Which comes first?

[Amanaman]

This great topic comes to mind

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8285

As echoed in that thread, you have to be brutally honest with yourself and get rid of whatever doesn't please you 100%. Don't be afraid to test your interest level in a piece every now and then.

 

[jason2885]

Ohh yeah another thing is the PF. Their boxes are huge and I just have to keep them. I actually have them in front of my bedroom window right now inside their shipping boxes. I might as well save those too. I guess I will have to find room in my bonus room for them.

 

[galactiboy]

This great topic comes to mind

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8285

As echoed in that thread, you have to be brutally honest with yourself and get rid of whatever doesn't please you 100%. Don't be afraid to test your interest level in a piece every now and then.

That is a good thread, that gets at the second issue of what to do when you have too much. I've been selling a decent amount of smaller scale figures. So far nothing to painful, but I've been eyeing a great deal more of my figures that will probably get the axe this weekend...

Its sad, but I figure if it isn't cool enough to have been displayed w/in the last year its probably time to say good-bye

 

[Bannister]

I live in a one bedroom 850 sq. ft. condo and I am literally drowning in my collection. It has been a real problem for me for the last couple of years and only getting worse. I need to sell some stuff on ebay but haven't the time because I work two jobs just to keep up with the growing debt from my collection and I obviously cannot afford a house and I am single. I've seriously scaled back only buying the absolute essentials but even that is a problem. My attic is completely full and my bedroom and living room is filled with stacks of storage totes and boxes. My friend recently lost his entire movie poster collection that he had in public storage that was flooded by a burst water pipe and lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of RARE stuff he collected as a theater manager for 12 years. He had stacks of those Spiderman WTC one-sheets and banners that were recalled all destroyed by the flood. He's been fighting with their insurance company for 10 months and they will only settle on $8000 for everything because the value is speculative and most of that stuff is so rare that their is no way to assertain a value figure. For that reason, I will never use public storage.

Man that sucks. That almost happened to me once on not as big of a scale. It flooded where I live and the house leaked where I had my posters and banners against the wall. Luckily I had no major damage to my poster collection but it came close. Also, I am surprised the banners weren't salvageable because I have a bunch of banners and they all are pretty sturdy.

 

[miteethor]

This great topic comes to mind

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8285

As echoed in that thread, you have to be brutally honest with yourself and get rid of whatever doesn't please you 100%. Don't be afraid to test your interest level in a piece every now and then.

This is too funny. I was going to post my piece in this thread only to have my old topic mentioned from 6 months ago.

Well, I suppose I could update it.

Step 1: I started collecting SW - it all began with a Legends in 3D Boba Fett I put over the TV. Then it was MR Sabers, then Attakus, GG, and finally Sideshow. In between there was LOTS of Hasbro plastic.

Step 2: Collection got so big I built a new house with a 20x17 room for an office, which houses my computer, 1 arcade machine, a TV, and every other square inch is devoted to my collection

Step 3: Ran out of space. I realized that I couldn't build another house with a bigger room, so I posted that old thread.

Step 4: I listened to the advice in the thread - I took ALL of my plastic garbage collectibles and put them in a box. The only Hasbro stuff I kept was the truly exceptional - like Darth Vader on the Operating Table or Darth Vader in his meditation chamber. I also have one shelf devoted to Unleashed line. Everything else plastic was put into storage where I couldn't see it.

Step 5: I've never taken any of them back out of the box, and I don't miss it. I've even given some of them to my kids to play with - the love them, and get to enjoy them the way they were meant to, and I don't have a problem with storage space anymore. I even have some empty shelf space for future arrivals!!

So sift through your plastic, and put away everything that isn't truly awesome, and I think you'll find some of that space you were looking for.

 

[Boba Fett]

Luckily, I haven't got to that point yet in my collection, but I plan to be ahead of that game by selling off my entire Hasbro line that's been collecting dust and use the funds to fuel my SS/GG addiction.

So far, it hasn't worked out too well. I realize there are not too many takers for Hasbro 12" figures, nowadays. Even starting them off at $4 per piece isn't getting any bids.

