New to collecting need help!!

[crankyjammies]

Buy what you like. It may be a character that you really liked as a child or growing up or a character you like right now.

I, personally, do not buy statues of characters I am not familiar with or I just don't like, no matter how cool looking their statues are.

GO WITH YOUR GUTS. You can never go wrong.

[gomur]

I say RUN. Get out while you still can. This hobby will consume y-

Oh, crap. It's too late, isn't it?

[Hellsbells51]

Tell your GF to be prepared to share attention time with your statues. If she doesn't like it, get rid of her. She was part of the problem to begin with....

All kidding aside, I've seen this become an addiction for many. I've seen people sink into debt, get divorced, and buy too many too fast and the BAM a collection sale thread appears in the B/S/T section!

My advice:

- Plan out a budget. Unless you have disposable income out the ying yang budgeting is key to survival (if you really have a lot you are targeting and look to be in this hobby long).

- Take it slow. Target characters you want first and go from there. Don't force yourself to impulse buy.

- Choose wisely. If you're playing catch up like you are now and see new statues you like coming out you have to gauge whether a new statue is worth waiting for or is going to shoot up in price in the aftermarket and bite you in the wallet down the road so it becomes a "buy it now while it's cheap" situation.

- Be patient. Many of these new statues go up for pre-order today, but don't actually hit your door step till possibly six months or over a year later! The pre-order will always say "Ship date: March 2014" but really look three to six months after as a realistic date (depending on the company, it may be longer/shorter).


I'll think of more later...let me complete this transaction for a 15 statue haul on my CC.... :P

[Hellsbells51]

Okay...my CC got declined cuz the previous 20 statue haul maxed me out...oh well...I'll just apply for another CC...take that suckaz!

Me personally, all plans went out the door after I got deep into it and these forums only add fuel to the fire. When you see collection threads, don't overwhelm yourself trying to catch up.

At first I wanted only characters I liked, then I wanted the X-Men, then I wanted a Spidey display and it branched out to the villains, then the Avengers movie came out and I took interest in them, and so on.... Some of these statue companies make statues so bad a$$ that you'll find yourself buying a character you don't give two sh*** about!

Don't get ripped off on eBay. Know what the going rate is by checking out previous eBay sales and check the B/S/T sections on these forums...most of the time you'll find statues a lot cheaper. Also, know what questions to ask the seller or request pics of any visible damage/defect that may not be shown in pics...this way if it comes in a condition other than described you have the evidence.

Ok...found 10 more statues on eBay! Hmmmmm...that Bill Me Later option sure looks nice! Time to apply....

[andytdot]

I've acquired a lot of statues in the last 6 mos and started with eBay, kijiji ...like ridiculosly over 100...so think of how you want to display them before the wife/gf ruin the party. Seeing how other ppl collect/display will give you great ideas. One HUGE consideration is the space for the boxes and if you will need to ever move/trade/sell. Try to buy locally so you save on shipping..and customs if you are overseas. Your local comic store can also have great deals and selection too.

[Bonacc]

WOW! I didn't expect to receive so many answers. Thanks to you all. I do plan to make myself a budget and obviously go after the characters I like most (but they're so cool ) So there's so many statues, but where do you guys see the new one's that they're working on? (I'm guessing other threads?) Also for my Canadian buddies, do you guys have any good sites to order statues? So much information to take in!!

[The General]

Avoid impulse buys. I have a storage room full of stuff I have to sell. You learn as you go but I think avoiding impulse buys is the best advice I could give. Because if you waste your money on something you really didn't need when a piece comes out you really want you can't get it because you wasted your money on some random statue.

[BlackPanther991]

You want to know what to do ...sell what you have and keep away from this hobby .dont get me wrong ...it is fantastic but a neverending story.
believe me stop it early enough before you in the game and never find a way out ....it is on you ....but dont come back and say i dont give you a fair warning.

[nbr3bagshotrow]

Originally Posted by BlackPanther991

You want to know what to do ...sell what you have and keep away fron this hobby .dont get me wrong ...it is fantastic but a neverending story.
believe me stop it early enough before you in the game and never find a way out ....it is on you ....but dont come back and say i dont give you a fair warning.

Gonna practice what you preach? Let us know what you are selling. Bound to be some buyers here.

[tps50701]

I've just recently come to see, that after all the years I've been collecting - I really like Bowen statues the best.

I've gotten more than a few Sideshow ones, but have come to see how much better Bowen does in the design and eventual production.

Very rarely now do I stray away from Bowen - only if it grabs my attention and is very pleasing to my eyes.

I've been collecting female characters for so long as well. Just have an appreciation for the female form and some of the stronger female characters - especially Phoenix and Jean Grey.

Have a heap of fun with what you're doing. Also a piece of advice - involve your wife/girlfriend in the hobby and it will come back in leaps and bounds.

My wife loves just about every one of my statues - she's a comic geek as well, so she really likes looking at everything I have on display.

All the best, Carl