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| - Background: I've known of this place for a long while (5 years or so), and I've bought stuff every now and then when I'm in the area. I learned a few things from forums on how to buy stuff online over the last year though, so here is my perspective on it with that in mind now, and how it stacks up.
One of the only few places left in Toronto where you can go to a store and buy anime related stuff. Haven't had a particularly bad experience with staff, though I generally don't do things that would be considered testy for a store owner either. As for that "cold" interaction between staff and customer some have noted, it really boils down to the Asian "don't engage unless confronted" approach they take, which is not uncommon. Culture is weird sometimes.
As for the most important question: "Should I buy from there?", I'll sum it up with what's fine to buy and what isn't:
OK:
- Manga: US Cover price, good selection. When 75% of your store floor is that, I guess that's warranted.
- Gunpla: Prices are acceptable for most of them, and they also carry a few rare ones!
Avoid:
- Figures: They're legit, so don't worry about that. The problem is: would you pay $249 for an Ultimate Madoka here, or $149 shipping included from Amiami? Granted, the price took a serious nose dive over the last few months, but even back then it still didn't come close to 249 after everything. Some nendos are at an OK price, albeit marked up, and they do throw some stuff on clearance from time to time. While not all hope is lost, it's pretty close.
- Discs (CDs, DVDs): These aren't legit, I know what fakes look like. OSTs are from a Taiwanese company that makes bootlegs for this sort of stuff (Miya Records), and I have never seen DVD box sets so blatantly counterfeit in a long time.
Overall, fine to grab a thing or two every now and then while at Chinatown. Just don't drop the big cash on some stuff, because it might not always be worth it.
Credit/Debit cards are $0.50 extra, by the way.
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