I've been interested in buying manga recently and wanted to start off on short series that are good while also affordable when buying the whole thing.[m]

Go to a used book store and make a beeline for the comic section. You'll usually be able to find loads of series on the cheap.

[img]http://www.dragonflycave.com/wpay/mew.gif[/img]

You should probably mention at least what genres you're into, because there's actually loads of short manga series being published nowadays.

Also, if you want to be really thrifty, you can wait until the holidays and buy from rightstuf. They usually have really cheap bundles of series available then.

I like pretty much every genre, not really ecchi though. Also, is rightstuf legit? I was looking at their website today and they have really good deals, but some of the reviews were saying they never shipped their products and that their customer service was really lackluster.

the gods lie great 1 volume story

Look around for library book sales in your area. There used to be one near me that happened twice a year before covid. While they had a small selection I could get entire series sometimes for $2 a volume, sometimes $5 if its an omnibus. I'd walk away with 40 books for $80 most of the time. Got loads of manga stored away for a fraction of the price.

Rightstuf is legit, and I've ordered from them very often. They're also known for having pretty solid packaging for their books, so unlike if you order from, say, Amazon, you won't get anything damaged.

There have been massive shipping delays because of COVID. Last time I ordered, I had to wait, uh... more than two months I think? To receive my package. (Note: I did place an incredibly large order, and Rightstuf tends not to ship anything unless the entire order is available, which might have led to the delay.) They always do eventually ship though, and I've never not received an order from them.

Other options are waiting for Barnes&Noble buy 2 get 1 free manga sales, which seem to happen every... five or six months or so? These include boxsets too, so it's convenient if you want to buy in bulk.

As for a short licensed series that's still in print, maybe Astra Lost in Space? Only five volumes, and a fun, well-written space adventure series.

As an outsider, I can't recommend which services are the best for US/Europe region. But I know very well how challenging it is to buy ongoing series with good amount of volumes. For me, personally, buying japanese version way much cheaper than English. If you're interested, you can try CDJapan/Animate or any trusted proxy seller.

Anyway, my recommendation for starting:
One damn good one-shot:
My Broken Mariko - seinen, tragedy of losing loved one.
Muchuu sa, Kimi ni. - not come out yet, but I really recommend you to get one! It's charming. I completely fell in love.

I have another one-shot, but mostly I dropped it.
For example :
A Girl Without Face - it's cute, actually, I simply not interested with it.

Short stories:
Kanata no Astra (5 volumes) - amazingly solid, one of my new satisfying discovery.
Eniale & Dewiela (3 volumes) - I only read one volume so far. Not that exciting, just some angel and devil's ambiguous relationship with small fanservice. But the art is just chefs kiss.
ACCA (6 volumes) - more political and military stuff, it offers you gentle approach in mystery genre.
Kageki Shoujo! (2 volumes) - published as omnibus, a prologue to actual main story to come. It's entertaining and inspiring, no romance involved. If you love--ever heard--Hibike! Euphonium's atmosphere full with amazing talented kids, this is best offer to pick.

Others:
An extra from myself to you. My lists, unfortunately, are full with exhausting long-term and years of publications type. I won't give you lists of old series where most likely hard to find.
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (10 volumes) - big age gap, a little bit romance but not necessarily so.
Otoyomegatari (13 volumes and counting) - another big age gap, rich culture, great art. Absolutely worth to collect.
Houseki no Kuni (11 volumes and counting) - on hiatus. The story looks getting closer to climax, I assume maybe it will end soon. It's not your typical gems journey fighting over their life at hand. It's pretty unique and intense in its own way.

Physical is a matter of time and patience to collect. I'm sure one day you'll be interested in buying more. If you're interested, there are more options than finished in one sitting series.