2 months unless tight deadlines).
• Boss literally told me to go the fuck home when I tried staying overtime out of guilt / confusion.

Cost of Living:

• Low? Breakdown below, idk how to determine.
• Studio apartment + internet + heat + water < $1050.
• Average food cost (groceries + eating out every other day + weekly pizza) < $400.
  • Loaf of bread for reference: $1.99
• Downsides: neighbor won't stop smoking weed; the smell is annoying every Friday. Ugh.
• Downsides: Extremely car-centric area; no public transportation.

Listen to the goddamn Boomers / Gen X folks here

As much as the older folks are 'behind the times', you need to remember who is still disproportionately in charge of companies and how they are structured, even in the tech sector. Hell, I had my dad (the BOOMIEST BOOMER I know) help me out.
I went to my 7th job fair after graduation about 2-3 months ago (Feb 2024) and my dad came with me as moral support. Just as usual with most job fairs, there isn't anyone there actively recruiting for engineering / IT / software roles because of the current market. BUT, my dad was having a 'fun' chat with the CTO of a random medium sized company and they both hit it off HARD. Both of them were born in the same part of India, went to the same temples there, and they just kept on chatting. Next thing I know, this same CTO came to me and asked if I was competent at engineering and he'd like to interview me on the spot, but sadly his company had no open software roles. I agreed.
I shit you not, this test was this simple and BLEW it:

1. What is Ohms law? (I got this right)
2. What is an inverter? (I got this wrong)
3. What is a diode? What is it's symbol? (I got this right)
4. Explain what an LED is and what it's symbol is. (I got this half right)
5. What is the purpose of a rectifier? (I got this wrong)
6. Questions about embedded C/C++ (I don't even know the language well T.T)

Thing is, the interviewer was really interested NOT in my capabilities or even my previous experiences. He was intrigued at just how many questions I asked and how I even asked some questions he didn't know the answer to, and how quickly I learnt the information. He told me to come to the company's HQ because he wanted me to meet the R&D manager.
1 week later
I met the R&D guy. Something I noticed is that this whole department was filled with dinosaurs. Not a single human within a 1 km radius appeared below the age of 50 outside of the technicians / trades folk. These dinos didn't even know how to post a job online without the help of HR (I'm sure everyone here knows how HR writes posts and filters applications). Just after half an hour of talking and the R&D manager apparently loved me because "this kid knows jack shit but he's a sponge, he'll learn faster than anyone else we got", which is apparently what R&D is actively looking for in fresh recruits.
Then bam-bam-boom, I got my position starting at this pay, with a guaranteed pay boost after onboarding + training is finished in 6 months, while I bombed every interview question / test. My position is as an R&D Engineer specializing in Embedded Design / Programming. Hell, one of my first projects is to tinker around and try to create and integrate a custom trained AI model with Altium to see if the autopathing system and autolayouts can be made better and human centric if possible.
I looked into this company's history and they have an average employee tenure of 10+ years without a single person ever being laid off ever since 1985. People wouldn't actively stay at a company that long without job hopping if the pay wasn't satisfactory or if it was toxic. Plus it was written into my contract that base pay is tied to inflation!
What are the lessons here?

1. Don't quit. It's a shitty market, but a 0.01% chance is INFINITELY better than 0% if you stop trying.
2. Have a boomer / gen x person help you network and connect you with other boomer / gen x people. Boomers and Gen X folks hire more based on word of mouth and interactions than younger folk like me who focus on the 'skills' part of the resume.
3. Become a sponge. The more absorbent you are and the more questions you ask, the more the senior engineers will love you and actively want you on their team.
4. Target industries that are filled with older folks in white collar positions (assuming you want white collar positions). Here are some examples:
   1. Metallurgy (filled with trades people and old engineers, they are actively looking for fresh blood in white collar areas).
   2. Agriculture (mechanization).
   3. Carpentry (same as metallurgy above).
   4. Welding companies (they have active R&D for building welding machines, just like metallurgy and carpentry sectors).
5. Learn, learn, and learn. Especially for the first job you get, especially so if you don't have internships / co-op experience, people will look for your ability to learn. How fast can you learn everything we teach you?
6. HR seldom knows what the company wants / needs when they post job listings. Getting out there and talking to NOT the recruiters but the engineers will give you that edge. Bonus points if you also do bullet point 2.
7. Be ambitious with your future goals. Not just pretend; you'll run out of steam. If you are ambitious despite your current situation, people will see it and engineers / senior developers will like it. That was also one of the things a senior there liked about me and explicitly said "you're ambitions behind closed doors, I love it, you'll go far and I hope you take the company there with you; more profits for all of us!".
8. Nepotism isn't the right word for how many here think of the job situation, it's just much MUCH more networking than previously thought. This has it's own issues like for those from disadvantaged / foreign backgrounds, but this world isn't fair, and that won't change reality.

