The Future of Collecting Sideshow & You.

[Viking28]

That's exactly the point, I don't know what I'll end up keeping. There are several pieces that absolutely blew me away when I first got them, but now they don't really do anything for me. When I bought them, I intended of keeping them for a very long time, if not forever.

For example, I LOVED the GG Clone Wars maquettes when I first got them, but now they really don't fit in with the rest of my collection. They aren't based on any of the films, and are really EU (plus SS says Padme is EU ). My collection is only movie based outside of them, so I'm thinking they need to go.

I really don't buy stuff with the intentions of selling it later, but better products come along. For example, when I bought the GG maquettes, the General Grievous and Predator 1/4's hadn't even been announced yet. Now they will occupy the space in the cabinets where the maquettes were. It's natural selection at work in the collecting world. The superior replaces the inferior.

I agree with you elwood on the GG C.W. maquettes when I first got them I loved them but then I saw they just did not fit into my collection any more. But to add even more to that is the GG Star Wars collection I just dont feel the same about them as I once did. That is actually one way I keep my collecting to a general area ie Sideshow's Star Wars line. Not to say they are bad but I just favor Sideshow's versions a lot more.

 

[lcummins]

Oh my!

I ran out of money and space sometime around August!

 

[LOTRFan]

I agree with you elwood on the GG C.W. maquettes when I first got them I loved them but then I saw they just did not fit into my collection any more. But to add even more to that is the GG Star Wars collection I just dont feel the same about them as I once did. That is actually one way I keep my collecting to a general area ie Sideshow's Star Wars line. Not to say they are bad but I just favor Sideshow's versions a lot more.

I am starting to loose interest in the GG busts, they will be likely hitting the block soon.

 

[daelith]

Don't mind me, folks, I'm just clearing my head, so these are some random thoughts...

Wishes for next year:

1) Quarterly announcements of Marvel Statues, maybe 1 of each type (PF, VS, etc) each QUARTER. As it stands, I'm losing interest in my pre-orders, which is strange, considering I usually lose interest only after having displayed something for awhile.

2) Expand the Marvel EQP line. My Thor's hammer is feeling lonely. How bout Cap's Shield and his mask? Antman's helm? anything!

3) Lower the damned ES and build up some hype. It's no fun thinking that Sideshow might be the "DC Direct of High End Collectibles." Nor is it fun seeing I could've gotten the items off ebay for 60-70% of the price I got from Sideshow Direct.

4) Give us a forum like Bowen where you can present some prototypes and we can say, "holy ****! I want in!" or "wow...that looks like a pile of ****!".

5) And most importantly, give me my THOR Premium Edition figure, complete with motion sensing LED lighting that will light up the "if he be worthy" lettering when people are near.

 

[Jesseawilson]

When I run out of room I fitler and prioritize, then it's off to Ebay. Make more room have more money and buy buy buy all over again.


I like to call it the "circle of life".......




Jesse

 

[Darth Kustomizer]

Wanting It All!

The answer to this is a simple one...control. Do you control your collecting habits or does your collection control you?

I can relate, believe me. With a recent move from one huge city to another (esp. since we were going to be building a new home from the ground up) I really had to take a step back and really look at the scope of my collection and start putting some limitations on it. Esp. since my computer was in storage for eight months and E-Baying items that I no longer wanted or needed was not something that I could do.

I, like many others, am in a position, or was, to self perpetuate my collecting habits through E-Bay. Thank god for E-Bay! If I wanted something I simply sold something else to pay for it. Therefore, no funds were coming directly from the old checking account and my wife had no reason to ***** at me. Since I was not able to E-Bay for a number of months I did see the impact my collecting had on my wallet, my wife did *****, and thought that things were getting a tad bit out of hand when I looked at the closet full of stuff I managed to pick up after having been dislocated from my home for eight to nine months.

I have to admit that I have made a concerted effort over the last three years to get away from, what I consider to be 12" crap, and get into the higher end 12" market, namely items from overseas.

To end this let me say that my personal collection is always in a state of flux. As nicer/better figures are released the older crappy 12" figures get the boot. Case in point, the awful 12" Hasbro Planet of the Apes figures ended up on E-Bay once Sideshow announced there new POTA line.

I feel for you if you're trying to amass it all and are feeling the monetary pinch esp. during this time of year.


DK

Feel free to check out my 12" Hollywood based figure site, Plastic Hollywood, here: p066.ezboard.com/bplastichollywood

 

[NASEDO]

My reply for this quote:
I'm sorry monster, did I miss the point? It seems that you want sideshow to curtail its products because you can't limit yourself to one line or a few particular items or something.

My point was to see how everyone collects, and advice on collecting, I been here for awhile now, I was wondering if people had similar problems. Sorry, you took it the wrong way. I thought it was an interesting topic so thats my point. Of course SS isn't going to change for me, they did change for the "bigger", and they have change what I collect. I have dropped the Marvel, Buffy, POTA line. BUt if I stick with the 1/4 scale star wars room will be a problem.

Being a "toy" collector its hard to imagine NOT collecting LOTR, Starwars or even HP for me. Thats top of the food chain and even limiting my collection to those lines will be tough.

I have most of the LOTR items, even UC swords. My bust collection is complete and its staying put. The statues I have sold some, and was sad a month later, I think I'll have to continue selling some but NO way the fellowship, just some bad guys, Brute, Pit there next.

The Darth Maul Bust how can you not own that, that will be tough to pass, and the Legend Bust thats another one, he's comes before Maul for me.

I dont know what kind of collector I am. Value is important, but my LOTR bust collection could be worth a penny and it wouldn't effect me. Yes I need the complete collection most of the time, Thats why I'm not buying GG clone wars statues, they skyrocketed in price, and I think they look awesome, but my days of hunting are over.

