IT HURTS (dealing with not getting the one you want)

First world problems I know...but as collectors and completests...the pain and frustration of missing out on a piece you wanted, not being able to afford it, or not having the space sucks!

I am really only getting into the hobby. I have kind of an interesting background. I am a comic artist (Richard Friend), I worked at Wildstorm for basically my entire career and that slowly morphed into DC comics. The first person who I ever knew who had VERY cool maquettes in his house was none other than J Scott Campbell. (Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, Spider Man line for sideshow now) I was originally hired to work on Gen 13 with Jeff...since then I've done a lot of different things..

The one hobby and collectible I'd never pulled the trigger on (but knew one day I would) was Statues. I got my first one which was a really nice Cloud Final Fantasy cycle piece in about 1998 or so....it was literally the only one I had besides a few Wild Cats character ones I picked up along the way.

I finally got into really collecting the Sideshow stuff about 2 years back. I saw the Dark Knight and Poison Ivy pieces and was like..."OH MY GOD. I have to have these" I pre-ordered the exclusives and got them a short while back....here's where the addiction started...and trust me...I KNOW I don't have it nearly as bad as other guys here....but it's only because of a lack of spare funds and space!!

I just ordered the Batman and Robin 1966 Hot Toys...and then last night ordered a Gwen Stacy....but I am watching this SNOWBALL and fast

I don't even have these last 3 here and I am like "I want this one, and that one...ah crap that one is sold out...that one is 3 times the original price...that one is a pre-order and is 3 feet tall and costs 2.5 grand!!!!)

so I know this is more of a rhetorical question....BUT how do you "manage" your habit and specifically the loss of not being able to get one you really loved. I am already planning to completely remodel my office for these things...it's a very small studio space...but I am not really using it well anyway....so I am glad I am doing this.

But for the sold out pieces that have sky rocketed in value...how do you kind of "deal" with it...there's always another statue, they might do a re-issue or new version...I'd assume anything that sold out so fast even if the original run was a low number would some day circle back.

I am finding myself online...searching and searching...trying to figure out how to get them.

getting into the hobby so recently....there's great pieces that are gone now for a year or two...and I am like GAH! Why didn't I get into this sooner.

this is more of a fun post...so don't take this thread too seriously...I know we've all dealt with this...so I thought it would be fun to share stories and how we tried to make it right in our heads!

I prioritize and figure out what pieces I have to have in my collection. If it's a sold out piece and the price is high I'll save up for it. Doing this for grails sometimes that means delaying getting future pieces but more than likely those pieces aren't going to jump in price too much very quickly. I did this for both HT Godfather and Jor-El figures. I paid $500 for a never-opened Godfather (the most I've spent on a figure) but decided the price wasn't going down so I needed to get one sooner rather than later. Patience played a big part in getting the Jor-El. I saw a few for sale for $400-500 but I waited to buy. Then one day one was on eBay for $300 and I got it for that price. I always keep an eye out for deals and make sure to keep up with current market prices. If you're lucky, prices will fluctuate and you can grab what you want during one if the dips.

Well the way I dealt with this habbit or addiction was to buy all the figures I liked or felt that I had to have. I ended up buying mostly everything hot toys related and what ever I did not buy was either I dislike it or felt that it does not fit into my collection. So in other words you are screwed and have fun while you collect. Hehe!

Oh and btw I just pre ordered my very first Statue. Gladiator Hulk will be my first statue and my rampage will start again.

Blasterkid said:

But for the sold out pieces that have sky rocketed in value...how do you kind of "deal" with it.

Click to expand...

Grail figures are easier to obtain imo via deals or trades whereas finding that grail statue like the original Doom PF I gave up all hope on.

I am going to spend a few hours reading posts here tonight....some really interesting insight on pricing and quality control I wasn't aware of....this place is going to be a huge help to me moving forward for sure/

I always thought the pieces were expensive (not in a gouging way) but just it was going to be a very expensive hobby. Getting into to it now in a more serious way...you start going..."I love Alien, oh and that looks cool never thought about collecting those...but why not?, oh yeah Star Wars I'll take two of those, and then this video game property...and I like horror a TON, the marvel stuff...oh and sci-fi...yes please!

I am really bumming on a couple pieces I missed out on...but I wonder if it's because I missed out on them more than the item itself...

