Depreciation of SSW statues... is it a trend??.

[gtb]

I noticed that there is a general trend in the depreciation of SSW statues especially among the big items. Those who frequent ebay will first notice that the infamous wiki has drop from its 1500 catogeroy to the 1K, and finally closing at sub 1K.

The most recent Sam and bill is also closed at sub 1k,
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8765680955&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

If you take a look at Virtual persepective, a number of the big ones, like Balrog has dropped from its 3k to hover arond 2K....the same goes for Aragorn statue, the Moria Orc Archer etc... I wonder if this is generally true for all SS products for other lines (SW, Buffty, Marvel etc).

Of course, there are exceptions for Orthanc is still standing at a very strong price (to my dismay, for I haven't got it yet) at 2k...cannot imagine an AP Balrog (which you don't see nowadays) has ever reached a staggering 3.8K USD!

If you are true collector, if you wouldn't be thinking of parting with your collection, but it will always feel good that your collection is really worth a bit in the market. IMO, the value of your collectibles are priceless regardless of how come it can be fetched in auctions right??

What are your views of this??

 

[King Darkness]

If you generaly collect for the later sale of your collection that would be very disheartning, but as you said it leaves a special feeling to know you collection has some value on the secondary market. I have no intention to sell off any of my collectables but it is nice to know they are worth something other than to myself...As for SSW products depreciating I think that may have a lot to with the fact that the hysteria over LOtR has deminished among non-hardcore fans....When the new SW trilogy started there was a huge surge in SW collectibles, wich eventually leveled out...I think the same will go for most SSW LOtR products...

Bottom line they will always be worth more than you paid(hopefully),but the value will spike and drop...depending on whats hot in the market...

 

[daelith]

Know when to hold, know when to fold, know when to sold...errr, sell. Don't worry about it; think of it as an opportunity to pick up items that have fallen within your price range. I'm picking up multiples of the Wiki bust, etc. Wait 10 years or until the next movie, liquidate a few pieces, pick up other stuff, rinse and repeat. I'm an opportunist collector; if the Balrog ever hits a price like 5K...welp, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ship him off. After all, I can pick up quite a few more things with 5k. Heck, my entire Sideshow Weta collection is probably based on a collection of silver age FF's I sold =)

 

[gtb]

If you generaly collect for the later sale of your collection that would be very disheartning, but as you said it leaves a special feeling to know you collection has some value on the secondary market. I have no intention to sell off any of my collectables but it is nice to know they are worth something other than to myself...As for SSW products depreciating I think that may have a lot to with the fact that the hysteria over LOtR has deminished among non-hardcore fans....When the new SW trilogy started there was a huge surge in SW collectibles, wich eventually leveled out...I think the same will go for most SSW LOtR products...

Bottom line they will always be worth more than you paid(hopefully),but the value will spike and drop...depending on whats hot in the market...

But it has been 20 odd years since Star Wars is released in 1977 (or 5??) and its collectibles is still selling strong!! I never know if LOTR has such effect... but I know that those 1st generation SW figures from Kenner toys which are just plastics can easily worth 5 figures, depending on who they are...one of my friend was telling me that Storm Trooper 1st release from Kenner is worth at least 10,000 now, I am not sure.....

But I wonder who willl keep Balrog for 20 years before selling off... but I hope SS forum is still ard

 

[King Darkness]

But it has been 20 odd years since Star Wars is released in 1977 (or 5??) and its collectibles is still selling strong!! I never know if LOTR has such effect... but I know that those 1st generation SW figures from Kenner toys which are just plastics can easily worth 5 figures, depending on who they are...one of my friend was telling me that Storm Trooper 1st release from Kenner is worth at least 10,000 now, I am not sure.....

But I wonder who willl keep Balrog for 20 years before selling off... but I hope SS forum is still ard

20 year old SW toys worth bookoo buck do to the fact they were sold as "toys" and few have survied to tell the tale....SSW were sold as collectibles and will remain as such....no 12 kid is going around playing with a $300+ Balrog...

Thats not to say SSW LOtR wont be worth $$$$ 20 years from now but its seems like a different situation...(plus SW fans are breed of there own)...I think in 20 years roughly all SSW collectibles will be around and still in great shape because the people who purchase them now know what they may be worth down the line......

