Where to Buy Garage Kits
It’s one of the questions I get the most. WHERE? HOW? I decided to put together a small list explaining where I get kits. I’ve been buying kits for almost a decade and the market has changed so much. It is much easier for overseas painters to get their hands on kits and even be able to support the sculptors directly.
Direct From The Artist:
#1 In-person Hobby Events:
Imagine me waving a cane as I say “back in my day!” Until the late 2010s one of the most common ways to buy a kit directly from the sculptor was at a hobby event. Sculptors/circles have to present a prototype to the copyright holder and ask for permission to sell the kit at the event. The circle is given a limited number of event stickers and they are only allowed to sell on that day. WonFes (or Wonder Festival) is the biggest hobby event in Japan. There are major announcements for pre-painted figures and exclusives. If you could not attend the event in Japan and wanted the best shot of getting a kit you would have to hire someone to attend the event for you. This was often at a major cost. I’ve seen people charge a flat rate to hire them + % of total purchases + shipping.
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#2 Online Hobby Events
One of the small “benefits” of Covid-19 was one hobby event Treasure Fest switching to an online only event: TFO.
It’s similar to WonFes, circles apply for permission to sell a kit and are given a strict number on the amount they can sell. Participants have to buy tickets to “attend” the event and they can purchase whatever is in stock. After the event, all of your purchases are shipped together in one big bundle of joy. You must have a Japanese address to register for the event. Here and here are two TFO buying guides that go into way more detail.
Tonamo (also known as the Neighborhood Mokei Festival) is a 2-day event. The first day is held in-person and the 2nd day is held online on Booth.pm using your Booth account for purchases. You must have a Japanese address for shipping. You cannot check out with Buyee during this event. If you are trying to purchase from more than one circle/storefront you must finish checking out with one before you can check out from another.
#3 Booth/Mail-order
Booth.pm is an marketplace run by Pixiv that sells a variety of goods. Each circle/sculptor has their own storefront and can list kits for sale. There are no recasts on booth, you are buying directly from the sculptor with some added storefront fees. Japanese copyright rules still apply. Most kits sold on booth are original characters made with permission from the original artist or they are from IPs with very generous rules. Games like Nikke, Azur Lane, Blue Archive, and Girl’s Frontline allow kits to be sold in great numbers outside of events. I highly reccomend following circles/sculptors on twitter for news about new kits being released or re-releases.
If you are overseas, you have to use a proxy service like Buyee or Tenso. Buyee will purchase the item for you. If you use Tenso you have to buy the item yourself and ship it to your proxy Japanese address. You can purchase 18+ items with Tenso, but it requires verifying your ID to confirm your age.
Some circles sell on their own websites, but that is becoming increasingly rare due to the popularity of Booth.
The Secondhand Market:
This is the tricker section. There are a lot more options to look for kits on the secondhand market, but there is also the risk of recasts. I do not condemn people that buy recasts, but I want to educate people because they are bootlegs and ZERO of the profits go back to the original artist. Because the larger recast sites do not disclose how they get their kits, most people are unaware that they are buying bootlegs.
Below the the options I use the most when browsing for secondhand kits. There are also sites like Suruga-ya, but I have never used them.
Mandarake is a chain of secondhand stores in Japan that also lists it’s inventory online. They ships worldwide.
Note: If you purchase multiple items from different stores they will be shipped from their respective stores. They do not combine shipping unless all of the items are bought from the same store
They have a ‘garage kit’ section. Each listing shows the packaging and the parts inside.
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Yahoo Auctions is like Ebay. Individuals list items for auction for a set amount of time. Search terms like “ガレージキット” (garage kit in Japanese) or recent hobby events like “WF2024w”. You can browse with Buyee for search and listing translations.
Be aware of recasts! Many recast companies list kits for sale. Two major giveaways for recasts include:
- “Shipping from Overseas” in the description
- Parts laid out for photos (examples below). Original kits are often unopened to reduce liability for missing pieces.
Mercari is personal secondhand site. Individuals can list a variety of items. In my experience, it’s better to search for specific characters or shows rather than searching for “garage kits” as a general term.
You must use a proxy service.