29 replies to this topic

[PlasticSoul]

I've been asking myself this question a lot lately and i would like other peoples opinion if anyone is willing.

 

What drives you to purchase any specific toy or lot of toys?

 

Is it about the price? Meaning if there are toys for sale and it's a great deal do you go after that just because it's priced really low regardless of whether you truly want those toys or not? I know personally sometimes a great price makes me get stuff i would otherwise pass up.

 

Do you have a specific list of toys you are always after or are you more of a random shopper then that? I think i go in pretty blind and don't know what i want til i see it.

 

Do you buy stuff out of loyalty to a specific company or an individual indie toy guy just to support what they do or does that not matter to you at all? For me i try to support people who are doing things i like or enjoy or just respect. By that same token there are occasionally toys i like that i avoid because of who is behind them. 

 

I think for me over the last year or so my buying habits have changed a lot. I used to grab whatever i felt was cool without much thought behind it. Time went by and i realized i had lots of toys i kind of liked and only a few i really loved. I slowed down quite a bit and started only going after things i thought i would like months after i got them rather then days. It got to the point where months could go buy without making any kind of toy purchase at all. One fun side effect was that i actually felt okay about buying more expensive toys since it really was just a once in awhile thing. Who created the toys also started to play a big role in what i collected. Going after stuff because of who was behind it and avoiding other stuff for the same reason. I think what i buy and how i buy it is still changing pretty much constantly. 

 

What about you guys? 

[cassel87]

I buy toys so I don't have any money left to buy meth

[Behemoth]

MIMP are my addiction. I NEED MY FIX!!!

[SubwayRats]

I buy toys that I love simply because as a kid we didn't get things for the sake of just wanting them. I try to support creators I respect and will avoid people's work that I've had a bad experience with.

[jason76basin]

i also tend to get alot of older stuff that i wasn't able to get as a kid, because of money and all that.....then, after i have them a while, i'm good with parting ways with them. but i will also stray and get newer toys that i just find "neat".....but there's no real rhyme or reason to what i get

[plasticfiend]

Good question. Not totally sure... But probably nostalgia more than anything. Timeline wise it comes in phases. For the most part with the exception of random (and by random we are talking every couple years) I haven't been buying anything for 15-17 years. And then Dad passed away and I started going through all my old toys I've had since I was a child... And now I've only recently started buying stuff again. Not on any grand scale, but still... Certainly haven't had ANYTHING to do with MUSCLE figures in almost 30 years and I've been buying a bunch lately. But maybe it's because I know I can relatively easily sort through and unload stuff if I really needed too. I think a lot of the recent activity ties into Dad... and reigniting some of that magic. Not sure.

During the 90s I bought a ton of toys... But didn't play with them. I think I thought they would be good investments - which was silly. But it kinda tied into the whole comic book thing. So they went into a box, or on display. Kinda sad!

As far as you question about Indy toy makers... I didn't even know that they existed until I came to this board. And so far, I've gotten a couple of odd ball customs that I have been thrown in with various lots or trades with muscles. However, just last week I purchased my very first custom from Eric Nilla. It was a Sophia III keshi which is really awesome! I like the idea of the Indy scene... But I haven't really put my money where my mouth is because besides the Muscles I don't really want to start anything new. Money is always a concern and if push comes to shove I'd rather throw the extra cash into the retirement fund or a home.

But then talk to me tomorrow and I may change my mind and buy a whole bunch of crap I don't need lol...

Not sure I answered the question.

PF

[Behemoth]

Not sure I answered the question.

PF

3 paragraphs of text and never actually answering a question qualifies you to run for Congress.

 

VOTE PF in 2014! One nation under Plastic!

[Jesse]

First of all respect for posting this its a very good question.

For me i collect because i never got to finish my collection and also because they remind me of my childhood and toys remind me of more simple times.

And its nice to just hang out here to possibly help fellow collectors or talk about toys with others.

[Sixthwizard]

I never grew up.

