How Has the Economy Affected You?
So with the American economy in the dumper (and soon the rest of the world) I’ve been left wondering about my toy buying habits. I had already scaled back and haven’t gotten much in the last few months (aside from a gigantic Millenium Falcon) and I’m expected to buy even less the scarier the news gets.
This is also in addition for the need to scale back because the rising costs of toys. Seven to eight dollars isn’t unexpected for a 3 3/4th” inch figure and an even higher price for larger scale figures doesn’t really encourage me to buy many toys. On the upside, a staggering economy might make it easier to get older toys for a bit cheaper as less people have extra money to spend on reliving their youth.
To make things even more frightening personally, more and more of my work is going to our friends in India… yikes. I guess they’ll have more money to buy toys when I’m eventually pulled out of my job like a tick in a redneck.
Am I the only one here? How if at all has the struggling economy affected your toy buying habits? Is there any point where you’d simply just give up buying toys all together? And if you even type the phrase, “Why doesn’t the government bail me out?” I owe you one punch in the face.
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I also blame waning interest but I’ve pretty much stopped collecting everything except Transformers, my “core interest”. I haven’t bought a new Joe in ages even though I kind of want the vehicles and Barbecue. I dropped Marvel Legends and super heroes ages ago.
Even Transformers is severely scaled back. I’ve gotten maybe a dozen since 2008 started and I’m more or less caught up except for the latest wave of Universe (Ironhide and Silverstreak).
Like I said, I also blame lack of interest/space but lack of money doesn’t help. I’ve just got
betterother things to do with my time/money these days.October 2nd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I’m in the same camp, it’s not so much the economy but my recent change in status from single to married. Saving money for a down payment on a house far outweighs getting a Cobra Rattler (even though it is the ballz).
@Josh
Transformers is my core as well. And some how I ended up with 40+ GI Joes MOC. What started with the three box sets has become a collection of ridiculous proportions.
October 2nd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I was just thinking yesterday about how much I’m going to have to start saying “no” to. There haven’t been new Joes I’ve been dying to get here(except the Rattler) so that’s cool, but eventually there will be and I’m deciding as we speak what I’ll pass on.
I collect and play Heroclix and I’ve been scaling back on that for months as well. Joes and legos are going to be a priority for me, but with the “pick a brick” thing on Lego.com and other neat stuff(and the safety that most new Joe waves are dull), I should be pretty safe from dropping a ton of cashola on anything right now.
It’s a depressing time here in toyland. Even the cool figures warm the pegs, and prices only continue to increase with no interest. Plus my girlfriend buys me things so I’m inclined to do the same.
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I’ve got a present filled birthday in a few weeks! So as long as the economy can hold up a little longer I can live out in the alley with a new toy.
What?!!? Toybender is moving to India?
As you exit ToyBender -> Thank you, come again.
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I get a frivolity fund of $100 a month, and that ain’t changing yet.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:12 pm
My habits have changed, but it really has little to do with the economy. I mean, I refuse to buy Joes for 8 bucks a figure and I refuse to buy ML at 10-15 bucks a figure, but my biggest two problems are:
1. Space
and
2. Interest.
My “toy room” is currently also my office and Guinea Pig room and GPs take up a lot more space than you’d think. But my interest has really died down quite significantly. The toys these days just seem cheaply made in many cases and I get bored with them. Maybe I’m “growing up”.
Sam
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:36 am
Well I just got a new job, and when the semester is over I’ll be having a new job that pays me triple the salary in janurary. And my Job is solid ’cause, well, its a govt job and not something that can be outsourced.
So I’ll actually be buying MORE toys in less than 4 months.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
It does have an effect on my toy buying habits. Toys are a luxury, so I’m looking for ways to spend more efficiently on these items. Hope that things turn sooner than later.
October 4th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I’ve scaled back on toy collecting almost entirely. I’m deliberately going to ignore anything from ‘09. My only goals are 2 ARAH-era Joes, completing the MASS device, and some repro decals. That’s it.
I never thought I’d get to this point. But it’s no biggie. I have other hobbies and I can appreciate the collection now for what it has. . .instead of what’s missing. IMO, contentment is truly the rarest accessory in toy collecting.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Like the rest, I’ve really scaled my toy-buying almost to zero in the last few months. More and more, I’m starting to see that it’s a tremendous waste of money. Maybe I’m growing up, I don’t know. I fervently bought any new 25th Anniversary Joe toys that came out, and for awhile was lusting for the new ones. But I think having seen the Rattler and the Conquest really brought things into perspective for me. I was at Target earlier this week and picked up the Rattler and was like “Wow, I really have to get this….wait. Where will I put a giant plastic airplane?” Furthermore, what am I going to do with this? I mean, really?
I went home and looked at my shelves full of Joes and comic action figures and had something of an epiphany. I loved all these things as a child, but back then, I also PLAYED with them. Now, these things all warm shelves in my home office, not having been touched in months.
I will always love toys, but I think I am growing past my need for them in my life.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Kind of how I feel StormSigma. It’s both sad and, I have to admit, a little comforting.
Sam
October 6th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I’ve noticed this huge trend in collectors scaling back or dropping the hobby entirely.
Is toy collecting “on the way out”?
October 6th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Sam, same here.
Josh, if it’s on its way out, they’ve done it to themselves. I was absolutely excited aobout the Joes when that first wave hit. “WOW!” I exclaimed. They’re still the same four bucks they were “back in the day!” I’ll get them all!
And then the last wave dropped at Target, where they’re now like $7.99 each, and I got five of ‘em, and didn’t really think about it til I got to the register and it was $43 out the door. The price has doubled, and has kinda become too much for what you’re getting. What makes a GI Joe worth eight dollars when it was four dollars a year ago? It’s certainly not new molds, that’s for sure! (yes, a shameless dig at all the body part reusing the line is falling into).
October 6th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Not to mention that you can’t ever find the dang things! It’s gotten better, but seriously, how hard can it be to mass produce an obvious seller?
Oh, wait, I guess I should ask Nintendo…
Sam
October 6th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Josh,
I think that it’s just morphing honestly. More than anything, I feel that some collectors are either “growing up” if you will or are just tired of shelling out beaucoup bucks for little pieces of plastic. That and they’retired of never finding stuff on the local store shelves but finding it at a huge mark-up on Ebay. But there seems to be a new breed of younger collector taking over for the fuddy duddies.
Sam
October 9th, 2008 at 1:47 am
I’m still sticking to my budget, but it brings in less toys. There are Transformers and Joes that I’ve been waiting months to finally pick up. Vehicle- and multi-packs for the Joes, larger items for the TFs. I haven’t bought any of the Clone Wars-release Star Wars figures, though I definitely want a bunch. So yes, I’ve scaled back, but not by choice…
October 9th, 2008 at 11:36 am
boo hoo - 25th gi joes? $15
starwars comic 2packs? $30
batman dark knight 2up? 50 freakin’ dollars.
get used to feeling like an aussie toy collector.
October 11th, 2008 at 7:20 am
If toys ever cost that much around here, I would never even consider buying them.
Sam
October 12th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I’ve got a bunch of stuff finally shipping but on the whole I’m not buying much.
I seem to be buying more expensive things over run-of-the-mill domestic retail stuff too.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
[...] or are you going through one right now? I know we went over something like this in my post “How Has the Economy Affected You?” so I’d like to hear if your toy purchasing has lessened or grown or what since that [...]