The Energon Pub

Ironhidensh wrote:To answer, I'd say wait and re-evaluate. I've found that decisions made in haste are rarely good. Also, I think you might regret getting rid of HA Jazz.

I thought I would too, but it's been in Italy, away from my hands and camera and mind for so long (I only stop here every three-four months) that it really makes little difference. I'm also quite off the movie aesthetic other, and am keeping only the adorable Scouts, Megatron and Optimus (because they make good display pieces) and my gateway back to collecting, Sideways. That's it for movie stuff, unless you count the Nightmare Squad of Lockdown, Mindwipe, Skystalker, Powerdive and Banzai-Tron.

I think my waiting has been helped, as I said, by having a lot of the figures nowhere near my sight or access, meaning it already feels as though they're stored or boxed, despite being in quite a nice display cabinet. So it sort of allows me to skip a step in the process.

Va'al wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:To answer, I'd say wait and re-evaluate. I've found that decisions made in haste are rarely good. Also, I think you might regret getting rid of HA Jazz.

I thought I would too, but it's been in Italy, away from my hands and camera and mind for so long (I only stop here every three-four months) that it really makes little difference. I'm also quite off the movie aesthetic other, and am keeping only the adorable Scouts, Megatron and Optimus (because they make good display pieces) and my gateway back to collecting, Sideways. That's it for movie stuff, unless you count the Nightmare Squad of Lockdown, Mindwipe, Skystalker, Powerdive and Banzai-Tron.

I think my waiting has been helped, as I said, by having a lot of the figures nowhere near my sight or access, meaning it already feels as though they're stored or boxed, despite being in quite a nice display cabinet. So it sort of allows me to skip a step in the process.

Very true. I've recently started selling off big hunks of the stuff I have in storage. I don't see it coming out again, what with kids running around the house now, so why not sell it? Yeah, I deffinatly see your point.

I have some time to kill this morning, as I avoid looking at the documents I need to translate, so went back to this thread.

I've been slowly but inexorably removing more and more pieces from my collection, especially the UK part, after the Silverbolt incident (see here). I'm feeling that something is happening that could easily fit into Rodimus' thread about the end of a journey.

So my question is: how often do you look at/think of/go through your stuff, and say 'man, I really don't care about this lot at all'? Do you regularly weed out figures? How do you remove them if so: charity shops, resell, trade, hand down?

(I used to eBay the lot, but since I started working with Oxfam, I've been donating all of mine.)

Va'al wrote:So my question is: how often do you look at/think of/go through your stuff, and say 'man, I really don't care about this lot at all'? Do you regularly weed out figures? How do you remove them if so: charity shops, resell, trade, hand down?

I went through and trimmed back on the movie figures. I needed room, and I'm just not a big fan of the movie look. I kept the figures I liked and the best of the on-screen characters.

Getting rid of them? They're currently laid out on my spare bed. I got rid of two as bribery to get my nephew to brush his teeth every night. As for the rest, I just don't know how to get rid of them. I'd like to get a few dollars for them, but the effort involved. *ugh*

Va'al wrote:So my question is: how often do you look at/think of/go through your stuff, and say 'man, I really don't care about this lot at all'? Do you regularly weed out figures? How do you remove them if so: charity shops, resell, trade, hand down?

I start weeding out when i tire of things, or have no more place for them, or a better version comes along. I used to have an enormous collection, but i sold most of it since i didn't have the space to display it properly. All i have now is MP's (which i actively collect), movie screen characters and beast wars screen characters. The beast wars line is currently dead, but i'm still holding on to those for emotional reasons, and as for the movie line i'm waiting for the next movie line to come out.

When i weed out, i always sell figures. I put them for sale on a dutch facebook fan page of which i'm a member, and i put them on the dutch marketplace website.

This is something I need to take a really hard look at. I'm becoming increasingly negative in how I view Hasbro's handling of the franchise. I feel the product is cheap and lazy, the reprints are out of control, and the masterpiece line is virtually ignored. I still love the comics, but even the aren't safe. Hasbro forced combined wars on them, and it was, IMHO, the worst story arc IDW has ever put out n
Over the last year I've bought more from Takara and the 3rd party market then I've even considered buying from Hasbro, and that's pricey.

