>>7433104Camp ebay for bulk lots so you end up paying less than 1 dollar each. Sell / trade your spares. Aim for the flesh set as your first milestone. Watch out for the chase figure: Satan Cross (pic related,) who commands a premium of about 50 dollars.
There are tons of great resources online for you to learn all the fine points, like University of Muscle. Don't let anyone lie to you about rarity. Check your local vintage toy shops and be ready to dig through bins for loose ones - again don't get tricked into paying more than 1 dollar each. They're generally not that rare.
Original Japanese figures came in different colors and will be soft rubber instead of the Mattel plastic. There are Japanese sculpts that were never produced in the US, if that interests you.
Bootlegs can actually be more desirable to hardcore collectors than authentic figures. Most bootlegs will not have the YSNT mark on the back. There's too many bootlegs to list but many will have a generic HONG KONG or CHINA stamp instead.
If you're really enjoying collecting you'll want to educate yourself on Class A and Class B rare color figures. Again, other than these, no figures are THAT rare so don't be fooled.
Be patient. My collection is over 600 and I've never paid more than a dollar for any, including my rares.
