[Drunken Whaler]

I'm recently getting back into collecting. At my Uncles place, I found a Crystal Ball, Stalker in his winter, white outfit and a 70s X Wing pilot. That got the fires burning. So I found a Cobra Legions set on Amazon for $35 and got it. I really didnt want to open it, yet temptation was stronger then will power. Man, wyas I disappointed. I hate the way these figures were made. Rotating everything. They didnt seem all that sturdy, compared to what I grew up with. Anyways, checking out Ebay, and Amazon. I hate the prices, again not a fan of the figure builds.

Where can I go to grab ARAH figures, or vintage. I'm not familiar with all the types that are out. Vintage,ARAH, Resolute. Etc..etc. I want to do a Cobra army build. That includes all troop types, and vehicles regardless of popularity and rarity. With as little of the figures that seem to be built as an after thought.

Kung-Fu grips what I want, loose skeletons with uniforms not so much. Guess my point is where can I look besides Amazon, or Ebay that offer what I want, with lower prices, if that's possible?

[Sataninjaku]

Amazon for the original ARAH o ring style Joes is definitely out, when you do see them there, they're always at a substantial mark up. Unfortunately, Ebay seems to have become the "price guide" for Joes (and ALL collectables, for that matter.) Most brick and mortar stores will tend to price at or above the Ebay rate, and without going into a four page analysis, it's not helping them out. Sadly, this is also happening with thrift stores, though finding them there has become a rarity in and of itself anyway.

Ebay's probably your best bet, but take that with a grain of salt- the prices have gotten nuts over the past few years. You picked a bit of a tough time to get back in, from a financial standpoint. That being said, If you're patient, and wait for auctions instead of being tempted with buy it n ows, deals can still be had, just understand it won't happen immediately or frequently.
An alternative would be to start a WTB thread here on site, sometimes people here are willing to work out deals.
In any case, remember to enjoy what you do manage to find, and keep the financial aspect out of mind as much as possible- toys are supposed to be fun, after all!

[Yeet]

There’s 4 major types of Joes.
O-rings: which are vintage and vintage style figures. These are the ones to get if you like vintage Joes. They’re not limited to just the 80s and 90s, but also a lot of them were made in the early 2000s.

Newsculpts: these aren’t worth your time at all. These include Spy Troops and Valor V Venom.

25th: these are very popular if you want to have unopened carded figures, as their packaging looks like the vintage cards. The figures themselves are subpar to modern standards tho.

Modern: these are the highly detailed super articulated figures. They are probably the most popular. They consist of all retail lines starting with Resolute up to 50th, and include many club, fss, and convention figures. There also is a very popular non GI Joe military line called Marauders Task Force that is compatible with the modern Joes and is also sculpted by the same people who did the modern Joes.

Hope this helps!

[Zap Rowsdower]

Early 25th Anniversary figures (of which the "Legions" set is a part) are kind of dinky. Later editions of those figures are way, way better. That said, if o-rings are your jam but you want them cheap I think your best bet will be targeting the valor vs venom ("vvv") series. Some of those use the vintage molds still and are way cheaper than original vintage. Skip the "new sculpt" ones though. Alternatively, if completion and condition are not of paramount importance to you, an eBay random vintage figures lot can yield good results.

As stated above, there isn't much else out there right now besides eBay. If there are flea markets or antique malls or something near you that might work out for you but I'd expect mostly figures without any accessories.

A BST thread here can also help but this forum is not as well-traveled as it used to be.

[Drunken Whaler]

There is a Antique mall not far from me. It's been about 6 months since I was there. They had G.I. Joe stuff there. A lot of Ninja figures in unopened boxes, a Skystriker with the box, and Ace on a shelf behind the counter. I didnt bother asking on the price though. Also a Havok for $45 bucks.

Probably stop back in this week, see if they have anything else since I was last there. I nnow of another place that has a few Joe figures for about $5. I recall seeing a couple Muskrats. They had others, dont remember who.

Anyways, thanks for replying.

[46 Zone]

Start a Buy/Sell/Trade thread on here and put it in your signature. List your wants on there and see if people make you offers. I have 2 vintage loose crimson guards that I can sell you. Send me a PM if interested.

[Drfaireborn]

I agree to start a BST thread on here. Also try to find a yearly guide for comic cons and toy shows for as far as you are able to travel. I have found great deals at many shows over the last few years. And get to know any thrift stores and indoor or outdoor flea markets.