Every time "official" transformer news comes out, I get grumpy, and I don't like that.


On the flipside, my kids are absolutely in love with rescue bots. Seeing their joy makes me a much happier person then I get from my own transformers. They are getting a lot of Rescue Bot stuff for Christmas, and then their birthdays the following week. I also find myself giving them more and more of my old collection to play with.

I don't know. I need to think on this over some beers. Which I don't have time for.

Burn wrote:Getting rid of them? They're currently laid out on my spare bed. I got rid of two as bribery to get my nephew to brush his teeth every night. As for the rest, I just don't know how to get rid of them. I'd like to get a few dollars for them, but the effort involved. *ugh*

That was my issue too. They just went all into a box, I tried selling some on eBay for a bit, then what didn't go just got boxed up again. Now I've rediscovered charity shops, at least they do some good for someone else. But the space issues are still there..

wilcosu35 wrote:The beast wars line is currently dead, but i'm still holding on to those for emotional reasons, and as for the movie line i'm waiting for the next movie line to come out.

Yeah, emotional, affection, fondness for certain ugly ones or memories associated to them. But. Do you ever regret getting rid of any, do you have a system to make sure you're over a certain figure?

Ironhidensh wrote:This is something I need to take a really hard look at. I'm becoming increasingly negative in how I view Hasbro's handling of the franchise. I feel the product is cheap and lazy, the reprints are out of control, and the masterpiece line is virtually ignored.

Is that reason enough to remove old toys from a collection, though? I mean, I don't share the negative views, but I do have very little interest in new releases. Does that affect the hobby retroactively?

Man, I often find myself feeling a tad envious when I read of those who can part with whole chunks of their collections. I think I walk the boarder lands of "Collector", and "Hoarder". I can't seem to part with anything, and I have collected a lot more than just Transformers in my time. Should I be worried?
I guess I'm am fortunate that I have space in my home to to store all these things, even if I can't display them all.
I have a dream. One day I will finish my basement into a livable space, and set up a grand display that will include all of my collections. I'll need something to do in my old age, and Lord knows I don't play golf.

All that being said, I do have a crate of Movieverse stuff I need to get rid of. I thought I'd start by putting them up in here. I suppose that isn't as lucrative for you guys over seas, as I think it's fair to say the majority of our user base is in North America.

Va'al wrote: since I started working with Oxfam, I've been donating all of mine.)

This is admirable.

Burn wrote:as bribery to get my nephew to brush his teeth every night.

Honorable, and comical.

Ironhidensh wrote: I also find myself giving them more and more of my old collection to play with.

This warms my heart you ol' Grump. Glad it warms yours too.

I'm thinking pretty hard on selling a lot of my stuff. My collection is too large to display at the moment and 95% of it is boxed up. Largely for space concern and i also got tired of looking at it.

Rifling through one of my tubs yesterday for a particular figure i noticed how many figures i forgot i had and i didn't really care about when i saw it in the bin.
It got me thinking that i should start getting rid of a lot of these impulse purchases and "lackluster" figures.

I've really slowed down on buying TF's these days and have mainly focused on quality. I've always tried to be selective on the TF's i purchased but some were pure impulse buys or i thought they were really neat at the time and had to have it.

I'm considering posting a list of figs in the buy,sell,trade forum but am also considering Ebay to hit a larger pool of buyers. I'm not really sure about the Ebay thing though. Is it a pain in the butt or relatively user friendly?

I suppose i can donate aswell. I've given a couple few TF's to the neighbors kids and my friends kids.

Cobotron wrote:Man, I often find myself feeling a tad envious when I read of those who can part with whole chunks of their collections. I think I walk the boarder lands of "Collector", and "Hoarder". I can't seem to part with anything, and I have collected a lot more than just Transformers in my time. Should I be worried?

