Quitting G.I.Joe Collecting - Thoughts/Advice?

[Urban Saboteur]

Hi dudes and dudettes,
I thought i'd write and ask ppl's opinions on something close to home to me. I am not saying this to cause drama, I just want everyone to have their say and thoughts .. if you've experienced anything similar.. and what you done about it.

Back in April I decided seriously to consider quitting collecting GI JOE and selling off my collection. Figures & vehicles.. everything., the toys that had been so cool and kept my attention for so long just weren't doing much for me anymore. Because I thought this might be a "rash decision" I decided I would wait a while, take a break from contributions and projects and leave it until september.

So we're in August, I pick up my joes and unfortunately i don't have the enthusiasm. Maybe I need a longer break from it all? Maybe this really is time for me to sellup and find something else to do? In april my parents asked
"What will you do as a hobby?, and what you going to do with the sales money? what about them they make you happy?"
Truth is I don't know the answer to any of them. But something is bugging me. Really bugging me. Since the age of 7, I've collected joes .. solidly.. with a passion (to much sometimes) as some of you will attest to on here. The thing is.. it's now 2007 and I'm still collecting.. 20 years of solid joes should be a dream for me.. but its not. It's feeling like a huge burden.. that question of what would I do.. is still bugging me..
"Maybe I'd have a better life and living" More relaxed.. no hassle.. because collecting joes.. and all the things I do that goes with it seems hassle now rather than fun.
Its felt that way since april.. and I don't feel any different. Has anyone else ever felt this way?
Rich

[gung ho]

i've been also thinking about selling my collection i don't know what it is but it feels like i'm to old to collect Gi Joes and it's really getting old collecting.. don't get me wrong i'm very proud of my collection, but i really need the money for some things....i've been thinking about it for a while now but i don't know about selling my joes and the rest of my figures but i also need help about this

[bravo]

guys i know how you feel. its like you dont want to let go. i step away from it from time to time, but it always seem your right back to were you stared. and yes the Joe's are getting pricey, i too that about selling my Joe's, just cant do it, i too don't know why i cant let go.? best bet step away from it, say about a month or 2, put it all away so you cant see it, and set your mind on other things, and see were that leads you....

[gogorobo]

i had a similar problem with star wars figures doing much the same as you i was buying them or receiving them as gifts since i was a mere child and had amassed quite the collection by the time i was in my early twenties and after a while i no longer felt the same satisfaction that came in trying to complete this seriously large collection so i gave it up and started to think about where i wanted to go with this and what i wanted to do with my life after about two years i decided that i would sell my collection because i felt that i no longer had the excitement of collecting i found a person who was interested in buying what i had and i sold it off needless to say i got a nice chunk of change out of thew whole deal and i didn't regret it one bit i guess the point is if you feel that you can part with your collection and not feel any regrets then do it if not than i would say hold off until you are sure of what you really want to do

[rnrhero]

I stepped away from it since just after Christmas and am finally getting back into it. Alot for has to do with there being nothing new in the stores to buy. I love the hunt. I dont want to buy online. I would spend everyday off i had looking at everystore I could find in Atlanta. I dont care about the gas prices when i comes to making me happy. But, when there was nothing new in the stores, I just didnt care anymore. Just now, with the 25th line hitting have I gotten interested again. And I cant seem to find the 5 packs anywhere.

[lehsreh]

[COLOR=Red]i think everyone need time off. maybe you need more then the rest. put them up, dont looks at them at all, dont even come on places like this and look around. it may take a year, heck, i stopped collecting for over 10. sooner or later youll want to come back. one reason you will is because if you take a year or even 2 off, there will be some stuff you have missed and some changes. its like this, i love to draw, but when its something i have to do, like submitting a comic for a deadline trying to break into comics i cant make myself do it. it becomes more of a job then a passtime. even if its something you love, its totally different when you do it because you want to then it is when you have to. you dont have to collect joes, but you have been doing it so long that you think you have to, like you have to have everything. its becoming more like a job. take time off, dont sell everything, if you want to sell some go ahead. if you sell it all and you do want to come back you will hate yourself. if you sell some and you come back it could be a good thing, give you some more figures you will have to get.[/COLOR]

[Captain Max]

Rich-I agree with bravo and lehsreh-put them away for awhile,give your self some time.....maybe you'll get "fired up" again...........maybe you'll figure out selling them is for the best.Either way-I wouldn't make a snap decision right now. :)

[Flatline]

I Collected For 7yrs Till I Was 13. Going Into High School And I Thought I Had To Stop Cause I Was In High School. I Gave My Nephews All My Joes Then I Got Back Into It When The Rah Line Came Out And I Had My Son. Hes Eight Now And I Kick My Self For Not Putting Them Aside For When I Had A Boy. There Were Times I Took Time Away From Toys. 2 Kids Later Finacialy Stable I Got Back Into It About A Year Ago When I Found This Site Now Im Full Boar. So Take Time Off Do What You Have To Do But Sooner Or Later You'll Regret Letting Them Go.