The new Doctor Doom looks pretty amazing...but it's gigantic and very expensive...(as it should be, not a complaint)

I can't wait to see how people here display their collections. I have watched youtube clips quite a bit the last year seeing people's collections and that's been really inspiring and also a good idea maker on how to re-do my home studio into something 1000 times cooler than it is now.

can't wait to read more insights into "the one that got away"

so do you give up on it...or will you guys pay huge aftermarket increases if it's one you really want?

also the images at the bottom of your posts...are those always ones you are currently wanting to get...or already own?

thanks!

gladiator hulk looks amazing...you are going to love it I think.

was drooling over it last night on a youtube clip someone had of it.

!

Check out the Show Your Shelves thread for some great collections. It's pretty cool to not only see what other people collect but how they display their collection as well.

The sigs people make are fun to see, too. You'll see preorder lists or gifs/pics to show a particular interest. Mine has a link to my collection and the pics are items I have on preorder.

There are three primary routes to obtaining hard to find/afford "grails"--1) get lucky; 2) be really persistent and keep an eagle eye out; 3) shell out the big bucks

I've done all three at one point or another, and ultimately have managed to pick up nearly all the older "grail" figure/statues I wanted, mostly through option number 2 above. The hunt is part of what drives the hobby. Good luck to you in your hunts!*








*really, the best advice I would give you, as someone just getting into this, is. . .TO GET THE **** OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, DON'T GET SUCKED IN!!!

karamazov80 said:

*really, the best advice I would give you, as someone just getting into this, is. . .TO GET THE **** OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, DON'T GET SUCKED IN!!!

Click to expand...

Truer words have never been spoken . If you decide to continue on this path prepare for your discipline to be tested and broken and your wallet to be emptied (because no matter your intentions you will buy-buy-buy). Tracking down that htf piece and getting it home is worth it though.

I know that feel bro,

In all seriousness, just be really be patient and don't succumb to the insane scalper prices out there on ebay or even on the for sale boards as those prices are not really what the market is on most of these collectibles though some on this site will try to make you believe it is for their own self interests of course (don't trust said freaks that are constantly selling items as they try their hardest to artificially inflate the market - see Rainman and Iminime threads ).

So be careful when a freak wakes up a thread and posts about how "rare" an item is and how a ridiculous price is such a bargain, or magically post pics of his "grail" for "fun", guaranteed that he will be putting his item up for sale. Unfortunately propaganda posting is a new trend on the board.

I paid huge after market prices on three pieces in my first year: Mr Bean, OC Bats and HT Don Vito. I don't regret the buys and I could still get my money back on them - but I'm done with the secondary market.

The most common disciplinary tool people seem to have to manage their purchasing is to pick a focus and stick to it. I don't buy anything just because it looks cool anymore - that got really expensive real quick. I buy based on the nostalgic pull of the subject matter.

And if I can't afford it I don't buy it. I don't have to have everything. I don't look at my collection and see what's missing, I just appreciate what's there.

It's pretty funny you mentioned you worked at Wildstorm because I know a bunch of x wildstorm guys who I met through working in the gaming industry. Just last week I was talking to a coworker who said he both hated and loved J Scott Campbell but that's another story that I won't get into I have been in the game for about 3-4 years now and it just gets worse and worse man! I hunted down a few grails earlier on but for me, it all comes down to being SOMEWHAT sensible. Like, I can stomach dropping $700 on a grail but not $2000. So some pieces I'm just not even bothering with. Even though you might really want it, it's likely that a new er version will come out and there will ALWAYS be new awesome pieces to choose from. Especially the last year or so, SSC has just gone nutz crankin out new POs like nonstop! I definitely am CRAZY low on space so I too have to sell off older pieces I have lost interest in or just aren't as important to me as newer pieces I always wished for. I hope that someday I will hit a breaking point and call it quits...or I am doomed...

Haha. All true!! I am on my phone and this site loads a little funky trying to read posts and actually create posts so I'll keep this sort of short.

I am already seeing the strong need to focus my collection or at least narrow down to maybe two or three main themes. I've got a little bit of money saved up so if a new pre-order comes up that I really want, I'll be able to lock that in. As opposed to going back I'm thinking I should maybe just move forward. I know a license like Alien will always circle back around. And great things like Star Wars, Indiana Jones etc will always be there and they will be producing new figures for them.

There's one or two sold out figures I am going to keep my eyes peeled for. I love the way that you guys are displaying your figures by the way. I started to go through those threads and people are super creative! I love the dioramas that some people create around their figures. And then the people that get the very cool shadow boxes with the moody lighting, or use LED lights below their figures..man all that stuff adds so much atmosphere.

This is going to be fun!

I am devoting the whole summer to slowly remodeling my office/studio...I can't wait!

