How was collecting before Internet became mainstream?

Internet has been around for decades, however it's only the past 10-15 years that internet has become a common source for information regarding the latest stuffs, the earliest market to adopt this is probably Computer related news. So how was it like before internet became the main source for latest information on toys?

i would imagine it was hard to find information about a release, let alone a preview, manufacturer's would have focus their marketing on toy magazines like Hobby Japan, and that's pretty much the few source for info especially Asia products.

I would imagine things were more exciting back then, because information was harder to get, most products don't even have preview or release info, and new things just pop out of no where in your local toy shops, and everytime you visit your local toy shop there's always something new so everytime you feel excited going in.

But with internet now the main source for info, on pretty much anything, information becomes too easy to come by, way too convenient, everyday you get a new update, it's like smoking weed everyday, yes it's great but compare to smoking it once a week or a month it becomes less colorful. With every release you have already seen and know how the product would look like and you based your purchase based on those info, compared to going into a store, saw what you like, buy it and go back home and open your latest purchase with excitement. now you have to wait for 1 week or 1 month before shipment, and wait 1 year for the product to be out. By the time you received the item, it's probably still exciting, but not as exciting as it could have been. Sometimes i have few packages arrive on the same day, i'd wait for 1 week to open them, and the excitement kinda gets watered down, it feel like doing some house choir feeling obliged to open up the packaging.

Do you think even though convenient and beneficial, internet took away some excitement from the hobby?

Mail order catalogs

If you didn't see a blurb for it in a hobby magazine, on the shelf of your lcs/hobby shop, at a convention or on the shelf of some closet otaku friend it just plain didn't exist back then. The surprise part was usually "Oh, how cool, and I don't have the money for it because I had no idea this was even a thing."
I feel spoiled by 24/7 information and near instant access/gratification today ( seriously, we're going to have same day shipping by drone, how crazy/cool is that?). I suspect 3D printing is going to turn everything on its head in the next few years as well.
It's a great time to be a collector and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I still find myself surprised at the idea that you can find nearly any GI Joe, Secret Wars, or Super Powers toy on eBay right now. You may have to pay an arm and a leg for something, but it's there for the purchasing. Back in the early-mid 1990s, I lusted for some of these basic figures that I never could find at comic shops or yard sales. Some of my first ever eBay purchases in the late '90s were Zartan, a Rowlf the dog puppet, and a VHS tape of old Aquaman cartoons--stuff I wanted for years and just couldn't get.

Try being in a more isolated country!
I remember the old collectible conventions in Australia. They were epic affairs and you used to pay extra to get in 1 hour early to get a chance at the rare stuff. The lines went down the street for early access. They were packed from 8am to closing around 4:30 pm with 4pm being a mad, insane rush for last minute specials.
I still sell at conventions to get rid of stuff in bulk cheaply and they are now silent until like 10am and you're generally good to pack up and leave at about 2:30pm because no one else is coming....

You used to be able to sell and buy stuff for a fortune because there simply was no other way to get it. Without ebay, whatever your holy grail was, there were probably only a couple in the entire country and if you were extremely lucky, 1 may show up at one of the few yearly conventions for an astronomical price.

Access to the entire worlds collection via ebay changed everything. I remember the cross over period where for a few years only younger high school/college age kids were on ebays. The old school was still going to conventions and having 'comic X' on display for $150 and you'd know it was $10 on ebay with $10 shipping from the US ....or some rare figure that was $500 ....or $25 on ebay with $15 shipping

Not knowing what was coming had its appeal. I wouldn't go back to it but at the time I didn't know any better and it was completely normal to go into a toy shop blind and be totally surprised at what I would see on the shelves.

Probably the last time I remember that happening was the Power of the Jedi line of the Hasbro Star Wars figures. After that point I had the internet and always knew what to expect from then on.

a-dev said:

Not knowing what was coming had its appeal. I wouldn't go back to it but at the time I didn't know any better and it was completely normal to go into a toy shop blind and be totally surprised at what I would see on the shelves.

Probably the last time I remember that happening was the Power of the Jedi line of the Hasbro Star Wars figures. After that point I had the internet and always knew what to expect from then on.

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Progression of humanity. I guess would be great for immortals to experience every day & age and tell folks how it was like back then compared to now and what was lost and what was gained tru technological advancement.

For example letter used to be sincere back when it was handwritten and posted by your local postman, now you can easily send tons of emails for free with a click of the button and the recipient will receive it almost instantly, but what lost is the passion attached to the mail, and the fact that most people send only emails related to business & work.

Same as how internet has pulled people around the world together, yet, it pulls apart people close to you.

potato said:

Progression of humanity. I guess would be great for immortals to experience every day & age and tell folks how it was like back then compared to now and what was lost and what was gained tru technological advancement.

