Considering quitting collecting ....

[prime]

I've always maintained a policy to only buy on sale, with maybe a couple exceptions for end of line rare units I really wanted, since those would just increase in price now that they are out of print.

Just today I found some siege deluxes on clearance ($16) and bought 2 that I was had been pining for months, but also realized this is the regular price for a deluxe before the price jump. I've never been a seller so the accumulation + the price jumps + increase in other interests has seriously dampened any collector urges.

It's that whole KonMari decluttering thing: Does it bring you joy? Will that figure make you smile even several months down the line?

I think I'll always enjoy the hunt whenever I'm in a WM or drive by a TRU out of habit. I will rarely actually buy, and only at a steep discount, but I'll always enjoy the dopamine rush of finding a figure I've never seen before.

[QuadESL63]

I have been discouraged by the recent poor distribution and low stock level for the mainline, yes, but I just buy online the ones that I really wanted and is spending way less time hunting.

High prices means I just buy less or buy from the cheapest sources if possible.

These haven’t stopped me... I haven’t quit.

Will I quit? May be if I have a life changing sickness that impeded my daily live like alzheimer or is comatose. I have seen seniors fighting over Hotwheels in stores so I don’t think I will ever quit. I have followed all the way from Microman and Diaclone to TFs... even in the darkess, drought years I just kept whatever G1/Japanese G1/G2 and comics that I have. My very first TF, Pipes, and a couple of Diaclones have been with me since the beginning. I have sold stuffs, yes, but only certain serieses/items that didn’t fit in with my overall G1 based theme, or doubles. Mostly due to space and money. Bu I don’t think I will ever part with, say, my Pipes or G1 Grand Maximus.

It is also not a fab for me... I see a lot of “Hey! MPs and third parties are cool!” or “Those Michael Bay’s are exciting!” so called fans... I love everything TF wise. But I hope they will be converted and embrace the true fandom like me.

And it isn’t just the toys either. TVs, movies, comics, manga... are my thing, too!

Everytime I look at my core collections I smile. It is not just some material things or a dollar sign. They are part of my memories.

I digress... so, no, I won’t quit! I might go into hiatus or becomes frustrated from time to time but I will not quit.

[Bluewolf77]

The thought of stopping has crossed my mind a couple times since I started and with the raise in the cost of fingers these day It may happen yet. Yeah right I am in it for the long haul, the big thing is that I just buy the ones I like or that fit into my collection, Imay stop once I run out of room who knows the bottom line is STOP IF you Want to stop or do not it is your choice.

[Darkroar]

I've cut back a ton over the past three or four years. For example, this year I've bought maybe 6-7 figures total.

Price was only a part of this feeling, it's mostly to do with clutter and realizing it's only certain things that I really enjoy collecting and focusing on those. Kind of a minimalist approach.

When I look at my shelves the characters and arrangements are clear now and I like it. Before I just had so much on some shelves it was a jumble. The rest is packed away for now. I've sold some, but there is plenty more to go.

It's pretty cool that a lot of figures have some value so it's not like you are flushing all the money spent down the toilet.

If I have second thoughts about selling something I just hold on to it and decide I'll leave it for later. So far, though, I haven't regretted selling things.

One day I just realized I couldn't keep up the pace. It was just too much space and too much stuff. Some of it was packed away and I thought how is that enriching my life by having things packed away I may never care to see again? I thought about how long it would take to sell it all and decided to start a bit at a time.

When I think about how long it will take to sell it also helps me when I add something to my collection. I try to think ahead and see the future of the item. Will it be a long term display item or will it display short term, end up in a box, and I'll want to sell it a bit later? If it's not a long term item, I don't buy it.
The hassle of buying and selling a while later is too much to bother with.

Anyway, so far this system has worked well for me.

[alternatorfan]

Originally Posted by imfallenangel

Disclaimer: this post might sound mean, but I am just being honest, so don't read if you get offended easily, as it is not intended to offend but to state some truths that some may not agree with.

If you consider quitting, then quit.

A collector doesn't care about price or item, they will be happy to have a 50 cents items just as much as a $500 one. Collecting is about obtaining something one enjoys and being happy to have it.

A collector can have just a few items, or could have thousands, a collector doesn't care.

If a person needs to negotiate a "why" about their collection, then their passion about their collection is simply not truly there.

I've seen a LOT of "collectors" being nothing more than bandwagon jumpers, so much of the "geek chic" is about people that just want to belong to something "popular"... the moment I see someone say "hey this is cool, maybe I should start "collecting"" makes me walk away... if you need to state ANYTHING about starting to collect, then you are not a collector, you're someone that accumulated a series of things because you might have a passing interest or just to be part of the "cool kids".... a collector just goes and gets the things that he likes/love and the collection has a life of it's own.

A collector may be limited by budget, income, space, or simply run out of "new" items, but will cherish the ones he has.

If he is forced to part with his collection (to pay bills and such), he will be heartbroken and will most probably return to replace those items he "lost".

Some collectors may find themselves attracted to other items/series/etc. and move towards new collections, but would not lose the passion for the other collections he has.

