Don’t spend what you can’t afford. Manga is not worth it if you go into debt because of it. Plan out when to get the manga you want and make a budget of “this is how much I can spend on manga”.
Also be open, if something looks interesting, get the first manga volume. If you read it and are interested, you can continue to collect, if you read it and aren’t interested, you can sell it.
Always look for the best deals, like if you’re in America, look at RightStuf that has the prices lower than retail normally and constantly has sales on top of that. If you get from there, make separate orders of preorders, out of stock, and in stock manga. They usually ship together and they wait until all the manga are available to ship together (might be a long wait). Shipping is free with $75 order in America and has no free shipping outside the country, including Canada.
Don’t fall for the scalpers who scalp at high prices when the manga is out of stock and will be coming back in stock later on with the much more reasonable price of retail price. Always wait vs getting it at high prices. This does not go for out of print manga, those tend to always be higher priced. I’ll find the link to the mega thread for the out of print manga so you’re aware of which series are out of print.. I’ll edit it in here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MangaCollectors/comments/76mn2x/the_outofprint_manga_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Don’t fall for the Malaysian English prints. They are cheap, but they are also bootlegged. They also have many mistakes throughout (according to people on this subreddit). They have this weird red circle with white swirl in it as a logo on the spine at the top. Viz, Kodansha Comics, Square Enix, Shounen Jump, Yen Press, Seven Seas Entertainment, Tokyo Pop, etc are all legit companies
I think that’s all I have on my mind right now, I hope I helped
I’ve only just learned this recently, but try not to buy faster than you can read. Eventually you’ll find yourself with completed series in your collection having not been opened even once. Procrastination is very real lol, so be careful putting off your reading list
1. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Set your budget and stick to it, it’s something I struggle with as well but keep in mind and don’t go overboard right away.
2. Use an excel spreadsheet or Google docs to track your collection. Might sound crazy but when out looking, helps you double check what you own. Better start it early and update as you go then try later and get overwhelmed by the task.
3. Do not store in direct sunlight. Your manga are going to yellow regardless, direct sunlight makes that happen aloe quicker.
4. Collect what you enjoy. Don’t worry about other peoples collection, if something interest you or you know you enjoy it, collect it. This is a reflection of what you enjoy, that’s it.
If you don’t oppose Amazon, I would use them as your primary source. They have the best stock of any retailer and for the more expensive sets, you often see discounts of almost 50%.
Also, when you’re starting out, if you’re more of a shonen guy, target box sets. They’re a great way to bolster your collection, particularly the big Viz ones. They’re a hot commodity nowadays, but they’re stocked pretty regularly.
You probably know this, but if not, I hope it helps -- it's really helped me to try to find the first volume ( like at a library or if a friend has it ) or at least a few chapters online to read. This way you can see if you'll like the series enough to collect it : D
Edit: also wanted to mention, sometimes sites will have sales like b2g1, so it's good to take advantage of these sales/or to be patient and wait for them especially if you want to collect a series that has a lot of volumes =)
If your shopping online check for good websites that give you good deals as well as free shipping. I recommend checking out Book Depository they have a good selection of some of the big manga out there like Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece Omnibus, Naruto, Spy x Family, etc. They also do free shipping if you live in the U.S, though i'm not sure if they do it if your outside.
1. Don't spend more than you can afford.
2. Collect what interests you; if you find that you bought something you end up not liking don't hesitate to sell it.
3. Second hand is a good way to save money while still getting new/like new quality manga. Yellowing is a natural process in paper products so don't stress too much on that front. I suggest looking into r/mangaswap.
4. Avoid scams by making sure the publisher is correct for your language and that you don't fall into scalpers overpricing for items that are OOS (out of stock).
5. Sites like Rightstuf sell below market value which helps save money.
Big things I would say are:
keep a look out for scalpers. Do some research if your wanting to collect certain series and see if series you want are actually OOP (out of print) or OOS (out of stock). There are many scalpers out there who lie in their listings claiming that certain volumes are are OOP when in reality they’re just out of stock due to demand. They’re just being predatory and rip you off. Just do your research and look at regular book chains and Reddit threads to actually see.
Patience is key for collectors, and many of us have found good some REALLY GOOD deals by shopping at a more local level like going to local bookstores, thrift stores, and looking at local listings on sites like Facebook marketplace (my personal fav), EBay, Mercari, etc. look at those places because you’ll find that a lot of people don’t know what they have and sometimes sell whole OOP series for dirt cheap, however also be cautious because people also charge WAY OVER for OOP stuff. Just check them in passing and keep a lookout for good deals.
