[Hontou Ni 4koma] Hostage Exchange

I have seen thousands of dollars change hands over anime goods that a fan has bought on behalf of a fellow fan. Those of us who lust after DVDs, figurines, artbooks, dakimakura, mugs, key chains and other merchandise would often rather try to get hold of the loot with our own hands. But it may not always be possible with obstacles such as the lack of a credit card - an indispensable tool for online purchases or the cultural-linguistic inability to navigate Yahoo! Japan auctions and to jump the necessary loops, post-auction win with deputy services and forwarding agents, in order to arrange delivery outside of Japan or the release of an item as a limited edition event-only item with the event in question being in Japan itself.

Given the sums of money involved, it is also amazing (even more so when you think about said sums as a proportion of the disposable income of some buyers) how much trust there can be between buyer and getter. The former have been known to dole out cold hard cash up front before a purchase has even been made and fully expecting that, bearing the dreaded cry of 'Kanbai' (Sold Out), the goods will be delivered. Who knows when the favour will be need to be repaid and the buyer becomes getter for that Must Have item? Or the social sanction in the circles against someone who has gone rogue with all of another's life savings? Or sometimes one may need some form of insurance:

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No figures were harmed in the making of this 4koma which starred:

• 1/8 Alfin ~ Umbrio version by Kotobukiya
• Nendoroid Hatsune Miku

Related posts:

1. [Hontou Ni 4koma] Make a Contract with Me
2. [Hontou Ni 4koma] Efficient Market Hypothesis
3. [Hontou Ni 4koma] Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Review