The art of apathy - question for longtime art collectors

[Lambo]

Art buying sob stories "Please lower the price for me! I really will love it forever and besides, (I'm a student/going through a divorce/new to the hobby/just had family emergency/my car just broke/need to roof my house/it's a gift for my spouse/child)

Giving in to the sob story and seeing it on eBay a couple of months later.

These need to be brought out into the open when they happen.

 

Buyatari, unfortunately that (omg, that's my grail!!!) happens so often that you'd need to start a whole board just to contain the stories. Ask any artist or dealer how many times they've heard that and within a short period of time, they will see the piece on ebay or CAF.

 

Lambert

 

 

 

[Jesusjon]

I could never feel apathy about this hobby. There's just too much great stuff out there.

 

What I am feeling right now is a sense of resignation. Ruben's comments were insightful, and sadly, the more time I spend in the hobby the more I see that those things will never change and are a challenge to overcome just to feel pleasure in collecting.

 

I wish I had a career and disposable income to spend on this stuff 20 - 25 years ago. At least then I would have a trade stock to constantly evolve my collection and shape it even in today's market and at today's prices.

 

But now it's difficult to feel the excitement of collecting or the thrill of the hunt when there's precious little to hunt that I truly truly want that I can realistically afford to keep.

 

Guess I feel lucky that I picked up a few things in a few years that I'll keep up on the wall the rest of my life. Maybe a "one or two a year" average ain't so bad, but only time will tell if I have the opportunity to remain an active participant in the hobby or if I'm sidelined entirely by rising prices.

 

 

[buyatari]

Art buying sob stories "Please lower the price for me! I really will love it forever and besides, (I'm a student/going through a divorce/new to the hobby/just had family emergency/my car just broke/need to roof my house/it's a gift for my spouse/child)

Giving in to the sob story and seeing it on eBay a couple of months later.

These need to be brought out into the open when they happen.

 

Buyatari, unfortunately that (omg, that's my grail!!!) happens so often that you'd need to start a whole board just to contain the stories. Ask any artist or dealer how many times they've heard that and within a short period of time, they will see the piece on ebay or CAF.

 

Lambert

 

 

 

Hmm I figured it was rare that someone could pull that off as you would have to bug someone for years for something like that to work. Either these guys are really good or I just have a closed heart. I think it says alot about you guys as a group that it even works SOME of the time. It sucks that sometimes you get burned but I imagine sometimes it is "for real" and it shows you do care about others.

 

[*paull*]

There are so many different types/styles of art to collect that I can't imagine being completely bored with the hobby. I do change focus from one genre to another or one artist to another from time to time and that keeps things fresh. The things I do get tired of are:

 

Ever escalating prices

 

So-called collectors that are only in it for the quick cash turnaround

 

Certain dealer or collector/dealer methods of manipulating the market for specific things

 

Piggy-back collecting "Wow, that looks cool. Thanks for the idea, now I'll fight you for every like piece available!"

 

Fake or silly offers "That's a great Frazetta! I have to have it, will you please sell it? What, make an offer? Sorry, I could only go as high as $500"

 

Collector Targeting - Example 1

"Hey, I just got this. You collect this right? What? No, I won't sell it but I'll trade you for that piece you never wanted to sell."

 

Collector Targeting - Example 2

"I have this available, thought you might be interested. It's 3 times the last known retail price but I know you buy every example you see so I'm going to squeeze you dry."

 

Art buying sob stories "Please lower the price for me! I really will love it forever and besides, (I'm a student/going through a divorce/new to the hobby/just had family emergency/my car just broke/need to roof my house/it's a gift for my spouse/child)

 

Giving in to the sob story and seeing it on eBay a couple of months later.

 

 

I've been at this hobby on and off since the late 80's and I think Ruben pretty much sums up my feelings almost exactly. I love this hobby. It has brought me a lot of fun and enjoyment. I have made some great friends in this hobby both with my fellow collectors and also artists. But lately, as the hobby has grown, I've seen some really questionable behavior by so-called collectors that has tempered my enjoyment of it.

 

Lambert

 

This type of behavior isn't restricted to comic book OA.... any field where one-of-a-kind items are traded will be similar. Hell, I've seen some really cutthroat behavior in rock and mineral collecting!