Check my post history to know I was literally in your position just a few months ago. I hope this post helps people.

I live near Irvine but I am also in Long Beach and LA a lot of the time for work
I am seeking an SB for arrangements but I would not mind some friends to talk to and hang out with.
It is kind of lonely not having anyone to discuss this lifestyle with haha. I am funny, goofy and intelligent. I work in tech, am kinky and open minded (and seek same). I am sarcastic, I brake for small animals, I volunteer, I like to play older games and watch anime.
I have had several arrangements in the past but I ended up moving.
I a mixed (viet+white/latino) though I am not sure you can tell by looking haha. I do not speak much of either language. I like the food of both.
I work as a property manager. I have flexible schedule but for professional reasons I like to be discreet. I wont send face pics right away without talking for a bit first. I am ok to kind of cute looking if I am being honest. Like a 7/10 but funny. People like my sense of humor or so they tell me haha.
I am looking for someone local, no online or out of state people. Into fit and HWP but I am pretty open if the vibe is right. I am kinky so being open minded is a plus. I also love people who are into literature or were english majors haha. I love to hear about stories and literature. I love people who can carry a conversation but are inclusive and banter back and forth. I do a lot of banter.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

So Im planning on taking linear algebra online this summer and was wondering which professor was the best option: Tyler White, Rizza Hansen, Volnar Goziri, Christopher Patino, and Betsy McCall. It would also help knowing how the exam weighting works, as I am a bit worried about that.

Compact:

The language in “Internet Girl” is representative: “I’m eleven. On Neopets I am God. I let my Blumaroo and my Xweetok and my Lutari and my Shoyru starve. I want to see if they will die. I want to know the rules of their world and mine. I can’t believe I’m in charge of this little dragon life. I can’t believe I’m in charge of my own little life.”
Behind the deliberate obfuscation, this is wonderful writing.

Guardian:

Levy writes in her own referential language, a lightspeed style that must be post-post-post modern. The lexicon of memes is important to Levy (though perhaps less so to any reader over, say, 28), so significant that she spends the longest section of her book explaining it to us. Z Was for Zoomer is Levy’s dictionary of online slang; an ABC of neologisms from the internet’s collective consciousness, often illustrated with the author’s personal experiences. I am 24 and have spent plenty of time online, enough to know what Levy is referencing when she writes that “fat bugs bunny is named Big Chungus”, but as a true historian of the web, Levy further fleshes out several concepts.

NPR:

The milieu of Honor Levy's fiction is undeniably white and privileged, but her best stories exaggerate that milieu to great satirical effect. Perhaps her second book will contain more of them.

I am between a small/medium in different brands. I ordered an online dress with the above fabric, in the size medium.
It fits me a bit loosely. I’m thinking of exchanging it but I bought it for my vacation trip that is in 2 weeks.
If the above fabric doesn’t shrink, should I just return it? How likely would it shrink and by how much? This is the dress:
https://www.fortunateone.com/products/beach-walk-knit-maxi-dress-white

