Resources for Collecting

Most of these resources aren't aimed at collecting female figures, but action figures in general. You might find them useful.

* Action Figure Authority – "For Evaluation, Preservation, and Authentication, Get it Graded" They also sell cases.
* Action Figure Insider – "The best darn toy news on the web!" They also have Twitter and Instagram accounts so you don't miss anything.
* Captain Toy – Run by Michael Crawford, an industry expert, with toy reviews and photos. Also home of the annual action figure awards, the Poppies (pop culture collectibles industry award).
* Chicago Toy Show – antique collectible toy & doll show. Don't let the name throw you; held every April and October at the Kane County Fairgrounds in northern Illinois, this is a must-visit for toy collectors. So many decades of action figures. (And creepy dolls, but you don't have to buy those...)
* DASH Action Figures – Product database, price guide, collection management, and marketplace in one; users input new items, so sometimes the database can be spotty.
* eBay – the online auction site isn't the best way to fill out your collection, but sometimes it's the only way (don't forget to check for misspellings of whatever you're searching for, you'd be amazed); eBay is also a great source for finding out more information about things you may have but don't know much about (it is a huge repository of collectibles photographs, many carded/boxed – if you have something that's loose and don't have the original packaging, search for that thing on eBay and you can find out more about it, via the packaging)
* Figure Realm – Collector's database, with forums that focus on customization. The database is rather more complete than Dash, but lacks some of the collection management tools.
* Figures.com – "All the toy and action figure news all the time."
* the Fwoosh – action figure news and community forum, with a YouTube channel with the latest industry info
* Online Action Figure Entertainment – reviews, customizations, and an active forum
* She's Fantastic – "Uniting all women of plastic." Female action figure reviews, with tons of photos.
* Toy News International – industry news with an active community forum
* the Toyark – an active forum, news, and lots of photos, with specialized communities like Hisstank (for GI Joe enthusiasts) part of their network of sites
* your local comic shop – many carry the Diamond Select figures from Previews, some carry figures they purchased from collectors as a lot, but in any event, it worth maintaining a friendly relationship with your LCS, they might hear something you haven't and share the news (plus it's a nice way to socialize with other people who Get It).

##### Other "unlikely" sources of action figures:

* Etsy – so much for handcrafted goods, eh? Whatever, you can find vintage (and not-so) figures there, just beware the markups.
* Half Price Books – they buy toys and collectibles as well as books, comics, movies, and music.
* Antique malls – I found the Big Barda/Mr. Miracle box set and a loose Wire Twin (no accessories) in an antique mall outside Cincinnati visiting friends. Next time your aunt or your mom (or dad!) wants to go antiquing, maybe tag along (if you don't already).

Not exactly a collecting resource, but an inventory management one: Apache OpenOffice is open-source, *free*, and easy to use. It's a lot more user-friendly than Excel, and it's FREE. (Did I mention it's free?)