[Outrider]

Rich, this is no time for rash decisions, because once you start selling stuff, there's no turning back. Like everyone else has said, pack your Joes away, go and do other stuff, don't even think about joes, and come back to 'em later on. If you still feel the same, then sell them and move on. But a small hiatus may just re-fire the passion! ;)

[General Scarlett]

Rich,

Much as everyone has said above, don't make any rash decisions, take time to weigh out the options available to you........


Let me tell you my little story, if I may.........

Flint and I have been the best of friends for over 31+ years. In this time we have enjoyed many various hobbies and interests. Chief among them being G.I. Joe, with Star Wars and Mego and such sprinkled in. Now I know that for you and perhaps others, the 'not' having such a close friend or relative who shares this interest must be a bit of a downer, and for all of you I truly sympathize.

Our Joeverse has been 25 years in the making. It has survived through both of us moving and growing older, as not only a tie to the past, but a bridge built for the future. Some years ago I too found myself feeling somewhat 'detatched' from the hobby....I had so many other things going on in my life that I really didn't see 'G.I. Joe' fitting in at the time. So I sort of 'put it aside', not completely away mind you-Flint saw to it that he would still bring up certain things-characters, vehicles, old storylines, whatever-just to keep it wiggling around in the back of my mind.

Nearly 2 years ago, he started to tell me about JoeBattlines.com and how cool it was that there were so many people who were still 'into Joes'........I listened, but didn't really pay it too much mind. We would chat about things and such, but for me the desire still hadn't re-emerged fully.

Until last November.

I purchased my first computer and hooked myself up to the 'world wide web'.......and what a world that opened for me. I have made so many friends through the 'net, that I truly am begining to appreciate the unity of 'being one humanity'......and it's sooo powerful and enlightening and comforting and pure.

I found myself excited about the prospect of interacting with so many different and various people from all over the world. And I found that I could get back into some of the things that had captivated my youth, namely 'G.I. Joe'........

Now, I cannot expect you, or anyone, to have the same thoughts, feelings and experiences that I have had.....each of us is our own individual. But what I'm trying to get across is, once you have committed your soul to something, then your soul is forever linked to that thing.........whatever it may be.


I don't know you or any of the other members well enough to think that I could impart my way of reasoning on you, but I can speak from my own experiences and feelings. I love G.I. Joe, and I know that I always will.........what I do now (and have since that time that I really stepped back and 'grew up' a little bit), is to find some way to fit my love of Joes (or Star Wars, or Comic Books, or whatever it is that is 'my thing'), into my 'grown up life'. I don't see life as something that I HAVE to do this or that........I do what I want, when I want, and for who I want. I think that too many people suddenly find themselves fixated on one certain thing and then 'ride it into the ground', causing a burnout.

Instead of looking at collecting as the 'be all and end all', look at it as something fun and mind diverting. I don't 'have' to have everything in a line.....I buy things because I like it, NOT because I need to 'complete' something. I think if you start looking at G.I. Joe as something fun and frilly, you may find that it's not so 'overwhelming' and 'all consuming'. That might make the hobby a bit less intense and burdensome for you.........just a thought.


At the end of the day, go with your heart......wherever it may lead. And please know that if your heart tells you to walk away from this, you will be missed in this capacity........but you will always be someone who I would be honored to call 'my friend' for a long, long time to come...............


Peace,
Prudence

[Outrider]

Prudence made some excellent points. Rich, don't think of GI Joe as a burden or a drag, but an escape to take your mind off the crap things that happen in life. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that this hobby is one of the things that has helped keep me sane over the years. I can come home from the worst day at work (and I've had a few of those lately) after fighting the traffic, tired and worn out and ready to collapse. So I flick the computer on, load Joedios, start looking at everyone's cool pics and reading the forums, and before I know it I have a smile on my face. The day from hell is forgotten, and the stress just melts away.
And Rich, like you I'm isolated geographically from everyone else (heck, I couldn't be further away!) but I really feel like I belong to a close, genuinely friendly community on this site. That's a heck of a thing to give up! Take a break, and come back better than ever! ;)

[yorktownjoe]

Breaks are good. I took a break from around 1991 to 1999. After we got into our first house, I started buying and selling on eBay. I sold figures because mom never got rid of our collections and I had boxes when we moved in. I sold selectively, because I wasn't sure if I would ever get back in. Well of course in the process of selling, you look at what is selling, and prices, and then you see something that you want, and then you're back in!