I don't think so. As you said, you have plenty of space for all of this to work, and you'll have even more when the kids leave (eventually, no time soon!). If you never get the 'I have too much' feeling, then clearly there is nothing wrong with your collecting habit.

Plus, you clearly are involved in the collection, just going by the amount of photos of individual figures you share with us.

MGrotusque wrote:Rifling through one of my tubs yesterday for a particular figure i noticed how many figures i forgot i had and i didn't really care about when i saw it in the bin. It got me thinking that i should start getting rid of a lot of these impulse purchases and "lackluster" figures.

See, I have never done that. I know what I have, but that comes mostly from having a small collection (currently around 80 figures, if that), and it being particularly recent. The only one I have not been able to locate (and it drives me bonkers) is Magnaboss. I swear it should be in a box under my bed in Italy.

I'm considering posting a list of figs in the buy,sell,trade forum but am also considering Ebay to hit a larger pool of buyers. I'm not really sure about the Ebay thing though. Is it a pain in the butt or relatively user friendly?

I haven't had any issues with it so far, though it can be odd to determine the price of something and some of the sales are really unexpected! And that is mostly why I feel more and more that I should just ask people if they want stuff, then donate to some organisation that does some good, rather than selling it to strangers.

Va'al wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:This is something I need to take a really hard look at. I'm becoming increasingly negative in how I view Hasbro's handling of the franchise. I feel the product is cheap and lazy, the reprints are out of control, and the masterpiece line is virtually ignored.

Is that reason enough to remove old toys from a collection, though? I mean, I don't share the negative views, but I do have very little interest in new releases. Does that affect the hobby retroactively?

it is for me. Hasbro is a multi billion dollar company, that has started being lazy. The biggest problem for me is that we know they can do better, and still be very profitable, but they choose not to. We've seen better. When I look at my non masterpiece stuff now, all I see is the good days gone by, and nothing but endless repaints on the future.

Now to be fair, it's not all on Hasbro. There is a certain segment of the fandom, I'll call them "repaint apologists", who just blindly gush over anything that says Hasbro. They also tend to be young, and could careless about the origins of the franchise. This makes me feel like I have a childish hobby, and I have never felt that way before. I'm arguing about toys on the Internet with somebody I'm literally old enough to be the father of. That just isn't healthy. I don't like feeling like that. The worst part is, they aren't doing anything wrong. They have the right to like what they do and don't. It all just makes me feel like it's time to move on.

I always, always, always love the topic of why we/I collect and what we/I feel the desire to do with parts of collections we/I no longer feel much attachment to.

I have been thinking of selling off parts of my collection for a while now, but I've been really busy with work for the last few months, and so this has largely been a thought I've had while stuck in traffic or some other totally pleasant times.

I guess my real problem is that I was unemployed a few years back, and took to selling parts of my collection as a means of bringing in some money. Nowadays, when I look at or think of things that I'd sell, I get this voice in the back of my mind reminding me of unemployment, and how I miss some of the things I'd sold off. It's enough to keep me from pursuing the thoughts of selling any further, as I'll be like "man, I don't want to feel that way about THIS figure at some point in the future...." There are few to no things I'd sold that I'd really, seriously try to re-obtain, but the pangs of having sold them are real. But I have a real strange sense of attachment to begin with, and hoarding runs in my family, and while I'm not a hoarder, I do sometimes think that my "but I'll miss that someday" feelings are some type of proto-hoarding response.

I've sold stuff to board members when Carbombya threads go up and they're looking for something that I've got and don't mind parting with, so it really isn't like I can't bear to part with my figures. I guess I just have an aversion to a wholesale selling of things, despite having done it multiple times in the past. Right now, I'm kind of vacillating on the Leader Brawls from movie 1. I see them go for good prices on eBay, and I'm not using them for anything at all, and while they're cool, they're not so cool that I make room in my display for them. So, I've been meaning to put them up for sale for like a year, but I find myself thinking that someday I'll miss them.

When I do sell things, I generally feel good about it: the freeing up of space feels good, like I've accomplished something, and I like to prove to myself that I'm not a hoarder, and that I can voluntarily let things go.

