Buying toys to sell later? Options

[HellCat]

Unlike alot of people here, my Transformers interest is pretty much fiction only. I rarely buy the toys but I often find it interesting to read selected discusions by those who do. One trend I've noticed is of folks being excited for and buying pretty much everything of a sub-line only to sell them all off a few years later.

Now, there are likely good reasons for this. Unless you have a mansion you'd surely never have room for EVERYTHING, even if you stored it. There's also the fact many of the older members will have partners/spouses they share their home with and have to take their tastes into consideration. Heck, you might even just get bored with the toys. But it still strikes me as partly odd, especially when compared to the sheer excitement and amount of leg work folks are willing to put these and other toys/collectables in the first place.

Do you buy intending to sell later on or are you more selective and keep hold of what you've got?

[Goblez]

I buy to own and display. I don't keep any for selling at a later date unless its something rare at a flea market or something I know a friend was looking for.


I despise MISB stuff!

[Fortress Ironhol...]

Anyone who buys toys on the off-chance of their being a sound financial investment is deluding themselves worse than someone who thinks gold is the answer to all of life's problems.

It's entirely a fluke that any of the TFs released over the years have appreciated in value, and there's no guarantee this trend will continue.

In fact, back when everyone first feared that Chinese bootlegs were flooding the market, I recall talk of the prices for select G1 figures absolutely tanking.



OTOH, anyone who buys toys just to immediately resell them online needs some talking to.

[Might Gaine]

The excitement fades after a while. It's nice there's a market for reselling them when you're no longer interested in them. I've cleared out probably 95% of my collection at various times because: was bored with them, needed space, needed money, etc. I don't really miss them--I had my fun with them and now it's someone else's turn.

[Solarstorm]

There's a few reasons to sell one's figures. I never buy with the intention of selling. It just happens.

1) The search for perfection:

Often, fans are interested in certain characters or lineups. I enjoy new shows/lines, but G1 is always the backbone of my collection. I'll buy several new versions of a character over the years, trying to create a perfect neo-G1 lineup. This doesn't always mean classics/universe/generations. For instance, my Henkei Ratchet was put into storage as soon as I received the far nicer TF Prime Ratchet. It's not a window-chest, but it's a very well-done toy, which the Generations one can't say. Same thing with Energon Devastator and MakeToys' Giant. To this end, the old is sold because it is the inferior figure.

2) Money

Collecting is expensive. At times, the older figures in one's collection are a good means to recoup the cost of an expensive collectors piece or to pay a bill. I crashed my car and didn't have collision. I sold every G1 combiner and Citybot along with a HUGE collection of Japanese exclusives (ALL leaders + large exclusives - Victory Saber, Big Powered, Overlord, etc...). This, along with a few other small sales, paid a $4000 repair bill. I plan on selling some stuff in the near future to buy some expensive 3rd party items that I'll prefer (add them up and it's over $1200 in things I want to buy). In these situations, you compare the pros and cons. Would you prefer a pile of Cybertron figures or armor for Ultra Magnus, etc... Priorities vary with each fan.

You don't buy expecting a big return. Some figures will never even be worth what you paid at retail. But if you already have them and they're worth something. They're a good last-minute resource.

3) "Plastic Crack"

Some collectors refer to collecting as "Plastic Crack" for the 'need' to buy and the quick fix of pleasure that comes with a purchase. The joy from picking something up is still there. It just doesn't last as long as it did in childhood. You dwell on the figure you 'NEED' until you have it, then it's on to the next one.

Plus, toys are an entertainment source, like going to a movie or buying a video game. Once you get hours of enjoyment from the figure, you got your money's worth. From there on, it's a matter of space, funding, etc...Some toys will always remain special, but a lot of them become easily replaceable once they're old enough and the excitement has fully worn off. In a competition for limited space, are they worth keeping? I'll buy a whole line as they come out. Then, as my interests move, some will remain and others will be set for sale. For instance, I sold most of Beast Wars, but I couldn't bring myself to sell the water-based ones and japanese exclusives, like Tako Tank. I sold most of Armada, but I'll keep Tidal Wave and Overload. This applies to virtually every line (except the G1 homages. Those stay until a better version of the character comes out. - As in #1).

This post has been edited by Solarstorm: Apr 1 2012, 07:58 PM

[Benbot]

I have a bunch of Transformers that I plan to sell, but I didn't originally buy them with that intent. My tastes have just changed, and it doesn't make much sense to keep toys in my closet that will never to see the light of day. I don't plan on making any money on them, and considering the market, I'll probably end up selling them at a loss.

[Zek]

I'll admit, I don't necessarily play with all my toys...every so often I'll repose a couple, tinker with one a bit here and there, perhaps take a few photos, but I'm not buying them to sell later.

However: If I ever DO get into a situation where I need some cash quick, I've got more than a few figures I won't necessarily miss.

[Msol]

Yup, you can also consider that people "consume" the good when they first transform it. For example I get just about nothing out of any Energon figures right now, even though I enjoyed them at the time. They're just sitting in a box and I would sell them if the money I got in return was more than the effort required to offload them.

[Jeremy]

I don't buy anything specifically to sell later, but I think items coming and going out of a collection is a normal, healthy thing. I'd probably have way more of my stuff sold off already if there was a more decent market for everything, because I often start to feel a little overwhelmed when I think about how much stuff I have. It's just kind of a hassle trying to piece out and sell a collection, and find decent buyers who want everything.

[The Doctor Who]

I remember a coworker who insisted I should buy doubles of the most popular characters and keep them unopened until they became valuable.

I think my exact response was something along the lines of "Why the hell would I buy a toy if I wasn't going to play with it?"

See, my step father collected comics and when they were doing the whole Death of Superman thing he bought several copies thinking it would become a big seller later on. Turns out it doesn't quite work that way, because DC so saturated the market with the comics that anyone who wanted one would have gotten one and used issues were easy to find making it a relatively undesirable comic. Not to mention it was a stupid event series anyway.

Point is: I learned from that, that the collectors market is something based entirely on interest and availability and can be very hard to predict. So, for my own part, I collect Transformers with the intent of enjoying them. If my figures become valuable later on, great. I might sell some off to recoup some of the costs or to make some money in a pinch, but I think I've more than recouped their cost in the fun I've had with them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

[tec]

I buy toys for me to own open mess with store or display
Sometimes its the Plastic Crack syndrome..but only if im felling down
Of course I have bought only 9 non TF "toys" this year so far
2 GI-Joe vehicals
5 Lego kits
1 Gundam model kit
1 Anime figuer

[Rhinox]

I have and continue to grab the occasional figure for resale down the road. Usually I wait until I really need money, then go rooting around in the basement to see what I can find. Sometimes I win, sometimes not.

[Liege]

I only pick up extras if I know of someone looking for a particular figure and I only sell/give away my old stuff if a better version is coming out (eg. DOTM Shockwave got donated to work in preparation for FOC Shockwave).

MISB collecting annoys me. TFs aren't particularly valuable for the most part and displaying transformers without being able to transform them is... well, kinda stupid.

[SilverFirePrime]

I never buy toys with the intent of selling them later. However, I'm not against doing so, and have done so to make space, especially if I've lost interest in them. Saying that, anyone have any interest in 1998-2000 non Treasure Hunt Hot Wheels? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

[Rust]

I'll be honest:

Ever since I saw Toy Story, I've been completely unwilling to keep a toy in the package. They must be free!