Who is going to keep collecting and who is going to quit ?

[nearmint]

As prices rise, my collection becomes more Sideshow-centric. They seem to be the only company trying to keep 1/4 scale pieces around $600.

[The SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by nbr3bagshotrow

Already slowed way down. Only bought one this year. Sold a few. Now it has to be special for me to buy.

i slowed down a good amount, i think i've bought just about everything i ever wanted in terms of this hobby, which is kinda crazy to say.

It has gotten a little harder and more annoying to sell, which sucks, but it's more reinforcement that i should only buy what i REALLY want, which is good.



Something i've noticed is rarely talked about is one's collections are rarely kept together. Collectors usually acquire, purge, regroup, refocus...repeat. IMO it's a different level of collecting to own and to keep... to truly collect. Not just to acquire but to KEEP. I know your shelves are filled with the same tenants that have been there for years same with mine. When i take my daily stroll in my cave, or when I have friends over and they say YOU STILL HAVE THIS ----, and i smile because yes...i do. that's a part of collection that isn't talked about enough, going through life with these things, it's fun, breaks up the nonsense. i look at certain pieces like how i listen to songs, they remind me not of just the character but a special time in my life (when i acquired them). It's been a great journey collecting these things. My advise to Craig, is keep it light and fun in the end these things don't mean a whole lot, and they are meant to bring us joy, don't allow the hobby or the people in it (buyers) to sour you...because that does against why we are all here.

good stuff.

[nbr3bagshotrow]

Originally Posted by The SHOGUN

i slowed down a good amount, i think i've bought just about everything i ever wanted in terms of this hobby, which is kinda crazy to say.

It has gotten a little harder and more annoying to sell, which sucks, but it's more reinforcement that i should only buy what i REALLY want, which is good.



Something i've noticed is rarely talked about is one's collections are rarely kept together. Collectors usually acquire, purge, regroup, refocus...repeat. IMO it's a different level of collecting to own and to keep... to truly collect. Not just to acquire but to KEEP. I know your shelves are filled with the same tenants that have been there for years same with mine. When i take my daily stroll in my cave, or when I have friends over and they say YOU STILL HAVE THIS ----, and i smile because yes...i do. that's a part of collection that isn't talked about enough, going through life with these things, it's fun, breaks up the nonsense. i look at certain pieces like how i listen to songs, they remind me not of just the character but a special time in my life (when i acquired them). It's been a great journey collecting these things. My advise to Craig, is keep it light and fun in the end these things don't mean a whole lot, and they are meant to bring us joy, don't allow the hobby or the people in it (buyers) to sour you...because that does against why we are all here.

good stuff.

Yep, my display hasn’t changed much over the years. Still have my whole wall of Bowen. All my pieces have a special meaning.

[goatchumby]

I have had to turn down a lot of POs this past year:

• Hot Toys has stopped completely for anything that is not MCU Phase I-III.
  
  
• PCS Street Fighter, PCS TMNT and some select imports are keeping me in the statue game.

[Yojimbo]

Originally Posted by The SHOGUN

Not just to acquire but to KEEP. I know your shelves are filled with the same tenants that have been there for years same with mine. When i take my daily stroll in my cave, or when I have friends over and they say YOU STILL HAVE THIS ----, and i smile because yes...i do. that's a part of collection that isn't talked about enough, going through life with these things, it's fun, breaks up the nonsense.

..my man.

Great point

[qz33]

Because you don't buy as much as you used to or as when you 1st started, or haven't bought a statue in months or years... does not mean you are "done"

Yes it would be cool to oh so many Transformers and G.I. Joes but that kind of diversity was created to sell at the time $4-$50 figures not $100's of dollars statues.

An endless stream of acquisitions and somewhere to dump them when tired of them or something better comes along -without risk or loss- could never be feasible long term.

Most collectors' grief can be solved from simply not buying too much. Don't ever have more into this hobby than you intend to leave in the hobby. Nostalgia is a powerful drug but never forget you aren't then anymore. Self control and moderation are keys to anything life even if not always easy.
As SHOGUN points out collecting = keeping, not getting or selling.

If I did not buy a statue again for the rest of my life and sold it all I still am a collector for life because I have and will love this stuff for my whole life.

[Silas Loki]

Can we class what we do as a hobby? I mean, the act of "collecting" is really not creative in any meaningful way, it demands nothing from you, other than your hard earned. Collecting places your "happiness" and "satisfaction" in the hands of faceless individuals who don't know (or care) about you.

From this perspective, I'm surprised we don't see more threads like this. In this "hobby", it's easy to burn out and lose that original enthusiasm. I mean, when you boil it down, you sweat to get the money and then wait and pray - rinse and repeat.

I'm personally trying to move my interest in 3D art from acquisition phase to the creator phase. I'm hoping this shift will not only turn this "thing" into a real hobby, but it will also enable me to take control of the art that I WANT, and not force me to compromise and take what the crowd is offered.

Maybe the OP should consider a similar direction. Love it, Change it, or Leave it.....

[chronos1919]

I've slowed down drastically. Only pieces I have pre-ordered at the moment are from JND. Going for quality over quantity.

[extracomputer.1]

Originally Posted by The SHOGUN

i slowed down a good amount, i think i've bought just about everything i ever wanted in terms of this hobby, which is kinda crazy to say.

It has gotten a little harder and more annoying to sell, which sucks, but it's more reinforcement that i should only buy what i REALLY want, which is good.



Something i've noticed is rarely talked about is one's collections are rarely kept together. Collectors usually acquire, purge, regroup, refocus...repeat. IMO it's a different level of collecting to own and to keep... to truly collect. Not just to acquire but to KEEP. I know your shelves are filled with the same tenants that have been there for years same with mine. When i take my daily stroll in my cave, or when I have friends over and they say YOU STILL HAVE THIS ----, and i smile because yes...i do. that's a part of collection that isn't talked about enough, going through life with these things, it's fun, breaks up the nonsense. i look at certain pieces like how i listen to songs, they remind me not of just the character but a special time in my life (when i acquired them). It's been a great journey collecting these things. My advise to Craig, is keep it light and fun in the end these things don't mean a whole lot, and they are meant to bring us joy, don't allow the hobby or the people in it (buyers) to sour you...because that does against why we are all here.

good stuff.

Well said. I have slowed way down and do plan on leaving the hobby soon but have no intentions of getting rid of the items I already have. Due to prices rising for various reasons and the desire to one day retire, this hobby has started to take a back seat and will continue that direction until phased out. I try to only buy items that I know I will have when I croak. What wife does with them then....I don't really care. sell, smash, burn. won't matter to me at that point.

[TheBishop]

I. JUST. CANT. HELP. MYSELF. Lol