[Ericnilla]

My collecting now is very specific and stems from my childhood toys (like most if not everyone else here).  I've collected almost every major 80's toy at one time or another, but have sold off most of my collection over the years.  Space and money played a big part on my down sizing, but over the years I find myself more drawn to mini-figures than I have anything else i've collected. I primarily collect Japanese keshi (across many different keshi lines), but I joined this forum as a Muscle collector.  As I finished my flesh set I moved on to some color, and from there I started collecting Japanese kinkeshi. Kinnikuman was my gateway drug, and once I started it opened the door to so many different toylines released in keshi form. i haven't looked back, and there is always something new I find and need.  I realized later on that I had a deeper connection with Keshi as the older rubber is pretty much eraser rubber.  As a child I loved erasers and had an affinity toward collecting them. I remember having a small cigar box filled with different erasers, in all shapes and sizes, different colors, designs. and for some reason I really liked the smell of them. I get that same feeling with vintage keshi as I did as a kid. Just now I have erasers in cool little figure/ monster shapes.

 

I still collect a few other toy lines like Masters of the Universe (which I loved as a kid as well), but collect them sporadically and at my leisure. Like most things I collect I like getting a deal and take my time collecting. I'm in no hurry to finish. I have seen so many people come and go, getting burnt out trying to finish their sets as fast as possible.

 

I collect because I enjoy it, and it makes me happy.

[Draznar]

I'm pretty OCD, so I can frequently bounce between things I like. I know this, so I generally try to stop myself from making compulsive purchases. (Of which there have certainly been many).

I primarily collect Battle Beasts, (because I like them), and Transformers Beast Wars, (nostalgia). Due to my completionist mentality, (OCD at it's finest), I've collected almost every single figure in either of those two brands. Do I like all the figures? Absolutely not. Will I buy them and complete them anyways? You bet your ass.

As for other lines, my space is limited, (especially since the Transformers moved into town), so I pretty much have things like this:

A shelf for Ironhaus stuff
A shelf for random stuff
A shelf for my Halo Mega Bloks
A shelf with MUSCLE, Digimon, and my six favourite glyos figures
A shelf I'm currently emptying and possibly filling with Gormiti.
Every other shelf in my house: Transformers. Transformers galore.

So if I want new figures, and those shelves are full, I need to clear space. My wife is happier because I'm no longer buying/installing new shelves, just switching around the stock, so-to-speak.

[thenerdieststore]

I buy toys for a few reasons. My first reason is that I want that childhood thrill of getting a toy. The opening, feeling excited and posing of that toy. Now my loyalties are a little waving because I found some toy hobbies a lot more depressing than others (G. I. Joe, Transformers, TMNT, or mainly anything American branded). I like feeling the joy of getting a new toy and being amazed by what he looks like and what not. Now all my current toy hobbies seem to be steming from my love of Japanese culture.

[ironmask]

I buy toys so I don't have any money left to buy meth

Pfffffhahahaahahahaha 

Cass is #1. 

 

For me, I think the more defining question is: "What keeps me from buying toys that I might like?"

 

The reason I DO buy toys is easy. I like them. If I don't still like them after a period of time, I gift the toy to somebody that I think WOULD like it. 

 

Why do I pass on toys? Why do YOU pass on toys? I think that is probably a question with a slightly deeper rabbit-hole.

What lines are you interested in, that have one or two factors that that keep you from getting invested in them?

Edited by ironmask, 20 September 2014 - 07:12 AM.

[plasticfiend]

3 paragraphs of text and never actually answering a question qualifies you to run for Congress.
 
VOTE PF in 2014! One nation under Plastic!

You guys heard it here FiRST! I'm announcing my candidacy for congress!!

Woo!

PF

[thenerdieststore]

You guys heard it here FiRST! I'm announcing my candidacy for congress!!

Woo!

PF

 

I would vote for ya! lol

[wallacegreenway13]

I GOTTA HAVE 'EM ALL!...err or at least the ones I find cool...or to complete a set...or ...or...or  *Runs off screams to raid the local stores' toy isles* lol

[Krangala]

I buy toys so I don't have any money left to buy meth

I buy toys with the money I have left after buying meth.

