Below are some of the most frequently asked questions. If you do not see your question, please use our Feedback Form.

1. How do I post an item for sale in the Marketplace?
2. How to I add an action figure into the DASH Universe?
3. How can I offer buyers the ability to save money on shipping if they buy multiple items from me? (“Combined shipping”)
4. What are good tips for estimating shipping costs?
5. What are good tips for packing action figures for shipment?
6. What is the best browser to use for Collector-ActionFigures?
7. I cannot view images or Dash360 photos, Why?
8. What is the best way to find a figure in the Universe?
9. How do I switch between Dash360 photos and Images?
10. What are the item naming standards on Collector-ActionFigures?

Q: How do I post an item for sale in the Marketplace?

There are 3 simple steps to post an item for sale. The best way to learn how to sell on Collector-ActionFigures.com is to watch the How to Sell an Action Figure on DASH video.

1. Go to the Home tab and CLICK on the “Marketplace Settings.” Read and agree to the Marketplace Participants terms. CLICK to Save your acceptance of these terms. Scroll down and review the other Marketplace Settings for Sellers. There, you can specify which regions of the world you choose ship your items (buyers in regions you don’t agree to ship to will not see your listings.) You should also set your default shipping amounts for these regions in this screen. You should also type in a “Seller’s Message.” You may want to review the sample Seller’s Message provided. This message will be shown to all potential buyers who look at your figures for sale. The Marketplace Settings are a one-time set-up that can be changed at any time. Now you are ready to list specific items for sale.
   
   
2. CLICK on the Universe tab. This is the full listing of over 35,000 unique action figures, organized by series and fully searchable. Try using the “By Genre” or “By Brand” filters to review the figures. You can also use the search feature. CLICK on the "i" in the search box to see the advanced search options to help you find the figures you are looking for. Find the item you want to sell in the DASH Universe and CLICK “Got It.” That creates an entry in your “My Collection” section.


3. CLICK on the My Collection tab. CLICK on that item in your “My Collection” section and click “Edit Item” in the Quick View pane on the right side of the screen. Fill in the info you want about that item (review the Packaged Action Figure Grading Guidelines in the Community section). It is especially important for you to detail the condition of your item. No one will see some of the fields (Date Acquired, Cost, Location, Custom Field 1, Custom Field 2) as they are just for your own tracking purposes. On this screen too, you will put in your item’s price.
   
   When you click the “For Sale” checkbox, your item will be posted to the DASH Marketplace. It is recommended that you upload photos of your specific item for sale. If there is a photo already in the Universe for that item, it will show up, but the watermark on the photo will show that it is a Universe Image and not a photo of the specific item you are selling. Additionally, your item will inherit the default shipping cost information you specified in the Marketplace Settings, unless you override these values for this specific item. (If your item is oversized, lighter or smaller than your typical figure, then you may need to adjust your default values to best reflect the actual shipping costs.)
   
   That’s it! We’ve tried to make it really quick and simple. You may want to be sure the information for your figure is complete in the Universe (UPC, figure number, item notes, etc.). All of that information is inherited in your listing from the Universe. If you see missing information or if you have a good photo of the figure, please edit the item and using the DASH wiki-editing features. Thousands of edits have been made by collectors like you making the Universe an even better resource every day!

Q: How to I add an Action Figure to the Universe?

Even though there are more than 35,000 action figures in the universe, occasionally you will run accross a figure that is not in DASH. The best way to learn how to add a figure into the DASH universe is to watch the Video.

Q: How can I offer buyers the ability to save money on shipping if they buy multiple items from me? (“Combined shipping”)

There isn’t an automatic feature in DASH now to provide this (and yes, we know it’s a really good feature for us to add!) Here are the steps we think are best to give buyers the benefit of combined shipping.

1. Put something like the following in your Seller’s Message (in Marketplace Settings on the Home page). &LDWe gladly combine shipping so you can save money. If you want to purchase multiple items from me, please send me a message through DASH or to my email (myemail@email.com). In that message, please send me the DASH Unit IDs (e.g. AF-12345-0012) of the figures you want to or already have purchased that you want me to combine shipping for. You can either go ahead and buy the figures, or wait for me to reply to you with my calculation of the combined shipping charges and then buy the figures. After you have purchased the figures, I will refund you the excess shipping charges to your PayPal account.”


