One of the reasons I posted this was to try and understand this issue better. Notice early that I stated I am not in the hobby for the purpose of re-sale, but after my selling experience AND looking at various secondary sellers (esp. E-bay) it is a little confusing. Many here are stating it is not an investment and to expect to take a loss if you are selling, which is fine - then why/how is it possible for people to charge higher prices or auctions to rise to the prices they do. Besides the sentimental/visually appealing "value" what is the true value of what we are collecting?
Regardless of what you're buying or selling, it really all comes down to what you're prepared to pay for any given item and/or what you're prepared to sell it for.
Buying & selling on any auction site, always comes with some form of risk and the timing of the auction can make all the difference.
Where collectors often come unstuck is when they try and off load items quickly or have unreasonably expectations of what they think the item is worth.
It's always disappointing to sell at a loss, but I think many collectors unrealistically expect to make a profit, simply because you've owned the item for a period of time. For example, lets say you buy a new car straight off the factory floor. Any car dealer will tell you (after he's sold it to ya), before you've even driven it out of the car-yard it's already devalued.
Personally speaking, I don't have a lot of funds to play with, so my purchases are made very carefully and in that sense I've got to really want the TS item before I buy it. Don't let the present market put you off collecting mate, there are plenty of bargains out there, you just have to be patient.
My advice is simple, spend wisely, enjoy your purchases and check out the market well before you try and sell/buy off stuff.
Cheers!
