Why do you buy toys?

[tootles]

There are lots of reasons that we purchase toys. Some people buy them to play with them, others purchase them as an investment, still others like to customise them. I was just wondering where the rest of the community stands.

I personally buy them because I like them. I do not consider myself to be a collector. (This may be a sign that I am truly delusional.) Most collectors set out to acquire complete series, and are very concerned with the condition of the items. Toy fans like myself have no such concerns, although we may complete series and pick up nice items.

[slm2024]

everyone has there own little niche in the toy world, and all of it is respectable. it might sound out of character for me to say that, since i tend to be sarcastic about any aspect of collecting that differs from my own. but in truth, that is what i believe.

for me, i'm one of those nit-picky condition collectors. which is kind of odd, being that i'm a loose figure collector. my condition obsession has nothing to do with the value side though. i just like a really nice, clean specimen of a toy to look at. granted, not many of my toys are perfectly mint. i have toys with discolored heads and minor paint scuffs on the toes, etc. its just that when stuff is super beat up, i really don't like to mix it in with everything that i have strived so hard to obtain in excellent condition.

i don't play with my toys, as in the way kids play with them. i do like to pose them and put them in scenery or create some type of scene and photograph them. i do this mostly with my vinyls though.

i am absolutely not an investment collector. for the most part, when i have a toy in my collection that i don't feel really fits in or i have lost interest in it, i usually will sell it for less than what i paid for it. it all depends on the situation i guess. and though, on occassion, i may come ahead on reselling, i still would not consider myself a toy flipper.

also, i do fall into that completing sets category. again, sometimes. there are some toylines that i only like a couple figures from, and will only get those figures. but there are some (i.e., remco motu-style lines) that i am a completist in. i just think some toy lines are so good and that i like everything involved with the line that i think they look best all together, completed. the hunt is a big fun thing for me, and completion hunting is fun.

[anna]

I buy them for fun they fulfill the needs of my innerchild.

and... I.. like..them.

[Terrible Tony]

I like buying toys, because I like the way they look. My dad (RIP) was a collector of nick knacks and had the house looking like a museum with all kinds of figurines of porcelain, ceramic, or plaster. With me, the toys are my nick knacks. They visually appeal to me and I like how they look all together. They are like little pose able statues I can display anywhere I want. I don't really care for the accessories or vehicles, but if I come across one for the right price, I might pick it up if it goes with the figures.

I like to buy my figures loose, because I can put them all together and a lot less cluttered. If I buy a figure carded, I will most likely end up opening it up sooner or later, because I can't stand having it without the rest of the gang, but I will keep the card, because I like the art on it sometimes.

As mentioned above, hunting for the figures is also a lot of fun. Trying to complete a set of your favorite figures just feels good and once you complete it, you can just sit back and admire your little trophies. It is also a lot of fun if you have a partner in crime who shares the same interests in toys. My girlfriend loves toys and every time we go to a store, we always visit the toy section and see what is new. She loves She Ra and He Man and wants to try to collect them as well. I already got her started with the complete She Ra Castle and a group of figures. I actually caught her on video playing with them. It's so funny, because she didn't know I was recording her!

All in all, toys are just fun for kids and adults!

[bowheadwhale]

I buy toys... TO PLAY WITH THEM. I bring my sealife toys in my bath tub or the swimming pool, put animal toys around the Chinese Checkers board as virtual players (one for each marble color), I create face-offs and races... this sort of thing.

[else3573]

Yeah, cosign what Sim2024 said. I really would rather wait on a figure in excellent condition and spend a little more than have a beat up one, because it will always bother me that it's not nice looking on my shelf. I collect MANY lines, vintage and new, loose and MIP/MOC. If something is super rare on card and the card is a little beat, that doesn't bother me, but if I'm buying vintage ON CARD, I want it to stay that way, otherwise I'd just buy it loose. I'm not a completist on most of the lines I collect, although I plan to eventually complete my vintage AD&D collection and my Starriors collection (which I only need the transfer rings and the base to have completed) I display both carded figures on walls and loose figures on shelves in my toy room, and am constantly re-arranging, trying to make room, as well as selling a few things off from a lot to get something I need for a line I collect. I am definitely a collector, I dont play with the toys, I display them and enjoy how they look and enjoy setting up new dislays for them. I have no children, and I'm 36, so I don't get down on the ground and play with action figures, but I devote quite a bit of time talking about them, looking for deals, perusing E Bay and re-arraging my toy room. But the MAIN reason I buy toys? They're much cheaper than drugs....

[figuremod73]

Collecting is fun. I stopped collecting toys around 1989 and only played video game for many years. Of course, my toy collection ended up being sold in yard sales and for the most part i forgot about them. Over the last few years Ive grown interested in them again mainly because of the DC retro heroes. Megos are addicive and now im interested in collecting heman and transformers again.

[victoryleo19]

I collect a bunch of different lines, but the hunt is the most fun for me. it might sound crazy but i love being able to search online and yard sales for stuff i like. especially when i find something after hours of searching (that sounds terrible) it really is a great feeling. i also like really particular things, so its less and less often that i actually find something im looking for.

i envy folks that get to display their figures, because all of mine are stored away in specific small bins. someday maybe ill be able to get a display going

[funkyterrance]

Either to rebuild my childhood collection or to resell to get money to rebuild my childhood collection lol.