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vavavoom

Collecting Dilemma

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Hii guys,
I would like to share my 2 cents opinion/advice on what Hobby Collecting is all about. I'm very sure many of you guys have experienced this the hard way. But 1st lemme briefly tell you about myself. I've been collecting comics & other collectibles for more than 30 years. Over that period of time, I've collected books (comics, hardcovers, prestige formats, graphic novels ect), statues, hard to find merchandise, trading cards on Ultraman, Star Trek, Marvel & DC characters, Conan, Alex Ross stuffs, basketball cards, dinosaurs and other stuffs that might interest me from time to time. And most recently (2007), Hot Wheels!!

In 1990s I started to go into Basketball cards. During these period I've realized that my obsessions had cost me a fortune!! At one time, I spent over RM10,000.00 in less than a week buying stupid Basketball cards boxes after boxes just to get a Jordan autographs etc!! Stupid? Damn right!!

This is what happen to a lot of new collectors. Thru my experience, THE THRILL OF LOOKING/SEARCHING FOR WHAT WE WANT IS THE BEST MOST EXHILARATING FEELING EVER!! We dream about it, we fantasies ourselves.. Hell at one point or another I wished I was born in the States cos that's where u can get anything.

During the 90s, comics were booming. Everybody was clamouring to buy comics. U end up buying comics which u don't really need just to keep up with your fellow collectors. U do not want to be left alone. U want to tell your friends, what they have, u have & more. Towards the end of the day, u end up with a lot of comics that u don't need. Before that u started to buy Overstreet Price Guide or Wizard just to determine what's your collection is worth.

But truth to the matter is, WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE PRICE GUIDE DOESN'T REFLECT THE TRUE MARKET PRICE IN MALAYSIA!! In Malaysia, when u want to buy something related to a hobby, if u missed it for the 1st time (at retail), u must be prepared to buy at a higher price, sometimes obscene price. Go to local forum on toys & collectibles, u'll find a lot of people is trying to get rid of their stuffs becos they've given up collecting but not many takers cos it's too expensive. I've seen the same syndrome with Hot Wheels collectors - but remember there's a difference between Collectors & Scalpers. Scalpers will survive the test of time cos they buy & resell when the goods are in demand. They say they are collectors too but they are not. I've seen people whom work with "The Producers of Hot Wheels" sending boxes of Hot Wheels to the local hypermarts & picking up T-Hunts & Supers maybe to sell them or doing a friend a favour.

I've seen friends whose been buying everything under the sun end up with less money & more expensive/high valued stuffs in their collection but when they want to sell them, no one wants to buy them unless u sell them at a ridiculously low price.

With these experience, I've long realized that if u want to start collecting something, don't be too overzealous about it. Don't pick up everything & anything becos your friends does. Pick & choose what to collect. Collect less but collect things which u can appreciate later. In Hot Wheels, I only collect tv or movie related cars but REMEMBER THE 1ST RULE ABOUT COLLECTING: COLLECT WHAT U LIKE BUT IF U SEE/FIND SOMETHING WHICH IS/ARE IN DEMAND AT RETAIL OR UNDER RETAIL PRICE, BUY THEM COS U CAN USE THEM TO TRADE WITH OTHER STUFFS THAT U MISSED OR WANT.

I mostly trade & seldom sell. I've even given free Hot Wheels to some of the forumers here <u know who u are Smile>

With that, I bid adieu & keep collecting...

