New stuff
I got around to finishing my three part series about the influences that have impacted my 1/6th GI Joe collection, but found I still had "stuff" roaming around inside my head. There was more that needed to get out into the blog. I'm still working against the self-editing problem, though, so I felt like I just had to jump in to see what needed saying. Hope it doesn't bore you.
E-bay. Yup, I've been following E-bay for several months now since none of the regular retail stores carry much 1/6th stuff. For years I've known about E-bay, but I also heard tons of "BS" stories about deals gone wrong and folks losing their money and their possessions thru bad deals. Well, thanks to The Lady Graemon, my lovely spouse, she actually decided to go "E-baying" all on her own to work at enlarging her collections of various things. She had very few problems and entirely satisfactory experiences while shopping E-bay, so I had to give it a try.
I was quite astounded at the variety of 1/6th stuff available on E-bay. I jumped in with both feet when I saw what I was missing. I've done well, maybe too well, enlarging my collection by buying up other people's stuff. Most of what I have purchased has been Mint-in-box figures and accessory sets. Very little have I bought that was loose and "played with." For the greatest part, I have been entirely happy and satisfied with my auction winnings.
There have been a few "not-so-good" deals. One "lot" of 21st Century Toys Sams was not well described on the auction and when I finally got it into my possession, I was disappointed with what I had purchased. The seller did NOT mis-represent anything. It was my fault because I "thought" I knew what I was seeing in the seller's photographs of the lot items, but what I got was "slightly" different. Almost everything in the lot I purchased had been kit-bashed into something "resembling" the items as they originally appeared in the boxed set editions as released by 21C. They were NOT what the original items were when released. Details were different and detail items were missing from the original boxed sets--things like this. My fault, not the seller, and I don't mean to imply there was anything the seller did wrong or deceptive.
This was definitely a case of "buyer beware" and "ask lots of questions" if something doesn't look right in those slightly dark, slightly fuzzy photos on the auction page.
Now, I don't want to dwell on this, but not every seller is an up-standing, forthright, fine human being and great American citizen. Some are, shall we say, only out to make a buck. In the 1/6th On-line community, we generally take efforts to make sure we communicate with our trading partners and to give fair measure in our inter-community trading practices and purchases. On E-bay a different set of rules is in force. The biggest and most important rule is: Don't assume your trading partner will be a fine, fair, up-standing person! The seller or buyer on the other end of your auction may be amateurish, un-professional, rude, and a rip-off artist. Sorry, but that's the reality of E-bay. And "feedback," while a noble idea in theory, has it's "limitations," shall we say. Just because somebody has a lot of positives doesn't mean what you think it means. read, really "read" the comments to see what's going on. Sure, there are "rules" on E-bay. Learn them well.
Enough of that--let me tell you the good stuff! E-bay actually has begun helping me figure out more parameters and complete my collections by providing items that I have searched for for years, without success. Not only is it helping me solidify ideas about my Joe collection, but since I also collect some role-playing games, E-bay has brought a number of items to complete my game collections for Traveller and Twilight:2000! It's nice to "pursue" items in a collection, but I grow tired of the constant searching. I want to "be done" with looking for select items to finish my interests in these RPG's. I want to "have" them, not look for them anymore.
Recently, I found several sellers of older "out-of-print" modules for my games, and I bought 'em, too! I almost have everything printed that I want for Twilight:2000. There are only a very few items left that I don't have. Same goes for Traveller--I am very close to "finishing" having all the core "canon" materials for the Traveller Universe printed by the original manufacturer and the several "authorized" licensees. Now, this doesn't mean I have "everything." It means I have almost everything I think I want and need for my collection of these gaming systems. There are some items that were made by somewhat obscure companies that are quite rare as to be almost unobtainable. I don't care about those things. I just want "core" products.
Give you two examples: there is a gaming module for Twilight: 2000 made by a company about a scenario for Los Angeles, California. Very rare--only seen it available one time for over $100. I passed on that. It was the only item I know about that covered that subject and the only product I know about NOT made by the original manufacturer of T2K. Second example is a board game made for the Traveller Universe. Again, very rare, but made by the original manufacturer. I've seen it available twice and both times I lost out on the bidding for them. It WON'T happen a third time, if I EVER see that particular game available again in my life-time.
Back to GI Joe and E-bay--when I bought some of these items from E-bay and actually took possession of them, it occurred to me that I needed to re-think my Joe collection (which covers ALL my various figures,) and my organization. How many MORE figs did I need? More precisely, how many more figs did I think I wanted? And why?
Good questions, don't you think? I do. I never sat down and seriously entertained those questions before. Really. I collect, therefore I am! Sure, I know there's all kinds of collectors of Joe out there. They all have many reasons why and what they collect for Joe-stuff.