Lejuan said:

...The most common disciplinary tool people seem to have to manage their purchasing is to pick a focus and stick to it. I don't buy anything just because it looks cool anymore - that got really expensive real quick. I buy based on the nostalgic pull of the subject matter.

And if I can't afford it I don't buy it. I don't have to have everything. I don't look at my collection and see what's missing, I just appreciate what's there.

Click to expand...

Blasterkid said:

...how do you "manage" your habit and specifically the loss of not being able to get one you really loved...

Click to expand...

I try to stick with Iron Man and Star Wars, focusing on suited / robotic 1:6, 1:4 and Super Deformed action figures.. I do occasionally stray from the path, but it acts as a useful discipline (fortunately I do not have the completist gene).. and part of the fun of collecting, is the hunt for 'grail' items.

It can take a while when you start collecting, to find the formats and subjects, that are really going to appeal to you long term.. so it's probably a good idea not to get too carried away, particularly with expensive items, early on.. nothing is a better guarantee of finding a grail item advertised for a bargain price, than paying top dollar for it, a week or so earlier...

I think the best advice i got was from an artist who's work i'm obsessed with, he said "you can't have everything". But the great thing about this forum is that I get to see all the pieces that I would have absolutely no idea existed through other collectors. We've all faced your dilemma. good luck

Blasterkid said:

First world problems I know...but as collectors and completests...the pain and frustration of missing out on a piece you wanted, not being able to afford it, or not having the space sucks!

I am really only getting into the hobby. I have kind of an interesting background. I am a comic artist (Richard Friend), I worked at Wildstorm for basically my entire career and that slowly morphed into DC comics. The first person who I ever knew who had VERY cool maquettes in his house was none other than J Scott Campbell. (Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, Spider Man line for sideshow now) I was originally hired to work on Gen 13 with Jeff...since then I've done a lot of different things..

The one hobby and collectible I'd never pulled the trigger on (but knew one day I would) was Statues. I got my first one which was a really nice Cloud Final Fantasy cycle piece in about 1998 or so....it was literally the only one I had besides a few Wild Cats character ones I picked up along the way.

I finally got into really collecting the Sideshow stuff about 2 years back. I saw the Dark Knight and Poison Ivy pieces and was like..."OH MY GOD. I have to have these" I pre-ordered the exclusives and got them a short while back....here's where the addiction started...and trust me...I KNOW I don't have it nearly as bad as other guys here....but it's only because of a lack of spare funds and space!!

I just ordered the Batman and Robin 1966 Hot Toys...and then last night ordered a Gwen Stacy....but I am watching this SNOWBALL and fast

I don't even have these last 3 here and I am like "I want this one, and that one...ah crap that one is sold out...that one is 3 times the original price...that one is a pre-order and is 3 feet tall and costs 2.5 grand!!!!)

so I know this is more of a rhetorical question....BUT how do you "manage" your habit and specifically the loss of not being able to get one you really loved. I am already planning to completely remodel my office for these things...it's a very small studio space...but I am not really using it well anyway....so I am glad I am doing this.

But for the sold out pieces that have sky rocketed in value...how do you kind of "deal" with it...there's always another statue, they might do a re-issue or new version...I'd assume anything that sold out so fast even if the original run was a low number would some day circle back.

I am finding myself online...searching and searching...trying to figure out how to get them.

getting into the hobby so recently....there's great pieces that are gone now for a year or two...and I am like GAH! Why didn't I get into this sooner.

this is more of a fun post...so don't take this thread too seriously...I know we've all dealt with this...so I thought it would be fun to share stories and how we tried to make it right in our heads!

Click to expand...

at least I am not into the 1/1 figures...now that would be really scary!

hahaha

Customs is bad enough.

Blasterkid said:

at least I am not into the 1/1 figures...now that would be really scary!

hahaha

Click to expand...

With the exception of figures like the T-800, I have always been slightly puzzled by the market for licensed 1/1 figures.. since in many cases it is possible to get a high quality prop costume and put it on a shop mannequin, for a fraction of the price of the licensed 1/1 figure.. particularly if the figure is helmeted and does not require a head sculpt.

I will someday own some sort of Alien 1/1.

it might be a head or bust...but that movie really made an impression on me as a kid....if I can one day get a full sized Alien that would be a dream come true.
!!


as weird as it sounds....a 1/1 Tusken Raider would be sort of tempting too...yeah it's not Darth Vader or a Boba Fett, but boy they are some exotic looking characters I'd love to be able to check out close up...and not feel the sharp end of a gaffi stick.