If you’re browsing the Machine Market in Kirby Air Riders and some rides say “Can’t buy yet” instead of giving you a price, it feels super confusing – especially when you’ve seen other players using those exact machines online.
This guide breaks down exactly what that message means, all the reasons it appears, and step-by-step ways to unlock and finally buy those machines so you can ride them in your own game.
Why Does It Say “Can’t Buy Yet”?
In almost every case, “Can’t buy yet” means you haven’t unlocked that machine’s base version in your game.
Players in the Kirby Air Riders community noticed this when they tried to buy certain shared machines, only to realise they hadn’t unlocked those machines yet in their own save file.
Unlocking that machine (through checklist challenges, Road Trip, City Trial, Top Ride, or by buying it once it appears in the Miles Shop) makes the Machine Market option change from “Can’t buy yet” to a normal purchase price.
So the problem usually isn’t a bug – it’s progression.
How The Machine Market & Miles Shop Actually Work
To understand the error, it helps to know how the game structures machines overall:
- Kirby Air Riders is a racing game built around collecting and using different Air Ride Machines across modes like Air Ride, City Trial, Road Trip, and Top Ride.
- Machines are normally unlocked by:
- Completing specific challenges or checklist tasks in each mode.
- Reaching certain milestones in Road Trip / story progression.
- Purchasing them in the Miles Shop once they become available there.
From there:
- The Miles Shop lets you spend in-game currency to pick up machines that are eligible to be bought (they appear after certain unlock conditions are met or as part of later-game availability).
- The Machine Market focuses on custom machines and creations – often based on machines you already own. If your save file doesn’t have access to the underlying machine, you can see the listing but you can’t buy it yet.
That’s why the game shows the “Can’t buy yet” label:
You’re trying to buy a design for a machine your save file does not properly own/unlock yet.
All Main Reasons You See “Can’t Buy Yet” in Where Winds Meet
Let’s break down the common causes.
1. You Haven’t Unlocked That Machine Yet
This is the most common and confirmed reason.
In community discussions, players who saw “Can’t buy yet” on certain machines later noticed that they had never unlocked those base machines in their own checklists. Once they did, the Machine Market let them buy the customs.
Typical causes:
- You’ve mainly played one mode (e.g., just City Trial) and ignored the others.
- You saw a cool custom machine online and tried to buy it before earning that machine in your own game.
- The machine is tied to a specific challenge, and you haven’t completed it yet.
2. You Haven’t Bought It From The Miles Shop (Even Though It’s Available)
Some machines are gated behind the Miles Shop, a special in-game store where you use Miles (in-game currency) to buy certain machines when they become available.
Important details from official guides:
- Machines only appear in the Miles Shop after they meet availability conditions (e.g., progressing far enough, completing some requirements).
- Buying them from the Miles Shop doesn’t just give you a ride – it also enables them in the game’s editing/customization suite, which is exactly what the Machine Market relies on.
So if the custom ride you want is based on, say, Transform Star or a specific late-game vehicle, and you never bought it in the Miles Shop, the market will still block you.
3. Late-Game / Legendary Machines You Haven’t Reached Yet
Some machines in Kirby Air Riders are late-game material or even legendary. They require special achievements such as:
- Getting the True Ending of Road Trip and collecting all vehicles.
- Collecting specific red box parts in City Trial for legendary machines like Hydra or Dragoon.
Until you:
- Reach the part of the game where these machines are available, and
- Either unlock them by conditions or purchase them (if they appear in the shop),
the Machine Market will show “Can’t buy yet” for any custom ride that uses those machines as a base.
4. You’re Playing A Demo / Limited Version
If you’re on:
- A time-limited demo,
- A pre-release trial, or
- A version of the game that locks some functions behind a full purchase or patch,
then certain machines and online systems may be limited, even though you can still look at Machine Market entries.
This isn’t explicitly documented for every region, but it’s consistent with how Nintendo has handled demos and limited online features in other titles (you can see content, but can’t access everything until you have the full game or update). This is more of an edge case, but worth keeping in mind.
Step-By-Step: How To Fix “Can’t Buy Yet” And Unlock Those Machines
Follow these steps in order. You’ll usually fix it by Step 2 or 3.
Step 1 – Check Which Machine The Custom Ride Uses
In the Machine Market, look at:
- The machine name or base machine mentioned in the description.
- Any icon or silhouette that hints at which machine it is (for example, Transform Star, Flight Warp Star, etc.).
Make a short list of the machines you keep seeing “Can’t buy yet” on.
Step 2 – Check Your Checklists & Collections
Go through the various mode checklists and your Collections menu:
- Look for that machine’s silhouette or name.
- If it’s just a silhouette (not fully revealed), you haven’t unlocked it yet.
- If the machine isn’t marked as unlocked in that mode, you still need to meet its unlock condition there.
This directly matches what that Reddit player realised: the reason they couldn’t buy was simply that they hadn’t unlocked that machine yet, and once they went after its checklist entry (like Transform Star), things started to line up.
Step 3 – Unlock The Machine Normally
Use an unlock guide or your in-game checklists to see what you need to do.
From official guides we know:
- Machines have mode-specific unlock conditions.
