Ready-to-Ship

What is Ready-to-Ship?

Ready-to-ship (RTS) refers to pre-made fantasy toy inventory that is available for immediate purchase and shipping, with no production wait time.

Why Choose Ready-to-Ship?

In a hobby where made-to-order wait times can stretch from 4 to 12 weeks or longer, ready-to-ship inventory is the express lane. These are toys the maker has already produced, photographed, and listed for sale. When you buy an RTS piece, it ships within the maker's standard processing time -- usually 1 to 5 business days. No queue, no production wait, no wondering what your custom will look like.

RTS is abbreviated as simply "RTS" across community forums, Discord servers, and marketplace posts. You will see it constantly in listings: "RTS available now" or "New RTS drop Friday at 8 PM EST."

What Is the RTS Tradeoff?

The advantage of RTS is speed. The tradeoff is that you cannot customize anything. The model, size, firmness, and colorway are fixed -- what you see in the listing photo is exactly what you get. For collectors who know what they like and can spot a great piece when they see one, this is no limitation at all. For buyers with very specific requirements, MTO remains the better path.

That said, RTS inventory often includes spectacular one-of-a-kind rogue colorways that cannot be replicated even through a custom order. Some of the most sought-after pieces in collector communities are RTS rogues that were grabbed during a drop and now trade hands on the secondary market at premium prices.

Where Can You Find RTS Inventory?

Makers typically stock their RTS inventory on their main shop page, organized by model or listed chronologically. New RTS pieces are usually released during scheduled drops announced on social media. Between drops, the RTS page may be empty or contain only remaining pieces that did not sell during the event.

Some makers maintain a small permanent RTS section alongside their custom ordering system. Others operate exclusively through drops, making their shop inventory available only during scheduled release windows. Knowing a maker's specific sales model helps you plan your purchasing strategy.

How Does RTS Work in the Secondary Market?

The secondary market -- platforms like BST communities and resale sites -- is essentially an enormous RTS marketplace run by collectors rather than makers. Every toy listed for rehoming is ready to ship from the seller. This is where discontinued models, rare colorways, and collector grails change hands. Listings are tagged as BNIB (brand new) or used, with pricing driven by rarity and demand.

Whether you are buying directly from a maker or from a fellow collector, RTS means one thing: you pay today, it ships tomorrow.