Starting out as a collector

[HothJim]

Hello,
I am just beginning to delve into the world of collectible figures and honestly- I don't know where to start! I could really use some advice from you guys.

EBAY is an absolute Minefield for a start, and it is difficult to know whether or not I'm getting a decent figure at a decent price. Should I be looking to go carded/boxed? Is it as simple as Vintage vs Modern? Which era of figures? I think I sway towards vintage simply because I appreciate the films of that era more. However, the more modern figures tend to be in better condition and are more detailed. There also seem to be various heights and sizes of figures, and I would prefer to tap into a uniform type rather than mix and match, especially if I get round to displaying any.

Your thoughts, experiences and advice welcome. What are my options?

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[sith-smith]

Hey and welcome to star wars collecting

To be honest, in terms of collecting, the only rule I would suggest is collect what you would most enjoy collecting, be it loose, carded, vintage or modern.

I'm purely a vintage collector and focus mainly on Palitoy MOC. But that's not how I started and focus can change as and how you wish. It is at the end of the day your collection.

I'd say go for vintage if you want the nostalgia feel. And I'd recommend putting together a complete set of the original figures loose.

By that point you would have learnt a lot about collecting, the various things it is possible to collect and would have the experience of what to look for, who to buy from and what sort of prices to pay. From there you can build the collection in any direction you want.

This site will give you a lot of info for starting out, such as what to look for, where to source it and what to pay. Use it when you need it and you shouldn't go too wrong

 

[SW-Vintage]

Greetings!

I agree with Sith-Smith

although my rating on this site is low ( am a new member! ) I have been collecting now for at least 18 years so have learnt a few lessons on the way!

I would suggest that firstly you do choose a focus for your collecting, i.e. Vintage or Modern, Loose or Boxed/Carded, Character Focus or Complete Range, when it comes to these areas you need to consider your plans for the collection, displayed or cataloged + stored, displayed obviously requires much, MUCH more space!

( I am currently preparing a down sizing as I really need everything to be able to fit in my display cabinets, which means the Falcon, AT-AT, Slave-1 etc. all have to go!!! )

As for where to find things, if you're collecting loose I still find absolute gems at carboot sales! I just picked up 5 figures Sunday just gone for £2 + that included 2 Jawa's! I got my At-AT from a carboot bout 5 years ago for £10!

e-bay is obviously a great resource, my general rules for using e-bay is wherever possible only buy from people with ratings of 200+ who have been registered on e-bay for 6+ months, you'll soon get used to dealing with some of the sellers as there are a lot of great sellers!
if you are looking at collecting MOC ( Mint On Card ) figures I would advise only from sellers you've dealt with before, don't just go and buy all the MOC figures you find as there are a lot of fakes out there!
I personally only buy MOC's when I'm at a collector's fair or the like, as I can then examine the item before parting with any cash!

as for prices, they vary greatly, the prices on e-bay are strong currently ( unfortunately for you! ) I've recently seen a loose Hoth Rebel commander go for £9 ( high price for that fig'! ) but you can get fig's for around £4-£5 including postage all the way up to the rarer fig's at £150+ ( 5 weeks ago a loose 'Yak Face' went for £172!!! ) there are price guides available, check this sites pages + I'm sure you'll find a lot of price info! ( I'm pretty sure on e-bay you can buy a complete fig' list with valuations! )

+ lastly, as I mentioned I am currently preparing a down sizing, so keep an eye out for my posts as at some point I shall be offering items up for direct sale +/or providing e-bay listing numbers of items I am sadly parting with!

all the best + MTFBWY!

d

 

[Fishtalk]

Welcome! As others say, collect what makes you happy. For me and others it's all about nostalgia, reliving those happy carefree days of childhood.
Of course how much disposable income you have plays a huge part, if you don't have a lot then I would also recommend putting together a vintage loose set of figures or modern stuff if that's your bag.
Carded figures and other boxed items are getting ridiculously expensive, I'm afraid you picked a bad time to join the hobby.
Whatever you decide the main thing is to enjoy it, and do your research if you go down the vintage route, the folks here are very knowledgeable and will help you on your quest.
Have fun!

