• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Why has America become such a PACKRAT nation?

Started by dekeuk,

79 posts in this topic

lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
Posted

Wow...

 

A food for thought thread if ever there was one...

 

 

During my "worst-of-times" period in the winter of 2004-05, I lived for five months with no cable tv, no internet, and no collectibles of any kind in my domicile. The only furniture of any kind in my one-bedroom apartment was a mattress on the floor, a 17" tv sitting on a milk crate, a drafting table with my computer, and a desk chair. No art on the walls. No lamps. No end tables. No couch. Nothing...

 

That five-month period was somewhat depressing, because of my lack of income, and especially because of my inability to fulfill my past obligations. But it was also strangely liberating. Spending five months with virtually no ties to material possessions was easily the most calming experience of my life. Had I been financially stable at the time, I might have chosen never to go back to collecting.

 

What's tough is, I look at the "inventory/collection" in the garage and I see future income. I don't see clutter. Now I know that the lunatics like "eBay Mom" have the same rose-colored glasses on, but I walked out into the garage this past Monday and gathered up a short box of comics. I spent three hours scanning them, posted them here on the boards, and did nearly $1,000 in sales in one day. That makes it hard to feel bad about the "accumulation".

 

I do plan to reduce my holdings, hopefully substantially, this year. I have enough "random inventory" to fill two stores currently sitting in storage. None of that stuff is terribly liquid. Lots and lots and lots of it is only valuable if there is a running brick and mortar operation. Otherwise the shipping costs outweigh its sale value. But given that I don't expect to have two stores any time soon, even if I do open one, I plan to make a very large donation to comics4kids this year. Dale and I have discussed his 501 ©(3) status repeatedly, and if he gets those ducks in a row by the end of this year, I will likely donate between 15,000 and 25,000 comics to them.

 

When I last had a shop open, I typically had less than 4 short boxes of comics at the house. I know my wife would be very happy if I got back to that status...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mister_Comics

Mister_Comics

Posted
Posted

Just yesterday I was watching a PBS show about BABYBOOMERS and they covered the packrat thing that millions of people do. Especially people born in the 50's -60's. (In short) According to the show, parents of those born during that time wanted the kids to have everything that they couldn't. A lot of new toys came out during that time. Parents would buy these things for the kids. But the parents worried about money and the kids didn't because of upbringing. The kids didn't have the DEPRESSION happen to them. The parents saved $$$. While the babyboomers spent. Babyboomers buy a lot of everything, including collectibles. Thats why theres such a big deffacit in America today. Americans owe more then ever before. Remember, there wasn't credit cards before the 60's. In short, its all about upbringing. It was a interesting program.

 

Now that babyboomers are retiring we will probably see a change in the collectible world. From experience, my kids are not interested so much of collectibles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
deathlok

deathlok

Posted
Posted
Wow...

 

A food for thought thread if ever there was one...

 

 

During my "worst-of-times" period in the winter of 2004-05, I lived for five months with no cable tv, no internet, and no collectibles of any kind in my domicile. The only furniture of any kind in my one-bedroom apartment was a mattress on the floor, a 17" tv sitting on a milk crate, a drafting table with my computer, and a desk chair. No art on the walls. No lamps. No end tables. No couch. Nothing...

 

That five-month period was somewhat depressing, because of my lack of income, and especially because of my inability to fulfill my past obligations. But it was also strangely liberating. Spending five months with virtually no ties to material possessions was easily the most calming experience of my life. Had I been financially stable at the time, I might have chosen never to go back to collecting.

 

What's tough is, I look at the "inventory/collection" in the garage and I see future income. I don't see clutter. Now I know that the lunatics like "eBay Mom" have the same rose-colored glasses on, but I walked out into the garage this past Monday and gathered up a short box of comics. I spent three hours scanning them, posted them here on the boards, and did nearly $1,000 in sales in one day. That makes it hard to feel bad about the "accumulation".

 

I do plan to reduce my holdings, hopefully substantially, this year. I have enough "random inventory" to fill two stores currently sitting in storage. None of that stuff is terribly liquid. Lots and lots and lots of it is only valuable if there is a running brick and mortar operation. Otherwise the shipping costs outweigh its sale value. But given that I don't expect to have two stores any time soon, even if I do open one, I plan to make a very large donation to comics4kids this year. Dale and I have discussed his 501 ©(3) status repeatedly, and if he gets those ducks in a row by the end of this year, I will likely donate between 15,000 and 25,000 comics to them.

