Buying for the sake of buying

[heroic_decepticon]

great topic Paul

I can identify with what you are thinking and have questioned myself since maybe 2002. In a funny way, I've even pencilled down my collecting principles here.

[griffin]

Kinda the opposite to Mel here, but I love the hunt/chase for new toys. It's actually been worse with the strong exchange rate, as almost all my toys were imported, but a weaker rate may encourage me more to go out and personally find the toys.
And I don't bother about the whole exchange hassle thing - if I find a toy within my budget, I'll get it and move on. I won't let it linger as a loose end with receipts filed away for that off-chance I can get a couple dollars back and waste more time running around doing it. With all the toys out there to collect, it's no wonder that sort of routine is killing the fun for you Mel.

[valkyrie_76]

Its sort of funny that a few people including myself have thought 'why do we do this?'. I started to hammer ebay since 2002 looking for TF stuff such as G1 or maybe certain other remakes such as the G1 bookstyle TFs or the Masterpiece stuff but nowadays I am slowing down in the collecting of transformers due to other things such as anime figurines and anime cels. Lately its anime cels that have killed the wallet but at least I know that there was only one cel for each frame so I know its a very limited item but when you look at the transformer lines everything is getting re-released, different boxes or even the fake stuff. Now I am very select on what I want in the transformer line and I wont go for anything like I used to.

So in end I think my collection will remain about the same and I am really glad that I didnt get addicted to the other lines such as Armada, Energon and Animated.

[GoktimusPrime]

I can identify with what you are thinking and have questioned myself since maybe 2002.

I started to hammer ebay since 2002

Man... 2002... that was such a big Transformers drought of a year. (-_-) Mostly just leftover repaints of RiD and G1 reissues... mouldwise we hardly got anything new other than Air Attack Optimus Primal and Megatron Megabolt, neither of which were released here anyway. (-_-) So as far as the local market was concerned we got bugger all. As mediocre as Armada turned out to be, I got all excited when it came out just because we finally got something new!! 2002 was definitely a year where I was desperate to buy a Transformer. I even bought RiD Optimus Prime despite the fact that I got Super Fire Convoy in 2000!

[d*r*j*]

One of the reasons I like message boards like these is to see the truely crazy collectors. It's interesting to watch as some people go way too far with collecting and completely burn themselves out. There is only so far you can go when you are frantically chasing after every new item on the shelves, squabbling with retailers, fellow collectors and the general shopping public on a constant basis.
Many times I have read posts on message boards about collectors who have so many toys that they don't actually have time to open and enjoy them, people who are forced to put brand new unopened toys into storage because they lack the space to display them. I wonder if it is just a super competitive streak in a certain type of person that requires them to 'win'.. to be the greatest consumers in a culture based around commerce. Some don't even seem to like Transformers as such... just the thrill of buying them and the satisfaction of gloating.
Something I believe is that like any hobby, the only way you can really enjoy it is in moderation with firm and obtainable goals.

[STL]

One of the reasons I like message boards like these is to see the truely crazy collectors. It's interesting to watch as some people go way too far with collecting and completely burn themselves out. There is only so far you can go when you are frantically chasing after every new item on the shelves, squabbling with retailers, fellow collectors and the general shopping public on a constant basis.
Many times I have read posts on message boards about collectors who have so many toys that they don't actually have time to open and enjoy them, people who are forced to put brand new unopened toys into storage because they lack the space to display them. I wonder if it is just a super competitive streak in a certain type of person that requires them to 'win'.. to be the greatest consumers in a culture based around commerce. Some don't even seem to like Transformers as such... just the thrill of buying them and the satisfaction of gloating.
Something I believe is that like any hobby, the only way you can really enjoy it is in moderation with firm and obtainable goals.

I've stayed away from this thread for the time being b/c I have an answer to this in due course but I think very few collectors here are in it for the competition. On the US boards, I definitely get that vibe, but no one here I've seen is out to outdo anybody. We all have our particular niches, I'm especially mired in Classics 1.0/Classics 2.0/Henkei. The hobby isnt a pissing contest and if it ever gets there you have to start questioning if its worth it.

In terms of your dilemma, Paulbot, it depends on what you mean buying for the sake of buying. Sometimes you buy something b/c you fear that you may not be able to get it down the track and it'll get costly then if u change ur mind. The Classics 2.0 combiners are a good example of something in two years that will cost over $100 to acquire if u pass up on them now. The buying of it now gives u an option to at least offload it later on if you don't want it anymore. It's always cheaper to buy now than later. I discovered that just 3 months after the end of Cybertron when i tried to acquire Cybertron Galvatron and Optimus Prime after initially ignoring them on the shelves for many months and had to pay $100+ on eBay for 'em.

Secondly, I think its great that we go through these phases. As most here have touched on, its about how you evolve as a fan too, not just buying for the sake of buying. You'll now have a fond collecting memory of how the times were in TFM's heyday when it kick started this brand new frenzy and excitement you'd never felt before. Until u discovered u wanted to cut back. It's all about the experience and the fun of it all. Its like the time you go out with a certain girlfriend who u thought was great at the time but then 2 years later realise how staccato that r/ship was and how it wasn't what u were looking for. You wasted time, money and emotion but at the end of the day, you've still got memories.

Thirdly, you go shopping anyway, don't you? Impulse buying is something that happens to even the best of us. Everybody impulse buys. Even if its a box of ice-cream at the supermarket. (Yes, I'm horribly guilty with that )

Fourthly, you're financially sound and have nothing to worry about. Sure you could have saved an extra $400 but if you can afford it, why not? The option exists to refund or resell later on. What's most important about collecting is that you can afford it. Unless of course your a student which means there's a lot more compromising between wants rather than needs. Buying for the sake of buying becomes a problem when you can't afford it and keep doing so but at the cost of not paying bills or missing meals.

I hope that helps, Paulbot. I think that also the lack of room might contribute but once u get that place u want to, it might not be such an issue anymore.

(And I've finally got a nickname for you now too. )

[jgon2098]

When all said and done.

So long as it makes you happy, thats the only thing that matters.

[Saintly]

I'm done with "buying for the sake of buying".

There's hardly any toys on the shelves during Christmas to hunt.

[heroic_decepticon]

Man... 2002... that was such a big Transformers drought of a year. (-_-) Mostly just leftover repaints of RiD and G1 reissues... I even bought RiD Optimus Prime despite the fact that I got Super Fire Convoy in 2000!

I'm sure you also bought the RiD Brave Maximus right?

[GoktimusPrime]

That's RiD Fortress Maximus to you! I did get Car Robot Brave Maximus in 2002... but that's a 2000 mould (well, 2001 as it was the Korean version) - it did not satiate my lust for 2002 Transformers! My highlights from that year would be e-Hobby Road Rage and Crosscut.

It's interesting to watch as some people go way too far with collecting and completely burn themselves out. There is only so far you can go when you are frantically chasing after every new item on the shelves, squabbling with retailers, fellow collectors and the general shopping public on a constant basis.

*points at liegeprime's signature* I made that mistake when I first started living in Japan and went nuts buying games, manga and toys (it's like being a kid in a candy store!) - then my friends were like, "Haha! Now go eat your Playstation!" :/ So yeah, I was eating instant ramen for a month... Then I discovered that video rental stores sell second hand games - a lot people in Japan buy new games, play them for a month or so until they clock them, then sell them off! So they were in loose mint condition! Too bad I never found toys sold like that (i.e.: loose mint for half the price of MISB). Loose-mint manga is dirt cheap.