I went with a nice plain white shirt and some dark chinos. No kippah, because I didn’t have one, but the rabbi gave me one and said I could keep it.
The whole night was amazing. The rabbi’s wife had me braiding challah. Got a bit emotional at that, wondering how many generations back someone in my family last did that. One of the guests was an Israeli guy who lives vaguely close to me by rural Icelandic standards. He asked me how I was enjoying my night, and I said it felt like coming home. He said “welcome back, brother”. Got pretty emotional about that as well.
Long story short, the rabbi and his family, the Icelandic residents, and the tourists were all very welcoming and the whole experience of Friday night and Saturday as well was amazing. I knew I wanted to be actively Jewish, but I didn’t realise quite how much was missing from my life and from myself until getting to experience that.
I don’t know what the next step will be for me, I live about as far from Reykjavik as you can get so my in-person access to a community is limited. But I’m gonna try and find an online judaism 101 course or something at the very least.

I have a white T from UNIQLO that i really like, but recently its gotten a stain that normal cycling isn't helping with. I have looked up some ways to get rid of stains online but worry that they will damage the fabric.
What can i do to securely clean this shirt?
stains
washing instructions 1
washing instructions 2

A thread for new collectors to ask basic questions of the community.
Frequently Asked Questions below!
A longer version of the subreddit rules is here.
For questions specifically concerning bootlegs or vendor legitimacy, please ask in the Bootleg Megathread.
NSFW & Spoiler Guidelines

• For Self Posts: include a bolded NSFW note next to links in that post.
• For Links to sites/images: If the figure is NSFW, or the website has any NSFW content (including ads) be sure to tag your post NSFW and use the appropriate link flair.

Bootlegs
Any collection posts containing bootlegs, comments advocating buying bootlegs, or links to sites selling bootlegs, recasts, or unlicensed merchandise will be removed.
People often ask about the legitimacy and/or safety of a number of websites which sell large resin statues. The more commonly-asked of those deal primarily in resins from studios which do not have a license from the Japanese IP holders to produce merchandise. Therefore links to those sites are not permitted here. Another sign is if MyFigureCollection doesn't list the either the statue, its manufacturer, or the shop it's being sold on.
MyFigureCollection
My Figure Collection is like MyAnimeList... but for figures! Their database includes thousands of items which been produced during the last couple of decades, along with reviews of shops and other helpful articles. One can also list their own collection and post gallery photos.
Shops

Retailers:
AmiAmi HobbySearch Mandarake (sells rare figures) Good Smile Company Online Shop (often has exclusives) Good Smile Company US shop Crunchyroll Store Hobby Link Japan (aka HLJ) Solaris Japan (MFC partner) BigBadToyStore (MFC partner, US retailer) Big in Japan (also has proxy service) Tokyo Otaku Mode FigureHaven Archonia (EU) Yorokonde (EU) Figuya (EU) Gamersheek (UK) Jungle
List of retailers on MFC
/AnimeFigures' List of Retailers
Community Guide to Shopping in Japan

Blogs/News:

Nekomagic (News/Previews) NyaaFigurines (Reviews/Releases) Kahotan's Blog (News/Reviews) Figma Blog (JP)

Buying & Shipping

1. What’s the best place to buy my anime figures from?
That’s going to depend a lot on what works for you, but most people around here buy them from Amiami, Big in Japan, Hobby Search, HobbyLink Japan, or Tokyo Otaku Mode. If none of those work for you for whatever reason, there’s a list of reputable retailers in the sidebar that you can check out at any time. Be extra careful when ordering figures from websites like Amazon or ebay, as there are a lot of bootlegs on those sites. Don’t be afraid to ask in our Bootleg Megathread if you’re unsure.
2. What differences are there between the shipping options I get from most Japanese shops?
Below is a rundown of the main shipping choices you’ll get at most retailers. Keep in mind that if an order is large enough you will be forced to use one of the more expensive options, as SAL shipments have lower size and weight restrictions.

• Unregistered SAL: Sometimes referred to as uSAL, is usually the cheapest method. It does not come with any tracking or insurance. Usually takes up 2-4 weeks for delivery.
• Registered SAL: Sometimes referred to as rSAL, is insured for the declared value up to 6,000 yen. It comes with a tracking number and usually takes 2-4 weeks for delivery.
• EMS: This method of shipping is much faster than either SAL options, usually arriving within a week of shipment. EMS shipments are insured for the declared value up to 2,000,000 yen.
• Airmail
• E-packet
• Surface: Shops don't offer this very often. It's an actual cargo ship and slow as a result.
  
