Fewer 1:6 vendors in the US compared to prior years . . .

See subject.

From approximately 1998 to 2010, there was a large presence of 1:6 vendors within the US with a retail store front (brick & mortar and/or online).

It's now 2021 and the number of 1:6 vendors within the US is far less than in prior years. However, 1:6 collectors (within the US) now depend and rely upon a number of overseas 1:6 vendors based in Asia (primarily mainland China and Hong Kong) for a number of reasons.

US based 1:6 vendors cannot generally compete with 1:6 vendors in Asia because they receive their brand new merchandise quicker than US 1:6 vendors because virtually all 1:6 brands/manufacturers are in Asia.

In the past, there was usually a window of 30 to 45 days or a bit less before US 1:6 vendors received their orders from US 1:6 distributors. That is no longer the case because COVID caused delays to all businesses where timeframe is now roughly 60-90 days.

1:6 collectors have the "instant gratification" mindset of "I want it now." This means there are collectors who'll order from overseas vendors and get their 1:6 fix quicker.

1:6 vendors in the US suffer due to that mentality and the overall state of the 1:6 hobby business wise suffers for it.

One 1:6 vendor I chatted with recently (the vendor specializes in boxed and loose 1:6 goods) told me he sees the likelihood of remaining 1:6 vendors (and there are not that many left) shuttering. The vendor I spoke with plays the long game in terms of survival and not dependent on pre-orders. Pre-orders is the bulk of most 1:6 vendors. However, competition for pre-orders with competitive pricing and expedited shipping with the bottom line cost being a bit less or comparable from Asia based 1:6 vendors to US 1:6 vendors is real and valid factor.

So where do you fit in?

Do you pre-order/purchased primarily from Asia 1:6 vendors due to pricing and variety along with convenience?

Do you still support US 1:6 vendors even with the delayed timing, etc.?

Maybe you don't care as long as you get your 1:6 stuff as cheap as possible?

It varies.   A big factor for me with 1/6 boxed figures is the shipping cost from Asia.   I’ve noticed lately that a $250 boxed 1/6 figure from Giantoy (which includes shipping) can be had for around $200 from Big Bad Toy Store with their $4.00 flat rate shipping in the U.S.  Monkey Depot, Ekia, and Urban Samurai also offer competitive prices on 1/6 boxed figures although the shipping is a bit more.  So the tables may be turning there, although not all U.S. vendors offer as big a selection as Giantoy.

Another good example of this is that I found an older 1/6 figure that I’ve been looking for at Mandarake for 16,000 yen which is a fantastic price.  However, shipping is 5,700 to 5,800 yen.   That pushes a figure from being a great deal at under $150 to just a good/okay deal at under $200.

Loose parts are a different story.  I’d much rather get them from US vendors (both e-tailers and eBay), but if something is only available in Asia (usually through eBay), the shipping cost is negligible, and I usually receive the item in less than two weeks.

Because of all the factors involved now (shipping time, shipping cost, the time it takes any given vendor to receive an item) it’s really on a case by case basis for me.

I'm with Xavion, that is, my inclination and practice varies depending on the situation. Sometimes I do suffer from the "I've got to have this now" mentality, but in my defense (if needed), that has to do with expectations that fierce competition for a specific item mean I might not be able to secure one if I wait for when Monkey Depot or Toy Anxiety get around to parting the relevant set out. With boxed sets, I trust US vendors like Timewalker Toys and Big Bad Toy Store more than anyone on eBay except maybe GianToy (which does not carry some things like Hot Toys anyway); Big Bad Toy Store has the convenient $4 shipping and, as Mark would point out, Timewalker offers free shipping if your items go over $300 (or is it $350), something that happens easily enough with a couple of boxed sets in our hobby. I often forget about them because new stuff seems to make it there very slowly, but Cotswold Collectibles often surprise me with neat bits and pieces to pick up. And when one is either lucky with the occasional heftier discount or desperate enough to have something, there is always Black Ops Toys. Among eBay retailers (who, like others, may also have brick and mortar establishments), I appreciate Man of Action Figures and Rattlesnake Toys, among others. But at this point I honestly don't know who is doing what -- brick and mortar and/or online website and/or eBay.

I answered this question over at the Old Site, but here goes. I shop wherever I can get the best deal (mostly with shipping factored in). I spend so much at Timewalker, and ALWAYS bundle for free shipping when I can, that they are my go-to State-side. OSK and Giantoy are my go-to for the bootlegs and other items (like bodies usually) since the scumbag a-holes at Sideshow have threatened to cut off any North American retailer of Hot Toys products if they sell bootlegs of any kind. So, that aside, I purchase from both Asia and the US equally. While I'm all for supporting "local" businesses, it isn't always something that can be done. I will use sleazebay occasionally, but for the last couple of years I will only purchase from US-based sellers, and skip all those scam artists in China, so that has greatly reduced my purchases from the Bay, since 90% of the broken down sets seams to come from Asian markets (aside from Black Ops, Monkey Depot & Toy Anxiety).

Lately, I have been doing all of my pre-orders through Giantoy. They have good prices and great service as well.

Whenever I need something that's already available, like a TBLeague body, I prefer to go through us vendors like BBTS. When it comes to parted out items I would honestly prefer US sellers since it would ship faster, but sites like Monkey Depot and Black Ops Toys don't usually have what I need so I have to buy from the Chinese resellers on ebay. So far I haven't run into any issues with buying parceled out items from ebay like others here have, but I guess that's just luck.