[PlasticSoul]

Thanks for the insight.

 

It is pretty interesting to see so many people either buying what they had as kids or buying what they couldn't have as kids. I think i do the same actually. Never manged to get the pink cereal premium mimp wolf as a kid but it was the thing i wanted most when i found this site and rediscovered so many toys. 

 

 

Why do I pass on toys? Why do YOU pass on toys? I think that is probably a question with a slightly deeper rabbit-hole.

What lines are you interested in, that have one or two factors that that keep you from getting invested in them?

 

That's a tough one honestly. Some stuff i like but i just refuse to jump through all the hoops needed to get the toys. For example the Onion Fights keshi stuff is wonderful but the guy behind it all refuses to sell outside japan so aftermarket prices are brutal unless you have tons of connections like Nilla does and can snag them at retail price from japan. Some stuff is easy to get but brutal shipping prices keep me away. I can't even imagine how hard it is for non-us peoples to keep up with all the stuff we get here. Lastly there are of course certain lines of toys made by people whom i choose simply not to support for various personal reasons.  

[iwao]

I've been asking myself this question a lot lately and i would like other peoples opinion if anyone is willing.

 

What drives you to purchase any specific toy or lot of toys?

 

Is it about the price?

 

Do you have a specific list of toys you are always after or are you more of a random shopper then that?

 

Do you buy stuff out of loyalty to a specific company or an individual indie toy guy just to support what they do or does that not matter to you at all?

 

I think for me over the last year or so my buying habits have changed a lot. I used to grab whatever i felt was cool without much thought behind it. Time went by and i realized i had lots of toys i kind of liked and only a few i really loved. I slowed down quite a bit and started only going after things i thought i would like months after i got them rather then days. It got to the point where months could go buy without making any kind of toy purchase at all. One fun side effect was that i actually felt okay about buying more expensive toys since it really was just a once in awhile thing. Who created the toys also started to play a big role in what i collected. Going after stuff because of who was behind it and avoiding other stuff for the same reason. I think what i buy and how i buy it is still changing pretty much constantly. 

 

What about you guys? 

My buying habits over the last year have changed a lot too and are also constantly changing. I try to limit myself to a display space and a few small storage containers that have been filled for more than a year. Sometimes I move toys I really like on to another collector just because I need to free up some display space, and need money, to buy something new that I want. I'm always collecting, but my collection isn't always growing anymore. I won't buy a toy just because of a great price. I need to want it more than something I've already got.

 

My retail store buys are mostly driven by my kids' collecting. It's cool because we watch stuff like TMNT together and I'm into the cartoon as much as they are, so I don't mind hunting for every Nickelodeon TMNT figure that's out there and spending most of my toy budget now on stuff that my kids will play with. Whether my kids will want my toys someday also factors into what I keep and add to my collection.

 

All the companies and indie toy guys that I continue to support are people I've had good experiences with. I can't afford to be a completionist or buy everything someone sells out of loyalty. My collection is pretty eclectic too, so a new toy I feel like I have to have can pop up pretty randomly.

 

Nostalgia doesn't drive my collection much anymore. I don't like used toys or high-priced mint in mint package toys. If I buy something old, I prefer to get it unopened but also in a beat up package that brings the price down because I want to open it anyway.

[Metalmonkey]

I'm a little from column A, & a little from B..

Initially, nostalgia was a big driving factor. Collecting many of the toys I had as a kid was fun for a while, but my tastes have diverged over the last few years. Mostly just collect LRG's now, thankfully. Im still nothing short of a full-blown toy addict tho.
Ive always been big on anime and some videogames, mostly Japanese stuff. Drawing would be a favourite past time, so between games, flicks and toys I would get inspired to try my hand at scribbling monsters and other stuff I liked. So seeing other cool toys kinda spurs me on to do my own stuff.

