Toys vs. Collectibles
So, I’ve been collecting Buffy action figures. I bought a Buffy as a birthday present to myself last year, and I now have Angel, Faith, and Cordelia, as well. I’ve also ordered a Spike (and one for my sister), but it hasn’t arrived yet. See, I really wanted a Spike, but they were rare and popular, so they sold on ebay for quite a bit (over $100 sometimes). I wasn’t about to pay that much for a toy. Then, the company that makes the Buffy toys (Moore Action Collectibles) did this thing where they would re-release a small number of the Spike figures (and a few others) with different paint jobs as an exclusive for this Australian company. I was very pleased to hear this, as it meant I could get a normally priced (i.e. $20) Spike figure. So I preordered two (one for me, one for my sister) back in February, when they were first announced. They were supposed to ship in mid-March, but the company was really slow, and they ended up not actually releasing them until a couple weeks ago. So, now the store I ordered from has them in stock, but I didn’t get mine yet. The website still says “shipping pre-orders now”, so I’m not really worried yet, but I am annoyed. I’ve already waited long enough. Anyway, as soon as Spike does arrive, I’m going to completely destroy any value he has by removing him from the box. This is kind of a pet peeve of mine. I don’t understand why anyone would buy a toy and then just leave it sitting in the box. I get that they go up in value — for instance, the Spike I am anxiously waiting for is already selling for $35, while my preorder cost was only $20. But aren’t there better things to do with your money than investing in toys? I buy toys because they’re fun. Right now, for instance, I have all my Buffy figures set up fighting each other. Buffy is wielding a lightsaber, actually, because it’s way too big for the Star Wars toy it came with, but is the perfect size for Buffy. I like to move my figures around and give them different weapons and things. I also get a great deal of pleasure in ripping apart the boxes when I buy them, knowing that some collector types would be horrified that I would do any such thing. Really, they should thank me. I’m making their mint-in-box toys all the more valuable.
Oops… I just remember that I forgot to feed my fish. Maybe I should do that.