Fonecrusher: Ultimately I think if you collect toys because you want to enjoy them as opposed to trying to make a financial investment, then you can't lose as the aftermarket value of the toy would be irrelevant. For example I bought 2 Beast Wars X-9 Ravages for $22 each in 1999. Opened one, kept one sealed. About a year or so later I traded my sealed one for a bunch of loose G1 and G2 figures. The ludicrous prices that Ravage seems to go for these days amuses me, but I don't regret opening my first Ravage or trading off my 2nd one (I definitely got at least $22's worth of TFs in the deal, which is how much I paid for the toy - and I don't think Ravage had appreciated that much in 2000-01).