How To Beat Collecting Addiction.

[Newbieguy]

This thread is sad on so many levels....tell me what to buy? You really need someone to tell you what to and what not to buy? Buy what you want. When you are broke and alone sitting in a room with a bunch of toys maybe you will realize you have a problem. If you are asking strangers how to handle your spending, you have a problem. It's like someone asking, "Do you think I have a drinking problem"? Well, what kind of person do you think would ask that question? SOMEONE WHO HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM.

When I started 2 years ago I only purchased 1/6 scale but was all over the map. Star Wars (Rebel and Empire), Hulk, Ironman, Antman, DeadPool. Now into 1/4 statues but have 98% focused on Empire only Star Wars (have created an Empire room). Sold off everything else except Superman PF, Batman PF and Hot Toys Ironman 1/4 scale because I like them. Only other non-Empire Star Wars I will ever buy will be DC Comic Wonderwoman (to complete trilogy).

 

[67L88Stingray]

This thread is sad on so many levels....tell me what to buy? You really need someone to tell you what to and what not to buy? Buy what you want. When you are broke and alone sitting in a room with a bunch of toys maybe you will realize you have a problem. If you are asking strangers how to handle your spending, you have a problem. It's like someone asking, "Do you think I have a drinking problem"? Well, what kind of person do you think would ask that question? SOMEONE WHO HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM.

When I started 2 years ago I only purchased 1/6 scale but was all over the map. Star Wars (Rebel and Empire), Hulk, Ironman, Antman, DeadPool. Now into 1/4 statues but have 98% focused on Empire only Star Wars (have created an Empire room). Sold off everything else except Superman PF, Batman PF and Hot Toys Ironman 1/4 scale because I like them. Only other non-Empire Star Wars I will ever buy will be DC Comic Wonderwoman (to complete trilogy).

You can help me with my addiction by getting my WW PF then!

 

[Newbieguy]

Delay email coming!!

 

[NASEDO]

Hot girlfriend

 

[ForeverYoung]

Funny how this thread has some polar perspectives. Some people are posting because they are dealing with thoughts or feelings of (or like) addiction. Some people are critical of that and just saying "it's not an addition, just knock it off".

I looked this thread up again because I'm currently struggling with reigning things in. I've made some big purchases lately and see it as a problem, but see other things in 2018 I'd like to start making payments on. I can afford it to a degree. I'm fighting the urge to go further than a certain point.

Yes, I'm selling stuff. I'm trying not to put anything on credit. I'm paying my basic bills. Could I save more or put that money to other things? Yes, I recognize that. It's still something I'm struggling with though. Good for those who aren't. Some of us do struggle with it though. I thought posting and discussing it with people also fighting too much spending might help fight off the current temptations.

 

[evenflow]

Its only a problem if it becomes a problem. If everything is in order and the collecting habit is not impacting your functioning on any level then go have some fun.

 

[thecapn]

We as humans have a need to hoard things that give us satisfaction. It's biological, evolutionary.

I am of the firm opinion that every single person on this planet is addicted to something. Maybe it's something good, maybe it's something detrimental. Sure, there's alcoholism, drugs, sex. But then there's going to the gym, playing sports, or trying to do your best at work. If you get a kick out of something and have the urge to feel that dopamine rush again - boom. You're addicted.

I personally just started to limit my collecting to certain categories. If you can sell or trade something and not feel remorse about it later, it's not important.

 

[OrangeCrush]

I for one just couldn't imagine not collecting. I have been doing it since I was roughly 7-8 years old as my father got me into it with stamps and coins at a very young age and it just stuck with me. Being a serious collector has been one of the most consistent aspects of my entire life. I have lived in multiple locations, had long relationships with women that came and went, I switched majors in my senior year so I wound up spending 9 years in college etc. Again, being a serious collector really has been one of the most consistent aspects of my entire life.

