Quitting/putting collecting on pause

I never collected Trek, but I remember the 1701 debacle. Only reason I even know who Tasha Yar is, which let me fake my way through TNG conversations.

I'm actually dumping my boxes right now. There had been a few GI Joes I kept because of the artwork early on, but eh. My big hurdle is the import figure boxes. It's just a nice way to organize the extra crap, and the few I have resold, the box makes the difference.

Might just do it. It'll be freeing to crush them.
 
I threw away almost all my Mezco one:12 boxes, then about six months later I sold them all loose. I kept a handful of figures and packaging, like Space Ghost, the Conans, tins of Christopher Reeve and Wolverine.

I have some regret throwing away the imports and 1/6 boxes, even with the figures not being on a potential sell list. I did that a few years back when I had an overabundance of loose figures (mostly Hasbro). I've been holding on to the boxes again, but who knows, maybe I'll get the urge to eventually dump them.
 
I don't think I've sold any loose import figures, but I didn't feel there was a dramatic difference in the Mezco prices at the time. There is some packaging I feel is flat out plain and boring. I would include most Mezco in that category, at least the stuff I had. That reminds me, I also threw away all the Super7 packaging. Thankfully, I wasn't a big S7 buyer.
 
I’m sure dumping 1/6 and import boxes hurts resale value to a material degree, but the question I would ask is:

“Do you really care?”

One general consensus I’m seeing here is that we purchased these figures for our own enjoyment and not as an investment.

Another general consensus I’m seeing here is that we’re not looking to sell because we need the money per se. We’re just inundated with all of the “stuff” we’ve accumulated over the years.

If condensing 25 or more import boxes into bagged figures and accessories that can easily fit into a single under the bed or stackable storage bin gives you some piece of mind, I say “Go for it!”

My own approach was to unbox import figures that haven’t retained much value. A good example is the figma KanColle girls. A few of them will fetch a good price on eBay, but most of them aren’t even worth selling individually and will eventually be sold as a loose lot.

My overall experience is that if a figure is in demand, it’s in demand. It will sell whether you still have the original packaging or not.
 
Yeah, I don't think I'm ever going to sell any of these Mafex. Even if lpzz suddenly drops a Daredevil banger.

I agree most of the Mezco packaging is pretty lame. Sometimes even over engineered when it's special.

My favourite packaging that I wouldn't get rid of is all the third party stuff. I think that's what has a charm. My sporty girl generic box. The not Warcraft boxes that make use of every facet to put instructions and directions.

It feels Punk. Maybe that's my direction this year.
 
I used to really have a hard time throwing away packaging as a kid. Looking back now, I think it was just the undiagnosed ADHD and being enamored by the pretty colors and such. I'd just cram it all under my bed. Needless to say, my mom, who was a bit of a neat freak at the time, was not happy when she found it all. But hey, at least it wasn't porn or something! (that was stashed elsewhere)

I admire everyone's realization and tenacity at bettering themselves. I don't know why we've all had these life-changing realizations of late (though I can think of a handful of reasons), but I'm sure it's something everyone comes to at some point in their lives. I often complain about space here in NY, but I do think in a roundabout way, it's helped me realize these lessons a lot sooner than I normally would. It's easier to see mess and clutter and overcrowding in smaller spaces. In a weird way, I worry about what'll happen if/when I do move to a bigger space one day. I don't want to forget all these good lessons and be tempted to buy more just to fill the space. I keep trying to remind myself it's about utilization more than filling, if that makes sense. Use the extra space not for more figures, per se, but to let the ones you have breathe a bit- give them cooler poses, or space them out so you can see all the little details, etc.

It's ironic, because my boyfriend is definitely a bit of a hoarder himself. Not just of stuff, but he also has a bad habit of letting clutter pile up. I've come to realize over the years that it's both a neurodivergence thing and an anxiety thing with him, so we're working on it. But whenever things get really bad, he'll often say "It won't seem as bad when I have a bigger place", and I have no issue telling him that it doesn't matter how big or small your space is, bad habits will adapt regardless. But I've never been particularly good at following my own advice.

I don't really have a resolution for this year. I don't know if I entirely believe in them anymore. But if I did, it would definitely be something along the lines of "continue to simplify and appreciate what you have"
 
The only boxes I still have are actually my Mezco figures, of which I own 5; three Conans, Solomon Kane, and The Crow. And, in fairness, right now four of those figures are IN those boxes. That's the reason I've kept them; because I rotate out what's on display at any given time, and the boxes with the trays feels like the safest storage solution. For most other toys I'm good with binning them, but I don't trust Mezco's to not get all fucked up that way and then I'll feel like an idiot destroying a 200 dollar toy to save myself the 2'x2' square that those boxes take up in a closet.


OH, and I have the boxes for each of my Kickstarter Spawn figures (1 regular, 1 medieval), but those are actually displayed behind/beside the figures because I think it looks cool that way.
 
The only boxes I still keep are for the more high-end things- statues, Hot Toys, anything fragile. Things that, if placed in a box to move, could break easily. If it's just a normal figure, I always make myself throw it away, however pretty it may be. Would I love to connect the Black Series boxes to make a purdy mural? Absolutely, but it just eats up too much damn space that I don't have.
 