If worse comes to worse, I may just combine all of them together and slap a bidding price, just to get rid of the whole lot.

 

[Raven]

Wow! I'm SO glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Crack indeed.

miteethor, your post reminded me of yet another thread from days gone by (don't even remember if it was here or not) that suggested to go one step further. It's pretty obvious really when you think about it, but what the hey. It went something like this:

Once you have packed up all that stuff you don't display and have the room and the display you DO want, keep the other stuff in storage for at least a few months. 6 months to a year is good, but space may make it an issue long before that. For a lot of people, these things are like "out of sight out of mind" so it's pretty easy to forget about it. If you don't miss it or think about it during that time, go back to it, and if you don't feel this rush of excitement seeing them again, get rid of them!

Come to find out, my mom makes this a regular ritual every year with her clothes. She has TONS.

 

[lcummins]

...I can't be the only one with problems of space around here, yet I'm continually amazed at the size (literally) of the collections posted. One PF or 1/4 statue alone takes up a big enough space, I can only imagine the dozens+ that some of you have! I'm sure some of you may be independently wealthy with big lavish homes and plenty of space to have a gallery in addition to that 300 inch flat screen tv but for the rest of us it has to be an uphill battle deciding just how much we can squeeze into our little living spaces. Right?

So, how do you do it?

Maybe I'm just not ready for the commitment that is Sideshow Collectibles. When they were Sideshow Toy it was all good for my little collection, but somewhere along the line, they became the giant they are today, with all the giant products and prices that come with it. And rather than cut back as any sane person would, I've been buying more and more and getting bigger and bigger "toys" lately! Is it a sickness? Am I doomed to keep buying these beautiful pieces with no clue of how I'm going to fit them or for that matter afford them? Who knows, but a little angel on my shoulder keeps telling me I need to think about the future. That's easy for him to say!

I am wondering if the rest of you had the room before, or as you bought more and more and your collection grew, you HAD to make the space/add on the extra room, sell the lung to finance, etc. And do you keep buying even though you don't have the space to display it yet or the longterm finances to justify it? Ya gotta eat right?

So where do they go once you finish taking doily, swing, and kitchen pictures? Ever just have to box them back up and figure out something later? Have you ever had to resort to selling off other things, getting in debt with your credit, getting a new job, and/or loss of bodily fluids to fill that gap before something sells out? How low will you go before knocking the monkey off your back?

These are the questions that haunt my dreams.
Help me out here. Is Sideshow collecting becoming too much, and I'm only deluding myself to think I can go on with the lie? Better to back off now before my home becomes furnished by Sideshow?

So throw me a line, am I all alone out here or what?

It is like you took the thoughts right out of my head!!! I have the exact same issues and feelings! I still don't know what I will end up doing, but something will have to give at some point!

 

[dekadentdave]

I have been contemplating donating a large portion of my unwanted collectibles such as boxed Hasbro 12" and such to charity or goodwill rather than go through the hassle of trying to sell them all piecemeal on ebay for a few lousy bucks and just write it off my taxes. It will free up space faster and the eyesore will be gone.

 

[KitFisto]

I have been contemplating donating a large portion of my unwanted collectibles such as boxed Hasbro 12" and such to charity or goodwill rather than go through the hassle of trying to sell them all piecemeal on ebay for a few lousy bucks and just write it off my taxes. It will free up space faster and the eyesore will be gone.

I gave 90% or my Hasbro stuff to my 10 y/o cousin. Didn't feel like piece selling on eBay either.

 

[Boba Fett]

I have been contemplating donating a large portion of my unwanted collectibles such as boxed Hasbro 12" and such to charity or goodwill rather than go through the hassle of trying to sell them all piecemeal on ebay for a few lousy bucks and just write it off my taxes. It will free up space faster and the eyesore will be gone.

You know, now that I think about it, maybe I should just end up doing that instead, if selling this Hasbro collection isn't panning out. At least I can write that off my taxes.

Good point, dave.