ever consider quitting collecting?

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by eric, Apr 18, 2010.

  1. xSuicide Squadx

    xSuicide Squadx Super Deformed

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    @eckotyper That “would I keep it” mindset has definitely been a HUGE factor for helpin’ me curb my spendin’ and collecting habits. I’m also a slightly rare case where I often times want to get a hold of something just to photograph it, but can’t see myself holdin’ onto it past that. Even with toys you’re absolutely sure of there’s always the possibility of sellin’ down the road. But like you said, just gotta be brutally honest with yourself!
     
  2. Mr. Humphreys

    Mr. Humphreys Mini Boss

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I don't think I'll ever quit collecting (weird, because I'm the only one in my family who collects--anything!). I've been fairly focused from the start of collecting (toys and other stuff). For the most part, I don't want to part with 90% of the stuff I have. I'm finally un-binning and un-bagging toys and setting up shelves (and buying more shelves!). At some point I'll have to sell some stuff, because there's just an overwhelming amount of stuff! :shock: I've always adopted things with the sole mentality of loving something from my stand point/preferences (not as an investment, fad, or status symbol), and especially not with any intention of wanting to sell them in the future. A lot of stuff has definitely increased in value (some considerably) -- toys, art, etc..., but I can't see myself selling them. There will probably be some toys I'll have to set aside for a sale here some day (mainly out of necessity of wanting to display "higher loves" on a shelf, and not store anything in bins anymore). The main problem is I don't know how to price them :x -- perhaps donating some to the Suicide Prevention Raffle is way easier and gives back more warm fuzzies :). On the whole, I love my collection! :razz:
     
  3. drybones69

    drybones69 Addicted

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I've also come to the realization that just because i love a sculpt, it doesn't mean I need 100 different versions. I've mostly been collecting in twos. If i have 2 versions of a sculpt, I'm very content with that. Obviously there are exceptions, but its good to start setting limitations on your collection before you're head over heels in debt and bins full of toys you're not even getting to enjoy.
     
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  4. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Around 5 or so years in and I've probably hit the wall a lot of OGs already have - where it becomes essential to focus on select lines and trim the collection. I don't think I show signs of quitting anytime soon but goddamn (!) this month I did mental gymnastics until all my money (after the essentials budget has been put aside) was gone. I kind of surprised myself! Not only that but I have a million pipe dreams which I forget about funding half the time because I always end up chasing a great bargain which I reason to myself won't come around again. However - there is progress. I am slowing my role down since the early days. I only need to slow it down even further me thinks!
     
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  5. kid_miracleman

    kid_miracleman Comment King

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I had a dude hit me up offering a toy he bought less than a week ago. Did an emergency come up? Did he not have the money? Nope, he just decided he wants to focus on painted stuff. I mean, you realized that hours after you bought the thing at a 300% markup?

    A totally different dude posts about his "grails" while shuffling them out the door 10 minutes later. Dude is moving merchandise like a dope boy that gets high off his own supply.

    Too many people have the "buy now, figure out if I want it later" mentality. I think that's the one thing that makes limited edition hobbies a bit more...problematic than many others; that mentality that if you don't get it RIGHT NOW you may NEVER get it so they throw out stupid money vacuuming up every fucking thing they see just in case. It's like people get filled with existential dread because they might miss out on a toy. When you realize the next toy is coming out tomorrow and you won't have to pay a huge markup, this shit gets a lot easier. There were a bunch of toys that came out recently and I thought "yeah, I would LIKE to have this, but if it showed up in the mail tomorrow I wouldn't be ecstatic to open the package".

    Setting boundaries for yourself is key.

    Even then I've had trouble unloading things I thought would be easy to sell at cost. Buying shit assuming you can always sell it later can be very misguided, and dudes unloading thousands on some shit are probably gonna regret that down the road.

    Maybe this is just my bias showing, but I hate it when people buy shit and just throw it in a bin forever. This is supposed to either toys you enjoy playing with or art you appreciate. If your enjoyment comes primarily from owning shit others can't have, then maybe you should just invest in gold or something

    This is something I've been trying to focus on a bit more. I paid a bunch for some Ishi pieces because they never seem to enter the western hemisphere anymore. But lately toys I wanted to hunt for like some choice MHV pieces I'm kinda just realizing I can fly to DV and pick shit up for the same some flippers want for a run they got through a lotto a couple of weeks ago
     
  6. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Absolutely. No need to quit forever, just slow it down and make every piece count.
     
