I generally buy online. The internet is the savior of a person like me who is really much more shy than she looks. Sometimes just walking through a store makes me feel claustrophobic.
I don't have one go-to store, but rather like to shop around, visiting lots of different websites, checking out their merchandise and prices. Amazon is usually a good place to start. I have bought plushies and games from them and had all good pokemon-related experiences so far. I also like that they have a very low threshold for free shipping. Also because they advertise many other stores on their site it gives you a wider pool of options to chose from. With many different people coming together some have more unusual, imported items, and that is definitely a good thing. Also because of the close competition the prices tend to be fair. Just be aware though that with so many different sellers working in conjunction with Amazon they each have their own rules and some have better customer service than others. When not ordering directly from Amazon services I have gotten some real amazing finds with professional service and lightning fast shipping from Tea Party, Onlywholesale and Wish no More and a lot of other good merchants.
I have purchased from the Pokemon Center too more recently. I find their doll collection to be very extensive, it just goes on for pages and pages like reading a book, so many beautiful and fun products. Talk about too much of a good thing! I sometimes have trouble making up my I mind! Should I get the glass vulpix for my table? How about the Pikachu bride and groom wedding set? Oh look a stuffed Ho-oh, gimme! The good thing Is that they have some of the lowest prices around. I have filled up my cart with 3 or 4 toys for 50 bucks and received free shipping. So I like them a lot, the only thing I might add is that sometimes the product details are a bit outdated. The Dragonite plush I bought recently was a lot smaller than the measurements listed in the description, but still a beautiful doll that I am happy with. Again, at such low costs its always a sweet deal.
I also absolutely love Fangamer if you fancy original creations for collectors. I have gotten gorgeous posters, hand-drawn comic books, pokedex, all sorts of just stunning original content by fans that are made as labors of love. I have a great book called the Field Guide to Kanto by artist Kari Fry. It is the jewel of my Pokemon collection.
My favorite place to shop is probably Etsy. The good thing about it is that because these are original artists you are getting content that you can't find anywhere. Since there is no official Milotic Pokemon release I can go here to get a striking floor-length crochet of my signature Pokemon. Or a cosplay reproduction of the Pangoro hat/Slurpuff dress. Right now I have my eye on a snow globe style pokeball with Bulbasaur in his natural habitat. Its a Pokeball you can open that looks like a small forrest inside with a plastic miniature of Bulbasaur, surounded by tiny trees they made, a vast glitter lake, handmade berry bushes etc.
While Etsy has very elaborate and unusual products, the downside is that they can sometimes be very expensive, and the items often are one-of-a-kind, so if you miss it then its gone forever. At least however, the sales are helping local artisans.
Last, but not least I search eBay. I like my products to be new in box however. I avoid buying games on Ebay, because it can be very messy, I see people selling games that are clearly counterfeits. But I have bought some Nendoroids from Ebay. Since they can easily cost upward of 50 dollars a pop elsewhere the bargain hunter in me can't resist when its half-priced here. I have been lucky and gotten some very nice ones, and take my N with Reshiram nendoroid with me everywhere.
I am hesitant about buying internationally because you have longer waiting times on shipping, and the customer service can have extreme fall offs since a foreign country is not governed by the same regulations as your own. I have heard horror stories about AmiAmi and have my own Aliexpress scary stories. I always got my money back, but if I have to break your arm and leg to get you to cooperate with me then you aint getting my business again.
There are I am sure very good retailers internationally, but I am gaurded because of past bad experiences. I won't say never though, I have been browsing the web store of Crunchy Roll lately and would like to give their shop a try soon. Also my eyes have been looking with hunger at a nice Steven Stone figurine being sold from China since the price is right. He comes complete with his metagross.
There you have it. This is how VisionofMilotic does her shopping boys and girls.