2. When a buyer sends you a message with multiple items that they’d like combined shipping for, calculate the shipping costs you will charge them for the combined purchase. Send them a reply message with these combined shipping costs.


3. After the buyer purchases the items, subtract your combined shipping costs from the total shipping costs they were charged for the individual items. That is the amount you need to refund them in PayPal.


4. Log into your PayPal account and find one of the transactions from this buyer. Click into Transaction Details and click the “Issue a refund” link. Enter the refund amount. Refunding funds to a buyer (vs. sending funds to them in a separate transaction) avoids incurring extra PayPal fees.

Q: What are good tips for estimating shipping costs?

Step 1: Package your item, then weigh and measure the parcel. Even if your item only weighs a few ounces, it is important to note the total weight to accurately estimate shipping costs. If you measure or weigh your item before wrapping it, keep in mind that the weight of the box or the packaging materials (irregularly shaped boxes in particular) can change your original shipping estimates. (Note: Getting an accurate weight for the parcel is key. You really need a real postal scale to do this, or you can take the item to your local post office where you can weigh it.)

Step 2: Select your shipping service provider. Common choices are the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS, FedEx, or DHL. Items shipped through the USPS via Paypal get discounted shipping rates, as well as free tracking. Calculate your shipping costs based on the shipper's calculations. USPS, UPS, DHL and all other major shipping services provide online tools to calculate shipping. Visit their website for an accurate estimate. Here are some links you may find handy.

Shipping cost estimators:

U.S. Postal Service
UPS
FedEx
DHL
eBay Shipping Calculator

Q: What are good tips for packing figures for shipment?

1. Choose a box that's slightly larger than the item you're sending so you can cushion the item with packing material on all sides.
2. Pack the item with bubble wrap, peanuts, foam, or paper so there's no room for your item to shift.
3. Use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape, or paper tape. Tape should be at least two inches wide. Don't use masking tape, cellophane tape, cord, string, or twine. Tape the opening of the box and reinforce all seams.
4. Properly label the package and include a return address. If you’re reusing a box, cover any previous labels or cross out any previous address information with a heavy black marker
5. It is always a good idea to include a packing slip/return address inside the box in the event of damage to the label and so the buyer is reminded of how to contact you for feedback or in the event of a problem.

Note: DASH supports the automatic shipping label printing feature in PayPal to make printing an accurate shipping label for your parcel quick and easy.(Courtesy the eBay website)

Q: What is the best browser to use for Collector-ActionFigures?

Collector-ActionFigures is developed with the latest cross-platform technology. You should be able to use your browser of choice. However, you should make sure you have the latest version of your browser installed. We have tested thoroughly with Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera. Currently Opera does have some compatibility issues, so if you can use one of the others, that would be best. Additionally, though the site works well with Safari on Windows, on a Mac, the photo viewing controls for zooming and rotation do not work. (We find that Firefox and Chrome help the site operate faster than the others. In Chrome, some of the lists aren’t alphabetized properly for some reason, but it’s not a major inconvenience.)

Q: I cannot view images or Dash360 photos, Why?

Collector-ActionFigures requires cookies to be enabled, and you must have Flash installed (or installable) to view the high-resolution and DASH360 images. (See note above about photos on Safari on a Mac.)

Q: What is the best way to find a figure in the Universe?

There are two main ways to find figures in the Universe: browsing/filtering and search. The best way to learn about how to browse and find items in the Universe is to watch the Finding items in DASH video

If you have several figures of the same brand, you may find clicking through the Series selector to be the most efficient way. Start by choosing either By Genre, By Brand, or Popular Brands. Make selections in the drop-down list. As you click on different series, you will notice that the figures in the list below are filtered. The great thing is that you learn as you explore, and once you find the series you are looking for, all the figures you are looking for are right there.

