Y'know what really grinds my gears? Retail stores that put nasty stickers all over the box art of collectibles.
In most cases I opt to buy online rather than from a box store when I see these as it’s a long and delicate process to safely remove the stickers without damaging the item. And even when the stickers are safely removed there is typically underlying damage already done by the residue that will cause the box to bubble in places.
I really can’t stress enough how much this actually affects whether I will purchase from a store or not as it’s not only a time investment, but when most retail stores typically charge around 10%-20% more than an online retailer it’s even harder for me to justify spending the additional amount when I’ll also have to go home and clean it.
On the rare occasions that I do buy items in this condition, I utilize Good Gone, Q-Tips, clean rags and even a hair dryer at times to carefully remove stickers, tape and sticky residue without oversaturating and ruining the box further.
While stickers are possibly a box collector’s worst nightmare, it is a very satisfying feeling to have successfully cleaned this Nendoroid Tracer with only minimal signs of a sticker having been there previously. Now she can go up on the shelf with my other Nendos without having that eyesore of a sticker and without me having to worry that leftover residue will get on and ruin other pieces in my collection.