SSW LOtR wont be as rare as toys sold 20 years ago..Too many people are collecting for the hope that in 20 years they can sell them for $$$$$$$$....

But what the hell do I know

 

[Seretur]

I do check out the ToyTracker value of my items just out of curiosity, and all I can say is that they went about 10% up since the height of the pre-Christmas selling season.

Depreciation? Don't think so.

 

[Buzzie]

I think we have this trend on the big ones,
because noone buys that pricey statues on
ebay after this Bull§$"&% scammers etc. these times.

You never know what you get...

I know that the secondary market over private
forums and between collectors is right at the maximum
and rising!

 

[The Josh]

Everything is just balancing out IMO. Besides does it really matter what they are worth? Yeah, the Balrog might drop below what I paid but I enjoy the thought that I'm lucky enough to own one. That too me is more important and no I don't have more money than sense.

 

[Buzzie]

Everything is just balancing out IMO. Besides does it really matter what they are worth? Yeah, the Balrog might drop below what I paid but I enjoy the thought that I'm lucky enough to own one. That too me is more important and no I don't have more money than sense.

How many Balrogs without a crack or missing piece are out there...
I think about 200..

 

[larbob]

Or how many mint cave trolls of the 750? Of all the statues this is one that
has a low edition number and is very breakable (arms). I have not heard of
many Daddy Rogs that have broken other than the whip .... which SS
in the past replaced for free if you sent in your broken whip.

 

[The Josh]

Well, thankfully both of mine are minty mint

 

[Mithrandier]

Yeah sure I own more pieces that are worth more than what I paid for them...........then again anything that is bought out of the last go around is worth less due to the edition sizes.................but I do not collect these pieces for what they are worth or might be worth. Actually in the end, the pieces are only worth what someone will pay for them. The prices will continue to fluctuate up & down............I forsee that the prices will only continue to drop as collectors move onto something new and interest fades. Maybe because people cannot turn a quick buck on these items anymore, since the prices have climbed.........meaning Joe Collector bought a balrog for $2000, all balrogs are going for $2000, no sane person should buy it for $2500 or $3000 cause they can get it for $2000. The only way things will increase and keep increasing is if collectors keep their pieces - supply down - and other collectors try to get one - demand up.

 

[elwood49]

The line will continue to go down in value except for the really rare pieces. The characters that will be made in other formats will significantly go down. I think the Wiki will finally bottom out around $600-$700 when the SS 1/4 version comes out.

I'm getting ready to sell a few pieces, and I noticed that some of them are not worth much at all.

It was bound to happen once other companies started putting LOTR products out. Now that SS, GG, and CM will be making LOTR products, I think the Weta ones will continue to fall. It's what ALWAYS happens whenever a piece is only available in one format, and then another version is released.

Look at the Han ANH blaster by MR. That was selling for $3,500 at one time (It had a retail of around $450-$500 originally). They released the ESB version, which is a completely different style, and the original plummets to around $1,000. The original is significantly nicer than the ESB, but the average collector feels that it would be better to spend $350 on the newer version.

The original Balrog and Cave Troll will maintain their value, as I don't see any company putting out a statue of those any time soon.

In 10 years, I think the Weta line could have some major value, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

You have to look at it this way: Why would someone EVER spend $5,000 on a Balrog that's painted by some workers in China? For that price, you could get into actual production pieces from the movie. Hell, I think Gimli's axe from the film sold for like $20,000 on Ebay. For $5,000, I would look into Balrog production sketches and concept maquettes from the film. You can buy original screen used ILM ships from Star Wars for around $10,000.

These are still reproductions, and 1,000 of them is a pretty high number if you think about it.

 

[The Josh]

The line will continue to go down in value except for the really rare pieces. The characters that will be made in other formats will significantly go down. I think the Wiki will finally bottom out around $600-$700 when the SS 1/4 version comes out.

I agree to a point. I think we will see a dip and then slowly rise over the next few years.

In 10 years, I think the Weta line could have some major value, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

I'd say that makes sense. Might be a little more or less but I agree it won't be right now.

These are still reproductions, and 1,000 of them is a pretty high number if you think about it.