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indeed.. a lesson very well learnt for most of us.. so yang belum terkena... bak kata pepatah.. yang baik kita jadikan teladan yang tak baik kita buat clip 3gp.... ekekeke..... thanx for sharing ... thumbsupthumbsupthumbsup

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thanks for sharing bro.. ya, it's a great advice.. mostly people now had forgotten the true meaning of collecting.. cheers

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hassan wrote:
indeed.. a lesson very well learnt for most of us.. so yang belum terkena... bak kata pepatah.. yang baik kita jadikan teladan yang tak baik kita buat clip 3gp.... ekekeke..... thanx for sharing ... thumbsupthumbsupthumbsup

Boleh percaya ke Hassan ni Rolling Eyes
Bukankah favourite statement anda, "buy now, regret later"? RazzWhat a Face

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musclemania wrote:
hassan wrote:
indeed.. a lesson very well learnt for most of us.. so yang belum terkena... bak kata pepatah.. yang baik kita jadikan teladan yang tak baik kita buat clip 3gp.... ekekeke..... thanx for sharing ... thumbsupthumbsupthumbsup

Boleh percaya ke Hassan ni Rolling Eyes
Bukankah favourite statement anda, "buy now, regret later"? RazzWhat a Face



no regrets actually.. but due to mullah constraint some old ones have to go to make way for new ones... Twisted EvilTwisted EvilTwisted Evil ..... smart not?.... coolcoolcool

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Yeaarrgggkkhhhh, Hassan Twisted Evil

Anyway, as long as affordable, pls go ahead.
As I always commented, for those with family under your care (or commitment), please don't let yourself/family member feeding on your die cast.

Cheers!

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hassan wrote:
indeed.. a lesson very well learnt for most of us.. so yang belum terkena... bak kata pepatah.. yang baik kita jadikan teladan yang tak baik kita buat clip 3gp.... ekekeke..... thanx for sharing ... thumbsupthumbsupthumbsup



I like

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by what YOU like.......

don't buy what OTHER people say you must like........

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Am glad to share my experiences with u guys. U r the new breed of collectors. My hats off to you guys god Just remember not 2 push urselves 2 limit. Patience is virtue.. Sometime it took me 10 years b4 I've finally completed some of the sets in my collection.
I'll be opening my trade soon. Lazy 2 hunt nowadays. Looking 4 some particular cars 2 complete my 2011 collection on tv & movie castings. Previously UCB helped me getting Ecto-1, DMC & some Batmobiles. It's good 2 have friends, lots & lots of friends! Very Happy

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we have same interest..TV cars..but still doesn't have ecto-1..haha..

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Collecting HW these days even crazier as Mattel producing so many series in mainline not forgetting more choices in special carded. Every year now Mattel producing more than a billion HW which is indeed a bad decision.
What happen to comic collectors before , i try to shout it but you also need to readdressing this issue to Mattel...more rotten cars in pegs now.

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adiz182 wrote:
we have same interest..TV cars..but still doesn't have ecto-1..haha..

Only got 1. Usually I'll try to get at least 2 units of whatever that I'm collecting. 1 for keep & 1 for future trade. But like I said earlier, eventually u'll find someone who wants to leggo his Ecto-1. In the meantime, keep the passion strong... \m/

Wildspirit: Aku Hanya Serangga di hutan belantara... One voice is not gonna do much. Like any other conglomerate, it's about pleasing the investors. Sales must go up every year!!

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I can relate to vavavoom collecting habits. Because i collect a lot of dust also. hahaha. But not to the extent of using 10 grand for trading cards la. Though more in the region of 300 bucks for comics every month. Sometimes more. And also buying covers. Like 1 issue got 10 different cover but same content? I did that too. But this went on for about 5 years. Then it stopped. When i changed jobs, the place to get comics is far. So stop because of that. Now everything in boxes. Collecting Hw also slowed down already. It actually stopped the whole year until recently...

Hopefully this week can clear up the store room to see how much dust i have...

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netmatrix wrote:
I can relate to vavavoom collecting habits. Because i collect a lot of dust also. hahaha. But not to the extent of using 10 grand for trading cards la. Though more in the region of 300 bucks for comics every month. Sometimes more. And also buying covers. Like 1 issue got 10 different cover but same content? I did that too. But this went on for about 5 years. Then it stopped. When i changed jobs, the place to get comics is far. So stop because of that. Now everything in boxes. Collecting Hw also slowed down already. It actually stopped the whole year until recently...

Hopefully this week can clear up the store room to see how much dust i have...