• DHL: Becoming more available as an alternative to EMS on AmiAmi and other sites. Can be less expensive than EMS and of comparable speed, but may be more reliant on the specific geographical area being shipped to. The price is also determined by the size of the box. Offers their own tracking.
  

3. I placed two+ orders for figures at different times. Will my items be shipped together, or will I have to pay shipping twice?
Most shops will ask you to pay shipping on a per-order basis, but here are some that will allow combined shipping:

• Amiami: You can combine orders here, as long as the orders ship in the same month. It doesn’t matter if the item is new or preowned. Any preorders that are set for that month can also be combined with other orders for that month. However, be aware that if the preorder gets delayed, Amiami will remove that item from that month’s shipment and place it on a new order. To combine orders on Amiami, use the “Combine Orders” feature under “My Account”.
  
• Hobby Search: Hobby Search will let you combine orders that release in the same month, but you cannot combine in stock items with preorders. If you want to combine multiple preorders, or multiple in stock items, you can do so using the “Order Recombination” feature on your account page.
  
• HobbyLink Japan: At HLJ, you have the option to send paid orders to their “Private Warehouse”, where you can store them for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to ship the items, you simply select which items to ship and HLJ will combine them into one shipment for you. To use this, just select the “Private Warehouse” option as shipping when you order.
  

If you’re unsure about whether or not a shop we haven’t listed will combine your orders, please refer to their individual FAQs.
4. When will I get charged for my preorder?
Most Japanese shops charge you once the item is in stock and ready for shipment. When that happens, they will send you an email asking for payment. Some shops (mostly overseas ones), will allow you to pay for the item up front though, if you’d like. A few with that option are:

• Big in Japan (Japanese store)
• Tokyo Otaku Mode
• Anime Island
• Crunchyroll

Keep in mind that overseas stores will likely get the figure a few months after Japanese ones, so pay attention to the release date stated on the website you are buying from so as to avoid that confusion.
5. Should I expect to pay customs fees when importing figures?
That depends on where you live. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Australia: 10% GST is now assessed up front.
• Canada: Minimum declared value for charges is around CAD$20 for regular shipments, and CAD$60 for gifts (gifting something only seems to lower the declared value by about CAD$40, not deplete it completely). When using Amiami, try their Small Air Packet option. It comes with tracking, gets there in about the same time as EMS, and is better at avoiding customs.
• European Union: As of 1st July 2021, VAT has to be paid on all goods imported from outside of the EU. Retailers are supposed charge VAT for purchases under €150, however many Japanese retailers currently do not, so VAT will be charged when your order arrives in the EU. Orders that are >€150, VAT and duty will be charged by your local customs.
• UK: As of 1st January 2021, VAT is to be charged by retailers for orders <£135. However, customs isn't currently charging VAT on parcels valued at <£135, even if the VAT hasn't been paid. Goods >£135 will have their VAT and duty calculated and charged by customs.
• Mexico: Minimum declared value for customs fees is USD$300 for shipments by post, and USD$50 for shipments by courier.
• United States: A shipment has to have a declared value of USD$2,000 before customs starts hitting you with fees, so you most likely won’t have to worry about them at all.

6. The figure I want is an exclusive, how do I go about ordering one outside of Japan?
You have three options for this:
A. Big in Japan is known to stock exclusive figures and ship to other countries. Usually the price is higher because they build in their proxy fees, but it’s easier than worrying about using a forwarder or proxy service. If you live in the US, Crunchyroll, Right Stuf, and Tokyo Otaku Mode also get exclusives sometimes, but out of the states the shipping can get expensive.
B. Forwarding Services: A forwarder is someone who you ship an exclusive item to so that they can forward the package on to you, usually for a flat fee + shipping. When using a forwarder you still make the purchase yourself, and enter their address into the shipping field. When the box arrives at the forwarder they will then stick your address onto the package and send it on its way.
Some popular forwarders are:

