u/EternaFlux

Okay fellow collectors, I genuinely feel like we’ve hit a pivotal moment where AliExpress has become completely broken for figure collecting.

Prices are doubling within days, sometimes even hours. Pre-orders suddenly get “cancelled” or changed, while the exact same item magically reappears in the same store at nearly double the price. The entire idea of pre-order security seems dead.

What is actually going on?

Is this pure greed? Supply chain panic? Sellers checking eBay prices in real time? The Iran situation affecting shipping/manufacturing? AI price tracking? Scalping culture infecting everything?

Because this is happening way too consistently now:

KW Cell

MP Vegito

Dragon Blaster

Recustom Vegeta UE & SSJ3 heads

and multiple other third-party figures

AliExpress used to be one of the best platforms for collectors if you knew which stores were reliable. Now it feels like complete chaos with zero certainty.

Does anybody actually know what’s happening behind the scenes?

After waiting months for my preorder on the KW Cell, including all the delays caused by the Bandai crackdown panic, review videos are finally starting to appear online.

Now suddenly the same seller that accepted my preorder at around €90 has the item listed for $172.99.

This is literally only my second official preorder on AliExpress.

LS Gohan got cancelled for everyone, My ZT Broly preorder came through without any issues, so this is the first time I’ve encountered something like this on the platform.

And honestly, this is EXACTLY why people preorder in the first place: to secure the item at the agreed price before aftermarket/scalper inflation kicks in.

If sellers can simply wait until the hype explodes, see review videos appear, realize the figure is now “gold,” and then suddenly create problems with existing preorders so they can relist at nearly double the price, then what is even the point of preordering?

I attached screenshots of the current listing price because collector communities deserve to know which sellers pull this kind of behavior.

Do I confront the seller with the printscreen of the same item in his store at double the price?

Do I just keep my preorder running and refuse to cancel, even if that means risking my original €90?

Because at this point I’m honestly worried the seller might either stall forever or send some kind of nonsense item instead. I’ve never dealt with something like this before on AliExpress, so what would you guys actually do in this situation?

Aliexpress is broken???

KW CELL Perfect Anime 1 store swindle