Being born in 1984 I never actually "stopped" collecting - I got my first Transformer at 2 years or so (Prowl) and things carried on from there.

That was until about 4 years ago now when I lost my job. I got behind on my bills and my 'family' flat-out refused to help and after I'd sold a big chunk of my vintage computer game collection the next to get dug into were was my G1 collection. I kept things that I was very sentimental about and slowly chipped away at the rest.

I never truly got back into collecting afterwards. The infestation of knock-offs\bootlegs on eBay turns many purchases into a CSI styled photo inspection that is labourous, dull and passion-killing for me. I still have some figures in the hopes of getting back into collecting vintage again - should I get a decent job.

Reissues seriously aren't my thing, either (unless its got something funky like Encore20A's anime head or TFC00's Axe). I had a bunch and it doesn't inspire the same feeling once I've got the figure in my hands. Plus the boxes aren't as cool.

I collected (and sometimes I buy the odd figure still) - vintage toys. I like the history behind what I'm holding and knowing its survived x-years without being smashed adds to its 'value' as a collector. When I do buy now I try to keep away from anything post G1 movie - stops the scope of what I will be being from becoming too large.

Modern stuff interests me, but I didn't jump onto the classics\generations\whatever wagon early enough for it to be worth starting now - I'd be wasting money on after-market prices I could have been spending on what few G1s I do still get. Darkmount, Arcee ECT have crept in, tough.

I've been thinking about selling off a bunch of things for a while, "am I hoarding or collecting" and all that....but all the logistics of everything kinda intimidate me. Looking thru everything, getting boxes and bubble wrap, trying to guesstimate shipping costs, wondering if people would even want Movieverse and Kreons (customized Kreons at that), etc. etc.. Doesn't help that most 'first-time seller advice' threads often advise that you undersell the competition, which just makes me wonder if I'm better off just trashing it all. Or find someplace that accepts used toys or something.

Va'al wrote:

wilcosu35 wrote:The beast wars line is currently dead, but i'm still holding on to those for emotional reasons, and as for the movie line i'm waiting for the next movie line to come out.

Yeah, emotional, affection, fondness for certain ugly ones or memories associated to them. But. Do you ever regret getting rid of any, do you have a system to make sure you're over a certain figure?

Nah, i don't really regret that. I start thinking about selling stuff if it takes up too much space, or if i have no connection to it. I'll keep my BW stuff because that was my introduction into transformers, and i'll keep my movie screen characters because i like them

Ironhidensh wrote:It all just makes me feel like it's time to move on.

There is some of this in how I feel too, but coming not from an age perspective but personal ideology and attitude development. We'll see how it goes. I like the hobby, and the fandom, and the fiction around the characters - but my interest in the material/consumer side of it makes me feel uncomfortable. Hrm.

And on that note...

Dagon wrote:When I do sell things, I generally feel good about it: the freeing up of space feels good, like I've accomplished something, and I like to prove to myself that I'm not a hoarder, and that I can voluntarily let things go.

It is a good feeling, isn't it? Not being tied down to the 'things', but realising they hold some emotional value at the same time.

Amelie wrote:I kept things that I was very sentimental about and slowly chipped away at the rest.

I never truly got back into collecting afterwards.

I feel like I'm working the other way round on this one, but the sentiments are pretty much the same. Yeah. Again, hrm.

...I just. I just got rid of all my PCC dudes.

Oh dear. The clearance is real.

Va'al wrote:...I just. I just got rid of all my PCC dudes.

Oh dear. The clearance is real.

WHY?!?!?!

Noideaforaname wrote:I've been thinking about selling off a bunch of things for a while, "am I hoarding or collecting" and all that....but all the logistics of everything kinda intimidate me. Looking thru everything, getting boxes and bubble wrap, trying to guesstimate shipping costs, wondering if people would even want Movieverse and Kreons (customized Kreons at that), etc. etc.. Doesn't help that most 'first-time seller advice' threads often advise that you undersell the competition, which just makes me wonder if I'm better off just trashing it all. Or find someplace that accepts used toys or something.