I'm guessing you mean 1k Balrogs is a lot. Well, yes the number 1k is a lot depending on how it's used. However, with as many people that collect LOTR and want these pieces I don't consider 1k Balrogs that many. It's funny that some consider 5k to be a lot of an item and now 1k is a lot of something when it's going for 2k+. When you factor in as many people that collect these I would say 1k is a nice tiny ES.

 

[bigdaddyrob]

I have to agree with Josh's earlier comment about it balancing out... I mean by example. I have been MIA for almost 5 months I think. And you know it's funny b/c the same issues always come up. Things go up...things go down. And there is always concern.

I am just now starting to part with bit's and pieces of my collection ~ lol I have to go to spacemans just to figure where everything is at. B/c very few busts used to go up...most went down for awhile. The money never really mattered, it's just always nice to not be stressing out hunting that piece you desire so much

My high and mighty pieces are Orthanc, which I am getting ready to part with And the Stone Trolls which I got from a board member here. And while it was a great price for them, I have never once went back to look at the current value. B/c I love that piece so much and what it means to me that I could a d**n less if it's listed at a $1 or $20000, it's not leaving the shelf.

It all comes down to what it means to us....

And heck lets be honest if we were looking to get rich, we should have bought The Watcher on clearance, bought a half dozen or so of the Bust/Figure Packages deals< you've been collecting along time to get that one > and sold during the boom lol

 

[Seaward]

I know I am probably about to sell at the wrong time, but I will have to let go of all of my SSW statues. I need to buy a new car, and I look at my shelf, and see a new car! I have everything, Balrog, Cave Troll, the whole enchilada, but even at some of these reduced prices, I will have to let everything go. Luckily, the only items I paid full retail for were the Sideshow exclusives, so I hopefully won't lose too much money, especially on the later items. I just can't justify owning these items right now when money is tight, and with the lot of statues, I could put a nice down payment down for a new car, as well as a chunk of change towards an engagement ring for my girlfriend. I will be sad to see them go, and I told my friend who is an ebay seller that we will have to list everything in one shot, so I don't sell a few things and then let regret kick in. Oh well, I sold a complete Bowen collection to fund the LOTR collection, so it seems like it is a cyclical thing for me!

 

[Seretur]

There. My collection is now worth $5 more than it was yesterday.

Funnily enough, the "big" pieces I have -- Orthanc, the Fell Beast -- are going down. It's the little ones who are gaining.

 

[HighElven]

Well, thankfully both of mine are minty mint

Why did you buy two...?

 

[The Godfather]

Why did you buy two...?

Think Josh meant that his Cave Troll and Balrog are minty minty. Not that he owns two Balrogs.

 

[daelith]

Follow these laws to get a big collection for enjoyment and profit:
1) Buy stuff you like.
2) Take into account ES.
3) For stuff that you like WITH small ES, get multiples for trading fodder/sale.
4) For stuff you HAVE to HAVE, think of a good target price $$$ and STICK to it; this price should ALWAYS be significantly below market value when you consider it. Then be diligent in your ebay searches.
5) Disregard all 4 rules if everything you seem to buy immediately drops down in prices, in which case, please notify Daelith what you plan to purchase so he can avoid those items like the plague.

Having said that...here's an interesting story:

I first started collecting toybiz figures and heard about it in the forum. My first figures were (2) Boromirs and (2) Easterlings. Welp, after getting those, I decided it was time to part with some of my comics...so there went my FF Silver Age collection for 4.5k, which I had purchased 5 years ago for 800 =). Welp, the statues piled on fast and furious with me getting multiples of almost everything I liked, sometimes to the extreme:
6 Gandalf the White Busts
4 Wiki Busts
9 Galadhrim Archers
6 Berserker busts
6 Uruk Swordsman busts
4 Ugluks
6 Easterlings
6 Theodens
3 Full Medallion Sets
...and more Helms than you can imagine =)

I realize it's a hobby, but as a kid who started collecting comics in the 4th grade, I learned very quickly the business aspects of collecting. So, looking at the downtrend right now, it doesn't hurt at all--because most of the stuff I bought I like anyways =) And if it continues, welp, I still need my TF Wiki, Uruk Scout, Stone Trolls, and quite a few others. And if it goes up, welp, perhaps can trade in a few to get some things off my waitlist. Mind you, I collect quite a few other things, but it's interesting because in this instance, I can trace it all the way back to the sale of some comics since all the money spent was placed into my "LOTR" bank account *cackles*