- For example:
- Some require you to finish a track within a time limit.
- Some require specific actions like:
- Breaking cargo,
- Using certain items,
- Gliding for a set time,
- Riding rails around the entire island, etc.
General tips:
- Play all modes (Air Ride, Road Trip, City Trial, Top Ride), not just one.
- Keep an eye on the checklist pop-ups after each race; they’ll show your progress toward unlock goals.
- If you see Transform Star, Flight Warp Star, or legendary machines mentioned in guides as late unlocks, expect them to take more effort or story progress.
Once that machine shows as fully unlocked in your Collection, recheck the Machine Market. In many cases, the label will switch from “Can’t buy yet” to a price.
Step 4 – Visit The Miles Shop And Buy Missing Machines
If the machine is:
- Mentioned in guides as being available in the Miles Shop, or
- Marked in your checklist but still not usable,
do this:
- Go to the Miles Shop.
- Look for the machine in the list.
- Buy it with your Miles.
According to official guidance:
- Once a machine is available in the Miles Shop and you purchase it, it’s fully usable and also enabled in editing/customization tools.
That’s critical for the Machine Market – it needs that machine to exist in your data as something you own.
Step 5 – Restart The Game (If It Still Shows “Can’t Buy Yet”)
After unlocking and/or buying the machine:
- Close Kirby Air Riders completely.
- Relaunch the game.
- Enter the Machine Market again and recheck the listing.
Sometimes UI states or online lists don’t fully refresh until you restart or revisit the menu, especially right after unlocking multiple things rapidly.
How To Unlock Machines Faster (So Machine Market Opens Up)
If you’re mainly interested in removing all “Can’t buy yet” labels as quickly as possible, focus on machine unlock efficiency.
1. Rotate Through Every Mode
Official machine guides break unlock requirements down by game mode:
- Air Ride
- Road Trip
- City Trial
- Top Ride
Some machines are only unlocked (or easiest to unlock) in a specific mode, so grinding just one mode will leave you missing crucial machines.
2. Aim For Checklist Goals Instead Of Random Play
Instead of random races:
- Open your checklists for each mode.
- Pick a machine unlock goal (e.g. “Break X objects”, “Win without being hit”, “Glide Y seconds”, etc.).
- Run races designed to complete that specific goal.
This makes your time far more efficient and can rapidly expand your machine roster.
3. Use The Miles Shop Strategically
Not all machines are easy to unlock by skill alone. Some are:
- Late-game shop unlocks (only appear after progress),
- Or simply cheaper in time to buy with Miles than to grind their challenge conditions.
Strategy:
- Don’t hoard Miles forever – use them to grab:
- Machines that are hard to unlock,
- Machines heavily used in popular custom builds,
- Machines you personally enjoy and want variants of.
This directly increases the number of Machine Market listings you can actually buy.
4. Don’t Forget Legendary / Story-Linked Machines
If a custom machine uses a legendary base like Hydra, Dragoon, or other Road Trip-linked machines:
- You’ll likely need to:
- Make significant story progress,
- Collect specific parts in City Trial, or
- Trigger specific endings (normal or true ending).
Those will naturally take longer – so don’t be surprised if “Can’t buy yet” sticks around on those legendary customs until you’re deep into the game.
FAQ – “Can’t Buy Yet” & The Machine Market
Do I have to unlock the base machine before buying a custom version?
Yes, effectively.
All evidence from players and guides points to the Machine Market requiring that your save either:
- Has unlocked that machine, and/or
- Has purchased it from the Miles Shop when available.
Without that, the system flags it as “Can’t buy yet”.
If I buy a machine from the Miles Shop, will the error go away?
In most cases, yes:
- When a machine is available and you purchase it from the Miles Shop, it becomes:
- Usable in races (depending on mode rules), and
- Usable in the editing/customization suite, which is what Machine Market cares about.
After buying, re-check the Machine Market listing – it should now offer a price instead of the error.
Why can I see a machine in the Machine Market if I can’t buy it?
Because the Machine Market is effectively showing:
- All creations on the server / community side, even if your account isn’t ready for them yet.
Think of it like an online skin market where some skins are for characters you haven’t unlocked – you can still look, but you can’t equip/buy until your save catches up.
Is “Can’t buy yet” a bug?
Right now, there’s no strong evidence that this message is a bug. Community reports that seemed like bugs were always resolved by:
- Unlocking the relevant machine, or
- Buying it in the Miles Shop once it was available.
So treat it as an intended progression gate, not a glitch.
Final Thoughts
Whenever you see “Can’t buy yet” in Kirby Air Riders’ Machine Market, read it as:
“You don’t own or haven’t unlocked this machine in your save yet – go unlock/buy the base machine first.”
If you:
- Identify which base machine the custom ride uses,
- Unlock it via checklists, Road Trip, City Trial or Top Ride, and
- Purchase it from the Miles Shop when available,
you’ll steadily remove that message from more and more listings and grow your garage of custom rides.
If you tell me which machines specifically are showing “Can’t buy yet” for you (names or descriptions), I can map out exact unlock routes for each one so you can clear them as efficiently as possible.