Just what items I collect has changed over the years, but the passion of collecting in general has been with me pretty much throughout my entire life. My wife is also a big collector so we love going to auctions, estate sales, storage bin auctions, etc. We collect different things, but were equally passionate about collecting in general. And we have a 13 year old son that is into collecting as well. I basically did the same thing with him that my father did with me. As long as one can afford it and collecting hobbies aren't putting people into debt, I think collecting is one of the greatest hobbies out there. And there are so many cool things one can collect. Some of my personal favorites are vintage Belstaff and Barbour jackets, NASA/space memorabilia, antique/vinatage cameras, lenses, & telescopes, vintage Kodak memorabilia, original artwork, art books, replica weapons (mostly sci-fi), statues (mostly Prime 1 & Sideshow), etc. I could easily list like 10 more as I have more collecting hobbies than I care to admit. It seems like each year that passes I have a new collecting hobby. And as I pick up new collecting hobbies, I stop collecting with others. Limited edition prints used to be my single favorite hobby, but the low cost of high quality giclee printers has absolutely flooded the market with limited edition giclee prints. So I recently decided to throw in the towel on digital limited edition prints. I only collect limited editions that are made of original prints now. And I also tossed in the towel on modern comics and original comic art. I hate the whole variant aspect of the modern comic market and original comic art has just become WAY too expensive. Collecting with me is basically an ever evolving hobby, but I can pretty much guarantee I will be collecting right up until the end.

 

[hottoyskyle]

I like collecting. And I at one Point felt the addiction, especially with 1/6 figures such as hot toys. I have gone through quit a few flushes/ dousches of my collection just getting rid of figures I don’t want and buying figures I do won’t and basically recycling the money that was invested. I feel if I can sale the figures and not really be bothered by it then it’s not an addiction. For me I limit my spending and make sure “real” priorities in life are taking care of first of my “hobby”. It also helps to keep a certain focus on what category you want to collect. For me I enjoy hot toys and superhero. I buy only in that category and don’t buy duplicates of any characters ( except batman). I have a few figures to go for my marvel line and then I’m closing the chapter on that. As far as DC I might collect hot toys full JLA movie line and close he chapter on that. I think my next collection would be possibly to continue my Hess truck collection. Not buying old just to buy the yearly releases and not 12 just for me and my daughter.

 

[dendory]

The way I do it is I have 2 rules:

- Maximum of 1 figure for any character

- Only buy figures for characters I know and can identify with

 

[willocrew]

Just stop visiting this forum or other such similar forums. Totally stop looking at pictures or videos of toys or statues.
I guarantee you that your addiction to toy collecting will DISAPPEAR.

But you'll probably develop some other alternative form of addiction.

 

[Jay1138]

That actually helps a lot. It's been very useful for me to disconnect. Yes you miss a lot of things but that's the point.

 

[ForeverYoung]

Agreed! Depending on a person's nature, it may be a necessary option. I had to concerning collecting Transformers. I think I've built up enough understanding, will power, and appreciation of priorities to wade into collecting again and not go as crazy.

Last weekend I attended a one day convention selling off my personal collection (which I've done for a few years now). It didn't feel good letting go of some grails at less than internet market value, but the cash on hand and then paying down some long time debt helped reduce that sting. I wasn't displaying the stuff, so...gone.

 

[stephen_the_joker]

I think I am getting much more addicted to the figures since last year,
at the very beginning I bought some recast figure, and then hot toys,and now I am start buying custom figures

somebody help

 

[Bjjer]

What beat my addiction is I got into a little bit of a financial strap of my own doing and attempted to sell some Hot Toys to help me out and fpund it extremely difficult as the aftermarket on them is crap. I, of course, got lowball offers and when I didnt take them the offers stopped. I clawed my way back financially and realized these things cost so much but are basically worthless. I had some leftover Masters of the Universe clasdicsthat I sold with no problem. So it made me reevaluate how much I spend on HT. I never collected for future value but its nice to know what you have can be worth something after all the cash one drops into it but I think now Ill just buy maybe drop to 1-2 figures a year and bank the rest(I already dropped all my preorders from BBTS and SS and with SS it was some more loss).