If you are looking for a particular figure, search works really well. Type the most specific part of your figure’s name into the search box. For example, if you are looking for “Luke Skywalker in Imperial Guard Disguise with Taser Staff Weapon,” searching for “Luke Skywalker” will return over 200 figures. Instead, if you search for “taser,” the search will return only 4 figures. If you need to be more refined in your search, click on in the Search box to see the advanced search options. For example, you could search on “+luke +taser” to return only the exact figure you are looking for.

We’re doing our best to add UPC codes to the database too, so searching for your figure’s UPC code is another good strategy. (Be sure to type in the full 12-digits.) Some figures don’t have UPC codes, but do have manufacturer or assortment numbers. You can also search for those numbers.

If you are looking for a full list of figures and you can’t find it by brand or series, you can try searching for an unusually named figure in the series. Find that figure and see that figure’s “Series Info” to know where in the Universe the other figures of that series can be found.

In the event that a brand, series or figure is missing from the Universe, please add it using our DASH-wiki functionality. Please do a thorough search before you do so though as we don’t want to add duplicates to the Universe.

Q: How do I switch between Dash360 photos and Images?

Some items may have only Dash360 photos OR single images. In the list grid, if you have the "photos" column displayed you will see one or both icons appear if there are photos of that item in the Universe. A appears if there is a Dash360 photo, and a icon appears if there are single images. When you are in the image viewer, you can toggle between Dash360 and Images, using the text links at the top of the viewer box.

Q: What are the item naming standards on Collector-ActionFigures?

The following are naming standards that we are currently using on Collector-ActionFigures. During our research, we found many different ways of naming items. There is no industry standard, so we had to develop our own methodology. As a general rule, we use exactly what is on the package. So, if you have a figure that is in the package, you should be able to enter the text on the package and find the item in the DASH Universe. As you add new items, please use the standards below. We welcome your feedback and comments with regard to these standards.

The DASH Action Figure database is the largest and most comprehensive compilation of action figures in the world. When adding or editing figures in the database, it is important to adhere to certain naming standards. Doing so will not only maintain the integrity of the database, but also provide consistency which will improve the usability and search results, etc.

Below please find some basic naming standards and rules: (examples are in blue courier font)

• The name of the figure shall be listed exactly as it appears on the packaging
“Highwire Zip-Line Batman” and NOT “Batman (Highwire Zip-Line)”
• Names should appear in upper and lower case letters (NOT ALL CAPS PLEASE)
• Hyphens should be used in place of commas to separate information in the name.
“Chris Jericho - John Cena - Batista (3-pack)”
• Any necessary descriptive fields not listed on the package shall follow the name in parentheses
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper (black wrist tape)
“Princess Leia and Han Solo (2-pack)”
“Aquaman (gold shoulder armor) (variant)”

Such descriptive fields should be used only when necessary to distinguish a figure from another and should appear in parentheses in lower case letters

• Multipacks – If figures come in a multipack, this should be noted in parentheses and names of all figures included in the multipack should be individually listed so they will appear in any database search results.
“Gotham City Enforcement Team - Batman - Nightwing - Commissioner Gordon - Batgirl (4-pack)”
• Variants - If a figure is a variant, chase, superchase, surprise, build-a-figure, or prototype, this should be noted in parentheses following the name and should appear last following any other descriptive fields.
“Carey Price - Canadiens (white helmet) (chase)”
• Errors/Typos on Packaging - Should an error or misspelling appear in the name on the package, it should be followed by “(sic)” to indicate that it is an error on the package and NOT in the database.
“Franco Harris - Pittsbugh (sic) Steelers”

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Spider-Man is hyphenated and both “Spider” and “Man” are capitalized
• Batman is one word
• The color gray is typically spelled with an “a”; however, Grey Hulk, Gandalf the Grey, and Jean Grey are all spelled with an “e”. There are a few cases where “Gray Hulk” is used on the package (both are acceptable and used interchangeably for Hulk although “Grey Hulk” is the more common iteration)
• Han Solo does not have an “s”. “Han” NOT “Hans” Solo