Paycheck

[DRAGON]

Seriously, should I just start signing my paycheck over to Hasbro now? With the new Joe line and Star Wars I know I will go broke. The customization possibilities are endless.

[Riker]

Seriously, should I just start signing my paycheck over to Hasbro now? With the new Joe line and Star Wars I know I will go broke. The customization possibilities are endless.

I already activated direct deposit from my bank to theirs!

[ARROW]

Collect in moderation. The stuff will be available for a while, and from many sources. You've got a time-line of years available to you--so spread it out some.

[Cold Slither 'Nok]

Yeah man I hope you are joking; now is the time to save. In general its not good to be a rampant consumer like the majority of this debt-ridden population.

[Cobra Command]

I agree, moderation is the key..........though I havn`t exactly been practing that policy lately.

[DRAGON]

I am joking, however, I do want everything.

[Cmdr_Y]

I had to give myself a budget for my comics and toys. Otherwise I was just out of control. The problem now is trying to stay within that budget every month. Usually I make it, but I also sell some of my collection on eBay from time to time to get more cash.

 

A really helpful thing is to try to stick to only certain lines of collectibles. If you only collect Star Wars or only Marvel Legends, then it's a lot easier than if you collect Joe, SW, ML, DC, The Batman, Transformers, etc.

 

Oi! I think I'm about due for trimming down some of my collecting lines.

[Cold Slither 'Nok]

I am joking, however, I do want everything.

 

 

 

I figured you were. I guess I'm sensitive about the issue after my older bro went into debt largely from comic book purchases. Just remember that what you all have is worthless until you find a buyer. Of course my collection is priceless to me!!!

[ARROW]

I am joking, however, I do want everything.

 

 

 

I figured you were. I guess I'm sensitive about the issue after my older bro went into debt largely from comic book purchases. Just remember that what you all have is worthless until you find a buyer. Of course my collection is priceless to me!!!

 

Heh, I went bankrupt due in part to my toy spending.

Yea, its a foolish thing, but its also something that can creep up on you soooo easily. This hobby has so many emotional issues attached to it, for so many people, that it can actually blind people to the pitfall that is a financial reality.

When there's bills to pay, putting them off to get the latest and neatest can be a big mistake, because ones circumstances can turn bad in a instant.

My income dropped enough that my spending was putting me into the danger zone, and then when my income dissappeared one day--for almost a year--it bumped me off the cliff. I had major stress for a long time, afraid that I'd lose the collection I worked so hard to build, but it never came to that.

Toy collections are not considered liquid, so they are not assets that can be seized UNLESS you have the collection officially/professionally appraised.

You just don't want to get to that point at all.

There are ways to collect at a zero-dollar ( or VERY low dollar level), but it takes a lot of trading, networking and patience.

A lot of collectors do not seem to have that patience, and a lot easily get caught up in the "gotta have it now" mindset.

Just divesting oneself of that one thought can save you a lot of pain.

 

Stuff I wanted badly when I was entering into insolvency actually came to me a couple years later AND at a discount--so the karmic opportunities will likely be there if you pass things up the first time around.

Play it smart and you'll never see the bad side of it.

Nowadays I collect at an expense level that's no more than 10% of what I used to spend, and I can say I enjoy the hobby as much as I ever did.

 

Let's hope no-one else here takes the same journey I did.

[punishment-101]

I've been short but never bankrupt b/c of my collecting or my comics, but I do understand the temptation, moderation is the big thing

[Phanstar]

I've had a bankruptcy before. It was pretty unfun. My bankruptcy lawyer told me when it came to my DVDs. GI Joes, Comics ect. To account for them how much I would get if I put them in my front yard at a garage sale or if I took the dvds to a pawn shop (2-3 bucks)... .NOT Ebay prices.

 

So That helped. But seriously. I Dont see much point in collecting as an investment. I mean thats a lot of work to keep toys in perfect condition in hopes they might earn a few dollars. Just the other day I took all my vehicles out of their plastic tubs they had been sitting in for a couple of years and I was amazed how little pieces had broken. ITs like I havent moved these tubs in years how did that happen? I got a little sad about the state of my collection even. I felt like Man I've sunk all these dollars into this and all this time and now all these vehicles have these annoying flaws... But then I realized that my primary focus is figures and most of my figures have stayed in the condition I got em, so whatever.

 

But anyways back on point. After having gone through bankruptcy I actually feel sad anytime I see someone pull out a credit card for lifestyle purposes. People shun bankruptcy and give it this aweful stigma, but Its easier than you think to get in over your head, especially when Credit companies target you when your young.

 

Just save or do without. Seriously if you have to pass on a series of figs it sucks, but there will be another one next season you want just as bad.

 

Phanstar

[ARROW]

I've had a bankruptcy before. It was pretty unfun. My bankruptcy lawyer told me when it came to my DVDs. GI Joes, Comics ect. To account for them how much I would get if I put them in my front yard at a garage sale or if I took the dvds to a pawn shop (2-3 bucks)... .NOT Ebay prices.

 

So That helped. But seriously. I Dont see much point in collecting as an investment. I mean thats a lot of work to keep toys in perfect condition in hopes they might earn a few dollars. Just the other day I took all my vehicles out of their plastic tubs they had been sitting in for a couple of years and I was amazed how little pieces had broken. ITs like I havent moved these tubs in years how did that happen? I got a little sad about the state of my collection even. I felt like Man I've sunk all these dollars into this and all this time and now all these vehicles have these annoying flaws... But then I realized that my primary focus is figures and most of my figures have stayed in the condition I got em, so whatever.

 

But anyways back on point. After having gone through bankruptcy I actually feel sad anytime I see someone pull out a credit card for lifestyle purposes. People shun bankruptcy and give it this aweful stigma, but Its easier than you think to get in over your head, especially when Credit companies target you when your young.

 

Just save or do without. Seriously if you have to pass on a series of figs it sucks, but there will be another one next season you want just as bad.

 

Phanstar

 

Amen to every last word of that.

 

The worst enemy of a collector is OPM ( other people's money-namely, credit) and temptation.

 

In the modern collecting world, there's two windows of opportunity: the immediate, and the later window.

The immediate lasts for a period of a few days, to weeks to maybe a couple of months, sometimes up to a year. Its the window that let's you buy something at retail, for the retail price, or very close to that.

Alot of people like to collect in that window because its saves them money, and they don't have to wait.

Sometimes you have to spend more, sometimes a LOT more to get the stuff--but it fills the temptation quickly and sates the need.

The later window of opportunity can last for years, decades even. Typically you will pay more than for retail, but not always. Its the arena of the secondary market and the swap meets. Its also the arena of trading, and garage sale finds.

The "cost" of this window is really just mere patience--just waiting to have another chance at the sought item. Not a lot of people like to wait, which costs them money, and stress. The temptation is to be first on the block..........but it makes little sense when you really think about it.

The later window of opportunity says that the same items can and WILL be available for years, if you are patience and attentive.

With that in mind, there's no need to bunch the collecting into a binge on the immediate.

 

One of the healthiest philosphies I ever realized as a collector was that if you want it badly enough, it will come to you and at a price you'll be willing to pay.

Thus far, it's been about 95% true for me, and I consider myself to be lucky in that respect.

 

Patience, and moderation, are truly the key to happy collecting.