I've slowed down on everything tremendously. Still buying comics but pick-up time once every 2 months or so. I've boxed & catalogue 90% of my collections. Now the boxes are collecting dust in the storage room! Hahahaha....

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matbear82 wrote:
buat baik berpada2... collect HW berjaga..


Nasihat yang baik Smile

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matbear82 wrote:
buat baik berpada2... collect HW berjaga..


ehh eh .... ini master hauler ada berjaga-jaga gak ker hmm semua borong nampak whistlinglaugh1

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Collect hw berjaga....nanti soru pun miss

Silap haribulan bini sajikan DD masak korma whistling

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I got a simple solution. When you dun like what you have ... just give me ... I will arrange my minions to come collect from you. They can help you clear out your house ... LOL ... Have a great time collecting ... whatever that u collect

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Very good insight from vavavoom..

Just to add one more thing, most people thought it's a huge investment, in reality, they are tough to sell nowadays because toys these days are not like the ones in 70's or 80's, those kind of toys were played with and when those kids grew up, they start looking back for their old childhood toys that brings back memories and are nostalgic. This is what brings value plus due to some errors or limited/out of production products.

Toys nowadays are available for the masses, what ever you have, another person has it, so it doesn't hold that kind of "value" anymore, mass produced items plus the so called "limited" edition, we can't really tell do we? are they really2 that rare?, I always feel if I can get this piece, for sure someone else will.

That's just my opinion. For me same point with vavavoom, I always collect what I like, but sometimes I do get caught in on the buzz, due to weak will power sweat

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Fadli85 wrote:
Very good insight from vavavoom..

Just to add one more thing, most people thought it's a huge investment, in reality, they are tough to sell nowadays because toys these days are not like the ones in 70's or 80's, those kind of toys were played with and when those kids grew up, they start looking back for their old childhood toys that brings back memories and are nostalgic. This is what brings value plus due to some errors or limited/out of production products.

Toys nowadays are available for the masses, what ever you have, another person has it, so it doesn't hold that kind of "value" anymore, mass produced items plus the so called "limited" edition, we can't really tell do we? are they really2 that rare?, I always feel if I can get this piece, for sure someone else will.

That's just my opinion. For me same point with vavavoom, I always collect what I like, but sometimes I do get caught in on the buzz, due to weak will power sweat


Bravo clap What u say is very true. Only you know the true value of your collection cos every piece has a story. You can relate to almost every piece of it. And I do sometimes caught in the buzz, cos I too am WEAK *sigh*.. But we are mere humans & we are allowed to make mistake... over & over again!! Hahahaha

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Its not that hard...sometime. Knowing what is best avoiding is a must.
Thousand variations models...do and don't is your best friend.
Collecting hobbies there are fees to pay, experience and mistakes.

The silver lining is ... including you and me which still new in collecting Hotwheels ... the numbers of collectors growing tremendously. If i not mistaken as for last year every week in Hotwheels gathering i always see new faces which great no matter in Putrajaya or Subang.

The best rules is try your best to hold to your ground ... nobody can asked you sell 3 carded for 10 ringgit or 5 ringgit for regular thunt.

The price of mainline car now 7 ringgit so get your grip and respect that whether you buyer or seller. Nak buat baik berpada-pada buat jahat jangan sekali. And if yor rip and loose your mainline carded and after a while feeling tired with that loose car..dont you agree your car in good quality ( no scratch) easily can fetch 50% - 70% from originally you bought which you can offering somebody from RM 3.50-5.00 PER car.
How much can i sell my loose black Honda Type R in shinning mint condition?

When you lowballz somebody or even dare to say why u collect kereta sampah indirectly you kill your self and your hobby too man..buat baik berpada-pada buat jahat jangan sekali. Jangan ingat diri tu terrer dan bagus sangat. Apalah sangat lu suka cari hal. Respect others and respect all.

Even you cannot sell it your car or your other collections they will be in best value and priceless when you pass to next generations or just give as gift, raok, donation and charity.

