To Sell or Not to Sell...that is the question.

[grayhank]

I've been thinking about all the toys I've amassed over the years that are just packed up in boxes spread out between 5 storage lockers. I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do with them all. I don't have kids so no need to think about leaving them all to them. But I have to ask myself what should I do with all this stuff? Can I truly part with any of it? Why do I keep adding more to it?

I think that deep down inside, most of us collectors are hoping that all these newer lines are going to be worth something some day (much like Megos and vintage Star Wars). I'm sure certain pieces and odds and ends could possibly be worth something eventually, but what if that happens long after Ebay has gone?

I could certainly start putting things up for sale on Ebay but then you run the risk of being called a scalper, and any money I made would just be spent on yet more toys anyway. Plus I'm not sure I want to deal with the hassel of having to go buy all those packing supplies, making trips to the post office and then worrying that somebody isn't pleased because the item didn't arrive in perfect condition.

I could always open everything that is still carded, boxed or whatever but I don't have the space to display everything. It's bad enough that the stuff I have displayed is constantly getting covered in dust and can take days to try and clean it up.

Collecting toys started out as a hobby and has turned into an obsession. It seems that everytime I go out I come home with something. My closet is once again full of things that need to be packed up and put into yet another storage locker. But I don't think I'd be happy if I stopped buying toys altogether. I am fortunate enough where I don't have to worry about having a roof over my head, or food, clothes, etc. But I wouldn't know what else to do if I stopped buying. I think I would probably just lay around in bed all day.

Anyway. I just needed to express this in writing and see what some of you have to say. Thanks for listening!

[Mikey]

I totally hear you.....

I've personally found a nice purge is good for the toy collecting soul.

I sold off a good part of my collection (because I needed the scratch and took some pretty big losses in the process)... but I was really surprised to find how liberating the experience was in the aftermath.

It really makes a person feel free not to be buggy-lugged down with a closet-full of crap

[English Paul]

I had a similar dilemma and needed to decide what wasn't really important to me anymore. I sold most of my modern Star Wars stuff - I didn't lose money but I didn't make money either. I buy very little modern stuff now and if I do I open it as I have learnt that there are too many people speculating on profit from modern toys that they're not worth buying as an investment - they should be bought purely for pleasure.
I also sold my vintage Action Men figures. I had built a small collection over the years but it got to the point where I lost interest (mainly due to Megos) but also because I knew I could never have everything and Mego is so much more accessible to me.

I think you need to evaluate what you have and what it means to you and if it is low priority consider getting rid of it.

[jessica]

While actively knitting, my yarn stash seemed to multiply in the dark. The growth spurt of the stash has somewhat abated since I have turned my creative energies into customizing my Megos. I am trying to curb the number of figures I currently posess--it is definitely going to be tough. The good thing about the Megos is that they are tiny and don't take up much space. But the goods and materials that I have been purchasing to create the outfits have taken a life of its own.

[The Bat]

Well....recently My collection was getting out of Hand...so I decided to sell "almost" everything that was NOT Mego on ebay...and turn the money around, and BUY more Megos, and Custom Megos.

And it worked out pretty well!I'm now looking around for stuff to sell to buy more Customs...but I'm hard pressed to find anything else I want to part with.

[grayhank]

Hello my name is Scott....and I'm a....Toy Collector!

[dumbldor]

If you get more pleasure (i.e. a 'fix') out of the acquisition of the pieces than the owning of the pieces, then you may want to get rid of some stuff while still getting your buying fixes. You can continue to enjoy buying toys and at the same time get rid of some stuff that has been around awhile. If you don't want to deal with the hassles of selling your stuff on ebay, try selling the stuff to a local dealer in bulk, or consider donating some toys to charity or needy children at Christmas.

[grayhank]

When I was a kid I had all the original World's Greatest Super Hero Megos. I took extremely good care of them. Right before Christmas one year, my friend came over and told me that his family would not be getting anything for Christmas because they were extremely poor. I was about 14 years old at the time and was outgrowing my Megos. Well knowing that my friend's little brother still believed in Santa Claus I decided to give him all of my Megos. He was very thrilled that Christmas morning when I arrived with the box for him. I told him that Santa must have delivered his present to my house by mistake.

The very next day I went over to my friend's house and I was shocked at what I saw in the yard. There were pieces of Mego's everywhere. Torsos, heads, arms, legs, clothes, boots etc. It was a massacre. That was the fate of my original collection. I'll bet you can still go to that yard and find pieces of Megos.

While I do believe in charity and give generously to Toys 4 Tots every year, I would have a hard time donating these types of collectables to children. There's just something about that memory that haunts me still. True Story!

[megoat]

While I do believe in charity and give generously to Toys 4 Tots every year, I would have a hard time donating these types of collectables to children. There's just something about that memory that haunts me still. True Story!

Well, most of those look modern to me--they have minimal collectible dollar value anyway and more than likely will remain that way for many many years to come. Making parallels 'tween those and Mego is a stretch. Maybe at this point in time their PLAY value exceeds their COLLECTIBLE value?

[Sideshow Spock]

How much stuff are we talking about? How big are these five "lockers" you're using? From your post it seems like money isn't a serious concern, but man, that's gotta be expensive.

I think you've discovered that buying toys just to give yourself something to do is a hollow pursuit. And as you've also discovered, it's become a serious problem unto itself. When it gets to a point like this, it's more like hoarding and not collecting for the joy and satisfaction the items themselves give you. And suggesting that you can't stop for fear of having no reason to get out of bed each day is a cause for concern.

