It's been some time since my last blog post, but I've decided to return. I've been thinking about stopping this blog as I was running out of inspiration, but following a comment from Thrawns906 I've decided to make at least one more post.

As a long term collector (albeit in a kind of semi-retirement from collecting at present), I've kind of taken purchasing items for the collection for granted. It became a sort of second nature to me. If I wanted something, I'd know where to go to find it. But not everyone knows how to go about building a collection. Where do you start? Where do you buy? What do you buy? Thats where I step in. I'll try and give a (brief) overview in this post, and then expand on bits in future posts (if people want me to).

Lets start at the beginning....

What to Collect?
The simple answer to this is, whatever you want. But it helps to have a focus. It also makes it more fun too. I collect the vintage action figure and related stuff. When I first got back into collecting, I decided I wanted everything. I started out buying anything. Which was ok, but it had no direction. So I decided to focus. I decided I would try and get one of each figure loose. This gave me a defined goal. Something to aim for. Something I could measure my progress against. I knew how many figures there were, and which the figures were (get yourself a guide book if you don't already have one).
After the loose figures, I started picking up some carded figures, but quickly decided to then focus on the ships and playsets.

Where To Buy
My first few purchases were made at local collectors fairs. These were held once a month in a local town hall, and there was always a couple of people selling Star Wars figures. I snapped up as many as I could afford at the time, and soon got my collection going. The only thing I'd say about collectors fairs is the prices can be high. They are certainly higher than you'd pay on eBay. Which brings me nicely on to.....

eBay. At first I was very dubious about buying anything off eBay. But the amount of stuff on there was impressive. Almost anything you want can be found on eBay. Sometimes at bargain prices too. My golden rules for eBay are:
i) don't jump straight in and start bidding. If you see something that interests you, take some time to see what prices similar items have been sold for in the past, via the Completed Auctions search. This gives you an idea of the going rate for something, ensuring you don't pay over the odds.
ii) check the sellers feedback. Not only their score, but the comments that past buyers have left. This is a good way to get a feel for the reliability and honesty of a seller.
iii) If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Steer clear.
iv) read the descriptions carefully. Some unscrupulous people do deliberately word things to mislead people.
v) check the postage costs before bidding. The item may have a low price, but some people charge over the top for postage to raise their profits.
vi) If you have queries about the item, then use the "Ask Seller A Question" function. If they don't answer your question satisfactorily then don't bid.
vii) Always decide up front how much you are willing to pay for an item, and don't go over that. If you think you are going to lose an item, accept that you might lose it. Don't go throwing money at it. For 99% of Star Wars collectibles you'll see another online very soon. They aren't that rare.
viii) Don't rule out buying overseas. As a UK person, I know a lot of collectors who won't purchase from the US. I have had some very good deals by purchasing from the US. Some items were only ever originally available in the US, and as a result are a LOT cheaper to buy from a US seller. You can pay easily using paypal. But be careful, I know of some people who have been "hit" by rather large import / export taxes.
ix) check the sellers accepted payment methods before bidding. You don't want to be bidding on something that only accepts Paypal if you don't have a Paypal account.
x) look closely at pictures. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Some items have superbly clear pictures. Some have blurry, unclear photos. There may be a reason for that (ie to hide some fault).

The above isn't meant to scare you off buying off eBay. I've bought LOTS of stuff off there (most of my collection). Just be careful and be sensible. If you're not sure, don't bid.

Always be polite to the sellers too. If you don't receive an item in the time you'd expect, send them a polite email. There may be a valid reason that you haven't received it. I've only had 1 "bad" experience on eBay so far. I bought a boxed mini-rig and 2 weeks later had not seen it. I contacted the seller to ask if he'd sent it and he said he had. So we left it another couple of days. It still didn't come. So he contacted the postal service and got the money back and refunded me. I was disappointed at not getting the item, but I had my money back.

Things To Watch Out For
I'd say there were 3 major things to be wary of:
i) Vinyl caped Jawa. This item is more often than not a "normal" cloth caped jawa with a fake vinyl cape, more often than not made from a Kenobi cape. Personally, I'd NEVER buy one online. I'd only ever consider buying if from a reputable dealer and i'd checked it out in person. They are expensive. And rare. There are guides online on how to spot a genuine one. Check those out.
ii) MOCs. Or Mint On Carded figures. Another biggie to watch out for is reseals. These are where someone takes a lose figure and recards it. Either on a reproduced card, or on a tidied up original card. These have no real value as such and are worth avoiding. Unless you actually don't mind having "fakes" for displaying. A lot of recarded / resealed figures are labelled as such, although its not always immediately clear by the wording.
iii) fake weapons. There are now no end of fake reproduced weapons out there. The key ones are the telescoping lightsabres. If you see a Luke, Vader or Kenobi figure for sale with one, chances are its a fake. If you want a real, genuine one I suggest you use my Jawa advise and only buy from a reputable dealer. And expect to pay a lot for it.


I guess thats all I can think of for now. If anyone wants me to expand on any of this, or has any specific questions, then please do leave me a comment.