Truth is--I don't have an answer for myself--yet. I got some ideas, but that's NOT GOOD ENOUGH for me, anymore. I need an answer that satisfies ME. That's what E-bay has done to me and for me--made me stop and think.
If I come up with an answer, I'll let you know. Until then, I'm gonna have a ton of fun this winter putting together my collections and my newest acquisitions and making a coherent, cohesive "whole" for all my stuff. I got started in this Joe collection stuff because I wanted to create 1/6th figures that represented my role-playing characters. Have I totally lost that concept along the way? I don't think so. As I have found these Traveller and Twilight:2000 items, as well as older and newer Joe-stuff, I find my thoughts traveling back to that age when my interests were more "imaginary" and less materially "concrete." I liked my character creations that could battle dragons and space monsters, or survive in a war-torn world devastated by warfare in a time contemporaneous with my military experiences. My intent at the time was to create 1/6th figures that I could photograph and use as a visual representation while playing my games and writing my stories. I've lost that original intent, I think it's safe to say, but I can gain it back IF I choose, and carry out my intent in a way that wasn't even possible when I started this 1/6th collection more than a decade ago.
I think I may have answered my own questions while telling you about E-bay.
I got around to finishing my three part series about the influences that have impacted my 1/6th GI Joe collection, but found I still had "stuff" roaming around inside my head. There was more that needed to get out into the blog. I'm still working against the self-editing problem, though, so I felt like I just had to jump in to see what needed saying. Hope it doesn't bore you.
E-bay. Yup, I've been following E-bay for several months now since none of the regular retail stores carry much 1/6th stuff. For years I've known about E-bay, but I also heard tons of "BS" stories about deals gone wrong and folks losing their money and their possessions thru bad deals. Well, thanks to The Lady Graemon, my lovely spouse, she actually decided to go "E-baying" all on her own to work at enlarging her collections of various things. She had very few problems and entirely satisfactory experiences while shopping E-bay, so I had to give it a try.
I was quite astounded at the variety of 1/6th stuff available on E-bay. I jumped in with both feet when I saw what I was missing. I've done well, maybe too well, enlarging my collection by buying up other people's stuff. Most of what I have purchased has been Mint-in-box figures and accessory sets. Very little have I bought that was loose and "played with." For the greatest part, I have been entirely happy and satisfied with my auction winnings.
There have been a few "not-so-good" deals. One "lot" of 21st Century Toys Sams was not well described on the auction and when I finally got it into my possession, I was disappointed with what I had purchased. The seller did NOT mis-represent anything. It was my fault because I "thought" I knew what I was seeing in the seller's photographs of the lot items, but what I got was "slightly" different. Almost everything in the lot I purchased had been kit-bashed into something "resembling" the items as they originally appeared in the boxed set editions as released by 21C. They were NOT what the original items were when released. Details were different and detail items were missing from the original boxed sets--things like this. My fault, not the seller, and I don't mean to imply there was anything the seller did wrong or deceptive.
This was definitely a case of "buyer beware" and "ask lots of questions" if something doesn't look right in those slightly dark, slightly fuzzy photos on the auction page.
Now, I don't want to dwell on this, but not every seller is an up-standing, forthright, fine human being and great American citizen. Some are, shall we say, only out to make a buck. In the 1/6th On-line community, we generally take efforts to make sure we communicate with our trading partners and to give fair measure in our inter-community trading practices and purchases. On E-bay a different set of rules is in force. The biggest and most important rule is: Don't assume your trading partner will be a fine, fair, up-standing person! The seller or buyer on the other end of your auction may be amateurish, un-professional, rude, and a rip-off artist. Sorry, but that's the reality of E-bay. And "feedback," while a noble idea in theory, has it's "limitations," shall we say. Just because somebody has a lot of positives doesn't mean what you think it means. read, really "read" the comments to see what's going on. Sure, there are "rules" on E-bay. Learn them well.
Enough of that--let me tell you the good stuff! E-bay actually has begun helping me figure out more parameters and complete my collections by providing items that I have searched for for years, without success. Not only is it helping me solidify ideas about my Joe collection, but since I also collect some role-playing games, E-bay has brought a number of items to complete my game collections for Traveller and Twilight:2000! It's nice to "pursue" items in a collection, but I grow tired of the constant searching. I want to "be done" with looking for select items to finish my interests in these RPG's. I want to "have" them, not look for them anymore.
Recently, I found several sellers of older "out-of-print" modules for my games, and I bought 'em, too! I almost have everything printed that I want for Twilight:2000. There are only a very few items left that I don't have. Same goes for Traveller--I am very close to "finishing" having all the core "canon" materials for the Traveller Universe printed by the original manufacturer and the several "authorized" licensees. Now, this doesn't mean I have "everything." It means I have almost everything I think I want and need for my collection of these gaming systems. There are some items that were made by somewhat obscure companies that are quite rare as to be almost unobtainable. I don't care about those things. I just want "core" products.