Learned lesson well. Cheers.

# ok a bit confuse on loose car Razz ..hope all now clearer Very Happy

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wildspirit wrote:
Its not that hard...sometime. Knowing what is best avoiding is a must.
Thousand variations models...do and don't is your best friend.
Collecting hobbies there are fees to pay, experience and mistakes.

The silver lining is ... including you and me which still new in collecting Hotwheels ... the numbers of collectors growing tremendously. If i not mistaken as for last year every week in Hotwheels gathering i always see new faces which great no matter in Putrajaya or Subang.

The best rules is try your best to hold to your ground ... nobody can asked you sell 3 carded for 10 ringgit or 5 ringgit for regular thunt.

The price of mainline car now 7 ringgit so get your grip and respect that whether you buyer or seller. Nak buat baik berpada-pada buat jahat jangan sekali. And if yor rip and loose your mainline carded and after a while feeling tired with that loose car..dont you agree your car in good quality ( no scratch) easily can fetch 50% - 70% from originally you bought which you can offering somebody from RM 3.50-5.00 PER car.
How much can i sell my loose black Honda Type R in shinning mint condition?

When you lowballz somebody or even dare to say why u collect kereta sampah indirectly you kill your self and your hobby too man..buat baik berpada-pada buat jahat jangan sekali. Jangan ingat diri tu terrer dan bagus sangat. Apalah sangat lu suka cari hal. Respect others and respect all.

Even you cannot sell it your car or your other collections they will be in best value and priceless when you pass to next generations or just give as gift, raok, donation and charity.

Learned lesson well. Cheers.

# ok a bit confuse on loose car Razz ..hope all now clearer Very Happy


Wildspirit has spoken!! From the words of Darth Vader, "The Force is strong with this one".
Lessons learned indeed... Keep up the "spirit" of collecting...

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collecting = hobby = is to whom that have money..

.........
....
..
.

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cawan wrote:
collecting = hobby = is to whom that have money..


Money = Hard Work = Understanding wife/girlfriend = Happy cheers

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More / extra / unlimited money = Buy anything from anywhere and RAOK other
Moderate extra money = Buy carded locally
Less money = Buy loose or wait RAOK
No money = Get a free catalogue, tatap sepuas-puasnya Razz

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musclemania wrote:
More / extra / unlimited money = Buy anything from anywhere and RAOK other
Moderate extra money = Buy carded locally
Less money = Buy loose or wait RAOK
No money = Get a free catalogue, tatap sepuas-puasnya Razz


Hahaha

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musclemania wrote:
More / extra / unlimited money = Buy anything from anywhere and RAOK other
Moderate extra money = Buy carded locally
Less money = Buy loose or wait RAOK
No money = Get a free catalogue, tatap sepuas-puasnya Razz


Hahahah this one i think when we were kids we have this idea also. Also to the point of stealing which u left out. tongue

To vavavoom, are some pictures of selected Shazam comic title stash i have, from #1 up to #34 then i stopped liao. No don't get started. We know its not valuable here. No Anyway the trend nowdays is paperbacks. I'm sooo trying not to go to the comics section in major bookstores. cry







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Nice copies there, Net. So far, most of my collection is tradepaperback, hardcover Spawn TPB Vol#1, Green Lantern Rebirth TPB, The Flash Rebirth hardcover TPB, etc.

Hi, Sahama, If only the steel toy can make money, hehehe.

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Saw yesterday TV3 news, a group of people in kenya recycled old newspaper. This newspaper is used for making pencils. Innovative and cheap oso.

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sahama wrote:
Saw yesterday TV3 news, a group of people in kenya recycled old newspaper. This newspaper is used for making pencils. Innovative and cheap oso.


