Why collecting toys is like a heroin addiction.
Discuss.
(I agree completely, by the way.)
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Why Collecting Toys is Like a Heroin Addiction.
Why collecting toys is like a heroin addiction.
Discuss.
(I agree completely, by the way.)
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Well... I've never been addicted to heroin... but i think i can understand where he's coming from.. winning something is a bit of a rush, but when you actually get it to your doorstep is another... It's a bit like christmas every month/week.
In the beginning i only collected loose figs and couldn't understand why someone in their right mind would pay hundreds or even thousands for a secondhand toy (boxed or not) ( 1 or 2 or 3 k seems totally reasonable for something rare these days) Now, i only pretty much look for boxed figures, (not sealed though, that way i can get them out whenever i feel like it) but when i do get a sealed fig, i do have a hard time cracking it. Most of the time i will just squirrel all my stuff away with a grand plan of getting them displayed in the "not so distant" future. (which is f@(#ing years away, btw)
(i have always told myself "it's better than spending your money on..... whatever.._)
Rank 9 - Board Staff
- "Why did you get that Prime Airachnid?"
- "I don't know. Plastic crack is a hell of a drug."
Ummm... I don't tell my parents about it... Beyond that, it's just a hobby.
$300 for a gram of cocaine or Masterpiece Black Convoy, Soundwave and his minions..?
Yeah, okay. That I can relate to.My question is this: What the f__k am I doing?
Which brings us to where we are today...
Rank 9 - Board Staff
The table at the Fair looked like a mobile Transformers slab. We had two boxes of Wreckers, seventy-five pallets of Legions, five shelves of high-powered Dinobots, a container half-full of GeeWun and a whole galaxy of multicolored Universe, Classics, Henkei, Generations... also a pack of Gestalts, a stack of Alternators, a case of Titaniums, a bunch of raw Movieverse, and two dozen Mini-cons. Not that we needed all that for the Fair, but once you get locked into a serious toy collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. But the only thing that worried me was the GeeWun. There is nothing more irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of a GeeWun binge, and I knew we would be getting into Beast Wars sooner or later.
Which brings us to where we are today...
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Nice.Originally Posted by Tober
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Ah, trying to find the right thing to write. I pretty much disagree with this article only in-so-much as it's trying to equate material obsession with substance abuse, which I think the latter is quite serious, but if you're genuinely unhappy with your life and thing that you're becoming a terrible person because of it, well, maybe you should see someone about it? It's hard but I guess admitting you have a problem is the first step.
Heroins not even that expensive either, it's just sometimes harder to get or messes up your circumstances/life so hard that it becomes expensive that way. But that's not taking into account things like functional junkies etc anojnwefhbrg.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
There are certainly addictive qualities to collecting toys, and I currently have more packed a way than on display but that is an a vailable display space thing and the display changes.
I tend to restrict my collecting to transformers only and like Kup mentioned above if I don't think i'll like it I tend to avoid it.
If your collecting is effecting your life and relationships though, maybe it is time to seek a little help. at least getting up early for the toy fair only happens once every 3 months and part of the excitment is looking to see what "might" be there and most of it is spending tiem catching up with other fans from the board.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
By number 2) in the article - I lost interest as I couldn't relate to what he was saying.
I don't throw my toys in boxes, I put them up for display and look at them often and they make me feel satisfied/happy. I also tend not to buy what I don't like so my purchases rarely make me unhappy. Only some of the last few MOTUC sub figures have really annoyed me but those are just a few and the sub is almost over.
Too bad I am not the only want that doesn't like those last few MOTUC figures as no one seems to want to buy them!
1) It is so, so expensive.
Sure it can be, but if you are patient and stay on the lookout, you can often find great deals on some awesome toys. Also, it helps to have a toy budget and stick to it (well, most of the time anyway!).
2) It actually makes me unhappy. The craziest thing about these toys is that I don't even like them. Oh, I kind of like them, obviously, but not nearly enough.
I dunno about the author... but I love all my Transformers toys and collectibles. Otherwise, I'd just invest in something else. I personally don't collect complete toylines - I collect by character (of which I am a completist), because that's what makes me happy. If there's anything in my collection that I don't like or want for whatever reason, I'll just sell it.
See, the displaying, while nice, is secondary to the collecting - or to paraphrase, it's not the having, it's the getting. Owning toys kind of blows, which is why I don't really care if my toys are out or not.
Well, I'm the complete opposite - give me every toy I want right this minute and I'll be very happy indeed. Seriously, I don't dream about trying to get a MISB G1 Megatron (for example), or a complete Astro Magnum, or a MP Soundwave... I dream about actually owning them - and the sooner the better!
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
I don't think the addictive qualities to toy collecting can be denied - It is true that the hobby is addictive and we all suffer from it at one level or another.
However I cannot relate to the author's depression because unlike him, I am happy with the stuff I am collecting and don't regret it.
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