Collecting on a budget hurts! This is something I try not to bring up too often. It tends to sound like a useless, empty excuse when I mention it. But the fact remains, I'm a low-income collector.
BUYER's REMORSE/RECOURSE: Let's look at some examples. A few years ago I saw a toy I badly wanted, it was $200 USD. I expressed my interest in the toy & the fact I wished I could own one. The artist sent one to me, prior to payment. As much as I love this toy, that forced me to cover the $200 USD cost, it left me with money constraints for several weeks afterwards (though I do appreciate that the artist felt I was trustworthy enough for a 'product now, payment later' process). I've had sellers offer me payment plans, one of which took me over a year to finish paying. I still feel absolutely terrible about that, he had a child within that period... it's just ridiculous.
But the worst aspect, is watching things constantly sell-out. This year alone there's been three items released that i BADLY wanted. It's been nearly three months since I bought myself some art. I've watched an art print sell-out (Joan Cornellà), a vinyl toy sell-out (Lora Zombie) & endless others....I try not to dwell on.
Sometimes I contact these artists who sell-out. Occasionally they'll reply, offering to help me out. Then I hesitate, because I realise this would result in monetary obligation & I have to consider where I'll find that money. At the moment I've been saving since January for a single toy due to be released soon. As I slowly watch all the other things I want sell-out, I'm incredibly tempted to spend the money I've saved.
Every purchase I make, comes with weird combinations of emotion. Elation about a new toy, depression because I can't afford the next piece of art, stress because I'm unsure if I was truly well-off enough to justify the purchase. Every single purchase takes consideration; time for saving, balancing of toy-priorities etc.
CREDIT (OR EDIT?): Of course, quite often time for 'consideration' isn't an option. I find that a great deal of artists choose to announce their new releases only 1-3 days prior to release. I can't even transfer funds to my PayPal in that time period, though that hardly matters as there's never any money sitting on my bank account to transfer anyway. In these cases, if I have money on my PayPal, I'll occasionally make an exception. This has proven to back-fire quite often. The last few toys I bought are a beautiful example. I was already saving for something, but it was the beginning of the year & I thought I'd start the new year off with a few new toys. I ordered three small toys over a 2 week period. I have regretted that move ever since (the spending, not the toys, LOVE the toys!). Altogether the toys were only about $90 USD, but that chunk of money would have covered the last of my current saving needs. Instead, the toy I'm saving for is due for release this week & I'm still about $100 USD short of my goal. So in this case, I'll be leaning on family for help. I personally have no debit/credit card, but my sister does. So this purchase will be one of my rare "I need to borrow money" moments. It's been years since I did this, but I'm making an exception this time. Of course, that just leaves me having to pay my sister back & yet again it'll be a period of stagnation while I can't afford anything.
Now, you might wonder why I don't do more to increase my income. I'm a carer, my job is to be here with my roommate & tragically live off the pittance that Australia's welfare system gives us. I've attempted earning online. I sell stuff on eBay, I do graphic art on a 3D chat program & I'm registered on ENDLESS survey websites, but there's only so much money these processes can produce. I spend every penny I earn online, on online purchases... but it's far from enough.
Of course, beyond my own whining, there's the issue of artists & their need for support. I feel like a complete ass that I can't throw money at artists more often (particularly the smaller, growing, names). Currently there's a number of artists I'd like to buy from (a large number in fact), or commission some art from, but it's simply not an option. I've occasionally contacted artists about specific pieces of art & I often leave them wondering 'Will she ever buy this?'. I like to think I'll buy everything I want eventually, it just might take the rest of my life to achieve it.
On a lighter note, I'd like to thank the artists who've sent me toys/art/stuff for free. It's a rare occurrence & generally a result of my support, but it's something I have issues expressing thanks for. Basically I view it as a major compliment to receive something from an artist & I don't deal with compliments very well! This is where my favorite blogs come into play. They're the easiest way for me to show appreciation & spread the love around.
'T-shirts sent from Tenacious Toys'
YOU'RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT!: I enter a great number of contests to try & alleviate the endless periods of toylessness as well. I've been known to win on very rare occasions & sometimes, those wins can be mind-blowing! I think I've won about four contests in the past 2 years. Admittedly sometimes my wins end up going straight to ebay (or pawned off on friends), but other times the things I receive not only become a permanent part of my collection, they can quite often become personal favourites! To be completely blunt on the subject, The Toy Chronicle held a contest last year, 'Guess when we'll reach 2,000,000 page views!'. My guess happened to be correct & the guys at TTC lined-up one of the greatest things I've ever owned. A custom from Jon-Paul Kaiser. When the package arrived I nearly cried I was so overwhelmed by the personal focus of the piece. Yet another example of the toy community going above & beyond to satisfy a fellow collector! Go Figure News itself has sent me one of the greatest boxes of 'stuff' I ever won. But as this article is written for gofigurenews.com, lets not indulge in self-glorification.
'Custom Alex DeLarge by Jon-Paul Kaiser'
PINCH YER PRETTY PENNIES: Of course 'free' isn't what I'm looking for (though don't get me wrong, 'free' is awesome!). It's the times that an artist offers to hold a toy for me, or offers a payment plan, or is willing to seek out lower postage cost etc. Basically the rare occasion someone acknowledges my money issues & still wants me to reach my collecting goals & is willing to put in the extra effort to see that it happens! I just can't express how much I appreciate the time & effort these artists take so that I can acquire their work!
Being low-income is a struggle. I've forced myself into some ridiculous situations in the past, but I've also had artists/toy-folk go above & beyond to help me out. Sometimes I do wonder why I bother. I'll never achieve the level of 'epic collecting' I'd like to reach. But I persist & the positives involved, generally out-weigh the negatives.