How To Beat Collecting Addiction.

[generalszabo]

I'd recommend getting burnt out of tens of thousands of dollars in preorders dealing with dodgy Australian retailers.
That really opened my eyes to how much money can be blown on meaningless plastic (especially when waiting years for it to never arrive).

Luckily I was able to get it all back through bank disputes, get my **** together and sell off 99% of my collection (being a MISB collector definitely helped there).

Now I'm content owning a few choice replicas like my 75th Anniversary Captain America shield and a King Arts replica helmet (that actually arrived from said dodgy Australian retailer which I use as a reminder to never pre-order anything again) and a Sideshow Captain America Life Size bust I picked up for $300 USD on Ebay!

Minimalism is the way to go folks. Less is more when it comes to collecting - it really makes your select few pieces shine and not get lost in a sea of hundreds of cluttered dusty figures and statues.

Wow you've really turned it around! Really tens of thousands of dollars?! You sound like you've got a handle on things now

 

[maru81]

Get married, the wife will keep everything in check.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[a-dev]

Switch to collecting money.

That worked for me.

 

[xipotec]

I found after i got a couple of Ikea detolfs and got a custom raiser built for them, once I filled it up, the urge has gone. Get the pieces u want, not just the bargains on eBay. And stop buying figures u think will retain their value or go up, coz likelihood is they wont

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

This....

I have 5 and that all I will ever own....3 items per shelf max.

After that something gets sold to make way for something new.


Sent from the inside of a giant slug in outer space.....

 

[GinIchimaru]

I just beat it by narrowing what I collect....only Star Wars 1/4 statues for me. I sold everything else I had like my Spiderman 2099 statue too . My only preorder right now is IS Yoda. I really wanted Anakin Dark Side HT, but nope, nope, must resist!

 

[ONEYE]

Stay off message boards like this one. You'll see things and want them. Lessen your temptations. Same with Facebook groups. People are always sharing their collection. If you can't stay off boards, or FB, limit yourself to ones that focus only on what you want to focus.

 

[asgardianboy]

Denying an artistical need is every bit as unhealthy as it is surrendering everything to it.
m.

Stay off message boards like this one. You'll see things and want them. Lessen your temptations. Same with Facebook groups. People are always sharing their collection. If you can't stay off boards, or FB, limit yourself to ones that focus only on what you want to focus.

 

[ONEYE]

Denying a need is every bit as unhealthy as it is surrendering everything to it.
m.

It is NOT a "need", it is a want. You need to eat, drink, get rest, to live. You don't need a statue. You want a statue, but you can live without it.

 

[ONEYE]

You give up your self-control, when you give objects the ability to control what you do with your money, and space. Don't give objects that kind of power over you.

 

[asgardianboy]

Yeap. Focus is the key.
Determine who you are. Go find yourself as a mature adult. Then find the sharp outline of your actual collecting needs (there has to be one!). Like surveying the limits of a crater, big or small, in your own soul.

Then, go ahead and turn it into a lake of figures. But just a lake, only a lake. Do it knowing very well, even before getting started, that there is indeed a shore and that it is not too far away.

m.

I just beat it by narrowing what I collect....only Star Wars 1/4 status for me. I sold everything else I had like my Spiderman 2099 statue too . My only preorder right now is IS Yoda. I really wanted Anakin Dark Side HT, but nope, nope, must resist!

 

[asgardianboy]

It is NOT a "need", it is a want. You need to eat, drink, get rest, to live. You don't need a statue. You want a statue, but you can live without it.

It is a need. But a need you have the freedom to suppress. You can't suppress starvation, of course.
But the fact you can suppress it doesn't make it less relevant. You don't eat, you die in three weeks. You don't fulfill your spiritual needs, you are unhappy. And have to live with an itch for years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years.

You give up your self-control, when you give objects the ability to control what you do with your money, and space. Don't give objects that kind of power over you.

Figures are just objects? Mere hunks of plastic? Or do they a carry more transcendental meaning in them? Do they elicit some reaction in collectors that is both intense and meaningful? A feeling that is almost physical?
Are figures "objects", or are they something more complex? I think it is pretty clear: we talk about very strong emotions here. Stronger than just good memories of good movies.

Food for thought.
RfC
m.

 

[noisyrobot]

It is a need.

This stuff is most certainly about want. There is no need to owning a figure.

The most important part of this is to keep a sense of humour and also remember that you can't take anything with you when you die.
You're not going to come to the end of your life and think, 'Damn, I should have bought that Hot Toys Iron Man Mk Whatever'

This stuff to me is about fun, but it's superfluous. I don't think you should wrap your identity up in material things.