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  7. noeleaser

    noeleaser Addicted

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I’m quitting for a while. I just got a call from my mechanic yesterday saying that my engine needs to be replaced so basically my car died and I don’t have money for a new one. Fuck me.
     
  8. zindabad

    zindabad Line of Credit

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Mostly putting this here because I want to look back in a long while and think about it. I'm at that first juncture where I'm starting to do my homework, watching the source material that inspired this hobby and tracing the lineages of sculpts, paints and the artists behind them. It's given me a lot of fulfillment, and helped me find a joy in all of this besides accumulating stuff. But pulling that thread has also made me look back at stuff I was absolutely crazy for when I began, and realise I no longer feel the same connection with some of it. It's not an "I quit" kind of feeling, more "I'm starting to understand what I really enjoy."

    It'll be fun to read this later and realise I was just as goddamn clueless at the time of writing :lol:
     
  9. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Haha. All you have to do is remember to come back in 2028 to reflect. ;)
     
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  10. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I was watching this and for some reason I thought of this thread at the 12:12 mark when he talks about how people laughed at the Subaru Baja:



    Poeple want to have worth, and recognized for having worth, and value. And few recognitions are as cathartic as appreciating value from the past.

    Kurt Vonnegut said you can make a living telling the man in a hole stories. That terrible thing that happened wasn't so bad now that it's over and you're worth something again. You got out of the bad thing and people like you now.

    And now for 8 to 10 thousand dollars you can have something of great worth that no one saw when it was young. That means you have worth that no one saw when you were young.

    Who's laughing now?
     
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  11. 666doll

    666doll Mini Boss

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Everyday
     
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  12. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    . . . and then some random crap suckerz me back in!

    Another re-evaluation is imminent!
     
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  13. foto junkaay

    foto junkaay Addicted

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Yes
     
  14. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Why the hell were you watching a video on the Subaru baja I’m the first place? Did you lose a bet?
     
  15. 666doll

    666doll Mini Boss

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Yep
     
  16. Vombie

    Vombie Vintage

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I have found that setting up a couple focuses keeps me in line, but when those wells run dry, I start branching out to other toys I enjoy--sometimes regrettably. Most stuff I keep, some I sell...but sometimes, outside of Booska, tengallons, and rxh, I just want to start moving stuff to keep myself healthy about it. I'm the kind of guy that needs rules. When I've got a healthy focus, I'm very happy with my hobby. When I slip, I think about quitting.
     
  17. xSuicide Squadx

    xSuicide Squadx Super Deformed

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Currently having my own, personal anxiety attack(albeit it moderate) about why I even have all this shit in my house, why I spend so much time photographing it, talking about it, documenting it, whatever. When I have these moments I usually just think “I need to get rid of all of this,” but I’m currently looking at it all and wanting to kick the glass in on my display cases and flip the floating shelves off the wall. I can’t even say why, but my particular mindset as of right now is literally none of my interest/output with collecting matters. What a weird Sunday.
     
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  18. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Sounds like an existential crisis that a lot of collectors go through occasionally. You're not alone. It will probably pass.

    Personally, I struggle with books, I'm a damn book hoarder and my home is filling up with them. If I sneezed too hard in my back room I'd be crushed by an avalanche of hardbacks, and I'm not even joking.

    For the record, your toy photography is next level impressive, and your taste in toys is excellent. From where I stand, you're not wasting your time and you contribute a great deal. Everyone's gotta have a hobby, right?
     
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  19. Alebrije

    Alebrije Line of Credit

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Life is strange sometimes and even more strangely the way the brain works, Robert I could not tell you why you have those thoughts, but I could tell you that there are many people who enjoy your photographs and about your collection I knows that at the end of the day when you sit to admire it as a whole, you see it as an art work in progress, but deep down you feel that little spark of joy and happiness that gives you to see all those sculptures and colors, that's the reason why many of us keep collecting.
     
  20. Brooklyn_Vinyl

    Brooklyn_Vinyl Line of Credit

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I couldn't have said it better. I don't think anyone showcases toys better than you. They are your muse and you are an artist.
     
