Anime Toys – Selling at USD 0.01? A Closer Look

Following up on my previous blog entry, I continued to research this matter based on some comments given. I discovered a few things:

1. Other ebayers are aware of these schemes to sell bootleg products under the guise of really attractive prices

(See blogs Beware of blatant bootleg figure merchants! And “How to spot anime PVC fakes For a list of sellers selling bootleg items on ebay)

2. While there are indeed some sellers that use this strategy to increase the chances of bids for some items, it is not a tenable strategy for long-term business. The cost is usually hidden elsewhere. Doing a little research into sellers who do really well using this strategy, I discovered that negative feedbacks usually center around the following issues:

1. Item is fake
2. Item not as described, usually much smaller (Which is a sign that item is bootleg)
3. Excessive shipping charge beyond ebay’s acceptable norms for service rendered e.g. materials, service etc
4. Box of trading figure not sent as stated in listing (Japanese retail price for genuine item is on the box)

While I may not know the exact charges for shipping from these sellers to their buyers, it can be surmised that in the shipping and handling charges, they actually factor in the cost of the toy besides the cost of transport and service rendered. This is contravening ebay rules, where charges are hidden to avoid paying listing fees. This is a form of dishonesty and it is used rather openly by some sellers. Responsible ebayers should report them before they wipe out those who sell genuine items or charge realistic prices.

Price Guide in Japan

In this next section, I will show how buyers can determine the real cost of item charged by Japanese retail. This way, they can check for themselves whether their seller is selling them something worth their while. Having said that, this is the recommended price gauge for Japan, and should be considered as a base price. It should be higher in other countries due to other selling charges/currency fluctuations/cost of business factored into the selling price. Or for shipping from Japan to retailers in other countries. It just shows that USD 0.01 is impossible.

On the box of trading figures, there is usually a code of numbers above the barcode. The last set of figures is the price in Yen. I have gotten sample pictures to illustrate (click links). Hopefully, this will help buyers determine the real price of their item. Sellers may sell it higher or lower depending on circumstances e.g. high demand for popular figures, newly released items or at slightly lower price to move products/or wholesale purchases but not at the completely unrealistic price of USD 0.01.

Example 1: Xenosaga episode 2 by Bandai Officail Retail price Yen 700=USD 6.601. It is selling in Singapore retail for about SGD 11.00 for genuine item.

Example 2: Rurouni Kenshin by Bandai Officail Retail price Yen 380=USD 3.21. It is selling in Singapore retail for about SGD 8.00. for genuine item.

Example 3: Evangelion Portraits 3 by Bandai Officail Retail price Yen 400=USD 3.47. It is selling in Singapore retail for about SGD 9.00 for genuine item.

These three items were sold at USD 0.01 or a similarly unrealistic price. I hope this helps buyers see for themselves that selling at USD 0.01 is not possible for genuine items. I believe most buyers know that such sellers are doing something illegal by factoring the cost of toy into the cost of shipping to avoid listing fees, but they don’t care because they are happy thinking they have gotten a bargain. However, what they may not know is they may have been buying bootleg. Even wholesale items cannot be as low as USD 0.01.

Too good or too cheap to be true?

 I sell toys, especially Japanese anime toys. Recently I went to Hong Kong and did my shopping for new products that I can sell on Ebay and learnt something from the suppliers there. There were two shops that sold the same Melancholy of Suzumiya 1/8 statue of Haruhi. From a distance, they looked exactly the same, but the price was a huge $40 difference.

What’s with the difference?

All businessmen will try to find the lowest cost possible, so I did a double take and checked out the two items. Asking the one that sold it more expensively if he could lower the cost, I quoted his neighbor’s price. His answer was simple, “They can sell so cheaply because it’s a fake.”

He went on to educate me on how to spot a fake. After which, he asked me to go check out his neighbor’s item again: Sure enough.

From afar, everything looked great: The box, the design and the price all too good to be true. But checking it carefully, one could spot the telltale signs. Small smudges, uneven paint lines, asymmetrical eyes etc. I would not have known what to find if I hadn’t been instructed by a pro.

Going back to the shop selling the original, he told me he could get me a fake at even $50 below the price of the original; but do I want it?

Makes me wonder

When items are sold way below the cost or retail price in ebay, I wonder how the sellers do it. For example, the cost of a toy could never be USD0.01; this would not even cover the listing cost. Yet, many items are sold at this price. Although I can understand that this could be a ploy to attract active bidding, but how long is this business strategy tenable, especially if a seller sells most items at this price? Even buying wholesale could not be that cheap; I checked. Too good or too cheap to be true?

For example, a figure that costs Y700=USD 5.89 retail price in Japan can sell as low as USD 0.01. in ebay. Some established ebay shops and other non-ebay online shops can’t sell at such a low price but others can. Too good or too cheap to be true?

Maybe there is someway to really suppress the costs till USD0.01, and if there is a way, I would want to find it too. So perhaps, those who are way ahead of me in ebay, and who are kind enough to let me in on their trade secret could educate me. Not accusing any sellers here but it perplexes me how the prices can go so low if it’s an original. Am I missing anything?