The Energon Pub

Thu Jun 23, 2011 2:54 pm

If this is the wrong forum, I apologize.

It's simply speculation but the media keeps talking about the US economic collapse. Anything is possible but have you guys ever thought about all this stuff we have acquired and collect could be worthless overnight? What if we would need cash for survival and all of our collections could provide for that but they could be junk. I know that's the same risk anybody takes playing any investment, it's just been on my mind lately.

News Credits: 12 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 2:58 pm

I've thought about it, but I don't worry about it much.

I have money set aside for the event that I'll need to survive. I have also set aside a disposable income because I'm not going to sit in a corner and hoard money while being paranoid.

News Credits: 241 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:02 pm

I'm not too worried: I'm not selling off any of what I have. One of my cousin's husbands actually advised me that. Besides, if I worried about the monetary value of my collection every single day I wouldn't be a fan, now would I?

News Credits: 12 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:10 pm

I think this flowchart illustrates my feeling nicely:

http://www.boingboing.net/_oKsGl-1.jpg

News Credits: 129 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:39 pm

SN95 Cobra R wrote:If this is the wrong forum, I apologize.

It's simply speculation but the media keeps talking about the US economic collapse. Anything is possible but have you guys ever thought about all this stuff we have acquired and collect could be worthless overnight? What if we would need cash for survival and all of our collections could provide for that but they could be junk. I know that's the same risk anybody takes playing any investment, it's just been on my mind lately.

The question I have for you is, what are you invested in now and just what do you think an economic collapse is?

News Credits: 2 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:44 pm

I suppose I would be worried if I collected things for their monetary value, but I collect them for fun so I really don't think about their value at all. It's only in very rare circumstances that I decide to sell things, and even then I usually sell at a loss just to be rid of them. (It also feels good to give people a bargain.)

News Credits: 12 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:44 pm

Counterpunch wrote:
The question I have for you is, what are you invested in now and just what do you think an economic collapse is?

Good points.

A) I don't know what media you're watching/reading/listening to, but the US economy is NOT in danger of collapsing.

B) Toys are a bad investment. If you want to invest, buy stocks and/or mutual funds, not toys.

C) Even if the economy collapsed and there was no market for used toys, my collection wouldn't be "worthless" to me because I would still enjoy it as much as ever. It would only be worthless if the only value you see in it is the monetary value. And if all you're interested in is monetary value, see point (B) above.

Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:21 pm

I love reading all the posts in this thread. Very good points!! I collect for the fun of it. If something bad would happen, I would live out of my truck with all my TF's with me.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:42 pm

GOLD, HANDGUNS, AND DRY STOCK!

Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:56 pm

GuyIncognito wrote:I think this flowchart illustrates my feeling nicely:

http://www.boingboing.net/_oKsGl-1.jpg

golden........pure golden

Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:11 pm

~

Thu Jun 23, 2011 7:41 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I'm not too worried: I'm not selling off any of what I have. One of my cousin's husbands actually advised me that. Besides, if I worried about the monetary value of my collection every single day I wouldn't be a fan, now would I?

Lol, if even a word about my collection is breathed around my Dad, he will without fail always say "you should sell those things. You need the money." Even in the best of times he says this. Bless his heart he only means well, but this is further proof that a person that age cannot possibly conceive of a responsible adult placing the amount of importance on plastic toys that we do! :lol:

Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:54 pm

I try not to look at my collection as valuable. Sure it actually is. I could get thousands of dollars if I sold it. Then, my intent would have to be selling it. I try to look at it more like movie tickets. Once you spend that money, it's gone for the entertainment. So, I dont rely on my toys to be a fall back. While I could, in theory, get money from them, I know it's gone.

Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:19 pm

i look at it this way if the economy tanked to the point that everyone was trying to sell off their motu, gi joe, tf, hot wheels collections who would really buy any of it if not at firesale prices? :???:

besides they are what i enjoy but if it was to feed my family then so be it.

News Credits: 10 · Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:27 am

I took the risk last year and moved from Florida to Connecticut. I quit my teaching job of 7 years and moved with no job lined up. My wife and I made the decision to make this move as long as one of us landed a job before we moved. She did, I didn't.

Long story short, we have three kids - one of whom was two at the time. I did not find a teaching job and anything else I could do would go straight to childcare. So I remained unemployed and a stay at home father. I've loved every minute of it, but we had to dip into savings to keep going.

So I sold my Botcon 06 set, including Megatron. It was one of my favorite Botcon sets too, but in the end it brought in several thousand dollars of extra income to keep us comfortable. I also sold a lot of valuable LEGO sets.

So, in times of crisis it is good to have some source of money even if it means parting ways with some of the collection.

The happy ending here is that 1) we love it here and 2)I have a job lined up for the next school year that pays almost twice what I made last year!