Nobody has asked for this but I WILL provide this knowledge anyway. Here's Jay's big masterlist on how I acquire the sheer amount of plushies I have. Much of this is english-centric (specifically US-centric), but some of these tips are universal and I hope at least I can help some people find plushies they desire :)

I need to stress that this is how I go about finding plushies to buy, and there are ways in which my methods may not be "optimal". I am always open to ideas though!!

Buying New In-Store

The most straightforward way to acquire Pokemon plushies is to buy them new, at a store!

In the United States, many major retailers such as Walmart and Target sell officially licensed Pokemon plush! Anywhere that sells children's toys will likely have something in stock. These plush, including the official Pokemon Squishmallows, are created by Jazwares. These toys are relatively inexpensive and have a wide variety of Pokemon, sizes, and styles.

It is important to note that due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, potential buyers may want to know that Jazwares strongly supports Israel. Due to my own personal morals and choices, I have refrained from buying any Jazwares-created Plush since their statement. Unfortunately, they are the most common brand to find in the United States, so I felt it important to acknowledge them here.

Luckily they are not the only company selling in American retailers. Some retailers may have old-new stock of TOMY plush, which was the company with licencing rights in the United States from 2013-2017. Anecdotally, I found TOMY plush in-stores until at least 2020. More commonly, however, some "specialty" stores such as GameStop and Hot Topic occasionally carry official plush from the United States Pokemon Center (USPC). These are often more expensive, but a higher quality.

Even more niche speciality stores, such as those focused on anime/gaming merchandise, often have Japan imports. These are almost always grotesquely overpriced. Sometimes you find gems! As a rule of thumb I try not to spend more than $35 on any one plush. I break this rule sometimes. It is what it is. If you're able, try to see if the plush in question is cheaper online- look it up by brand name (often Sanei or Takara Tomy).

Another, often-forgotten method to acquire new Pokemon plush is via arcades and boardwalks. I'm on the East Coast so I spent my summers growing up in Ocean City Maryland and New Jersey, where there are plenty of boardwalk games to play for exorbitant prices. I have also seen Pokemon plush in claw machines!

These are often from the Toy Factory brand, which is characterized by shitty build quality, cheap fabric, and lightweight stuffing (or styrofoam, in the case of their jumbo plush!). Toy Factory plush are not the greatest, but they are Pokemon and they are plush. You will overpay for them if you get them at an arcade or boardwalk. I often do it anyway for the experience, and because I unironically love rigged carnival games. But I realize I am a bit of an outlier in this regard.

Buying New Online

Thanks to the internet, spending money on silly things that make you happy is easier than ever. Whether or not there are societal implications in the ease of buying random shit on the internet is outside of the scope of this article. I am going to ignore them for now.

The most obvious place to buy new plushies online is the official Pokemon Center Website (I've linked the USA one here, but ones also exist for Canada, UK, Australia, and Japan). Quality is almost always perfect, and there is a wide variety of Pokemon, designs, sizes, and fabric types available.

Important to note about the USPC in particular (though this is true of all non-Japanese Pokemon Centers to an extent)- the website is pretty terrible! Pricing is also hit-or-miss. Often, when a plush goes out of stock, it will be raised in price when it returns. The "Sitting Cuties" line, for example, started at $10.99/plush when they released in 2018. If you go to the website now, you will see plush range from that original $10.99 price all the way to $16.99! The pricing is arbitrary and also I hate it.

Other "fun" quirks of the USPC is the sporadic + unpredictable restock schedule and the frequent captchas to access any pages on-site in a futile attempt to stop bots. Despite this, it is in fact one of the most reliable ways to buy Pokemon plush online without importing (which we will get to). Customer service is decent, shipping is always quick and normally free (as shipping is free over $20, and most things cost more than that anyway).

Another place to get new plushies online from Japan is Meccha-Japan. Like USPC, the pricing here is hit-or-miss. It is unclear what makes them mark something as "rare" (and thus more expensive), but at the very least they have a pre-order period where the cost of a plush is roughly what it would be at MSRP.

Meccha-Japan is an import site, but unlike other import options I'll discuss later it just functions like a normal online storefront. Shipping is a bit more than usual, but not on the level of other import services, and you buy directly from them instead of going through a third party. They are also reliable and if there's a plush unavailable in the USPC that you want, I recommend checking them first.

Buying Second-Hand IRL

Due to the boom in Pokemon collecting that happened around 2020 (but was steadily building for years prior), it is really fucking hard to find Pokemon plush at thrift stores. IT DOES HAPPEN. I promise it does happen. But you need to prepare for disappointment, ok? It's not 2012 anymore. People like Pokemon again. And they also like reselling thrift store finds for triple the price on eBay.

