The Energon Pub

News Credits: 3 · Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:39 pm

Just curious on how most of us pay for our hobby...

Do you pay with only what cash you actually have on hand or in your bank account?

Or do you pay by credit card or something similar?

Or maybe both?

I only ask because I always pay for my hobbies with what I actually have. Although, I am interested in looking into getting a CC solely for those more expensive items that I sometimes must pass on or be painstakingly patient for. I am pretty responsible with my spending so I am not worried about it getting out of hand.

Sun Aug 05, 2012 12:14 am

Eh, it's the kind of hobby you really should avoid paying with money you don't have for. At least that's the way I see it; it's too enjoyable obtaining new things for your collection, so it's easy to go overboard.

For me, I just use money that I have burning a hole in my pocked when I see something I really like. I'm pretty tight with my finances.

News Credits: 2 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 12:23 am

I do both, but thanks to a job that pays pretty well and the fact that my cost of living is very very low, even when I do use a credit card, I pay off the balance very quickly.

It's handy to use a CC when I don't have sufficient funds in the bank account at the time to cover a large purchase like a grail that almost never comes up on ebay showing up suddenly etc.

Aside from the usually older stuff I snag off of ebay, most of my purchases are from BBTS, and for that I use my normal bank account's debit card, so it comes straight out of the bank.

Sun Aug 05, 2012 12:24 am

I pay with tiny fragments of my soul, laced with money.

But to be serious, if it's an in-person purchase, I always use cash. That way I can manage myself and not spend $400 on Transformers in one fell swoop. If I need to order something, such as an exclusive or an import, I use a credit card that is only for online purchases. Again, to me, the important thing is management.

News Credits: 3 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 12:28 am

RAcast wrote:Eh, it's the kind of hobby you really should avoid paying with money you don't have for. At least that's the way I see it; it's too enjoyable obtaining new things for your collection, so it's easy to go overboard.

For me, I just use money that I have burning a hole in my pocked when I see something I really like. I'm pretty tight with my finances.

The idea behind getting a CC pertains to the post following yours more or less...its just for those instances where a grail prevents itself and its comparatively a good deal. Although when it comes to G1 grails, even for a steal they can be pricey. I have a pretty decent job and my wife does too so generating the funds to pay off the occasional big ticket item isn't a problem.

News Credits: 3 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 12:31 am

Gearslide wrote:I pay with tiny fragments of my soul, laced with money.

I liked this, it sincerely made me chuckle. And in a way, its a little true :lol:

News Credits: 226 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 12:51 am

I fell into the trap years ago of accumulating TF's without really having the money. One paid off credit card debt later, I learnt my lesson.

Which is good, considering I now have a mortgage. So paying for TF's is a low priority. I wait for sales (HA! That's a joke) or just budget. There's normally one week a month where I may be able to burn $50 or so, that gets spent on myself be it TF's, hookers, or something else.

Unless it's a harder to get must have figure, then I'll pay for it and suffer the consequences later.

News Credits: 402 · Updated Oct 21, 2022

Since the TFCC credit card issue, I've split my TF purchases primarily onto one seperate credit card and use my other CC for general purchases so I can get a sense of how much I'm putting into my collection.

Some months it's not a pretty ratio

News Credits: 668 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 3:46 am

Cash, prepaid debit, store credit, trade or coinstar voucher. (No fee for the last item.)
I don't have credit, never did except at Fingerhut (don't go down that road...) and I won't use my actual debit card for purchases. Especially with PayPal. One forgotten charge and your account's overdrawn. Yeah, no thanks.

News Credits: 241 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 6:49 am

I know this is primarily aimed at US collectors, but I only use three real means of paying: PayPal for member transactions, bank transfer via a third party service for online stores (I *rarely* go there) and regular debit in stores.
For me it's impossible to get a credit card since I have no real steady income (I'm on disability if you must know) and given that European prices are ridiculous as hell, I'm extremely money conscious. Plus, here credit cards are only used by tourists, not by your regular Joe.

Again, extremely money conscious here, but given the opportunity I do splurge, big time. :oops:

News Credits: 9 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 6:54 am

I earn a certain monthly amount from a certain company. I transfer a certain percentage to my bills account and a certain percentage to my personal account. That's my monthly TF budget. I hardly ever use it all up.

Back in 2007 my budget was derived from whatever money was left over from my grocery budget. Usually £2 or £3 a week. Sad times.

Sun Aug 05, 2012 9:23 am

i wont get it unless i have the cash for it. if i dont have enough and i want it badly enough i ask for help from my parents since i still live at home and have no job.

News Credits: 22 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 9:27 am

Stores (TRU or Wal-mart): debit card (for regular current line pieces)
Online (eBay and Amazon): Paypal (linked to bank account; for missed-out-on-but-not-rare pieces)
Convention Exclusives (TFCC and BotCon): blood (you know how it goes)
Asian Exclusives (Grand Maximus basically): body part (at least blood can be replaced easier)

Sun Aug 05, 2012 10:04 pm

Burn wrote:I fell into the trap years ago of accumulating TF's without really having the money. One paid off credit card debt later, I learnt my lesson.