• Big in Japan
• Tenso

Be sure to read each sites instructions on forwarding carefully!
C. Proxy Services: With a proxy, you tell them what the item you’re looking for is and they will purchase it in your stead. This is handy for when a company doesn’t accept foreign credit cards, or you’re having trouble navigating a Japanese website.
Some popular proxies are:

• Big in Japan (Won’t proxy for Yahoo Auctions)
• From Japan

Again, be sure you thoroughly read through each sites proxy instructions.
7. I see a bunch of really cheap figures that ship from China on ebay. Are those okay to buy?
Generally, no. They’re most likely bootlegs. If you want a second opinion on that, feel free to ask in the Bootleg Megathread that’s always stickied at the top of the sub.
8. What’s a bootleg, and how can I avoid buying them?
A bootleg is a counterfeit figure often made using rejected molds of the official product. They are usually priced significantly lower than the genuine article, and in order to make their profit, bootleggers use lower quality materials and have less attention to detail- resulting in a substandard figure.
The Bootleg Megathread that I mentioned in question 7 is a great tool to avoid buying any bootlegs. It has a few tips and tricks to avoiding them to begin with, and a few more on how to spot them if you’re worried you might already own one.
9. Does anyone know when figure X is going to be released? How do I know if it was delayed?
My Figure Collection (sometimes referred to as MFC) does an excellent job of staying on top of information like release dates and delays. If you’re curious about an upcoming figures release date, check there first. This information can be found directly under the “Releases” section on a figure’s entry. If you only see a month and a year in that section, it means the release date has not yet been announced by the manufacturer, and there is still a chance the figure could be delayed.
If you make an account on MFC you can also subscribe to comments, changes, and pictures via a checkbox on the right hand side of a figure’s listing. Subscribing to any of these things will allow MFC to send you an email anytime the subscription in question updates. Subscribing to “changes” is a great way to keep up with release dates and delays, among other things.
10. The figure I want is long sold out at normal retailers! What’s the best place to pick it up in the aftermarket?
A list of reputable retailers can be found under the “Shops” section of the /AnimeFigures sidebar. They all sell legitimate products, and many of them also sell figures second hand. However, the most frequently suggested second hand sites are Mandarake and Amiami- who has a preowned section that they update every night save Sundays and Japanese holidays around 1PM JST and again around 6PM JST.
AmiAmi grades their pre-owned items on a letter scale. The general consensus from buyers is that their ratings are conservative, so unless the item and/or packaging is specifically indicated as having significant flaws, pre-owned items from them are usually in at least as good a condition as their rating suggests.
Note: When you search Mandarake, you’ll get the best results by using the Japanese characters for whatever you are searching. If you don’t know them, you can find them on MFC by clicking on any of the “details” in that figure’s listing.
11. Amiami has a figure I’m interested in labeled as “For sale in Japan only”. Does this mean I can’t order it without a proxy or forwarder?
No, you can still order it. Amiami’s English site has that warning on many items, and it’s mostly meant to inform you that this product was made for a Japanese market, and as such, will have Japanese speaking/writing in it- so don’t expect any instructions to be in English. If Amiami doesn’t want foreigners buying a certain product, they won’t even list it on their English site.

Displaying Your Figures

12. What display cases do you recommend?
If you live near an Ikea try out one of these:

• Klingsbo
• Billy (Often used with Morliden doors (now the HÖGBO and glass shelves.)
• Detolf: Formerly the go-to choice for inexpensive display cabinetry, the Detolf was first made flimsier around 2020 and then essentially phased out of the name, to become the BLÅLIDEN. Knockoff versions of widely-varying quality are commonly found on other shopping sites these days, though.

*If you decided on a Detolf, you might find that there is a lot of wasted space. Here are a few tutorials on raising the shelves or and adding extra ones in.