 

[HothJim]

Thank-you all for taking the time to reply. Some sound advice for me to take on board.

I am beginning to narrow down my options, and a vintage set of loose figures seems a good place to start. Are POTF classed as vintage?

What would you define as 'modern', in terms of years and series of figures? I notice there is also a modern vintage range, just to confuse things!

I am veering away from carded and boxed items, simply because of cash and space to store or display. Perhaps on a special occasion I may pick up the odd MOC but for now loose figures look to be a better fit for me.

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[Dark Sith Lord]

1978-1986 is classed as "vintage"
1995- now is classed as "Modern"

Hope that clears it up

 

[itfciain]

Sounds like to have a plan - it is great when you start out as you need so much so you can afford to have quite a scatter gun approach - it is only when you want list deceases does it become harder to find the bits you need

In order to answer you questions - vintage is consider 1977-1985 so that would include the POTF (Last 17) figures.

In general most vintage collectors stick to these runs and don't head down the modern route (modern is considered to be anything after 1990) - however the final decision is yours

 

[itfciain]

Oh and I know a man who sells some great vintage figures :wink:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/iainitfc/Vintage-/_i.html?_fsub=5312644011

(10% off for deals done through here)

 

[HothJim]

You guys are on fire here!

Funnily enough I have already come across your Ebay store, some lovely items there. I see you are based in Norwich, I live just outside the city. Any decent second hand stores that turn up figures in the city?
I will have a proper look over the next few days and PM you if I see anything I like.

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[itfciain]

You guys are on fire here!

Funnily enough I have already come across your Ebay store, some lovely items there. I see you are based in Norwich, I live just outside the city. Any decent second hand stores that turn up figures in the city?
I will have a proper look over the next few days and PM you if I see anything I like.

Cheers,
Jim.

Hi Jim

Sounds good - always happy to meet up if you want to see them in the flesh. There isn't much vintage in and around Norwich that I am aware of - however I (and others) will be having a stall at the Norwich Sci-Fi convetion on the 8th if you want to come along to that

https://www.facebook.com/N.S.W.C.UK

 

[HothJim]

You guys are on fire here!

Funnily enough I have already come across your Ebay store, some lovely items there. I see you are based in Norwich, I live just outside the city. Any decent second hand stores that turn up figures in the city?
I will have a proper look over the next few days and PM you if I see anything I like.

Cheers,
Jim.

Hi Jim

Sounds good - always happy to meet up if you want to see them in the flesh. There isn't much vintage in and around Norwich that I am aware of - however I (and others) will be having a stall at the Norwich Sci-Fi convetion on the 8th if you want to come along to that

https://www.facebook.com/N.S.W.C.UK

Have had that date in mind for a long time, unfortunately a 30th birthday in Bristol has scuppered my plans for Sci-Fi. Should be a good drink-up regardless. Thanks again for your offer, I will no doubt be in touch at some point to start my collection.

Just saw a Yak Face on Ebay for £91+. Scary....

Jim.

 

[x-pack]

Don't forget other lines such as Action Force, He-man, MASK or Thundercats. A few guys on here collect those, although I suspect that latter two are becoming horrendously expensive.

With Star Wars do what most others do and collect a loose run of figures. It's a lot of fun and for the most part can be done at a reasonable price. Still bargains out there. Try and avoid Ebay. It's full of fake stuff, weapons in particular. Fake = not cool :wink:

 

[Richard_H]

I would go for a complete loose set of figures first but stick to a budget. If an awesome mint figure at a good price appears in July it'll come back again September.

Don't buy anything unless it is complete. Some figures are worth very little compared to the weapon.

 

[Mr-shifter]

Hi and welcome to the forum, and the wonderful world of Star Wars collecting.

