In need of help from veteran action figure/toy collectors

Greetings Programs.

I’ve been wanting to get into collecting certain action figures/toys for a bit now. Trouble is I don’t know anything about them. Looking at stuff on eBay I see people speaking (I presume knowledgeably) about various aspects of action figures/toys but its all Greek to me. I’ve seen action figures of one IP from one line that look the same (at least to me) as those from another line.

Starting to see my dilemma?

So I was hoping some of you might have suggestions of websites or YT videos/channels where I could pick up some knowledge on:

1. The original Star Wars action figures. I’m quite sure finding them in good condition is next to impossible without giving my wallet a nervous breakdown but you don’t know till you look right? The thing is I’ve seen people talking about the exact same figure that has such subtle differences from another that they can tell what year it was made just by looking at it. That boggles my mind. With the exception of a Boba Fett figure I picked up cheap at (I think) Family Dollar some years back I haven’t bought a Star Wars figure since the Empire Strikes Back. Or maybe Jedi. I can’t remember. Its been that long.

Yes. I know. I’m a fossil. I’ve learned to live with it.

And maybe there are other Star Wars figures I might like to buy from the various lines that came after the originals. Like Power of the Force, Shadows of the Empire, Black label, Retro, etc. But I don’t know a damn thing about ANY of them.

2. The numerous Marvel and DC action figure lines. I know there are far too many to choose from here but I’d like to learn what I can. Or at least learn about the ones from like the past 10-15 years. When I spoke earlier about seeing figures that look the same but from different lines I was thinking mostly of the DC figures. I have no idea if they are different or if they just cranked out more from the same molds and slapped new packaging on them.

3. Transformers. Its the Dinobots I’m mainly interested in but there are a few others I might try to get. I’m sure the originals are forever outside my price range but I see that they have these G1 reissue figures now that are more in my price range. But some of them are going for more on eBay than I would have thought. Would I be correct in assuming they are no longer being made? They look more or less the same to me. Are they exact copies? Did they just build them from the original blueprints?

Ideally it would be really great to be able to see these items close up and outside the packaging. You don’t always get that on eBay.

I’d also welcome any suggestions of places to get good deals online from reputable businesses. Speaking of which do any of you ever pre-order stuff? Are there any sellers on eBay that you’ve had good experiences with? I’m not a pre-order type of guy but I might be willing to make an exception or two on some things. The reason I mention this is because I recently saw Funko Pop was coming out with a new Star Trek line and some sellers on eBay were offering pre-order prices cheaper than others. Is this a scam? I thought they were cheaper than Amazon too but I just checked and they are offering the cheapest pre-order price I’ve seen so far.

And while I’m on the subject of Funko Pops could someone tell me what are the usual list prices for them when they come out? I’m just talking about the single figures not the sets or vehicles. I think I’ve seen them around $10-12 at GameStop or Walmart. Also are the “Chase” figures sold at a different price?

And lastly it would be a big help to me if you guys had suggestions on how to stay “in the loop” on future toys and figures. Any good websites, YT channels or mailing lists you’d care to recommend? I just recently found out Funko had released Thandarr the Barbarian Pops and that just blew my mind.

Thank all of you for reading this and thanks also for any help/suggestions you might have.