• Using metal clips
• Using acrylic supports and PVC pipe

If you don’t live near an Ikea, Amazon has a few display options, though they are more expensive. Also keep an eye on your local Craigslist (or your country’s equivalent) and stores near you that are closing up.
13. What lighting do you guys recommend?
Ikea’s Dioder LED strips were discontinued after a long run. A current version is the Vattensten, if you're inclined to buy your case and lights at the same time.
LED strips have become very commonly available in recent years; most hardware and home furnishing stores carry a selection now. Just make sure that the lights don’t get too hot!
14. What are those clear plastic boxes that I see under everyone’s figures in their collection posts, and where can I get them?
Those are called risers. Most of us use standard acrylic risers like these. Some other, easy to find things that have been suggested are:

• Plastic picture cubes
• Card Deck Boxes
• If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own!

Check your local hobby store for the first 2 options, or your local hardware store if you want to make your own.
Another common suggestion is to visit The Container Store if you have one near you. They have a lot of things to choose from that can suit a variety of needs. Be sure to check out their standard acrylic risers, their Amac boxes, and the various display cases they sell (baseball cases, mini car cases. hockey puck cases, etc).
15. Should I keep my figures sealed?
That is, of course, up to you really, but here are a few things to keep in mind when debating this question:

• Keeping it sealed can actually damage your figure. PVC figures usually have something called plasticizer in them, and that plasticizer needs to be able to breath. If a PVC figure isn’t exposed to oxygen, after a period of time the plasticizer starts to break down and form a sticky substance on the surface of the figure. Simply opening your figures and taking them out of the box prevents this from happening. If you happen to find plasticizer goo on one of your figures, Kahotan has a handy guide for dealing with it.
• Unlike some other figure markets, keeping an anime figure sealed won’t raise its value by a whole lot. In fact, because of the plasticizer problem mentioned above, your figure could actually be in better condition if you open it versus keeping it sealed.

Finding the Right Figure(s) for You

16. What are "scales" and "prizes"? What is the difference between them?
Those are classifications for figures based on a few factors.

• "Prizes" are generally more simply produced figures which are intended to be given as prizes for playing arcade games. They are inexpensive and lack the detail of scale figures, though some prize figure lines have standouts which may approach lower-end scales in quality. That is uncommon and often depends on the individual figure.
• "Scales" are called such because they are nominally designed to be proportional to the dimensions of the character which they are based on. They are generally of much better manufacture and materials than prize figures, allowing for more detail in painting, accessories, or complex poses.
• "Trading" figures appear in gashapon machines or as blind boxes on shop counters, often as sets which include multiple characters. As suggested by the class name, the randomness encourages trading. They are usually very inexpensively-produced, though as with prizes, some series are better than others.
• "Non-scale" encompasses a variety of other categories. It is often used to describe poseable figure lines such as figma and Nendoroids.

In recent years producers such as Good Smile Company attempted to further bridge the gap between prize quality and scales by introducing figure lines which are intended to be moderately-priced while retaining a higher level of detail than the typical prize figure, to varying levels of success.
17. There are so many figure companies! Who makes good figures?!
Obviously this is a very subjective question, but as a general starting point, here are a few well renowned figure companies:

• Alter
• Max Factory
• Good Smile Company
• Kotobukiya (usually hit or miss for people. Use your best judgement based off of the prototype)
• Flare
• Stronger

18. I really love “series X / character X”- how can I check if any figures were ever made for it?
My Figure Collection can be your best friend here. Simply do a search on the name of the series or character using the search bar located at the top right of the screen, and all associated figures pop up!
Alternatively, if you’re looking at a figure’s MFC entry, most of the text under the “Details” section can be clicked on and used to run a search.
19. How can I commission a custom figure?
None of the major figure companies (Alter, Kotobukiya, Good Smile Company, etc.) will take a commission for a single figure. This thread has a few websites in it that you can check out, or you can look into garage kits. Some kit painters would be willing to resculpt, frankenstein together, or otherwise modify kits for the right price.
If you're looking for help completing a garage kit, /brushforhire may be useful.

