How many of you have a favorite Vocaloid other than Miku and live in the West? I'm one of them - my favorite is GUMI and I live in the USA. I ask this rhetorically, because I hate not having easy access to all the merch of my favorite Vocaloids. I'd estimate 80% or more of Western Vocaloid merch is Miku. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Miku. But you know who I like more? GUMI, IA, and KAITO.
Here's my main problem - non-Miku merch is not only much less common, but often more expensive too. On Amazon, a Miku Nendoroid goes for about 26 US dollars. A KAITO Nendoroid is about 40 dollars. A GUMI Nendoroid is about 70 dollars. Other GUMI figures retail for similarly high prices, reaching above 100 dollars. Which is bad for a GUMI fan like me. IA stuff is also quite pricey. KAITO stuff isn't as bad, but it can get in the higher range. Miku stuff, meanwhile, is plentiful and generally cheaper. When it comes to the Vocaloid merch I have at home, I have a Miku shirt, a Miku POP! figure, and a Miku button (all gotten from Hot Topic). It's fairly easy to find a copy of Hatsune Mix at my local bookstore, and I even have a free poster for it (from the bookstore). The only other place I can get non-Miku merch besides online is at conventions, and the prices there tend to be steep as well.
Does anyone else have this problem? Commiserate with me, if you'd like. Or perhaps you have a better place to get your merch? I'd love to hear it.