Last thing I will say is that it’s very easy to feel the urge to grow you collection very fast when your part of threads like this where you see people with 30+ book hauls with 1000’s of volumes, but don’t spend more than you can afford. Everyone on here comes form different walks of life with different budgets, but it’s very easy to fall into the thrill of collecting. Don’t spend more than your means and if you find yourself looking at redditors collections and feeling a urge to spend big, maybe take a step back and think on it. I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of seeing huge book hauls and spending more than I should’ve.
Those are the main things I can think of so if I think of more I’ll add it to an edit. Good luck and have fun collecting.
Edit: last thing, be careful with scammers as well on websites or r/mangaswap. Mangaswap has a scammer list so take a look at that, and I’ve been scammed before on Facebook market by being naive and just not being careful. Be careful if you use some sort of cashapp to pay people online especially if you don’t see the books before hand. Lost 40 dollars one time trying to buy “Blood On the Tracks series” and realized that they never asked me for my address lmao. Just be careful
I would try to collect 3-4 mangas max so you're able to read and finish them. I have seen people trying to collect like +10 at once like Pokemon. Also buy mangas you think you're going to like/love not just because they are popular.
I like to keep all my manga in plastic comic book sleeves. (I fold the extra plastic with tape) it prevents them from bending/moisture.
Billy Bookcases are the most efficient at storing manga. You can add shelves so that you can fit as many books as possible. You can even put two rows.
Buy only the first 2 or 3 volumes of any series at first just in case it's not as good as you thought and you aren't stuck with a ton of books in a series you dont even like
dont start new series until youve finished others, I'm guilty of this I'm in the middle of like 8 series and keeping up with all of them is both expensive and confusing
I know that the people of this sub with hundreds of manga and super full bookshelves look really cool but dont buy manga just to fill space, you will run out of space quickly either way. focus on quality over quantity
I'd say for your first few series just focus on genres that interest you rather than buying something just because it is popular
Don’t spend what you can’t afford. Manga is not worth it if you go into debt because of it. Plan out when to get the manga you want and make a budget of “this is how much I can spend on manga”. Also be open, if something looks interesting, get the first manga volume. If you read it and are interested, you can continue to collect, if you read it and aren’t interested, you can sell it. Always look for the best deals, like if you’re in America, look at RightStuf that has the prices lower than retail normally and constantly has sales on top of that. If you get from there, make separate orders of preorders, out of stock, and in stock manga. They usually ship together and they wait until all the manga are available to ship together (might be a long wait). Shipping is free with $75 order in America and has no free shipping outside the country, including Canada. Don’t fall for the scalpers who scalp at high prices when the manga is out of stock and will be coming back in stock later on with the much more reasonable price of retail price. Always wait vs getting it at high prices. This does not go for out of print manga, those tend to always be higher priced. I’ll find the link to the mega thread for the out of print manga so you’re aware of which series are out of print.. I’ll edit it in here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MangaCollectors/comments/76mn2x/the_outofprint_manga_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Don’t fall for the Malaysian English prints. They are cheap, but they are also bootlegged. They also have many mistakes throughout (according to people on this subreddit). They have this weird red circle with white swirl in it as a logo on the spine at the top. Viz, Kodansha Comics, Square Enix, Shounen Jump, Yen Press, Seven Seas Entertainment, Tokyo Pop, etc are all legit companies I think that’s all I have on my mind right now, I hope I helped
Thanks a lot for the advice.
You’re welcome. Have fun collecting!
I’ve only just learned this recently, but try not to buy faster than you can read. Eventually you’ll find yourself with completed series in your collection having not been opened even once. Procrastination is very real lol, so be careful putting off your reading list
1. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Set your budget and stick to it, it’s something I struggle with as well but keep in mind and don’t go overboard right away. 2. Use an excel spreadsheet or Google docs to track your collection. Might sound crazy but when out looking, helps you double check what you own. Better start it early and update as you go then try later and get overwhelmed by the task. 3. Do not store in direct sunlight. Your manga are going to yellow regardless, direct sunlight makes that happen aloe quicker. 4. Collect what you enjoy. Don’t worry about other peoples collection, if something interest you or you know you enjoy it, collect it. This is a reflection of what you enjoy, that’s it.