Keeping Up with New Announcements

20. How can I keep up with figure news (announcements, updates, etc.)?
Most people use a MFC combined with any or all of the following news sites:

• Neko Magic
• Alter’s Blog (In Japanese)
• Kahotan’s Blog (Only GSC and their sister companies)

Many figure companies are active on Twitter, so following them there is recommended for quicker news.
To use MFC for this I’ll quote question #9.

If you make an account on MFC you can also subscribe to comments, changes, and pictures via a checkbox on the right hand side of a figure’s listing. Subscribing to any of these things will allow MFC to send you an email anytime the subscription in question updates. Subscribing to “changes” is a great way to keep up with release dates and delays, among other things.

Most companies have one or more Twitter accounts. Some examples: Good Smile Company sales, Good Smile's USA branch, Max Factory, AmiAmi Hobby News.
21. Everyone’s excited about something called Wonfes….. what the heck is that?!
WonFes (short for Wonder Festival) is a biannual figure expo where many figure producers (both large and small) show off new sculpts and updates to figures already under way. Most companies save their most exciting announcements for WonFes, so we all look forward to the expo whenever it rolls around! Winter Wonder Festival is usually held in February, while Summer Wonder Festival is usually in July. The event has also spread to Shanghai, in the late spring.
22. One or two (or 15) figures were announced at WonFes that I’m really excited about! How can I keep track of their progress once the event is over?
MFC is always really quick about getting new WonFes announcements (or any others throughout the year, for that matter) listed in their database, so we suggest using that. To find a figure from the event you can search any number of things, including the name of the character or the name of the show. You can also use the tag search to search “WonderFestival 20xx_[season]” to see all items announced at that event.

I had 4 friends. Close friends. And one husband. Of the four friends, one used my name to create a fake non-profit, one used my name to create an alternate identity for herself to go meet men without her husband finding out that it was her dildos and not mine that were coming to her house, one used me as an aliby to cheat on her husband so she could say she was with me, and one used my social profiles to talk to me with money and wives so she didn't get caught cheating on her husband or labeled a home wrecker by the respectable well-to-do wives. Facts. How do I know? Because you used my Skype to get a number so you could cheat. Because you got messages from the men who were chatting with you. Because you did!!! One of you at least chatted with my husband and knowing how much you like to be famous, you probably did a whole lot more than flirt. One of you still logs into my iCloud account with the watch. And one of you lied about me having relationships with younger people. All of you can kiss my ass and get on down the road with the bullshit. One of you has a whole lot of angry black women thinking I am the white bitch talking to their man. One of you has a whole lot of wealthy socialites thinking I have daddy issues. And one of you has the medication mafia thinking I am fucking with their money and benefits matrix. Throw in the ex-husband who can't stay his ass off Facebook Marketplace and dating sites to stalk people and knows good and well his ass is a cheater who thinks as long as he doesn't have all his clothes in the same place I live he can excuse his whores by using the we were on a break defense. All of you can go to hell. Accountants, loan officers, teachers, and state employees....Fuck you all. He is not good in bed anymore. In fact, it is flat out terrible. It is too much work to get it up and no fun when it finally does decide to wake up, but then he's asleep and it's too much like fucking a crash test dummy. Just not worth the effort or dealing with his bullshit. So no thank you again. I'm sorry I knew any of you. And bestie at the bank, darling, you do know that video from the group home is still on YouTube, which means you are the one who exposed the entire community online since the names of my students were in my Google Classroom, which you hid the camera and videoed. I let you take a nap using my lap for a pillow and stroked your hair because you had such a damn bad migraine and you let people say I was bisexual and messing with younger kids. Your ass was not anywhere close to being a minor and I certainly didn't hit on you. I was being a good friend. I actually loved you like a sister. But you are a whore. I was not chatting with your brother in law, Josh, Alan, or your son's father. So get the shit straight. And you really should delete the cash app for Blake's girl before your boss's wife sees that one and knows you been fucking two of her men.

I have a first edition blue eyes white dragon card that I found amongst a bunch of my old stuff, tbh I’m not even sure it’s real but if it is wouldn’t it be worth a bunch? If it were a first edition Pokémon card it would be but I can’t find anything about it online