I thought alot of the comments were interesting, some great advice. Sideshow is a great company, I look foward to collecting all the new stuff, and selling some of the old, its like a recycling bin, the money just goes back to SS stuff. But I'm still waitng for some new X-files figures, come already!

 

[Agent0028]

So I did misread it entirely. I'm sorry. I hope there's no hard feelings, and I hope you know that my response was not to you, but to you only if you felt sideshow should curtail what they make and such. My sincere apolgies for thinking you meant that.

 

[moebius9]

I am always re-evaluating my collection and recycling areas that los interest for me. That's the joy of E-Bay. I cna always make back at least some of what I put into it and get newer stuff. Room is mostly what motivates me here. I am currently going though a major flux and will probably sell off a chunk to make room for upcoming item. I like to have everything displayed as well so if I dont have room for it, I make room.

 

[crocostimpy]

Some random mutterings from me. There are numerous ways this thread could go so I'll hop around a little.

The word "collector", to me, means someone who plans to own all of something. In our world it is all of the Star Wars this or all of the LOTR that. I don't really look at myself as a statue collector. I know I'll never have them all; unless I want to be divorced that is. I buy the things I think are cool. I'm somewhat of an impulse buyer. I bought the Balrog statue because I thought it was cool as hell. Still do. I didn't plan on buying any more. In fact, I wish I would have bought some more of the early statues, like the Witchking or Sam and Bill. I doubt I will ever pick one up now. I bought a few others that I liked and that's that.

This is not to say that I'm not a collector though. I collected Star Wars action figures. I collected comic books. Those things were fun to collect and were relatively inexpensive also. It was fun going to comic shows with my Want List looking for books. It was an accomplishment when I finally got all of a run or title. I think that's pretty hard to do with things that are a couple hundred dollars each. That's not to say that don't I kinda wish I would have collected all of the helms, or the Arms sets though.

Somebody mentioned buyers remorse. I've done that with a couple things. When i saw the Terminator Endoskeleton I absolutely had to have it. I couldn't wait to get it. When I finally got it I remember opening up the box and, although it is very cool, thinking "I spent over $500 for this?". I'm not saying it's not worth it, but $500 is a lot of money, and in the grand scheme of things it's like putting 5 $100 dollar bills on a shelf to look at.

Somebody else mentioned when the values go up they think about selling. I thought long and hard about selling my Balrog when the prices topped $2,000. That would have bought a lot of smaller things. In the end my wife was the one who sort of talked me out of selling it. "You wanted it so bad. You'll regret it if you sell it because you'll never spend that kind of money to get another one back", she said.

In the end, I will cut down on my buying. The funds aren't really there any more now that we have moved to another state in a brand new house. Most everything I have I bought before we moved. Most of it was packed away somewhere. I'm just glad I have the room to display it all now.

 

[FlyAndFight]

It's like a buffet table loaded with many delicious foods. Do you honestly think you can eat every single dish presented? Of course not. You make a decision and chose what appeals to you the most.

As for me, I get the pieces I like. I am not a "completist" at all. I have LOTR, Star Wars and Marvel pieces displayed in my "hobby room" along with 12" figures. I also agree with those that say that some pieces eventually lose their appeal and are best used to finance newer or different pieces. That helps with the financing and space issues of the hobby.

I will say this. If I had an original Balrog and could sell it off for $2500.00 on ebay, it would be on the auction block faster than you can say "You shall not pass!"...

 

[jmcozzoli]

My approach to collecting...

Room and money are always an issue, that's for sure. I moved a large portion of my collection into a Westy Storage room this year, and just finished moving into a bigger room in their facility to store the statues and SideShow items I am now collecting. That added expense would be better spent on collectibles, but there's that catch-22 again.

I already had been collecting Star Wars and vintage horror toys, and also added Halloween ephemera (my favorite holiday) to the list, but at least that stuff is mostly flat paper, thank god.

I have begun to focus on some specific areas of interest, but many times a piece will come out that I like alot, so bam, there goes that strategy. So I am trying to a least focus on the size of the items I collect. Eventually I would like to have a big enough room in my house to display alot of the collection (okay, maybe more than one room: cue angry wife here and me pleading), but for now, size of a potential purchase is a consideration point for me.

Another consideration is the cost. I like to think I manage my money fairly well, so while not rich, I have a useable sum that I "invest" in my collection. Now I know that the adage is "to collect your interests, not invest in them" when buying for the heart, but I still also consider what an item costs now, whether it will possibly cost less on the secondary market in the future (will I be able to get it more cheaply?), and what, if any, will the item show in an increase in value in the future (a few years from now, let's say).

None of these points are a deal maker or breaker by themselves, but all of them work together to help me make a sound addition to my collection, including my emotional need for the item in question. There have been many times I have paid an amount for an item that I knew was not worth it, but I simply had to have it. And there have been times where the emotional tag was not so great, so cost and future value played a part in my passing the item up. I am at a point in my collecting (been doing it since the 70's) that I only remove an item from my collection if it is no longer in my focus, which is now pretty rare. I like knowing that a collectible is worth more than I paid for it (ego thing), but I have never sold an item because of that.

At this stage, I am glad to hear that this is a common issue, especially in today's marketplace, where alot of wonderful collectable things are being produced. While I do not fault any dealer/producer for the increasing cost of acquiring a collectible, I do question how the initial purchase price is derived. Yes, SS is increasing the price of their offerings incrementally, but costs for producing those items, especially in limited quantities, has gone up also. I also think SS is watching the secondary market to see the sustained/increased/decreased values on their releases, in order to adjust their profitability margin on the initial purchase price. After all, it is a business, too.

So, bottom line, we're doomed , but in a good way...

John
https://zomboscloset.blogspot.com