For example letter used to be sincere back when it was handwritten and posted by your local postman, now you can easily send tons of emails for free with a click of the button and the recipient will receive it almost instantly, but what lost is the passion attached to the mail, and the fact that most people send only emails related to business & work.

Same as how internet has pulled people around the world together, yet, it pulls apart people close to you.

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Either the comic shop ordered it. Or I had stalk all the local chains like a nutter. Sometimes Toy Shows.

I recall having a 1985 Comic Price guide, not so much to judge value/price, but simply so I knew what existed. It cost $20 and was a birthday present. I wore that book out riding the bus to various comic shops on the hunt. Same thing with video games. I owned this obscure system called a Vectrex. Loved that thing (thank you x-wife for doing God knows what with it). I had that thing for years, and would only occasionally stumble accross a game I didn't have. I had some pamphlets with coming attractions that I poured over for years, salivating at the thought of the games in their I had never seen, and wondering what else they had come up with. Then a co-worker mentioned ebay...

I never collected anything before the internet really.

The only thing I remember collecting was some trading cards from an Aussie company and also from Topps. If you couldn't trade with your friends there was a wacky shack collectible store that would have binders full of cards that you could buy the ones you were missing.

Tbolt said:

I recall having a 1985 Comic Price guide, not so much to judge value/price, but simply so I knew what existed. It cost $20 and was a birthday present. I wore that book out riding the bus to various comic shops on the hunt. Same thing with video games. I owned this obscure system called a Vectrex. Loved that thing (thank you x-wife for doing God knows what with it). I had that thing for years, and would only occasionally stumble accross a game I didn't have. I had some pamphlets with coming attractions that I poured over for years, salivating at the thought of the games in their I had never seen, and wondering what else they had come up with. Then a co-worker mentioned ebay...

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well does make you feel abit dumb initially for all the hassle you went tru when you can just have access with simple click on the mouse, and also the premiums you've paid for compared to what ebay offered. but at least you weren't too late on the internet game and you had your fun doing it the oldschool ways. i'm sure the 1st time you knew ebay you were all excited because it's like you just found Solomon's treasure. but as time goes by it starts to become boring. Same thing if you visit your local toys store way too often when they just stock 1 or 2 new items every week, it starts to become less interesting. I blame the economy.

Magazines like StarLog, Famous Monsters, Cinefantastic all ran ads for collectables and fan built items. My biggest mail-order item from that era I still have two cells of Kaneda from the anime film "Akira". Streamline Pictures (formerly Harmony Gold) sold a bunch of Akira art in the US and I'm pretty sure I spoke with Carl Macek on the phone when I ordered them.

The local Comic/SciFi shop Star Realm in La Vista, NE was my single biggest source of collectable "stuff" at that time. I also hung out at a comic book store Dragon's Lair run by friends so I bought most of my books there.

Kamandi said:

Magazines like StarLog, Famous Monsters, Cinefantastic all ran ads for collectables and fan built items. My biggest mail-order item from that era I still have two cells of Kaneda from the anime film "Akira". Streamline Pictures (formerly Harmony Gold) sold a bunch of Akira art in the US and I'm pretty sure I spoke with Carl Macek on the phone when I ordered them.

The local Comic/SciFi shop Star Realm in La Vista, NE was my single biggest source of collectable "stuff" at that time. I also hung out at a comic book store Dragon's Lair run by friends so I bought most of my books there.

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are those magazines & comic/scifi shop still in business? i used to read Toyfare, especially for the Twisted toyfare theater, haven't seen or heard much of them recent years. My last compilation issue was like issue 10?

I only collected Tools & Motorcycles back then so I have no idea

I was seriously collecting in the 90's. Wow, times have changed when I have to think about it. Growing up I had a massive collection of GI Joe's, Star Wars figures, Transformers, Ninja Turtles and Lego's. Word of mouth spread that somehow all my SW stuff was valuable but there wasn't to much of an outlet for it. Comic shops were very focused on Comics and Superhero cards. I remember my dad taking me to a convention where one ballroom was a train show and the other next to it was a GI Joe convention. The Joe convention was awesome. A packed room full of GI Joe displays and vintage figures and the 3/4 pieces. It was a much older crowd, felt kind of like going to a gun show nowadays. That was kind of a turning point for me. I had my lock box of Joes and was dealing figures with scruffy bearded Vietnam vets. After that I got hooked. I remember relying on adds in comic books, employee knowledge, club events. After a while you knew the seasonal rotations and when to expect new releases. Part of the fun was driving all around town looking for that one figure you heard existed. Then one day ebay rolled out and it was mind blowing for me. Its not what it is today. When it first launched it was kind of like an online flea market. People were selling stuff but nobody really knew what it was worth. Everything was auction and the pricing was very raw. My first ever win was a lego spaceship kit. Now everybody has everything with fixed prices on ebay and it seems like most collectors are overpriced and not willing to accept "true" value of something.

