I am 100% new here and this may be the wrong location on the site but i really am dying to know:

How do you guys find out about exclusives ahead of time?

I keep visiting toy collector sites daily now to avoid missing exclusives, i don't read much on the forums but i did sign up to mcfarlane toys, hasbro, entertainment earth, bigbadtoystore, etc. However i am only reading about exclusive figures on Toyark type sites, immediately going to Target, walmart websites (after only about 2 hours from posting of article on this site) and the figures are ALWAYS sold out. Bots, i've heard are making it unbearable for collectors like me when it comes to exclusives.

Is there a mailing list i want to be on? Is there a thread i should be frequenting?

Thanks for any help anyone has. I tried searching for this information on google and on this forum and just keep coming up dry.

Heya, welcome to the forums.

I think you are experiencing what many of us are. I am online all day and pay attention to "word on the street" and I still miss a lot of stuff.

Most times the companies will announce that exclusives will go live X day and time.

Some don't, they just say "this thing exists, and you can order it here right now"

Bots are always an issue.

It really is all about watching news sources (like Toyark) constantly, multiple times a day, and hoping you are online at the right time.

Ditto what Tony said. I am on a couple of FB groups, local collectors and certain brands like GI Joe and Star Wars. I also visit 3-4 toysites a day morning and evening. I found out about the SW Artillery trooper on a FB post by a collector.

Same as JCarter. I collect Star Wars TVC and BS. I joined a bunch of FB groups specific to those lines. Many of the Admin will push out updates before items go live, even including a link direct to the item. Has helped me score quite a few pre-orders and exclusives, before selling out.