We don't own comics, we rent them (constantly buying and selling) 0

[Ssantoss]

I donä't sell, I purge. As when I decided to switch from collecting superhero comics translated inte Swedish to the US original editions. Purged all the old stuff to get funds for the new. Or when I grew sick of my video game collection as I never had time to play - purge! One hobby less, more space and immediate funds for the other hobbies.

[Reno McCoy]

Over time, that accumulation of books starts to get on my nerves and I get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of books I have in my collection and begin to think "why the hell do I do this?"...then I have a big sales thread and all is right in the world again.

 

Wash, rinse, repeat...

 

This. Right here.

[Robot Man]

Me too, but I get over it quick...

[F For Fake]

Considering that we're all gonna kick the bucket eventually, we're really "renting" everything. At some point all of our treasures will either go back into the collecting wild, or the landfill.

 

On a less dark note, I go through phases myself. As a younger man I amassed a very large collection that I really thought would be permanent. But I got older and priorities changed, and I decided I didn't really need the books anymore, I'd just collect trades and HC's.

 

That lasted for a couple of years before I decided I missed the comic action, and I got back into it again.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

At this point I do have a handful of books that I think are lifetime keepers, not due to value (there isn't much) but because I love them so much. But everything else is negotiable.

[FN-2199]

Buying or selling? How about mining? I'm a completionist. I buy various lots, mine for the diamonds purchased at wholesale prices, put the rest into runs and auction those off. I just take what falls to me that day; like a good NFL general manager drafting the best-available-player.

[Junkdrawer]

Once you read them you have taken something from them that can't be lost. Put a price on that.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Junkdrawer

[Bird]

When I was a young man, 1985-90, I came across a magazine someone would leave at work...Arts & Antiques. And in that magazine I read the words that have informed my collection to this day...try to have a collection and not an accumulation. I remember reading that,thinking about it and then deciding to focus on three characters: Grendel, Dr. Strange, and Starman. Grendel fell by the wayside after 10-15 years and now two remain. I have changed my collecting focus but always try to stay away from pure accumulating.

[NoMan]

When I was a young man, 1985-90, I came across a magazine someone would leave at work...Arts & Antiques. And in that magazine I read the words that have informed my collection to this day...try to have a collection and not an accumulation. I remember reading that,thinking about it and then deciding to focus on three characters: Grendel, Dr. Strange, and Starman. Grendel fell by the wayside after 10-15 years and now two remain. I have changed my collecting focus but always try to stay away from pure accumulating.

 

Interesting. What defines "a collection" and what defines "an accumulation?"

 

 

[Bronty]

When I was a young man, 1985-90, I came across a magazine someone would leave at work...Arts & Antiques. And in that magazine I read the words that have informed my collection to this day...try to have a collection and not an accumulation. I remember reading that,thinking about it and then deciding to focus on three characters: Grendel, Dr. Strange, and Starman. Grendel fell by the wayside after 10-15 years and now two remain. I have changed my collecting focus but always try to stay away from pure accumulating.

 

Interesting. What defines "a collection" and what defines "an accumulation?"

 

 

A little finger pointed upwards while drinking tea, of course.

[Bird]

When I was a young man, 1985-90, I came across a magazine someone would leave at work...Arts & Antiques. And in that magazine I read the words that have informed my collection to this day...try to have a collection and not an accumulation. I remember reading that,thinking about it and then deciding to focus on three characters: Grendel, Dr. Strange, and Starman. Grendel fell by the wayside after 10-15 years and now two remain. I have changed my collecting focus but always try to stay away from pure accumulating.

 

Interesting. What defines "a collection" and what defines "an accumulation?"

 

 

I would say you know what you have when you look at your stuff. To me it meant not having so many different things by so many different people. What exactly are you trying to do? If it is just buying shiny things, which occupied my time and money for many years, than you are probably just accumulating things. If someone asked you "what do you collect?" your answer defines your stuff, collection or accumulation. No hard and fast rules in my mind; I looked at that statement for the first time and my own behavior and realized it applied. I like my stuff better now, although I am still working on it.

[Carl Elvis]

I heard a dealer in antiques say that collectors have to sell periodically to maintain the integrity of their collections and if you don't, then you're actually a hoarder. I think there's a lot of truth in that.

 

Great advice, this is going to permanently change my perspective on collecting. I just forwarded it to my brother who has a statue collection that boarders on hoarding. Thanks for sharing.

[NoMan]

It is good advice. And I admit it: it does feel good to just buy something sometimes. Leads to a lot of stuff I really don't want.

 

I need discipline!

 

I need money!

[grebal]

What's amazing is that I could make around 110 purchases and it would still only take up a single short box. But as mentioned and like most here, I must sell from time to time.

[ivegotneatstuff]

Sorry - this is in the wrong thread

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/

 

[sl4ppy]

I'm not sure I'm a renter.. I've sold maybe 20 books in my life?

 

Thankfully I buy less than 20 a year too. Only have about 3k books. The benefits of collecting very specific things.

Edited January 25, 2017 by sl4ppy

[Michelangelo]

problem is it's too easy (and fun) to buy too much