Hahahah, u hinting donate my comics to make pencils....? affraid Then u can donate ur die cast to make paper weights.... hahahahaha

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netmatrix wrote:
musclemania wrote:
More / extra / unlimited money = Buy anything from anywhere and RAOK other
Moderate extra money = Buy carded locally
Less money = Buy loose or wait RAOK
No money = Get a free catalogue, tatap sepuas-puasnya Razz


Hahahah this one i think when we were kids we have this idea also. Also to the point of stealing which u left out. tongue

To vavavoom, are some pictures of selected Shazam comic title stash i have, from #1 up to #34 then i stopped liao. No don't get started. We know its not valuable here. No Anyway the trend nowdays is paperbacks. I'm sooo trying not to go to the comics section in major bookstores. cry









Jerry Ordway... Nice. I used & still have comics done by various artist/writer which r actually good reading but worth almost nothing in the open market. Still have them for nostalgic purposes. I have boxes & boxes of comics stored. Last time I rummage thru my comics was like centuries ago Very Happy But my Uncanny X-Men collections is something which I open from time to time to change the backing boards & the bags.

I used to buy TPBs but now confined to Hardcovers cos they look nicer.... Hahahaha

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musclemania wrote:
More / extra / unlimited money = Buy anything from anywhere and RAOK other
Moderate extra money = Buy carded locally
Less money = Buy loose or wait RAOK
No money = Get a free catalogue, tatap sepuas-puasnya Razz


I envy those whom falls in the 1st category bounce
But I love those from the last category cos with free catalogue, we can start day-dreaming SleepSleep about having to collect this & that. How to decorate our house/room fill with HWs. Dreams r limitless & we don't need money to dream eh?

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dominiclim wrote:
musclemania wrote:
More / extra / unlimited money = Buy anything from anywhere and RAOK other
Moderate extra money = Buy carded locally
Less money = Buy loose or wait RAOK
No money = Get a free catalogue, tatap sepuas-puasnya Razz


Hahaha


Hey Dominiclim, thanks for the the HW A-Team vans. Hey guys, buy from this guy if u have anything to buy from him. He's an excellent 5-stars all the way Seller (Promo sikit... Hahaha....)

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sahama wrote:
No money= start selling the collections


Selling collections = Buying more stuffs = the cycle stars all over again

I sell my newspapers to those guys who comes screaming "Old Newspaper, Old Newspaper...." Smile

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Spoiler:
 


Quote :
Jerry Ordway... Nice. I used & still have comics done by various artist/writer which r actually good reading but worth almost nothing in the open market. Still have them for nostalgic purposes. I have boxes & boxes of comics stored. Last time I rummage thru my comics was like centuries ago Very Happy But my Uncanny X-Men collections is something which I open from time to time to change the backing boards & the bags.

I used to buy TPBs but now confined to Hardcovers cos they look nicer.... Hahahaha


I total stop already. But now i just catch latest DC & Marvel made for TV cartoon movies. At least can keep digital copies which takes much less space. hahaha. Last time i'm not really collecting for value. I buy a lot of titles. This is only 1. My regular one is Superman & Spawn & Astro City. The really hot one that time was JLA. It still is somehow. The only complete Marvel title i have is Daredevil : The man without fear. Else i did not buy those revamped Avengers or X-men comic at all even though they are hot. But my favourite among them all is....



Paid RM70 for this because it is direct edition. The bookstore version cost RM59. But i saw recently it cost RM19.90!!! No I think i'm only 3 books away from completing all calvin & hobbes books. hahaha. I'm aiming the treasury one.



Cost almost RM600...... affraid

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musclemania wrote:
Net, pls try BookExcess, the shop opposite to Mc D at Amcorp, super reasonable price.


Yes i saw those cheap C&H books there!!! Mad

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netmatrix wrote:
Spoiler:
 


Quote :
Jerry Ordway... Nice. I used & still have comics done by various artist/writer which r actually good reading but worth almost nothing in the open market. Still have them for nostalgic purposes. I have boxes & boxes of comics stored. Last time I rummage thru my comics was like centuries ago Very Happy But my Uncanny X-Men collections is something which I open from time to time to change the backing boards & the bags.