 

[burtial]

What beat my addiction is I got into a little bit of a financial strap of my own doing and attempted to sell some Hot Toys to help me out and fpund it extremely difficult as the aftermarket on them is crap. I, of course, got lowball offers and when I didnt take them the offers stopped. I clawed my way back financially and realized these things cost so much but are basically worthless. I had some leftover Masters of the Universe clasdicsthat I sold with no problem. So it made me reevaluate how much I spend on HT. I never collected for future value but its nice to know what you have can be worth something after all the cash one drops into it but I think now Ill just buy maybe drop to 1-2 figures a year and bank the rest(I already dropped all my preorders from BBTS and SS and with SS it was some more loss).

I have found that action figures hold and increase in value very well. I have sold quite a few that I paid $20 for, and 5-10 years later I am selling them for around $100.

 

[fanboyz]

I quit collecting 6 years ago and invested in crypto. No regrets $$$

 

[OneSixthRoy]

I quit collecting 6 years ago and invested in crypto. No regrets $$$

I went into crypto to buy Figures of the profit. Bought 35 Hot Toys this year for $500 initial investment

Reading alot of comments about Girlfriends/Wifes. Mine actually fuels my collection by being way to enthustiastic about new figures

 

[OrangeCrush]

What beat my addiction is I got into a little bit of a financial strap of my own doing and attempted to sell some Hot Toys to help me out and fpund it extremely difficult as the aftermarket on them is crap. I, of course, got lowball offers and when I didnt take them the offers stopped. I clawed my way back financially and realized these things cost so much but are basically worthless. I had some leftover Masters of the Universe clasdicsthat I sold with no problem. So it made me reevaluate how much I spend on HT. I never collected for future value but its nice to know what you have can be worth something after all the cash one drops into it but I think now Ill just buy maybe drop to 1-2 figures a year and bank the rest(I already dropped all my preorders from BBTS and SS and with SS it was some more loss).

The biggest problem with Hot Toys, at least IMO, is they don't have a set edition size. Nobody really knows how many are out there. That for me is HUGE when dealing with collecting something like statues at that price level. I only care about limited editions with set edition sizes and that goes for replica weapons as much as it does for statues. I bet once this superhero craze dies down a bit, which is inevitable at some point as the general population is being bombarded with superhero content. The average movie goer/tv watcher is going to start to tire of superhero's. Once that happens, I am betting the value for many Hot Toys pieces drop signficantly as you will start to see a LOT of them enter the resale market. As long as superhero's remain crazy popular, many Hot Toys purchases are pretty safe bets financiall speaking, but again, I expect that will change once this superhero crazy starts to die down. At least for me, having a set edition size is extremely important.

One of the reasons I gave up on modern comic variants is most of the variants are now based on ratio's as opposed to having a set edition size. It makes comics seem more rare then they really are. I used to buy variants from Jays that were limited to 250-500 all the time and they only cost like $10-$15. Now you see 1:100 variants, which I guaranteee have at least 250-500 copies, being sold for 5-10x the price it used to cost when they just had a set edition size. IMO, ratio's are one of the biggest con's currently going in the modern collectibles markets. I purchased 5 copies of Michael Turner's Vampirella Strikes Red Variant. It was limited to 100 copies and if I remember corectly, I paid $20 a copy for them from TFAW. That would be at leas like a 1:500 variant if you were using ratio's. There is no way those issues would have cost $20 a pop, especially on the 2nd hand market if they were listed as 1:500 variants. They likely would have cost at least $100 each. I absolutely hate how comic companies are using ratio's. You are seeing it swing back the other way a bit when it comes to the variant sets were seeing. The regular color issue is sually limited to like 3000, the B&W version is limited to like 1500-2000 and the final virgin copy is, which usually can only be purchased if you buy the entire set is usually lmited to 500-1000. I think the pricing is too high on many of those sets, especially J. Scott Campbell's, but at least their using set edition sizes again.

 

[Black Label Society]

Not entirely sure my wife wouldn't answer, "go with the hookers and drugs, just keep the shelves clear"

what?! "thats like discovering plutonium, by accident!"