Collecting action figures can be a wonderful and rewarding hobby.
Firstly, you should pick a niche. There are hundreds of lines of action figures to choose from. Whether it's Batman, Superman, Spiderman, sports figures or anything else, try to select something you like, not something you think will grow in value. Your favorite movie, comic book or sport are good places to start.
Decide what, within that line or genre, you are going to specialize in collecting. For instance, there are Batman collectors who only buy Catwoman collectibles. Are you only going to collect mint, carded items or do you plan on opening them for play or display? If you plan to open them, you may be less concerned with the condition of the packaging then someone who only wants to collect mint, carded or unopened toys.
Do you want to cross collect? Do you want to acquire anything featuring your chosen line of figures? This could get out of control depending on the merchandise and popularity of your figures.
It may also help to set a limit on how much you wish to spend on your hobby. Some porcelain figures can cost hundreds of dollars. If you're going to collect mass market toys that's a pretty inexpensive area, but some collections require considerable amount of funding. Whatever your situation, try to purchase the best items you can afford, and upgrade when you can afford it.
If your collection is featuring mint, carded or boxed figures, there are a number of things to pay close attention to, so it is best to do some independent research. Here are some pointers:
* Are the corners mint or soft? Soft corners detract from the value and typical disintegrate more over time further reducing the monetary value of your item.
* Are there any creases, however faint, in the card?
* Don't just look at the card head-on. Turn it at different angles to the light and look at it in daylight as well as store or office lighting. There are typically creases running down from the hanger area to the bubble that develop over time from the weight of the item pulling down on the cardboard. Creasing is a major detraction from the value of the item, whether you collect for financial gain or pleasure.
* Check the bubble for creasing and cracking, and other damage. Check the bubble's edges for how tightly they are glued to the card. Loose edges or sloppy glue may indicate the bubble was resealed. Do not purchase anything that makes you have doubts. Look for signs of tampering as some people have been known to slice through the bubble and use model glue to close the opening in the bubble.
* Check the card version[s]. Some lines, typically Star Wars have an item number and a card version number ie. 9321.00 or 9321.01. Again, doing some independent research will help you with this.
* Do not buy packaging errors or flukes expecting to reap large financial gains. Some collectors collect these "flukes" but most regard them as mistakes and worthless. Be skeptical of these "rarities".