I used to buy TPBs but now confined to Hardcovers cos they look nicer.... Hahahaha


I total stop already. But now i just catch latest DC & Marvel made for TV cartoon movies. At least can keep digital copies which takes much less space. hahaha. Last time i'm not really collecting for value. I buy a lot of titles. This is only 1. My regular one is Superman & Spawn & Astro City. The really hot one that time was JLA. It still is somehow. The only complete Marvel title i have is Daredevil : The man without fear. Else i did not buy those revamped Avengers or X-men comic at all even though they are hot. But my favourite among them all is....



Paid RM70 for this because it is direct edition. The bookstore version cost RM59. But i saw recently it cost RM19.90!!! No I think i'm only 3 books away from completing all calvin & hobbes books. hahaha. I'm aiming the treasury one.



Cost almost RM600...... affraid

Calvin & Hobbes is my all time favorite!! Sad that Bill Watterson decided to stop drawing the adventures of the 2 most awesome buddies (make believe buddy?) Hopefully, he'll decide to make a comeback. I have some of his strips collection.

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musclemania wrote:
Net, pls try BookExcess, the shop opposite to Mc D at Amcorp, super reasonable price.


It's been awhile since I last stopped there. Maybe I should make a pit-stop again soon.

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My friend son of renown Malay film and theater actor and a very -very famous sports newscaster selling me all his late 70's, 80's and 90's comic at RM 1 each. I buy all close to 300 pcs but 3 pcs original 80's US English hentai he sell $100 ... quite a thick .. me never read yet ... just a glance.

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ditto vavavoom-san.. n bravo 2whom who have shared their advices & experiences.. cheers

sorry ya vavavoom-san for hijacking your thread.. Twisted Evil

IMHO, collecting stuff is like cancer.. it grows more 'infectious' to collectors like us when our fellow forumers 'poison' us with their latest hauls.. like what others has spoken, the intense desire grows stronger 2get the same most-sought stuffs where everyone 'must' have.. ending up us with soOo MANY holes in wallet.. of course, this depends on how 'wise' you are in spending..

anyone here collect TFs? trust me, don't even dare to 'meddle' with this hasbro product lines.. they have almost 25++ over series (excluding repaints & sub series) + others upgrades kit series.. all in all almost hundreds of them.. the worst part is if you are a completist, you want to complete that particular series.. and hasbro produce a new series on every year.. especially on repaints.. well, in hotwheels i also noticed most of us here are a completist too.. What a Face

i started to slowdown TFs collecting is because of those shark-like-scalpers.. they will 'borong' certain molds and resell them like really outrageous price!! that is why i started to collect hotwheels n matchboxes, just to cure my 'cancer'.. huh, my perception was demm wrong.. scalpers are almost everywhere.. even worst in the diecast world.. they're like savage hyenas preying for our hard-earned money.. but it worries me less because this puny diecast cost a few ringgits compared to a single deluxe TF.. but of course not 2include the exquisite special edition lines of hotwheels la.. Wink

yes, patience is virtue and do collect what YOU like only.. just don't get lured with those 'poisons' posted by others just to pleased them.. cheers

Spoiler:
 


terima kasih vavavoom-san flower

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musclemania wrote:
Get a long pit stop and full fueling, hahaha.


David Coulthard pit stop (refueling) was done in 28.676 seconds!! I don't think I'm gonna do that!! But will stop longer during the next visit... Hahahaha

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wildspirit wrote:
My friend son of renown Malay film and theater actor and a very -very famous sports newscaster selling me all his late 70's, 80's and 90's comic at RM 1 each. I buy all close to 300 pcs but 3 pcs original 80's US English hentai he sell $100 ... quite a thick .. me never read yet ... just a glance.


RM1 for 70s, 80s & 90s comics? affraidaffraid Wow... that's a rare opportunity bro. If u decide to sell some of those titles mainly The Avengers, Uncanny & other titles that could interest a collector like me, do tell.

Hentai? I'd probably stick to videos... Twisted Evil Hahahaha...

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