 

When I last had a shop open, I typically had less than 4 short boxes of comics at the house. I know my wife would be very happy if I got back to that status...

 

I have an uncle who just never quite fit in with society norms. He lives in an apartment with a mattress on the floor in his bedroom. He has no couches, tables, chairs, or other furniture. He does without an oven and fridge. He doesn't own a TV or radio. I'm not really sure what he does with his time. He was on disability for awhile, so he could not afford much, which is why he eliminated those things that cost money. He eventually moved up to Oregon or Washington, I think. I haven't heard from him exceopt for the occasional postcard saying hi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FlyingDonut

FlyingDonut

Posted
Posted

I have a collection of about 1000 comics. Those are mine, and it pains me to do anything with them - I sell one every now and then to fund a purchase of a hard to find item for the collection, and only if I can replace it. I can tell you exactly what's in that collection, the grade, and what I paid for it.

 

I have an accumulation of about 50,000 comics that I view solely as inventory. That stuff? In and out, with little or no care for what it is. I'm often pleasantly surprised when I open a box to find some cool stuff that I bought 15 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mr. Zipper

Mr. Zipper

Posted
Posted
gossip.gif It's good to see you back on your feet, and back on the boards.
Prove it

 

Don't you EVER work???

 

Doesn't he work for the government?

 

Judging from these boards, the two professions with the most time to spend on message boards are:

 

1 - Government employees

2 - Attorneys

 

stooges.gifpoke2.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Moondog

Moondog

Posted
Posted

Glad to see Phil and Lenore are still with us. I was worried after not seeing him for the past 10 years or so, that he had passed on.

 

I'm with you, Danny. I've got tons of stuff but consider only a tiny fraction of it important.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Griz

Griz

Posted
Posted

My father used to work with an interesting individual back in the 70s-early 80s that I would consider the prime example of the packrat. This man was very well off, having inherited money, although he kept working. This man was an odd duck. It is a little frightening because he was in law enforcement, my father was a federal agent for 30+ years, thus this guy was armed.

 

When they went out to eat, the man would take all the ketchup packets, salt packets, napkins, free rolls, etc that he could get and take them with him. It's free you know, don't pass it up.

 

He always carried with him a briefcase filled with various denominations of US and foreign currencies, and gold. You never know when you might meet a Swiss watch dealer who only takes Swiss francs and you don't want to be without your cash! What if there is a run on the bank and we need gold to buy our way out of some trouble, etc.

 

Lastly, as for the collectibles, he used to buy anything trendy. The man had his basement filled with 50 gallon drums. If cabbage patch dolls were the "hot" toy, he would go out and buy 10 of them and put them in the drums. If transforrmers were the hot item, he'd but a a case or so and put them in the drums. If this or that book was a must have at the time, he'd buy a stack and throw them in the drums.

 

I don't know how long this went on but I have often wondered what this man had accumulated in his basment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mr. Zipper

Mr. Zipper

Posted
Posted
Okay. Here is what my dream home would look like inside:

 

http://secretfunspot.blogspot.com/2007/01/vraney-petruccis-funhouse.html

 

Kinda neat, but total sensory overload.

 

I'd imagine that dusting that room would be like painting the Brooklyn Bridge. As soon as you finished, you'd have to restart on the other end again. foreheadslap.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
Posted
Okay. Here is what my dream home would look like inside:

 

http://secretfunspot.blogspot.com/2007/01/vraney-petruccis-funhouse.html

 

Kinda neat, but total sensory overload.

 

I'd imagine that dusting that room would be like painting the Brooklyn Bridge. As soon as you finished, you'd have to restart on the other end again. foreheadslap.gif

 

Nah, you call one of those cleaning services that gives binding estimates over the phone.

 

"Yeah, it's a 3/2 about 1900sf... You'll dust everything? Great! Oh, and you guys are bonded and insured in case you break anything right? Sweet... Sounds good, come on over!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dekeuk

dekeuk

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Now that babyboomers are retiring we will probably see a change in the collectible world. From experience, my kids are not interested so much of collectibles.

 

They are not that interested .... YET.

 

Don't you think that might change when they are older, have more money to spend on collectibles, see stuff that reminds them of their youth, etc.

 

I suppose they will want to collect stuff like rare cell phone covers. There are seemingly thousands of different cell phone covers out there and I assume some of them will become quite rare in future years, especially in MIB condition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing