[Merchandise] How and where do you buy your merch?

[Sheep]

As the title says, where do you buy your Pokémerch? This includes games, plushies, figures, cards, manga, pretty much any merchandise that's Pokémon-related. Do you buy via online shopping or in-person? Are there any particular stores/online shopping sites you use? Have you ever imported merchandise from overseas (such as Japan, where much of the merchandise is produced) before?

 

[Lemonski]

It depends! Some of it is bought in-person from stores or conventions and some I've ordered online. There are a few things I've received as gifts too, such as a couple of plushies.
I'd like to order a plush from Pokemon Center since there are so many sweet ones to choose from, but the site unfortunately doesn't ship to Finland.

 

[shayfee]

most of the merch i buy is definitely online ^^ the pokemon center is definitely a solid option but often we get things later than japan, or not at all, sadly.

theres some good sources out there that buy from the JP pokecenter and then ship it internationally, so if i want a brand new product thats what i often opt for! however, a lot of pokemon merch is old, and the pokecenter stock gets cycled out frequently due to the volume of merch. so sites like ebay and mercari are a godsent to me (as long as you know how to look out for counterfeits)! part of the fun of collecting pokemon merch (for me) is the hunt and trying to find a really good deal on something you want!

 

[donavannj]

I buy from literally anywhere I can find legitmate Pokemon merch if I've verified it's a place that isn't going to sell me bootlegs.

So far that's included Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, probably a dozen local game stores, GameStop, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, Shopko, Half Price Books, various sellers at anime conventions, AmiAmi, Mandarake, the Pokemon Center website, and Sunyshore Mart, at least of what comes to mind. I've also bought a few things via auction on eBay.

I am not picky if it's official merch, as you can tell.

 

[colours]

As a new merch collector, I almost immediately thought of online being the way to go, but then afterwards I thought that there might be some hidden gems that are in stores that I might've missed if I had only stuck to online shopping. So I don't mind doing either or.

 

[Couples-Consoling]

I mean, I just get it where I find stuff that I like. Anime cons, ebay, the Nintendo store in New York... But if you ever get the chance to go to Pokemon centers in Japan, oh god, those are AMAZING. I just went with my wife on our honeymoon a few months ago and it blew me away. They also have an absurd amount of cool exclusive merch! They'd just opened a store in Kyoto, so all the exclusives they were selling when we went were Johto themed.

 

[Fairy]

I'll buy merch from anywhere, with the exception of Pokemon cards. Those need to be legit. But I love bootleg plushies! The ones that are all derpy looking and cross-eyed. I just find them so cute lmao.

 

[Lunar]

I usually go online for my merch, but I don't tend to get too much. We really don't have many Pokemon stores here in England, I think we had a popup Pokemon Center in London a year or two ago, but nothing permanent unfortunately, I'd really love one :( I think London is the best bet for merch in general here though, I got a couple of cool things in Chinatown a year or two back!

 

[virtualpet]

The only physical stores nearby typically charge a lot more (*cough* target *cough*), so when it comes to the newer merchandise we'll typically just buy from Pokemon Center.

There also used to be a flea market where we got a lot more of our older Pokemon merch since you had collectors selling and people importing, and some bootlegs, but unfortunately it completely shut down as of a few months ago.

When it comes to buying the games, we've been going to the local game shops. They also typically sell strategy guides and I must admit, it is tempting to start collecting those too.

 

[Sheep]

pokecen would be the good choice yeah, I'm just bummed out how limited their selection is compared to all the cool stuff japan gets. sigh. I guess my only real option is to fly to japan for all the good stuff :D (or use third party sellers like sunyshore to pick up and mail out orders to me, though of course now is a bad time with the pandemic)

 

[Satski]

Pokemon Centre is my go to, other than that.. I make my own!

 

[RadEmpoleon]

most of my merch comes from my friends
The only merch I can think of that I didn't get from my friends was a Pikachu bracelet I made myself.

Spoiler:

This is the only picture I have of it. And yes, that shirt was a gift from a friend.

 

[Uecil]

I usually find mine at charity shops; car boot markets or if I buy merch from a shop, then the Game store or a local grocery store sometimes has it.

 

[Dusk]

I usually buy on Pokemon Center or in stores irl because Pokemon merch is everywhere. Lots of fanmade merch is good too such as the Pokemon facemasks I bought from etsy user starsalts (recommend).

 

[Palamon]

I sometimes buy Pokemon merch at retail stores like Target or Game Stop, but sometimes I buy my merch online! Not often, though, but some of the Pokemon merch I own came from Ebay and Amazon! There's also a fair share I got from cons.

 

[Nikita Dracovish]

Conventions, usually. Not stuff I can get online, mind - lots of one-off buttons and commissions.

 

[Sydian]

y'all remember cons? *takes a long drag of a cigarette* that's where i got mine......... okay but anyway lol i usually get plushies from pokemon center and then random merch i just pick up from artists at cons or through online stores. i rly like chaobunnies on twitter tho. she's got some really cute stuff (more than just pokemon, i've got a lot of her kingdom hearts merch tbh) and a unique style. there's another artist who did some cool pokemon charms that are their shiny forms when you flip them over. they actually made an alolan dugtrio charm...naturally i am very grateful. i unfortunately cannot remember their handle tho, which is p bad bc i have their pokemon stuff and almost their entire P5 charm set lmfaooo.