Which is good, considering I now have a mortgage. So paying for TF's is a low priority. I wait for sales (HA! That's a joke) or just budget. There's normally one week a month where I may be able to burn $50 or so, that gets spent on myself be it TF's, hookers, or something else.

Unless it's a harder to get must have figure, then I'll pay for it and suffer the consequences later.

I know what you mean. 5 years ago I was in the habit of blowing cash on toys like it was water, and had been for years. I jacked up my credit cards and liberally assaulted my checking account. I was addicted to ebay on top of buying stuff at retail (back when it could be found there!). It came to a head when I started to get into bidding wars over stuff on ebay and began taking cash advances on my credit card to pay for it. Stoooopid. Do you know what they charge for interest on that? Thankfully, I had an epiphany then and realized that I had a problem.

I wised up pretty quick. I had to. Normal people don't buy the entire line of Mego Micronauts MIB (minus the alien vehicles and the European) along with the Palisades offerings and Takara reissue Microman figures in under a year on my income. I got my s**t together, paid my debts down, and learned to prioritize. Fortunately I caught it before my credit was affected.

Long story short (well, it's too late for that!), I pay cash now, and only when the bills are paid. If there's something I want but can't afford, I don't get it until I CAN afford it, meaning it's gotta get cheaper, or I save up over time for it. This has paid off many times such as when I rejected RTS Windcharger at $35+ and eventually found it at 5 and Up for 5 bucks. The same thing happened with Jetwing Prime. After a year of waiting, it came up as an Amazon exclusive for $104.00 shipped. Beats $260.00 any day.

When I buy online, I use my debit, rather than a credit card. I refuse to use anything that charges interest. You would cry like a frightened child if you saw what the interest is on a Sears Mastercard with a $10,000 balance! :shock:

News Credits: 461 · Sun Aug 05, 2012 11:36 pm

I only ever use credit for all my purchases... as I never use debit cards online and never carry cash. Debit cards if hacked take money straight from your bank account. its not protected and a lot harder to prove that the charges aren't yours like with the TFCC case with the CC that I used i have no problems and just let chase deal with the issue. Plus i just never carry much cash anymore.. Also i get points for using credit so i see no point in using cash. just pay your full balance at the end of the month and you'll be good.

News Credits: 9 · Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:39 am

I've never had a credit card, only debit cards so it's a little harder to spend money I don't have.

News Credits: 2 · Mon Aug 06, 2012 2:52 pm

I spend money I don't have all the time, but then again, I usually have around $2000 per month that isn't required for bills, rent, food, cigarrettes, gas or anything else, so it's pretty easy for me to purchase a ton of TF's as well as pay off credit cards quickly.

No family, no mortgage (I rent, and my rent is CHEAP).

If money were tighter, I'd worry about accumulating debt. I do NOT use CC's when money is tight.

News Credits: 4 · Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:58 pm

I trade ill-informed farmboys "magic" beans for healthy cows.

Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:07 pm

Parking lot favors.

News Credits: 1 · Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:12 pm

with the mocking laughter of my wife :sad:

Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:16 pm

My wife and I give ourselves an "allowance" of 120 dollars each every other week. We both have personal checking accounts as well as a joint account, so our allowances and spending habits regarding those allowances are private. Therefore, I use the money I save up from the allowances to pay for my figures.

Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:47 pm

Most of the time it's all about planning, or how much moolah I happen to carry with me at the time. TRU and local hobbyshops encounters are easily dealt with what's in my wallet and the rest (online) is through debit cards. Then again, it's because of the lack of CC/sacrificial lambs/soul reaping I tend to miss alot on things...

(Saw a brave Max MISB, thrilled, looked at the price, forlorn, never visited the store again. It's painful! :lol:

)

News Credits: 1 · Wed Aug 08, 2012 6:22 pm

I use cash most of the time. Occasionally I'll use a credit card, but that's generally only with online purchases. Paypal, of course, with ebay, not that I use ebay much.

Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:16 pm

CC online. Debit in store. Cash at flea markets or whatever. I never go crazy and put myself in debt with any of those payment methods. Especially the CC. I've been totally screwed once by blowing too much on credit and know the sting of interest.

I keep myself on a VERY tight leash. Just out of experience. Debt is a terrible weight over you head. Keeps a guy awake at night if your not smart.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Aug 09, 2012 1:18 am

monstergrotusque wrote:CC online. Debit in store. Cash at flea markets or whatever. I never go crazy and put myself in debt with any of those payment methods. Especially the CC. I've been totally screwed once by blowing too much on credit and know the sting of interest.

I keep myself on a VERY tight leash. Just out of experience. Debt is a terrible weight over you head. Keeps a guy awake at night if your not smart.

Amen brother. I use my CC's a lot (some more than other, mostly the PayPal card since I use ebay a lot to catch up on older stuff and rarer stuff), but I wouldn't touch them unless I was absolutely CERTAIN of where I stand financially.

Debt isn't worth it and interest is a b***h! It is not worth digging yourself into a hole you can't get out of, no matter how precious the grail may be.

I can afford to throw $1000 or so towards CC payments/TF's each month easily, so I don't sweat it, but when things are tight (like medical bills or whatever) or if you have a family to support and real expenses, you must know where to draw the line.