Owning a bunch of stuff doesn't make one a collector any more than someone that can afford that big expensive camera turns into a photographer... it's about the passion behind it... and some people can be terrible photographers but still love it with a passion that is more than a "hobby"... so same with collecting.

Is it a passion, a hobby, something to try and be cool about?

Can the chase be a challenge? Can it be frustrating? of course, especially when you're trying to get a specific item that is out of reach.

One has to accept the reality of being a collectors, and with Transformers, people need to remember that things have changed a lot because of all these things I mention.

The "geek chic" has created a huge pool of "collectors" that if they really were such in their childhood, they would have been beaten up by the school bullies, but now, it's Halloween costumes , it's activities, something to share, be part of. And collecting being a huge draw, the companies have never made as much money as they do now. as everything is a "collectable"... it's an overload.

Then the death of all the stores/companies that means that the competition in selection, prices, stock is not even a care to the surviving stores now. They know that the items will most certainly sell, so much so that the shelfwarmers are the expected lower profit items, but after the huge profits already obtained from the rest of the items sold, they win in every way... and they know that prices can go up and they will still sell.

Look at the G1 re-releases... comments about "crazy expensive, one needs to be nuts to buy one" didn't phase those that did buy anyways, even justifying the higher prices... so buyers can't push back when so many are fine to pay the higher prices...

And at the same time, if there's anything you do want, do you want to risk not getting it, or seeing it disappear from the shelves only to end up at 2-3-4 times the price later on?

So yes, many rant about this stuff, but still we buy.. we fight over these toys, and such...

Myself, I stopped caring about what anyone says because of the negativity, heck, one member on here harasses many others, and almost made me quit this forum as it was simply something that went beyond what I consider acceptable as this is about toy collecting...

I've been collecting since being a child, way before and beyond Transformers, as I always had a passion about robots and science fiction in general.. and I never lost it. I did have many times that I simply couldn't afford or justify some toys, and missed out on many. But I've also been frugal at times, and a bit crazy at others, and my collection has grown a lot in the last few years.

And with all that said, do I want to stop? nah, but I know that with Siege being a huge drain on my wallet, that it may be the last time that I invest so much into a series, and will return to the odd one now and them afterwards...

I am considering selling some older items, simply because of space, that they are the bottom items of my collection, or even worse, may be some of my pearls that I believe may be time for them to move on to someone else that will enjoy them as much as I have....

The truth is, as morbid as this may sound, I am getting old and have already faced death (cancer) and survived, and between my children and such, there's no one that would care for my collection has I will have all my life, so a younger true collector might be a better alternative.

So anyways... I hope that this post isn't going to cause trouble or such, I simply wanted to provide a few points that some may not have considered... and hopefully no one is offended.

Like my fire guts God ginrai I paid $400 BUCKS for him complete off Ebay then had to sell it for $400
On Ebay again.
Now its priced at $1000
That is my 1 of kind item I should have kept.
Grrr........

[ssjgoku22]

Originally Posted by alternatorfan

Like my fire guts God ginrai I paid $400 BUCKS for him complete off Ebay then had to sell it for $400
On Ebay again.
Now its priced at $1000
That is my 1 of kind item I should have kept.
Grrr........

Yeah, probably should have kept that one. But how would you have known? That's how the game works. If we worry about if stuff is going to be worth more in the future, we'll never sell anything.

[Whisky Tango Foxtrot]

The only figure that I've been excited about in years was the Bumblebee Optimus Prime, and while I like its design the toy itself turned out to be kind of crap (a bunch of fiddly little panels that never quite fit together and always get in each other's way.) I'm still keeping my eye on new announcements but I'm definitely a lot less interested in the hobby than I was a few years ago.

[alternatorfan]

Originally Posted by ssjgoku22

Yeah, probably should have kept that one. But how would you have known? That's how the game works. If we worry about if stuff is going to be worth more in the future, we'll never sell anything.

Oh I knew he would be a gem at any point of the game but sadly had to let it go.
Just kicking myself as I have several other items I kept and still have ....just that one had to go...grrr
Still kicking myself...lol
Oh well
On to the next venture.
What comes after siege anybody know??
The name of the next series in wfc??

[imfallenangel]

Originally Posted by alternatorfan

Like my fire guts God ginrai I paid $400 BUCKS for him complete off Ebay then had to sell it for $400
On Ebay again.
Now its priced at $1000
That is my 1 of kind item I should have kept.
Grrr........

My ultimate kick myself is a uber-rare Power Ranger Megazor that I bought for 20$, 30-some years ago.

About 15+ years ago, I sold it online for about 120$ not realizing what I actually had, the internet was still limited, never found info about it.

I checked on it a few months ago... it's selling for 4-5K+

So yeah....I've had trouble digesting that little screw-up.

[Marcotron]

The price hike that really pissed me off was the AOE figures going for 19.99, and then for the last knight, they released the exact same toys, now in a box instead of a blister pack, for 29.99. I said nope, and only purchased Cogman when it was on sale for half price, and I was still disappointed with the crappy plastic and basic-ness of the transformation.

In the Siege line, I impulse bought ravage and laserbeak, but these little toys are not worth what I paid for them. I'm debating getting Springer and Jetfire, but that's about it. The rest of the Siege line doesn't do a lot for me.