  21. Smotemotem

    Smotemotem Toy Prince

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    @xSuicide Squadx - I think everybody here agrees that your photos are artwork, and masterful at that. You’re providing value to us, and to go with what Moog said, if you didn’t have this as a hobby, you would have some other hobby, right?

    It may be worthwhile to take a short break and think about why you started down this road in the first place, and some of the experiences you’ve enjoyed along the way. And if the hobby is taking up too much time, or money, or space, consider making small cuts in that area, rather than making drastic decisions.
     
  22. xSuicide Squadx

    xSuicide Squadx Super Deformed

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    Thank you for your input, those that spoke here, and to me privately. I do apologize for the abruptly gruff and crude nature/tone of my post. I find it rather embarrassing and am not one to go off the cuff like that, but the panic set in and I didn’t really know where else to ventilate the thoughts.

    First and foremost, I’d like to say this wasn’t something that came about my mind by way financial issue/troubles. I always go into buying what I collect with full intention of that monies being spent as such, and haven’t compromised my responsibilities to do so. I also have a rather fulfilling life outside of toys that I love, and much of my time is spent delved in. So it also isn’t a situation where I’m consumed by collecting.

    I’m still not fully understanding exactly where it is my thought process is going with this, but I couldn’t stop looking around the house and thinking “Why do I have all of this? Why do I *still* have all of this? What am I doing, and why am I doing it?” I kept, and somewhat still am, trying to tie some sort of end goal to collecting and my personal involvement to it. Not necessarily something to gain, but more like I couldn’t escape trying to tie some tangible reasons why I have amassed so much, and if I could’ve better spent my time involved in something(s) else that would’ve been more productive or contributing to my life. It might sound weird or goofy as shit, but it’s like all the positives I’d found for myself in collecting disappeared, and “these make me happy” wasn’t reason enough anymore. I’m still pretty caught up in the thought process. This isn’t the first time I’ve questioned my hobby, but this is the first time it’s been accompanied by frustration and an abundance of self questioning. A friend that reached out said I shouldn’t be looking back and wondering if I should’ve spent my time differently than collecting because, no matter what, it brought me joy up this current point. Instead I should think about where to go from here. I still can’t say with certainty what even brought this on, nor do I even know if it makes any sense. But I’m sure(hoping) that it’ll pass.

    I love collecting, and I love what I do within it, as well as the community and the amazing people I’ve met through it. I guess I’m having a hard time justifying to myself any good reason(s) to remain as involved, if at all? Or if I even need to have a reason, and instead just not question it and continue to enjoy the hobby as I have?

    Thank you again, though. I know we all share a great commonality, and it ranges in degrees of importance or relevance from person to person. I very much appreciate the kind words, advice and encouragement. And my apologies again for how discomfiting this is.
     
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  23. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    One idea might be trying to publish a book of your toy photography? Its not an exaggeration to say your toy photos are world class, and i bet a great number of collectors/makers would love a glossy book of your sofubi photography to enjoy. I would certainly buy one for sure. It could be a way to focus your attention in a positive way ... You could write personal insights to go beside the photographs ... i think people would love it.
     
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  24. hellointerloper

    hellointerloper S7 Royalty

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I totally agree, a book would be amazing! Btw, I have a print of the orange/black Kumon hanging up framed on my wall. No joke. It makes me happy.
     
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  25. hellopike

    hellopike S7 Royalty

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    ever consider quitting collecting?
    I would say no matter what, *don’t* kick in the glass displays or flip the shelves... if for no other reason than the cleanup being a real pain in the ass.

    That being said, maybe take a break from the world of soft vinyl for a bit as others have mentioned. Maybe once the anxiety/strong feelings have subsided you should have yourself a little Marie Kondo moment. I’ve had those “why do I have all this stuff” moments, and a massive purge is not the right response, because eventually you’ll work through whatever situation you’re currently dealing with and get back to the space where you remember the things about this hobby that appeal to you. But Maybe it’s time to trim the excess in your collection a bit to re-center your mind and your hobby.

    As for your interest and your output not mattering... I certainly wouldn’t say that. Despite this hobby gaining in popularity, it’s still a relatively small and close knit community; and I would say you hold a place of some esteem and notoriety in the community. Your photos, your knowledge and enthusiasm are all positive things. And of course there is also the connections with other people we’ve all made through this hobby, be it friends or acquaintances or family in some cases.

    But don’t break your displays. Glass all over the place... you’ll be cleaning it up forever.
     

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