The figurine collector's guide to spotting counterfeit figurines

Who doesn't love a good deal, especially on figures that usually cost an arm and a leg? If you spot a really good deal on a figure, there's a good chance it's a bootleg. You wouldn't want a bootleg. You want a pretty waifu or a dashing husbando. If you get a bootleg, whether intentionally or not, you may end up with something like the image shown.

Why avoid bootlegs?

As we mentioned above, you will get a hideous imitation, sometimes of frightening proportions. The second reason you shouldn't buy a bootleg is to support the creators so they can continue providing quality anime, video games, and of course, action figures. So if you want to continue enjoying their products, only buy authentic figurines and products. Being anti-capitalist is no excuse.

If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.

You may think you've just got a good deal and rush to checkout. Stop and think for a moment. Check seller reviews or product reviews. You may find unhappy customers complaining about poor packaging or poor customer service, and that's normal. Even the best e-commerce sites receive bad reviews from time to time. If you find someone complaining about getting a bootleg on this site, that's a big red flag.

Check the quality of the figurine

Even authentic figures may have imperfections, but they are not very pronounced. If you see a paint problem somewhere, don't immediately assume it's a bootleg. Inspect the figure more closely. If there are other problems, be wary. Some bootleg makers have gotten very good and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an authentic figure and a bootleg. Compare with photos of the authentic figurine. You can search for photos on MyFigureCollection. Please note that our site only sends official Manga figurines.

Check the quality of the box

Inspect the box carefully and if you see any spelling mistakes, there's a good chance it's a bootleg. Alcohol smugglers deliberately make spelling mistakes on logos to avoid blatant copyright infringement. Some even remove the logo completely. Additionally, there may be minute differences in box design between different versions of the same figure. For example, the original version of Nendoroid Ahri came in a black box, while the second version came in a white box.

Look for the authenticity sticker

Since we're talking about boxes, look for the authenticity sticker. If you find one, that's great. If not, do some research to see if this figure actually comes with authenticity stickers. Not all figures have an authenticity sticker.