Canister X – A.P. Fuchs

Collecting 101: How I Afford my Toy Collection Part 2

This is a continuation of the original article, which you can read here.

Talk to any serious collector and we’ll all admit to having an addiction to the hobby, and the problem is, like any addiction, you can start to run up the tab real quick.

Here are some more ways to avoid that:

5) Cash-back credit cards. Most credit card companies offer cash-back cards, with 1-4% cash back, depending on what you buy and where you buy it. Grab a discounted collectible with it and you automatically save a bit just by using your card.

6) Find reliable discount/coupon finders for your Web browser. I use Honey and it’s saved me a bundle. Plus, Cash back. You can take a look here for info on it.

7) Collector’s can be impulse buyers, and while this is great for snagging a last-second deal, the impulsive buy could also drain your wallet. If the item can wait, keep it in your shopping cart. Often, online vendors put stuff on sale and it’s happened to me several times where items in my cart are suddenly discounted.

8) Shop local and check the clearance aisle. Like comic book writer Harvey Pekar once said regarding rummaging around at garage sales for jazz records, “Most of the time it’s a waste of time but every once in a while . . .” And some collectors out there, myself included, know the glorious feeling of finding something cool on the clearance shelf for next to (relatively) nothing.

9) Dollar stores. They basically clear out what the chains couldn’t/can’t. Example: my Marvel Legends Retro action figure collection (which I’ll do a full showcase of on YouTube at some point) was all Dollarama. $5 a figure. Know what retail wanted? $21+ a figure. For what I have, I saved around $175 or so. I don’t have the whole set but most of them.

I hope the above gave you some more ideas on how to save while still collecting in whatever hobby. Maybe there’ll be a part three to this series if I think of something new? After all, there is more than one way to afford a toy collection.

Cheers.

– APF