If ever you want to get rid of some toys, let me know and I will pay the shipping it costs to send to me (granted you live in North America).

Same goes to everyone here who doesnt care to make money off their toys adn just wants to give them a new home.

With writing my top 5 lists, I realize I have some gaps since I have not handled all molds/toys so I am always on the lookout for the cheapest alternative to try a toy I never dealt with yet.

For example, I was making a list of most annying toys to transform and someone suggested i use the the Darth Vader Death Star on the list. To which I replied I didnt have and that it was too expensive. He didnt like it and shipped it to me and now its on the list

You can all do as you wish, but if anyone just wants to get rid of some toys and kow that they wont go to a scalper or to someone who wont care, send me a PM and it can go to some fun lists, or at least to my better understanding of the gorgeous toys out there!

william-james88 wrote:

Va'al wrote:...I just. I just got rid of all my PCC dudes.

Oh dear. The clearance is real.

WHY?!?!?!

Moving places, with very definite purpose. I've seriously scaled down the Italian side, so to merge the two when I get back to that flat I need much less stuff - for my own reasons, mind you, no external factors limiting how much I can have.

But as the PCCs have been in their box for over two years now, including Dennis and Bruce, I don't feel like I should be trying to justify keeping them any longer.

william-james88 wrote:If ever you want to get rid of some toys, let me know and I will pay the shipping it costs to send to me (granted you live in North America).

Same goes to everyone here who doesnt care to make money off their toys adn just wants to give them a new home!

I'll take them to the charity shop tomorrow, unless you want me to send all of them to you.

I've decided I'm done, not with the hobby, but with Hasbro. *

If you've seen any of my recent posts in the CW or TR threads, you can tell, in my opinion, that I basically consider Hasbro a failure with the brand, even a traitor to it. I'm so disapointed with recent offerings that I'm not even getting enjoyment out of the figures do have, aside from masterpiece.

So, I'm dropping my collecting habits to MP, and 3rd party figures only. Maybe the random Takara generations figure that I find I like. I think I'll be selling off the bulk of my original G1 stuff, and just keeping the shiny reissues. Generations figures that I really like are going into a box for storage, maybe one day they'll come out again. This decision has brought me a little sadness, but a great deal of satisfaction. Deciding not to support Hasbro* has taken the worry of what character will be shoved on a crappy repaint away, and that is nice.


*In the interests of honesty, its not a complete boycott. I'm still buying rescue not stuff for my boys, and the new RID stuff for when they are older. I'm not going to let my personal feelings hurt their enjoyment.

Hasbro UK have not been my Favourite people since they Made Generations a TRU Exclusive in the UK as they effectively destroyed the Transformers retail market overnight with that dumb as dirt move.
They they compounded that with deciding to ruin any anticipation of Combiner Wars by refusing to allow anyone in the UK to complete their Combiners in that 1st year.. Save Defensor (and that is without even getting into the whole Groove thing) And for a long while no one was even sure if White Prime was even going to show up either - He just did thankfully.

But it's far from their only dickish move - they also released Viper, & Blackjack in Germany and didn't do so in the UK (they may have got Huffer as well), we never got Legion megatron in the AOE line either - let alone the other wave toys from US 'Market 6' & Australia showing up at all.

But if you want an RID 3 step changer or a Hero Masher you don't have to hunt especially hard.

I don't even hate Hero Mashers as a concept - heck I think the Dinobot ones are even kinda "cute", but they are not really my thing even on clearance I have yet to bite on them.

It's fine including a Snarl Tail but no chance of completing snarl is there ? or being able to adapt Slug/Slag into one using his torso parts either.

Unless they did make the head and I just never saw it.

As it stand I find I'm drifting towards third party and Japanese releases more and since there isn't any toys on the shelves in the UK even up to Xmas it was all Star Wars toys and not much else so I don't really even have much option if I wanted to, I have to travel 25 Miles to even find a Supermarket that Sells Transformers and the nearest Toyshops hardly have any either. neither are they even on the Supermarkets click and collect offerings either so I can't even order them in either.

