Action Figure Knowing when to quit collecting

For a lot of collectors, this is probably not the thread for you. I've started this thread because there are some of us here who have been collecting 1/6 figures for a very long time. I plan on getting out of collecting because I've pretty much collected every character my heart desires with the exception of a few. My plan as of now is to go out big with the Ghostbusters 4pac and the Hulk buster. My question to you guys is: When do you call it quits outside of going broke or emergencies? and what advice would you give to someone struggling to quit when good stuff keeps coming?

Im planning on retiring Marvel after IW, DC ill stick with awhile as their universe is new and Star Wars after ESB. Just one property will be a huge break for my wallet.

I will be doing the JL and waiting for ROTJ Luke and I may be out.

It really all depends on why someone wants to stop collecting. It can be a lack of room to display them, financial problems, causing issues with spouse. I think ultimately everyone has to decide for themselves if and when it is time to stop, or even sell their collection. In the end they are just toys, albeit expensive and high quality toys, and sometimes you just have to prioritize more important things in your life.

I couldn't even imagine thinking of such a plan at this point. I only upgraded to 1/6 scale (from 1/12 of many years) scale about 2-3 years ago, if that


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Having thoughts about this myself. With Marvel, DC, & Star Wars its getting quite expensive and not that fun anymore. What really sucks is that we have a bunch of really great films coming out which means more badass toys.

I quit a while back... then realized Quiting is very hard, so What I do is prioritize between Size, Available Space and Satisfaction. Batman for example... I know I need a BvS representation in my life. I thought Hot toys were that but I was dissatisfied, mainly because I am an action figure collector first and foremost. So hot toys BvS is out the door and Mafex is taking its place because they are toys, and highly articulated and a satisfactory quality, and I save a ton of space and money. My #1 advice would be, if you want something new after youve quit, then sell a couple things before you buy, and do a lot of research

I know should have quit a while ago, originally I was only going to get one or two PFs. 4 years later I have 20 1/4 Scale Statues, 9 1/6 Scale figures, and 5 lifesize weapon replicas. I also have about 10 more statues on preorder/flexpay and about 15 more on my wishlist. At this point i'm selling my 1/6 scale to just focus on statues.

I wouldn't say it's so much for me knowing when to 'quit' or 'retire'. It's about knowing what goals to set. I'm wary of buyer's regret, and that addiction to adding "just one more". I know deep down I only have so much room, and while yes I can afford the hobby, long term are there better priorities for me financially.

I'm at the point now where I have my core MCU collection, and what I add now are "treats" for myself.. usually one-offs or core characters. I'm not going to just duplicate lineups. I've done one set of core Avengers. I can't justify adding Civil War, then Infinity War etc, etc.

My pre-order list is pretty much what I'm planning in the next 12-18 months at this stage.

I really have no intention of stopping.

The only way I can see stopping is if there's nothing out there that I want.

But with the MCU still going, the house party armors still being churned out (and getting better and better), Star Wars coming out with new awesome looking troopers (death troopers, shoretroopers, hover tank pilots), and transformers masterpiece still going strong (I know they're not 1/6, but I still collect them).

Maybe there will be a time that I'm just disinterested. But I can't see that happening in the near future. Each hot toys release seems to get better and better. So, I'm excited to see how their products turn out in the coming years.

Hopefully I'll be able to complete the house party armors. I hope they don't stop doing them. And I also plan on getting a 1/4 version of Tony's final suit.

Even though I started collecting less than a year ago, I have such a large backlog of SW PF's I'd love to get, plus I'm looking at getting most of the upcoming ones as well, and I want to keep up with the Spider-Man PF line.

I have room for probably 7 more PF's with my current setup. 4 of those are intended to be filled with Green Goblin, Black Cat, Venom and Carnage. Which leaves me with only 3 more spaces for my SW PF's and I intend to be getting Kylo Ren, Maul, and Jango at the very least, but there are soooooo many more Star War's PF's that I would love to get.

I'm dreading the day where I have to carefully pick and choose what I buy and start selling old pieces to make room for new. Sometimes the space Issue makes me miss my days of video game collecting. I never had to worry about space.

It never really ends. There may be a pause, even a long one as you resolve to quit, but there will always be some "cool" new figure that will come along to trigger that itch. There's just too much cool stuff...

I'm on a "pause" at the moment. Still quite a few items I'd want to add but it is getting out of hand, mainly because of space. What helped was not POing everything as soon as it's announced. Sure, I pay a bit more on the secondary market, but it give me a bit of time to reflect on whether I can live without a particular figure. I'm currently sitting with about 200 1/6 figures and only displaying a fraction of that.


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Nanuke73 said:

I'm currently sitting with about 200 1/6 figures and only displaying a fraction of that.

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Here i was thinking it was getting out of hand with the 41 figures I own.

I think the biggest pitfall is trying to collect several IP's instead of just sticking to one... For example if you just collected Star Wars figures it would take longer to use up all your display space, plus the spacing between figure releases would allow you to recuperate your finances before the next one comes out... The problem with trying to collect several IP's all at once is figures will always be coming out so you get no break plus your display space gets eaten up a lot quicker... Not to mention you start storing figures in your garage because you have no room left... What's the point of buying a figure if you can't display it.

My advice just stick with your favorite IP and ignore the rest... but if you must collect several IP's just limited it to the main characters only, and don't buy every duplicate just because their outfit changed somewhat...

ebro42 said:

My question to you guys is: When do you call it quits outside of going broke or emergencies? and what advice would you give to someone struggling to quit when good stuff keeps coming?

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It comes down to satisfaction. Everything that can be purchased has a decay of satisfaction. After the thrill of purchase is gone how long will your purchase continue to make you happy? Does each part of your collection bring you a favorable level of satisfaction? Some of us go past our "must haves" and pick up more collectibles to complete a line or simply out of the habit of acquisition. Does this describe you? Is it worth it?

You seem to have a desire to quit so ask yourself why? Decide to stay; maybe this hobby does bring you satisfaction despite your concerns. Decide to quit; there is no fear of missing out and each missed purchase gets easier and easier.

The nice thing about this hobby is that I can enjoy so much of it without having to spend a dime. I truly view these figures as pieces of art, but just like a painting or a sculpture, I don't have to own them to appreciate them. I'll buy what I really like (probably 1-2 figures a year, if that) and appreciate the rest from a distance, aka this forum lol. Ultimately, I only want a collection of 5 or so figures.

For those reasons, I don't ever see money or space having a big influence over "knowing when to quit." Quitting would just be a by-product of me no longer being interested in what's coming out.

Just walk away.

Just stop collecting. It's really that simple. Self-control isn't hard to learn and practice.

They're good figures but I'm pretty sure your life has other priorities.

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