I always suggest moderation in all things. For instance, when the Hasbro massive selloff started, I thought about dropping a significant amount of money, but then my reality warning buzzer sounded, and I limited my purchases to under $75 to pick up some things I wanted, without going overboard. (Overboard means different things to different folks.)

If I hadn't taken a break from 1991-1999, it is doubtful I would have finished college, found good jobs, and a great wife, got a house or any of the other things in life I enjoy.

I enjoy this site not only because it's fun with the dios and the photos, but it is a community where people can share ideas and thoughts, without getting too much judgment.

I appreciate your contributions to the community Rich. And I trust you will make a good decision.

[Urban Saboteur]

Many thanks to all of you so far who have given me advice, it is very very important to me. This place is one of the closest forums I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of. I will probably wait this out at least until September. This way I will of at least given it serious thought for 5 months or so.
Regards
Richard

[msu44]

Well I'm rather new to posting on this site, no photos yet but they will come, so here's my view on it.

I am 31 and I collected from 82 till I was in the 7th grade and just got any new SS and SE that came out until the line ended in 94. I was forced out of really collecting or even asking for Joes from my parents after Christmas in the 6th grade.

My folks said it was time to ask and get big-boy stuff and put the toys up, as a matter of fact I had to pack up my stuff when I got out for the summer that year. I never got totally out of Joes. I would would sneak out my stuff and play with them when my parents were out.

Anyway when the line discontinued and I went to college in 95 I thought my Joe days were over forever. When the Toys R Us stuff came out, i didn't live close to one so those things were not available to me. When I got out of college and moved to Houston, I got back into it big time. I was an Xbox rep for the first three years the system was out so I was in all the stores that sold them and every time I went to TRU I would snag everything I could. when they relaunched the line I got everything as soon as it hit the stores. Ebay, garage sales, antique markets, and other online retailers to hunt down the old stuff has been good for me to get things I lost over the years or never got in the first place.

I thought about stopping, but never to sell....it has meant too much to me. It reminds me of happier times and lets me feel young. The last two years I have battled and and beaten cancer twice and have arrived at the one year check-up a ok. Sitting through chemo and looking at the site and many others and buying old Joes got me through it and helped me keep a smile on my face,as well as family friends, and my faith in God.

If ever I think about selling I just have to think about my Dad.....he had the complete Topps baseball card collection from 1950 through 1977(many multiplies). He needed the money to buy a new car and sold the collection and to this day he regrets doing it. I know I could never get rid of my Joes, it 's isn't about the money either. If it's a money issue then it can be understandable no questions asked

Now if you do decide it is the right thing to do to let them go, I encourage you to let the folks on here rather than straight to ebay, because at least on this board you know the folks on here would appreciate and take care of them.

That's my thoughts on the subject

[Urban Saboteur]

I've decided to take a brake from things. I'll probably post up TR shots for this month (assuming i'm still on it) if any newbie's want to have a go then by all means please take my slot for me.

I think for me the best thing, (after speaking with stormer) is to pack things away and make sure every last joe and joe related thing is in the attic out of the way.. so it almost seems like i've gotten clear of everything.
Then if things are going well and my fever of wanting to get back in comes back at least i still have them there.

I've been so close to selling up everything a few times over the last 6 years or so.. this is the closest i've ever felt about selling them all off. I have cancelled all my deals with joe stuff (with good friends of course).

I hope I am able to regain my passion for the joes, i've got so much left thats been written and to do.. but i just don't have the drive to complete them at this time.
If I do end up selling i will of course notify this board as well as yojoe and put up a sales list as well as an inventory with prices. :cool:

Thanks again for those who left me messages here and on MSN. You'all stay happy and keep dio'ing ;)
kindest regards
Richard

[Invasor]

Well dude...I think you need much more time to take a rest away from your Joes. I collected from 6 till 12. Then I started over again 3 years ago. I was 26. It´s funny because I sold all my toys 10 years ago, but not my GI Joes. I was not collecting anymore but I don´t sold them...Curious huh?

I loved them so much that I couldn´t keep them away from me, even in a huge and dirty box that I never looked at. Every year I opened that box and fixed any Joe that was broken or something...and then closed the box again. Something was wrong with me during all these years? Don´t think so....My wife always looked at me smiling during the annual check-up, and one day she asked me: "You love this figures sweetheart...why don´t you re-start your collection? I´m gonna help you!"

Give your soldiers a rest, take a vacation and "forget" them for a while ;)

You´ll be glad in the future :D

[Red Sox]

Good luck in whatever you decide to do man!