By all means, check out the stuffed animal section at your local Goodwill- or even better, a small locally-owned thrift shop. Ones with a dedicated children's/toy section are your best bet. But you gotta be lucky. I've had more luck at Garage/Yard Sales.

Look around on local neighborhood groups on Facebook. Find a "Yard Sale Day", preferably hosted by one of those really rich neighborhoods that throw out everything they have every other year. Go there. Families that have kids that have just "aged out of" Pokemon, college students trying to downsize before moving, and old people whose grandchildren left a bunch of stuff at their house are the best bets for this sort of thing. You might not find anything for dirt-cheap, because a lot of people price-chart their yard sale wares based on eBay and Depop prices now, but you will likely find something.

You need to use Facebook for this. I'm sorry.

Buying Second-Hand Online - USA

This is divided into two sections- USA and Japan- because there is a lot to say here.

Shopping for plushies on the second-hand market is relatively straightforward. Go to Mercari, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace. If you know a particular Pokemon you want, obviously search for that, but generally I look for general terms. "Pokemon Plush Lot", "Pokemon Toy", "Pokemon Stuffed Toy Lot", and variations thereof are all helpful search terms.

Anywhere online you need to be aware of bootlegs. Whether or not you care if your plush is fake is one thing, but please do not overpay for a shitty bootleg that is going to fall apart at the seams. You deserve better than that. If a plush looks goofy, and the seller is asking over $10 for it (which is already a stretch, to be real), err on the side of caution. Bootleg identification could be its own blog post, but here, here, and here are some quick guides to get you started.

Sometimes a price will seem absurd, but it is actually "normal". This is because of the aforementioned sporadic restocking on USPC. Some Pokemon, like Braixen and Primarina, only have one or two official plush, which have barely gotten restocked, so their prices are higher than average. The "Sleeping Eevee" collection is highly priced as well, for the same reason. Plush from the "Pokedoll" line of products are also highly coveted due to their high quality and cute designs, and older Pokedolls can go for hundreds of dollars. Some are more expensive than others. It's rough out here.

The PokePlush Reddit and Discord Server is a great resource for those wanting to buy something second-hand across many countries. I used to be really active there but had to take a break for the sake of my wallet lmao. In their Discord server, people sell plush at prices often cheaper than those on Mercari or eBay, and they also share links to good deals they find. They're a wealth of information on this sort of thing, and if you want to get "serious" about Pokemon plush collecting, or if you have a particular Pokemon you're on the lookout for, I really recommend checking them out. Unfortunately it is a Discord server with like 4000 people(?!) so it's not for everyone. I just mute most of the channels.

The PKMN Collectors LiveJournal is also surprisingly still very active and thriving! They have a Discord server as well, but they have sales and information posts in the LiveJournal as well. They are not strictly plush-focused but many of their members are!

Buying Second-Hand Online - Japan

Now it is time to use importing services!

There are various proxy services to allow you to buy from sites like Mercari Japan, Yahoo! Auctions, and Mandarake. The one I have the most experience with is Buyee, but their fees are quite high so I recommend waiting until they have some sort of "No fees for new members" or "free shipping for new members" discount. The other thing with Buyee is you need to have the name for what you want written in Japanese. I've also used Sendico. Neokyo and ZenMarket have lower fees than both of these services, and I have been told they are very good, but I don't have any personal experience with them so I don't want to say for sure. Having lower fees than Buyee and Sendico is a huge plus though. Check them out if you're interested!

Some simple terms that help me out are ポケモン　ぬいぐるみ (Pokemon Stuffed Toy), ポケモン　ぬいぐるみ セット (Pokemon Stuffed Toy Set), or looking up the Japanese name for the Pokemon or brand I am interested in.

I have not bought second-hand plushies from Japan in a while, and there are always new ideas on what the best thing to do is. I know Mercari has an offical Overseas Japan Marketplace now, though they way overcharge for shipping+fees. And Suruga-Ya is also gaining more popularity in collectors' circles. Suruga-Ya has frequent free shipping promotions which is important because overseas shipping can be super expensive. It is based on the dimensions of your package primarily, so be mindful if you want to buy any big guys.

Japanese sellers seem to have higher standards for "good quality" than American ones do, in my experience. Many times an item will be listed as "heavily used", "damaged", or "dirty", and the damage is like, a stray thread. Or a scuff. Super minor stuff. Analyze photos to the best of your ability!

I genuinely hope this was helpful and interesting to any aspiring Pokemon collectors :) Pokemon is so dear to me, and stuffed animals bring me so much joy. This website was originally created with the intention of sharing and cataloging my collection, after all!

If anything I said was inaccurate, out-of-date, or could be expanded upon, please let me know! This is a hobby where I very much want to know everything there is to know!

♥Jay

This was created as a part of the Codejam for the 32bit-Cafe!