 

[asgardianboy]

This stuff is most certainly about want. There is no need to owning a figure.

The most important part of this is to keep a sense of humour and also remember that you can't take anything with you when you die.
You're not going to come to the end of your life and think, 'Damn, I should have bought that Hot Toys Iron Man Mk Whatever'

This stuff to me is about fun, but it's superfluous. I don't think you should wrap your identity up in material things.

So what's life when you are denied, or deny yourself, the things you yearn for, for decades?
The want ends up being a need.

BTW by purchasing these things I don't wrap my identity up in anything material. These figs are valuable for the intangible in them: emotions, stories, values, belief structures, memories, beauty, quality, coherence, etc. As material objects, they are simple, lifeless stuff. We collectors imbue them with our own life and feelings, meaning and purpose. The moment we lay hands (even eyes) on them, they become alive. It is all intangible.

m.

 

[generalszabo]

It is a need. But a need you have the freedom to suppress. You can't suppress starvation, of course.
But the fact you can suppress it doesn't make it less relevant. You don't eat, you die in three weeks. You don't fulfill your spiritual needs, you are unhappy. And have to live with an itch for years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years,
and years.



Figures are just objects? Mere hunks of plastic? Or do they a carry more transcendental meaning in them? Do they elicit some reaction in collectors that is both intense and meaningful? A feeling that is almost physical?
Are figures "objects", or are they something more complex? I think it is pretty clear: we talk about very strong emotions here. Stronger than just good memories of good movies.

Food for thought.
RfC
m.

Figures are indeed just objects. I know if I have a fire and have to save my family, I won't think twice about letting meaningless possessions burn

 

[noisyrobot]

So what's life when you are denied, or deny yourself, the things you yearn for, for decades?
The want ends up being a need.

You need clothes although you may want a Zegna suit.
I don't see how decades of denying yourself designer clothing becomes a need for them.
That's an unhealthy obsession.

Figures are indeed just objects. I know if I have a fire and have to save my family, I won't think twice about letting meaningless possessions burn

 

[joewolf]

A lot of the posts here are not very helpful.

- people who can’t grasp anyone else’s perspective but their own. “It’s not a problem for me so why would it be for you?” Do you really think that? If so, you may be a budding psychopath. Or are you just trying to show off?
- the sort of clods who think saying “don’t be nervous” will solve someone’s nervous reaction. Emotions don’t work that way.

If you have an uncontrollable obsession with these toys, then go seek professional help or at least read credible self help material and work thru your problems.

 

[Liz10]

BTW by purchasing these things I don't wrap my identity up in anything material. These figs are valuable for the intangible in them: emotions, stories, values, belief structures, memories, beauty, quality, coherence, etc. As material objects, they are simple, lifeless stuff. We collectors imbue them with our own life and feelings, meaning and purpose. The moment we lay hands (even eyes) on them, they become alive. It is all intangible.

m.

Very nicely put.

 

[ZE_501]

[...] If you have an uncontrollable obsession with these toys, then go seek professional help or at least read credible self help material and work thru your problems.

Good post.

Things I would look at (as others have said as well):

1. Are you within your means, i.e. nothing critical (housing, food, retirement savings, bills etc.) being neglected?

2. Are you incurring debt? (Not worth it).

3. Is it the act of owning that gives you the most joy, or the acts of researching, discussing, anticipating, acquiring, unboxing? These latter acts could go on forever so you may want to impose limits, as they'll inevitably leave you seeking the next thing.

4. In terms of connecting with artefacts of your childhood, why? Are you trying to retreat, or is it just some playful nostalgia? I could connect *endless* things to my childhood but stay within pretty tight limits instead of playing an endless game of "Remember when?"

5. What is the opportunity cost? In terms of time, connection with friends or relationships, and in terms of experiences. It adds up fast, would it be better to take a trip or invest in going out to a nice dinner with your friends instead of getting the next thing?

6. What happens years down the road to all this stuff? You will change, your life will change, you will get older.

My own collecting is limited by my aversion to having too much stuff in general. While I've played with army building troops and tried out various pieces to see what sticks, I've often sold things that don't have as much resonance with me, or carefully curated big properties down to essentials, being mindful of how much space I want to give up to these things. Everyone's limits and parameters are different in this case, but there should be some kind of focus or limiter.

Museums and galleries curate their collections carefully. Things are there for a reason and a collection is often a dynamic thing, with objects being sold off to make way for more relevant items.