Nowadays I really like many of the indie toys we are seeing, most of which Ive stumbled across my readings here.
Just getting into making toys lately thats really a big part of why I like and buy them - I started to see them a bit differently; not so much as art but I admire the technical side of how a toy gets made.

Really, the reason I buy toys has changed so many times and probably will continue to, and I kinda like that about collecting.

Edited by Metalmonkey, 21 September 2014 - 03:17 AM.

[ironmask]

I generally have no issue with buying ONLY the figures I like from a line... Completionism is not a bug that I have been bitten by. My collection makes sense in some areas, but I have a box of micro figures that range all over the place, and would likely not make much sense to anybody that isn't me.

A lot of times, availability keeps me from buying figures, especially indy figures. I am not going to sit and wait by my computer to compete with other collectors during some drop. I just don't have the time to do that, most days.

Another factor is, the materials that the toys are made out of. If something is brittle, I will probably pass. I am one of those nerds that still plays with their toys, so durability is a mitigating point. Those mix and match wrestling toys from Moose will probably get passed on by me, because I am not a fan of the "stretchy removable spine/open back sculpts" gimmick, for example. I was really excited about those Target slime figures that came out recently, until I bought a few, and my slime yeti fell apart at the waist. Though I love the gimmick, the materials and construction were shabby enough to make me pass on them in the future.

Cost does matter. I'm a single parent, so my expendable income each month is finite. If I can purchase a handful of toys that I like, or one toy for that same cost, I will go with the handful of toys every time. I have passed on some shit that I thought was really neat, because either the cost was exorbitant or the shipping was. Unfortunately, this has an affect on how much of what I like that I can procure, because the kinds of toys that I like the most are typically European only releases.

And finally, I get (Edit: I really did misspell the word "get". DAMN IT, ROMMEL) what Plastico was saying about not buying toys for personal reasons. Working in the indy toy field has been a blessing in many ways, but also a curse in some other ways. I have made some great friends, but I have also interacted with some people who's ethics I find deplorable, and I refuse to give those people my money as a matter of principle. I DO want to add though, that the good FAR outweigh the bad.

Edited by ironmask, 21 September 2014 - 12:50 PM.

[plasticfiend]

Please believe that I'm not asking details or trying to start anything... Just making an observation. Multiple folks have made references to various horror stories in regards to some of the various Indy toy makers out here. It just sounds like there are some crazy stories out there.
I would have thought such a small community couldn't afford bad blood.

But I guess you see that in every industry/ genre to some extent. I see it in the balloon world sometimes.

PF

[plasticfiend]

I just re-read my post and was worried that it came across as fussing about anyone that has commented on this thread.

I didn't mean it to come across as such at all.

What I was trying to say is that I was surprised that the other folks (that have been unscrupulous or dishonest) could afford to do so in such a small community.

Just clarifying.

; )

PF

Edited by plasticfiend, 21 September 2014 - 12:47 PM.

[ironmask]

If I have dealt with 100 toy making people types, less than 5 of them are what I would consider to be shitbags... They just happen to be cartoonishly shitbaggish. All in all, it's a scene of people that are practically tripping over themselves to help others out. Haha, my particular beefs are pretty well documented, so I won't get into rehashing anything. I'll sing the praises of guys like Luke, Eric, Zectron, Ersico, Bryan (from Kaiju Kaos), Monsterforge, Bill (the guy behind the pug figure that everybody hates, but is an awesome dude), Lee from Bigman, and I know I am forgetting a bunch of people... But like I said, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Still, I refuse to give one red cent to people that I feel treat the business (and the folks in it) like shit (or in some cases, slave labor).

[Behemoth]

I just re-read my post and was worried that it came across as fussing about anyone that has commented not his board.

I didn't mean it to come across as such at all.

What I was trying to say is that I was surprised that the other folks (that have been unscrupulous or dishonest) could afford to do so in such a small community.

Just clarifying.

; )

PF

Jerks reside everywhere. Most of them get weeded out eventually, but sometimes it takes a while before their true colors come to light.