I'd focus all the energy you've put into buying this stuff into now getting rid of it. I realize that's a hard thing to do both literally and emotionally, but what's the alternative? Having 10 storage lockers in a couple yrs? And even more depression and frustration with what to do with it all?

Best of luck to you.

[MegoSteve]

I know exactly what you're saying. I did buy some contractor bags (really thick garbage bags) the other day with the hopes of slowly picking away at the junk I've amassed downstairs in my basement. Most of the stuff is completely worthless, and last time I was at the Salvation Army, I was shocked at their completely cavalier attitude about donations. They acted like it was a huge inconvenience to take anything (and I wasn't just dropping off yard sale leftovers like most people), so I'm at the point where I'm ready to just chuck the stuff I don't want.

You know, like normal people do...

[ramsey37]

Yep!

Most of the stuff is completely worthless, and last time I was at the Salvation Army, I was shocked at their completely cavalier attitude about donations. They acted like it was a huge inconvenience to take anything (and I wasn't just dropping off yard sale leftovers like most people), so I'm at the point where I'm ready to just chuck the stuff I don't want.

You know, like normal people do...

Several years ago, I was downsizing my hoard of modern toys, and I had a large box of MOC and MIB toys that I was unable to sell on eBay, so I tried to donate them to the local Salvation Army. I called them up to find out when and where to take the toys, and spent a few days getting the runaround from a rather rude woman for my trouble. I finally dumped the toys at Goodwill and walked away. I've never had so much trouble just *giving* away toys at Christmas time in my life....
George

[grayhank]

Well, most of those look modern to me--they have minimal collectible dollar value anyway and more than likely will remain that way for many many years to come. Making parallels 'tween those and Mego is a stretch. Maybe at this point in time their PLAY value exceeds their COLLECTIBLE value?

Yes I assure you that "most" of those are very modern. In fact most of those have only been out for several months. But that's not what I'm talking about. As I don't just buy modern toys, my collection of toys goes back into the vintage years...Mego, Star Wars, Fisher Price and Strawberry Shortcake included. These are the lines that I will probably keep as they hold the most sentimental value for me. And after I've left this world there will probably be one heck of an estate sale

I think you've discovered that buying toys just to give yourself something to do is a hollow pursuit. And as you've also discovered, it's become a serious problem unto itself. When it gets to a point like this, it's more like hoarding and not collecting for the joy and satisfaction the items themselves give you. And suggesting that you can't stop for fear of having no reason to get out of bed each day is a cause for concern.

I don't just run around and buy any toy for the sake of buying it. If I did I'd certainly have more storage lockers than I already do. I do enjoy what I buy. I buy toys that I find appealing or have some kind of sentiment, nostalgia or "wow that is just too cool" feeling to them. And in answer to your concerns, Yes I do have OCD and have lived with diagnosed Depression most of my life. It was actually a psychiatrist who told me "you need to go out and buy some toys and play". Let's just say I took his advice on that one...ok I may have taken it to the extreme...but OCD will do that.

I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder as I'd love to have all these wonderful toys here in my house where I could sit and admire them constantly. They make me happy. And from time to time I do go digging into my lockers and bring back different things to display.

Somewhere along the way I do admit to falling victim to the "Penguin Incident". This is that divisional concept between buying something because you like it OR buying something because of it's potential collectability value. One of the first lines I started buying as an adult collector was Batman the Animated Series. I have always been a huge Batman fan and when these figures came out I had to have them all. I opened them all immediately and played with them as only an adult collector can. The Penguin was one of the early villains released in this line and he was opened right along with the others.

Suddenly the line starts to get a lot of hype and you get caught up into it. Everyone is talking about how rare the Penguin is and you see it at conventions going for $100+. I'm now kicking myself in the pants because I have this figure and everyone's telling me it's not worth anything because it's not carded and so forth. That's what "Hype" does to a person. I'm sure we've all been there at some point. So what happens (at least to someone like myself) is I begin to buy 2 of everything. One to open and one to leave in the package. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Enter the relaunch of Star Wars...can you see where this is going? I'll leave it at that.

[batmanmc]

i did it with the sar wars and star trek rereleases playmates. i sold them and donated a bunch of them to the local godo will star. i sold afew on ebay and aamde trdes. it ws good ast eyar i sold some egos off nd it was very good. i will be doing more of a purge soon. too much stuff have decided wht i like and how much space is being allotted for my toys . once the spce is filled then before something new comes in something old goes out. thats my attitude anyways. it will work for me but you ust figure what works for you. good luck. mike

[Sideshow Spock]

I completely understand the hype thing, and strangely enough, I even fell for some Batman animated figs in the late 90s. Remember the hype around Harley Quinn? I even bought a couple of the Duo Force (I think that's the name) Batgirl that came out about the same time. I was only a casual fan of the cartoons, and I liked the look of the figs themselves, but I pretty much only bought them becuz of the hype-factor you mention. Lots of talk about them on the toy boards and such.

And there were other similar purchases around that time.. other examples of getting caught up in the hype of something and wandering off the path of the only line I collected at the time, Playmates Star Trek.

Fortunately, I realized after a year or two of such impulse buys that this was not the way to go, and all but eliminated extraneous purchases. But I still have three or four boxes of stuff on shelves in my basement to show for it. Including Star Wars. Anyone want a 12" Darth Maul?