OMG!!!....how about these prices on Ebay... (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter mikemiller1955
- Start date
Good post, Mike. Lots of truth in it. I am one of the "unlimited issue" collector types. It is essential for me to be able to purchase without a feeding frenzy to worry about. I have to be able to budget purchases and can't be pushed into rushing a purchase because of limited issue. I have never bought a piece with future resale value in mind as I don't plan to resell. I'm not saying I haven't resold, I have, and quite a few things, at that. I have lost on some, made out on some. The thing is, that money I got from those sales went right back into TS, so it was a trade-off as far as I was concerned, both in monetary value and space. I do not begrudge collectors who want profit from resale, it is just not what I do. I just like the option to purchase what I want without worry that it will be long gone when I finally have cash for it. Because of the restrictions on income, I do not get involved, at all, in the insane secondary market. There is just nothing I want bad enough to break the bank. But that's just me and I understand that others think completely the other way. To each, his own.:smile2: -- Al
rpk
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Looks like the $300/figure guy is going after BM-03-4, but leaving the other two alone. The other bidder that lost has a bid in on BM-01. Fun to watch at least!
Rich
6th Wisconsin
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I think he is just buying for resell.
johnnybach
Major General
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Well - there you go - all this hootin' and hollerin' you hear about todays prices for things - and how folks are getting ripped off, priced out of the hobby.......unreasonable profits etc.:redface2:
Then - a few years down the line - and some things are going for this kind of money.{eek3}
Just need to use your head - and choose things that are likely to appreciate - if that's what you want.^&confuse
Unless of course - like me - you don't want to part with ANY of the things you buy.!
Then, I guess those who will inherit them are laughing all of the way to the bank!^&grin
johnnybach
Then - a few years down the line - and some things are going for this kind of money.{eek3}
Just need to use your head - and choose things that are likely to appreciate - if that's what you want.^&confuse
Unless of course - like me - you don't want to part with ANY of the things you buy.!
Then, I guess those who will inherit them are laughing all of the way to the bank!^&grin
johnnybach
Combat
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I've said it before, but I think the early BMs have established a false perception that limiting JJ sets creates a "feeding frenzy." Those sets were unique in that they were limited to 250 and were the first ones produced by John. Even they sat on the shelf for a long time. John hasn't limited many others to only 250 - most are 500-1000. Many of those limited sets eventually sold out, but none in short order that I can remember. There was ample time for collectors to buy. Even the early FMs were available until recently. And "unlimited" doesn't necessarily mean a greater number will be made. Just that the collector will never know how many are produced.
I think it has been an enormous mistake to move away from limited editions based on the above with the net result being that some collectors simply pass on buying sets when they are released because they believe they will be available for longer periods but never actually get around to buying them. Collectors who like the notion of having something unique are denied that because there is no way to know how many are produced. And even if you don't like the high secondary market prices associated with more limited sets, they do create a buzz for a manufacturer that is helpful to the reputation of their product as evidenced by this thread.
I think it has been an enormous mistake to move away from limited editions based on the above with the net result being that some collectors simply pass on buying sets when they are released because they believe they will be available for longer periods but never actually get around to buying them. Collectors who like the notion of having something unique are denied that because there is no way to know how many are produced. And even if you don't like the high secondary market prices associated with more limited sets, they do create a buzz for a manufacturer that is helpful to the reputation of their product as evidenced by this thread.
Larry Allen
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I am having a hard time deciding on which side of the fence I will fall. ^&confuse
At the momnet I am leaning towards "Combat's" poistion that most sets should be limited .... but then I swing back to "Lancer's" statement that it is nice to buy when you can afford to do so and not have to feel that you are sacrificing something (above and beyond TS) to get that figure. In a sense every series is "limited", as was stated earlier, with some manufacturers you just don't know when they will be retired.
I have been a K&C AWI boy for a long time with a healthy collecton of AWI. But I missed out on a series or two and now am having a tough time getting those figures. (Hessian and Woodsman}. I don't thnk K&C ever had a "limited" set in the AWI line ??
I found John and the 1812 line and love it, but as I mentioned in another thread there are some sets that just don't exist any more. So trying to build a diorama that holds enough figures to make a good scene is going to be tough. My nearby dearler is George at Minuteman and he is amazing at finding hard to get sets. And when he does they are at the releae price or very close. (Thanks George!)
In the long run I suspose that having a "limited" number is the best ....but not so low that they dry up right away. It gives value to the collection and makes them much more interesting. On the other hand .......{sm2}{sm2}
At the momnet I am leaning towards "Combat's" poistion that most sets should be limited .... but then I swing back to "Lancer's" statement that it is nice to buy when you can afford to do so and not have to feel that you are sacrificing something (above and beyond TS) to get that figure. In a sense every series is "limited", as was stated earlier, with some manufacturers you just don't know when they will be retired.
I have been a K&C AWI boy for a long time with a healthy collecton of AWI. But I missed out on a series or two and now am having a tough time getting those figures. (Hessian and Woodsman}. I don't thnk K&C ever had a "limited" set in the AWI line ??
I found John and the 1812 line and love it, but as I mentioned in another thread there are some sets that just don't exist any more. So trying to build a diorama that holds enough figures to make a good scene is going to be tough. My nearby dearler is George at Minuteman and he is amazing at finding hard to get sets. And when he does they are at the releae price or very close. (Thanks George!)
In the long run I suspose that having a "limited" number is the best ....but not so low that they dry up right away. It gives value to the collection and makes them much more interesting. On the other hand .......{sm2}{sm2}
mikemiller1955
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I'm definitely on the "low limited edition" offerings side of the fence...
you may have to devote yourself a little finanacially to keep up...
but JJ has never been one to release 3-4 sets from the same series per month...
he keeps it very affordable to the public usually with one offering from different series every month...
I do enjoy owning something that not everybody in the world owns too...
while I have never collected a series for speculation...I have purposely bought pieces to flip on Ebay...
I don't think any collector could honestly say...he doesn't like it if his purchases appreciate in value...
owning something that is kind of rare is really cool...
I bought an Eddie Bauer signature series SUV a couple of years ago...a blue one...after I bought it...it seemed like I saw hundreds of them driving around...lol...I swear to God...it seemed like everybody had the same model and paint color as me...mine was nothing special...I never liked it that everybody else had the same thing as me...
I definitely prefer low limited editions...
you may have to devote yourself a little finanacially to keep up...
but JJ has never been one to release 3-4 sets from the same series per month...
he keeps it very affordable to the public usually with one offering from different series every month...
I do enjoy owning something that not everybody in the world owns too...
while I have never collected a series for speculation...I have purposely bought pieces to flip on Ebay...
I don't think any collector could honestly say...he doesn't like it if his purchases appreciate in value...
owning something that is kind of rare is really cool...
I bought an Eddie Bauer signature series SUV a couple of years ago...a blue one...after I bought it...it seemed like I saw hundreds of them driving around...lol...I swear to God...it seemed like everybody had the same model and paint color as me...mine was nothing special...I never liked it that everybody else had the same thing as me...
I definitely prefer low limited editions...