It's like they want to make it as hard as possible to get them and then also charge a premium for them to boot - to such a degree the price difference between UK and Japan has evaporated completely now.

While relegating generations to TRU is a decision between Hasbro UK and TRU, I dont know if the fact that you guys never got some toys to actually be Hasbro UK's fault. How do we know they didnt distribute rather than TRU not choosing to carry them?

In Canada, Walmart, Amazon and TRU chose not to carry Generations Brainstorm, Arcee and Chromia. I dont think its because Hasbro Canada chose not to distribute them there. Same with the states not carrying the last wave of Beast Hunters Commander class figures. From what i have learnt, it all stands with the retailer's choice, not the supplier.

william-james88 wrote:While relegating Generations to TRU is a decision between Hasbro UK and TRU, I dont know if the fact that you guys never got some toys to actually be Hasbro UK's fault. How do we know they didn't distribute rather than TRU not choosing to carry them?

From what I have learnt, it all stands with the retailer's choice, not the supplier.

Hasbro choose to drop characters from Waves all the time - but a similar selection is offered in another Country in the same region that then includes them - that is what winds me up.
They also have access in advance to some North American sales data and don't seem to use it. so why for example not stick more Legends Thundercracker in a wave when he sold out pretty much everywhere?.

Not that they didn't get any interest so something never got released - but the assortments they offer in the 1st place have toys missing like Viper or Huffer for example or Motormaster still being missing in the latest UK wave.

As for the Stunticon wave - Hasbro UK got so many complaints they had to explain themselves and their explanation was "It wasn't in budget to produce the product in European Packaging".

The problem with that is that if they had any wit or creativity they could at least sell Tri Logo toys in Spain & The UK & France. With the simple addition of a sticker on the boxes. especially when if you look at Canadian information there is evidence that wave was over supplied.

And then there is the issue of the former Eastern European market getting this stuff where the rest of Europe doesn't. So much so UK retailer have begun buying things from them, directly or indirectly .

And to make matters worse I have had discussions with people who run Toymaster franchise chains with multiple stores and they say they get their orders cancelled all the time as the stock gets sent to ToysRUs in it's entirety - They have even stopped smaller retailer from even having accounts unless any given order is some silly amount like £85,000 in some cases.

So they can't just ring up and order £5,0000 or £10,000 like they used to they either have to all get their heads together and make big bulk orders or buy things from wholesalers. and even if they do allow them to "Top Up" they often send the completely wrong items. The number of times they have been sent Star Wars toys they never ordered or already ordered is quite silly.

The knock on effect is the total product availability plummets - Hasbro UK also threatened UK retailers who buy from Grey sources with having their accounts suspended for a year. (Not TRU though who do it all the time as Hasbro know they dare not threaten them ever)

So that is why only the discount stores stock the things they do most of the time.

I could go on like this all afternoon... that is just the tiny tiny tiny tip of the iceberg.

Hasbro UK also allowed themselves to be bullied into closing the Hasbro.co.uk shop after retailers like TRU whined about the competition it offered... despite much of what Hasbro was selling online they didn't even take it in the 1st place.

Add in the lingering after effects of the loss of Woolworth a few years back and you have the huge clusterf*** that is Hasbro UK.

So yes Retailer choice is HUGE factor in North America - but it's Hasbro UK & Hasbro INC repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot that is as much an issue in the UK and much of Europe. And no this isn't all down to Growing older Younger or Technology as not all Toy Companies manage to be as self Destructive as them (not just LEGO either).

Not that everything is rosey in North America either - but at least the likes of Target, & Walmart actually have Transformers for sale on their sites in decent quantities - ASDA for Example had 3 of them last time I checked.

Thanks RAR for that extremely enlioghtening post. And this is the perfect place on the site to talk about this. So if ever you are in the feel of a rant, please drop by this business side of things interests me greatly. I had no clue that local hasbro headquarter had so much decision power.