Give you two examples: there is a gaming module for Twilight: 2000 made by a company about a scenario for Los Angeles, California. Very rare--only seen it available one time for over $100. I passed on that. It was the only item I know about that covered that subject and the only product I know about NOT made by the original manufacturer of T2K. Second example is a board game made for the Traveller Universe. Again, very rare, but made by the original manufacturer. I've seen it available twice and both times I lost out on the bidding for them. It WON'T happen a third time, if I EVER see that particular game available again in my life-time.
Back to GI Joe and E-bay--when I bought some of these items from E-bay and actually took possession of them, it occurred to me that I needed to re-think my Joe collection (which covers ALL my various figures,) and my organization. How many MORE figs did I need? More precisely, how many more figs did I think I wanted? And why?
Good questions, don't you think? I do. I never sat down and seriously entertained those questions before. Really. I collect, therefore I am! Sure, I know there's all kinds of collectors of Joe out there. They all have many reasons why and what they collect for Joe-stuff.
Truth is--I don't have an answer for myself--yet. I got some ideas, but that's NOT GOOD ENOUGH for me, anymore. I need an answer that satisfies ME. That's what E-bay has done to me and for me--made me stop and think.
If I come up with an answer, I'll let you know. Until then, I'm gonna have a ton of fun this winter putting together my collections and my newest acquisitions and making a coherent, cohesive "whole" for all my stuff. I got started in this Joe collection stuff because I wanted to create 1/6th figures that represented my role-playing characters. Have I totally lost that concept along the way? I don't think so. As I have found these Traveller and Twilight:2000 items, as well as older and newer Joe-stuff, I find my thoughts traveling back to that age when my interests were more "imaginary" and less materially "concrete." I liked my character creations that could battle dragons and space monsters, or survive in a war-torn world devastated by warfare in a time contemporaneous with my military experiences. My intent at the time was to create 1/6th figures that I could photograph and use as a visual representation while playing my games and writing my stories. I've lost that original intent, I think it's safe to say, but I can gain it back IF I choose, and carry out my intent in a way that wasn't even possible when I started this 1/6th collection more than a decade ago.
I think I may have answered my own questions while telling you about E-bay.
posted by Brigadier Graemon | 9:12 PM
3 Comments:
Graemon, I hope you're not "biting off more than you can chew" with your collecting habbit. I think one of your high priorities should be to "Take Inventory" on what you already got in that 2-ton Joe collection of yours. It was Interesting reading your "analysis" of ebay. I still haven't jumped on the eBay buying (or selling) wagon...but I know it's not All Evil. For me.....finding stuff too easily would "do me in" so I am actually quite Happy not seeing too much in the retail stores ....and since my attic and garage are not as well organized as I like.....I shouldn't be adding more stuff until I sell off some stuff that never materialized in my collecting brain....So my advice would also include going easy on the eBay.......concentrating on out-of-print stuff that just gotta have and remember stuff like toothpaste can easily be purchased at the supermarket (I actually know people who are so eBay addicted that they bid on toilet paper...really, no Joke)
OK graemon........take that inventory and you will better be able to define your collection and hey, you may end up selling your unwanteds on eBay too (but beware...scammer buyers out there too.
One last thing: reading about RPGs was like reading Shakespear to me...I'm totally clueless...but then again....I just purchased some Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles...Cowabunga!
ET
Welcome to the world of blogging, BG.
And watch that Ebay! The only thing worse than bad sellers is becoming horribly addicted to using E-Crack--I mean Bay. Ebay. Yeah....
Thanks, guys, for reading and leaving some advice. Truly, I appreciate you taking time to share with me. Running a blog is a personal thing, but a guy can't live in a vacuum. He needs...I need...a reality check sometimes, and that's what you fellas provide. So, truly...thanks for commenting.
I really am thinking and re-thinking about my collecting habits and my goals. Right about now...I am fairly content that I am going in a good direction. I've made more progress with the collection this summer than I have over the last two or three years, really. It's a good feeling.
But, I also feel that the collection is "winding down." I think I have just about enough of everything to do what I wanted to do originally--make characters and dress them up as the characters I invented many years ago. I'm thinking that "play-time" NOW, is gonna be different from the past. I've made notes and written down ideas over the years, my workroom is about as "done" as I can get it for now, I've gathered books for details and such...time to maybe put those ideas to work as I intended a decade ago.
I gotta start building the things I can't buy on E-bay or anywhere else--my sets and backdrops for the photos I want.
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