At least the only enticing thing about the Star Wars boxes is that little panel on the side. An industrious collector could just cut the box down to that one side panel, line them all up together in a long/narrow frame, and take up almost no space at all while displaying the entire mural.

I'd probably do something like that if I bought anywhere near enough Black Series figures. But I don't.
 
Xavion2025 said:
I’m sure dumping 1/6 and import boxes hurts resale value to a material degree, but the question I would ask is:

“Do you really care?”
Click to expand...

I've discovered, completely anecdotally I might add and everyone's mileage will probably vary, but most purchasers of "regular" action figures (domestic, import, smaller scale stuff) don't tend to get too caught up in the packaging. Some do, of course, but on the whole it seems like if a buyer is dead-set on having the box then they aren't looking at used listings to begin with.

The ones who are completely psychotic about it are the Hot Toys collectors, though. These guys will not only demand that you have the original packaging but that you even have the original SHIPPING box (the boring brown cardboard box Sideshow ships the figure to you in). I've had brand new, never opened, mint and sealed Hot Toys that I couldn't move on my eBay store because I had ditched that stupid shipper box. It seems to add at least $50 to the overall value. So now, in my storage area for Hot Toys boxes, it's a sea of brown because you just never know when you'll need to sell something. It's so dumb. And I say this as a Hot Toys collector myself lol

And to your question: I don't, no. I don't really care all that much outside of having to wade through the weird messages I get, all asking the same question: "dO yOu hAvE tHe sHiPpEr bOxXxX??"
 
SalemCrow said:
I think I mentioned in my initial post that I basically have 2 10x10 storage units that are filled with mainly my toys and other assorted items.
I've been taking the last month and a half to try and sort out some things to sell.
Click to expand...
Right there with you, but in the early stages.

TheGillMan said:
I think I'm going to start spending an hour a week going through tubs & shelves and figuring out what I want to get rid of.
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This is my plan - I need to get through a couple of boxes each week, catalog it, and decide what to display or display better, or sell (or give away), or possibly hold onto for future displays.

A more ambitious me would get going on an actual Action Figure museum, which would be focused on how the figures are made for kids to get a sense of careers like applying art skills, and chemical/plastic skills, and engineering and tooling, and logistics, and business and market research. And as part of that would include 1,000s of figures as well, but with focus on how things like paint and articulation and so on have changed, what that means, etc.
 
Xavion2025 said:
I’m sure dumping 1/6 and import boxes hurts resale value to a material degree, but the question I would ask is:

“Do you really care?”

One general consensus I’m seeing here is that we purchased these figures for our own enjoyment and not as an investment.
Click to expand...
I have never kept much packaging for this reason - the effort to keep the packaging and store it outweighs the benefit to me.

It is always amazing to me how much space the packaging takes especially for boxed 1:12 figure lines - over the holidays I finally unpacked all the most recent Naughty or Nice figures - what was a huge shipper box is now in a space about 1/3rd the volume.

Xavion2025 said:
My overall experience is that if a figure is in demand, it’s in demand. It will sell whether you still have the original packaging or not.
Click to expand...
Agreed, figures selling for a true premium years later sell for plenty even if loose, and those that aren't in demand the packaging doesn't matter too much. My assumption is that many (if not the majority) of collectors looking for an in-demand figure want to display the figure so the packaging is only a bonus if it is there.
 
I tossed some Hot Toys boxes away when I didn't think there was enough value in the boxed figure compared to the value I placed on saved space, like the umpteenth ScarJo. I've also made some mistakes by throwing away boxes for random unlicensed 1/6 figures.

For 1/12, I bag the extra accessories and most have something from the original box clipped and placed in the baggie for easier identification.
 
TheRealSmallville said:
I've discovered, completely anecdotally I might add and everyone's mileage will probably vary, but most purchasers of "regular" action figures (domestic, import, smaller scale stuff) don't tend to get too caught up in the packaging. Some do, of course, but on the whole it seems like if a buyer is dead-set on having the box then they aren't looking at used listings to begin with.

The ones who are completely psychotic about it are the Hot Toys collectors, though. These guys will not only demand that you have the original packaging but that you even have the original SHIPPING box (the boring brown cardboard box Sideshow ships the figure to you in). I've had brand new, never opened, mint and sealed Hot Toys that I couldn't move on my eBay store because I had ditched that stupid shipper box. It seems to add at least $50 to the overall value. So now, in my storage area for Hot Toys boxes, it's a sea of brown because you just never know when you'll need to sell something. It's so dumb. And I say this as a Hot Toys collector myself lol

And to your question: I don't, no. I don't really care all that much outside of having to wade through the weird messages I get, all asking the same question: "dO yOu hAvE tHe sHiPpEr bOxXxX??"
Click to expand...
THIS. I've really only recently begun to dabble into the world of Hot Toys, but the one time I sold something and didn't have the shipper box, you'd have thought that I took this guy's entire childhood toy collection and burned it in front of him. I follow a couple Hot Toys pages on various platforms, and the number of posts I see with people freaking out about the tiniest little things is absurd. Like, a tiny little crease in the character's outfit, or a tiny, barely perceptible scuff on the skin. Sure, when paying so much for something, you want it to be in good condition, but some of the reactions are just beyond. I really try not to judge anyone, but even I feel it's a bit too much sometimes.
 
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