Why I Sold My Collection

As a wise man once said; The things you own end up owning you

I could never sell my toys because I have a unhealthy emotional attachment to them. Probably from a childhood full of neglect/abuse at home and bullying at school.

- "Why I sold my collection" - Billions of figures in the background.

I worked at Toys R Us when Gundam Wing model kits arrived. I literally spent my weekly paychecks on Gundam figures. Went broke for 3 months. At the time, I thought I was awesome but now I look back and realize how stupid I was. But when you're young and you live at home with your parents and pay no bills, anything was possible.

When my favorite toy company stop producing my favorite series of toys altogether, I only have one thing to say to it: Thank you for releasing me from my pain.

„I’m not an addict, I could’ve stopped anytime“ - every addict ever

I'm 2yrs late on this video and no idea if anyone will read this. I wasnt/haven't been a "collector" since I was a kid. From my teens to my early 30s, I was a minimalist and in a sense, still am. Because of Covid, around last September, I felt like I rewoken a beast when I purchased my first "toy"/lego set at Target out of boredom. I built the set, felt the rush, bought another, then started finding youtubers who reviewed and worse, did toy hunting videos. More recently, I started getting into action figures like Black Series/Marvel Legends. I was finding my small studio apartment couldn't fit anything I was buying, I had a shopping addiction. I have roughly $2k+ worth of sealed Lego Sets still in their boxes and a way too many action figures than I initially intended to buy. I decided to start returning/selling some excess and narrowing down the collection to things I really enjoy too. It's weird still wanting to have the minimalistic aesthetician while being a collector. I think the 2 can go hand in hand. Main thing is to focus on what is important to you and what brings you the most joy in life.

Every now and then, i rewatch this as it really resonates with me in regards to where i feel i am mentally heading towards as a collector. It's not out of hand yet but i find myself questioning whether im even collecting for myself anymore or "stocking" up towards a situation that will likely never even happen. This video deserves way more views.

When it comes to selling, I factor in 2 things: - how replaceable is the piece - how happy it would make the buyer to own it

After moving several times, and then having kids of my own, I decided to pare down my various collections. Some things of were sold, others donated. Marie Kondo's quotes on discarding things that do not bring you joy really changed my perspective on collecting. By asking myself if a particular toy/game/whatever brings me joy or not, it was easy to part with a lot of them.

True story - sold off my comic collection years ago. About 10-15 years later I was renting a house and about ready to move out because the owner was planning to sell. Some things had been stored there by the owner. They said "Just clean stuff out if you can. If it's something you want, keep it, if not, throw it out." Well the landlady was pretty cool so my roomies and I decided that sure we'd clean the place out before we moved out to make it easier for her to sell. There... In a closet full of worthless paperback books, broken electronics, and various junk were 2 boxes... WITH MY OLD COMIC COLLECTION! You can not understand that feeling of finding a thing you'd regretted getting rid of years prior. I was so fortunate. Moral of the story? There isn't one. I was lucky. 😂

This video spoke to me on many levels. I went through the exact same stages. I like to use the term "Cherry pick" now for my collection going forward. I have to admit a collection is more impactful to yourself when its filled completely with things you absolutely love as opposed to having to have it there because it is part of the set. The single characters are what bring most nostalgia, not always the entirety of the collection. Great vid!

My collection (used to) grow whenever stressors in my life reached an overwhelming level. The way I manage it, is by reverting back to my childhood and dive in to all things nostalgic. By removing myself mentally from those stressors, I am able to manage them much easier however, in the beginning it was just watching videos, old cartoons, and toy commercials on YouTube and channels like yours, or purchasing a random retro toy catalog on eBay or a cool find at a yard sale. Before I knew it, those stress relievers were becoming expensive! The pandemic isnt helping matters either, but Im showing restraint, lol

I sold my children

I revisit this video whenever I feel like I'm slipping down the rabbit hole of collecting. Thanks Dan for always reminding us why we loved collecting in the first place.

I did this last year. As the best decision I've ever made. My collection is very focused now. I cleared out a whole room in my house.

I to had to thin out my collection When i realized there's a fine line between collecting and hoarding

I took my collection through the weeding process and created a business selling toys. I buy stuff I like, put a price on it and get to keep it and look at it till it sells. Then I buy more. An ever repeating loop that I throughly enjoy.

It’s really about holding onto your youth and that feeling of being a kid. It reminds you of an easier time when you had very little cares in the world. I did the same recently, purging most stuff I’ve held onto for years just because it reminded me of simpler times. Now I just have a very small amount of keepsakes that actually have true meaning and tell a story.

I went through a huge personality crisis several years ago and vowed to limit my collecting to just Spider-Man (with extremely rare exceptions for really cool Star Wars, Batman, & pop culture items). Even with Spider-Man, I only get it if I'm at that point where I go "I gotta have it!" I don't just get everything with Spider-Man on it.