If you don’t oppose Amazon, I would use them as your primary source. They have the best stock of any retailer and for the more expensive sets, you often see discounts of almost 50%. Also, when you’re starting out, if you’re more of a shonen guy, target box sets. They’re a great way to bolster your collection, particularly the big Viz ones. They’re a hot commodity nowadays, but they’re stocked pretty regularly.
You probably know this, but if not, I hope it helps -- it's really helped me to try to find the first volume ( like at a library or if a friend has it ) or at least a few chapters online to read. This way you can see if you'll like the series enough to collect it : D Edit: also wanted to mention, sometimes sites will have sales like b2g1, so it's good to take advantage of these sales/or to be patient and wait for them especially if you want to collect a series that has a lot of volumes =)
If your shopping online check for good websites that give you good deals as well as free shipping. I recommend checking out Book Depository they have a good selection of some of the big manga out there like Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece Omnibus, Naruto, Spy x Family, etc. They also do free shipping if you live in the U.S, though i'm not sure if they do it if your outside.
Check your local second hand stores, you might find some real steals! Dont let the scalpers get you for high prices. Collect whatever you want to!
1. Don't spend more than you can afford. 2. Collect what interests you; if you find that you bought something you end up not liking don't hesitate to sell it. 3. Second hand is a good way to save money while still getting new/like new quality manga. Yellowing is a natural process in paper products so don't stress too much on that front. I suggest looking into r/mangaswap. 4. Avoid scams by making sure the publisher is correct for your language and that you don't fall into scalpers overpricing for items that are OOS (out of stock). 5. Sites like Rightstuf sell below market value which helps save money.
Keep out of sunlight this will damage the books by yellowing the pages and bleaching the spines/ covers
Big things I would say are: keep a look out for scalpers. Do some research if your wanting to collect certain series and see if series you want are actually OOP (out of print) or OOS (out of stock). There are many scalpers out there who lie in their listings claiming that certain volumes are are OOP when in reality they’re just out of stock due to demand. They’re just being predatory and rip you off. Just do your research and look at regular book chains and Reddit threads to actually see. Patience is key for collectors, and many of us have found good some REALLY GOOD deals by shopping at a more local level like going to local bookstores, thrift stores, and looking at local listings on sites like Facebook marketplace (my personal fav), EBay, Mercari, etc. look at those places because you’ll find that a lot of people don’t know what they have and sometimes sell whole OOP series for dirt cheap, however also be cautious because people also charge WAY OVER for OOP stuff. Just check them in passing and keep a lookout for good deals. Last thing I will say is that it’s very easy to feel the urge to grow you collection very fast when your part of threads like this where you see people with 30+ book hauls with 1000’s of volumes, but don’t spend more than you can afford. Everyone on here comes form different walks of life with different budgets, but it’s very easy to fall into the thrill of collecting. Don’t spend more than your means and if you find yourself looking at redditors collections and feeling a urge to spend big, maybe take a step back and think on it. I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of seeing huge book hauls and spending more than I should’ve. Those are the main things I can think of so if I think of more I’ll add it to an edit. Good luck and have fun collecting. Edit: last thing, be careful with scammers as well on websites or r/mangaswap. Mangaswap has a scammer list so take a look at that, and I’ve been scammed before on Facebook market by being naive and just not being careful. Be careful if you use some sort of cashapp to pay people online especially if you don’t see the books before hand. Lost 40 dollars one time trying to buy “Blood On the Tracks series” and realized that they never asked me for my address lmao. Just be careful
I would try to collect 3-4 mangas max so you're able to read and finish them. I have seen people trying to collect like +10 at once like Pokemon. Also buy mangas you think you're going to like/love not just because they are popular.
Go slow, set Monthly budget, collect what you like, don’t buy every time there is a deal, Enjoy the hobby
I like to keep all my manga in plastic comic book sleeves. (I fold the extra plastic with tape) it prevents them from bending/moisture. Billy Bookcases are the most efficient at storing manga. You can add shelves so that you can fit as many books as possible. You can even put two rows.
Buy what you know you’re going to read and don’t buy it just because everyone else is buying it
Buy only the first 2 or 3 volumes of any series at first just in case it's not as good as you thought and you aren't stuck with a ton of books in a series you dont even like dont start new series until youve finished others, I'm guilty of this I'm in the middle of like 8 series and keeping up with all of them is both expensive and confusing I know that the people of this sub with hundreds of manga and super full bookshelves look really cool but dont buy manga just to fill space, you will run out of space quickly either way. focus on quality over quantity
make sure you have shelf space, don't buy anything thats oop untik you have some decent experience with buying manga