I have collected a whole bunch of stuff over the years and enjoyed every minute. The biggest change has definitely been that the internet crushed diversity. In the old days you collected what you liked, nobody ever really had a grasp on value. There were the pricing guides but most things were fairly level. I remember trading a SW Y Wing bomber for a GI Joe Tomahawk chopper. I had this super valuable Spiderman VS Venom 3D card that is worthless today and like I said, gambled on a lego ship. That's what I miss the most. I really feel sorry for generations that missed that feeling. I can almost always spot it in a collection room. I feel sad when I see an awesome collection room that consist of only the standard consensus grails. I always say it looks cool but in the back of my head I wonder if that person really likes those characters. So many collections now strive for what the "internet" hive mind says is popular. My advice has always been collect what you like, don't worry about value, you wont always win but you will have a collection full of character that represents you.

potato said:

are those magazines & comic/scifi shop still in business? i used to read Toyfare, especially for the Twisted toyfare theater, haven't seen or heard much of them recent years. My last compilation issue was like issue 10?

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Toyfare ended like 5 years ago.

I loved Toyfare until the end. But towards the end, so much information was redundant or delayed compared to the info I got online.

It was my source of information and entertainment for years, and I loved that magazine.

nemenforcer said:

...

I have collected a whole bunch of stuff over the years and enjoyed every minute. The biggest change has definitely been that the internet crushed diversity. In the old days you collected what you liked, nobody ever really had a grasp on value. There were the pricing guides but most things were fairly level. I remember trading a SW Y Wing bomber for a GI Joe Tomahawk chopper. I had this super valuable Spiderman VS Venom 3D card that is worthless today and like I said, gambled on a lego ship. That's what I miss the most. I really feel sorry for generations that missed that feeling. I can almost always spot it in a collection room. I feel sad when I see an awesome collection room that consist of only the standard consensus grails. I always say it looks cool but in the back of my head I wonder if that person really likes those characters. So many collections now strive for what the "internet" hive mind says is popular. My advice has always been collect what you like, don't worry about value, you wont always win but you will have a collection full of character that represents you.

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So true!!

Hello World Great Question??? I often think that with the advent of social media websites like Facebook, YouTube, Pintrest, Instagram & Twitter along with dozens of others (Ebay, Etc) collecting has increased 3 fold prior to the internet, Why? Well before we knew only of close friends and relatives that collected anything, and then we had the shops that we trusted to sell us the items we were looking for, Now we can associate with entire groups of people that not only share our interest in collecting memorabilia, but more so in the same type of memorabilia we are interested in, Prior to the internet I could hardly know that John in Ohio & Susan in Philadelphia not only shared my interest in Star Wars but also shared a passion for the Dark Lord or Luke Sky Walker, so now we can share where we find our favorite items of interest as well as when there's a sale on specific items, In edition we have fair and reasonable pricing that we couldn't obtain instantaneously before we made a purchase we lived to regret... I sell Sports Cards on my website and I have over 35 old comic books that I need pricing for, That information alone is symbolic in that I'm not at the mercy of someone who's trying to get something for nothing...Now I have a personal request I know where to go for Baseball card pricing, But I have no clue where to go for trustworthy comic book pricing?? But all the above is just my opinion.

SportsFans4Real.com said:

View attachment 224378 Hello World Great Question??? I often think that with the advent of social media websites like Facebook, YouTube, Pintrest, Instagram & Twitter along with dozens of others (Ebay, Etc) collecting has increased 3 fold prior to the internet, Why? Well before we knew only of close friends and relatives that collected anything, and then we had the shops that we trusted to sell us the items we were looking for, Now we can associate with entire groups of people that not only share our interest in collecting memorabilia, but more so in the same type of memorabilia we are interested in, Prior to the internet I could hardly know that John in Ohio & Susan in Philadelphia not only shared my interest in Star Wars but also shared a passion for the Dark Lord or Luke Sky Walker, so now we can share where we find our favorite items of interest as well as when there's a sale on specific items, In edition we have fair and reasonable pricing that we couldn't obtain instantaneously before we made a purchase we lived to regret... I sell Sports Cards on my website and I have over 35 old comic books that I need pricing for, That information alone is symbolic in that I'm not at the mercy of someone who's trying to get something for nothing...Now I have a personal request I know where to go for Baseball card pricing, But I have no clue where to go for trustworthy comic book pricing?? But all the above is just my opinion.

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I use this site but have no idea how accurate it is.

Welcome to ComicsPriceGuide.com | The Free Online Comic Book Price Guide

Usually I'll just check ebay's sold listings to get an idea.



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