Sound advice from all, but one extra bit I would give you when starting out. Don't go too hard too soon. You will see loads and loads of good stuff for sale and at times it will feel like you need to buy it all.

Everything generally comes up for sale again. You might have to wait a bit but it will. If you start spending money you haven't got spare you will stop enjoying the hobby, because you will start to resent it.

Enjoy taking the time to build your collection as you want it. When you find that item you have been waiting months for it will be so much more satisfying.

 

[x-pack]

It's true. Take your time. Very important that one 8)

 

[Michael Sith]

Hi and welcome aboard

I agree with the opinions put forward, if your collecting for enjoyment, to relive youth, and to display. Then a good start is first 12 figures, but as pointed out, by the figure complete, with weapon, that is a mistake I made, as you then have to start scratching around for non repro weapons.

If you buy on here through the FS thread, you are guaranteed a bona fide vintage purchase and you needn't worry about repro. Plus the prices are very fair, and as you progress, you learn

Last 17 POTF is a great shout as well, although some of the figures in that run are expensive.

There are loads of goodies for sale on the FS threads, and you can't go wrong with a completely trusted seller like Iain, and a nice guy to boot

Good luck with your new hobby ( very soon to become an obsession :wink: )

And if you have any questions or need advice the forum is full of people only to happy to help and to welcome a fellow SW collector

 

[sparkysx]

Hi and welcome to the forum, and the wonderful world of Star Wars collecting.

Sound advice from all, but one extra bit I would give you when starting out. Don't go too hard too soon. You will see loads and loads of good stuff for sale and at times it will feel like you need to buy it all.

Everything generally comes up for sale again. You might have to wait a bit but it will. If you start spending money you haven't got spare you will stop enjoying the hobby, because you will start to resent it.

Enjoy taking the time to build your collection as you want it. When you find that item you have been waiting months for it will be so much more satisfying.

This is the best advice you can get and some that I wish I had received at the time, I went a bit mad and spent loads, and ended up resenting it, takes a while to get over it when this happens, in fact it's still happening, stupid ebay, still waiting on a figure after 9 days and he charged £6.75 for Royal Mail recorded and has used myhermes.

If you go slow you can wait for figures to turn up for sale on here rather than ebay, the guys on here sell for cheaper than ebay users, and the stuff is much better quality.

 

[HothJim]

More than happy to take my time guys. I have done a lot of research today and already have an idea of what is out there, and what people are paying. I can see certain figures becoming targets over time; I will have to create a spreadsheet!
However, if I were to avoid ebay, where else could you buy figures? Car Boot sales a good suggestion, but as has been pointed out earlier, little in the way of vintage shops out my way (Norfolk, England). Another online site perhaps?

Jim.

EDIT more helpful advice just posted, it seems like this website could be the source of much of my figures. If anyone can recommend anywhere else for variety, I would appreciate it.

 

[kieatky]

To be honest Evil Bay ruined the whole car boot experience. I remember you used to be able to walk around the boot sale and every other stall would have some vintage star wars, but when e bay took off everyone started to list their items online instead. These days the car boots are a different world, you have to get up stupidly early and be prepared to fight the 'dealers' who grab anything and everything they think they can make money on, it's like a food drop in Ethiopia :lol:

 

[Mr-shifter]

You don't have to avoid ebay entirely. There are a lot of traders on there who sell perfectly good stock. A lot of guys who had comic shops ended up having to close down due to the cost of running a shop and the advent of the internet. Some of these guys now operate on ebay.

Its a case of learning who the kosher sellers are, and avoiding the fly by night shysters. Some of the best bargains can be had off ebay, but it is a real minefield. Its best off avoiding random loft finds and big lots until you know whats what.

This forum has a vibrant marketplace. You will find most things vintage are available here, reasonably priced and free of the scourge of the hobby that is repro. I would start there, if vintage is the road you want to go down.