I also like to use personal preference guidelines for the physical products themselves like:

- [x] Strong graphic elements: distinct colour blocks, symbols & logos, clean lines.
- [x] Saturated colours.
- [x] Crisp, distinct finishes (gloss, matte etc.)
- [x] Weathering and/or battle damage minimal or absent. (Most of the time.)
- [x] Excellent proportions and costume tailoring.
- [x] Excellent portrait likeness.
- [x] No modifications necessary outside of custom capes. I had fun modding endlessly, but find I haven't the time lately.
- [x] No ‘army building’ necessary (Took up too much space for my taste, so I cut it down considerably although not completely)
- [x] Typical, ‘iconic’ looks preferred to variants. Avoid duplicating characters.
- [x] Brands: Almost exclusively Hot Toys, exceptions for Enterbay (Bruce Lee license).
- [x] Complete sets, shipper boxes optional, undamaged art boxes preferred, minor wear acceptable.
- [x] Modern paint applications and sculpts — ideally 2016 onward with the odd exception. (Avengers Hulk + Batman Returns)
- [x] 1/6 scale only.
- [x] Be comfortable leaving holes in the collection; i.e. if I get Pilot Luke I don't automatically need a TIE pilot to complement him.

The waiting period. I may get a figure but then spend some days or even weeks, months waiting to see if it still resonates with me and fits my collection. If it doesn't feel right I get rid of it.

Keep in mind, there's always a cost associated with this. Time, money -- I've made money on some figures, lost it on others -- but I won't get that time back, one way or the other.

I've been enjoying this hobby for years now, sometimes I take breaks from it. But what makes it fun for me are the arbitrary limits I impose to keep it meaningful and prevent it from dominating any aspect of my life -- spatial, financial, what-have-you.

If you honestly feel you're having issues getting a handle on this, the issue is not the hobby, it's something internal that needs to be addressed, so by all means consult with a pro or do some research.

It never hurts to reflect on why we do the things we do, whatever they may be.

 

[asgardianboy]

Figures are indeed just objects. I know if I have a fire and have to save my family, I won't think twice about letting meaningless possessions burn

They are indeed. I didn't say the contrary. Thank you very much.
But they are NOT ONLY that. Their real-world value, like for many other items of our reality, doesn't hinge on the stuff they are made of. Wouldn't you agree?
To the rest of your writing: of course... who wouldn't do the same in such situation? Only that they are not meaningless possessions. If they were, you wouldn't buy them in the first place. It would be contradictory, so please clarify your statement: you buy these things because they are extremely meaningful to you. So much, that you get to shell out a real heap of money for them.

You need clothes although you may want a Zegna suit.
I don't see how decades of denying yourself designer clothing becomes a need for them.
That's an unhealthy obsession.

If obsession with beauty, noble values, quality, etc, is an "unhealthy obsession"... Bust me!
Whatever it is that you want, if you really want it, and keep wanting it for ages on end, even if it is a Zegna suit, getting when you can afford it just can't be unhealthy. As long as it is not hurting you or others, and you can afford it, man what's wrong with that?
We fight through life to get the things that we need, but also the things we like.

Very nicely put.

The sole person ever to approve of anything I've ever written on this forum, and they had to be a fellow European...
Freut mich so sehr!!
;-)

m.

 

[asgardianboy]

3. Is it the act of owning that gives you the most joy, or the acts of researching, discussing, anticipating, acquiring, unboxing? These latter acts could go on forever so you may want to impose limits, as they'll inevitably leave you seeking the next thing.

4. In terms of connecting with artefacts of your childhood, why? Are you trying to retreat, or is it just some playful nostalgia? I could connect *endless* things to my childhood but stay within pretty tight limits instead of playing an endless game of "Remember when?"

5. What is the opportunity cost? In terms of time, connection with friends or relationships, and in terms of experiences. It adds up fast, would it be better to take a trip or invest in going out to a nice dinner with your friends instead of getting the next thing?

6. What happens years down the road to all this stuff? You will change, your life will change, you will get older.

My own collecting is limited by my aversion to having too much stuff in general. While I've played with army building troops and tried out various pieces to see what sticks, I've often sold things that don't have as much resonance with me, or carefully curated big properties down to essentials, being mindful of how much space I want to give up to these things. Everyone's limits and parameters are different in this case, but there should be some kind of focus or limiter.

It never hurts to reflect on why we do the things we do, whatever they may be.

Best parts of a very good post, best of best being the last line. Thanks.

Focus, as you say, is the most important part of this hobby. Knowing oneself and satisfying your "needs" with the least money/time, and minimizing waste.

I can't help remembering what happened to hard-fighting Athenians after they flourished: sculptors, musicians, boylovers... Leonidas dixit! ;-)
We humans are bound to what we consider beauty. 1/6 is just the same.

m.