I seem to be losing interest again........ 3 3

[Brian48]

Just realized I've only bought three slabs this year and only a handful of loose reader comics and magazines. Yeah, made a lot of bids in the various auctions, but they were never aggressively pursued. More like tracker bids.  Other than Kirby's 4th World Omnibus, I haven't bought a lot of trades either.  Kind of weird to say it, but I'm pretty satisfied with my small collection right now and think I'm going on hiatus again, the last time being a 30 year break.  

Anyone else frequent this board, but don't really collect any more?

 

[Jeffro.]

I still collect but what I mostly collect these days is reader books. I have little interest any more in acquiring comics that will just sit in a box or be entombed in plastic 

[comicdonna]

I took a break after selling my Action run.  I have been buying a few books a year, the last few years.  I prefer quality over quantity, and nice books aren't getting any cheaper.  

Edited September 23, 2018 by comicdonna

[H0RR0RSH0W]

My last slab was Sgt. Fury #13 CGC 8.5 in June 2017.

Last one before that was ASM#300 9.6 in January 2017.

Although I read alot now. Read all 544 issues of the Uncanny X-men in 2017. Trimming that down to around 50-100 books a year which will include Hulk, GI Joe and more X-men with the occasional' ooh ohh have to read this one off'.

Not losing interest but rather setting my sights a little higher in terms of slabs. Not nickle and dime-ing my collection anymore but continuing to take larger steps as a collector , finally able to look at big books seriously. 

I would rather pick up one $5000 dollar book once every ten years than pick up 1 $500 book every year for 10 at this point. 

[thunsicker]

Haven't bought a book for a few years now.  Mostly it's just that my first started college and the next two go in the next four years.  Don't have the money to buy $500 slabs.  Especially since those slabs were $250 just a few years back.

[Ken Aldred]

I haven’t bought an original copy of a comic book since December 2015. I’m not really willing to involve myself with the current speculator frenzy and the effect it’s had on prices.  I don’t miss the predatory aspect of the hobby at all.

I’ve found I’ve enjoyed reading comics more than I have in years by focusing on the digital format instead. Much less effort, stress, and cost.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Ken Aldred

[kav]

Even when I'm not actively buying, I'm re reading books.  I usually have a stack of unread stuff ready to go.  Currently I have a Will Elder Mad TPB, some strange adventures, Kirby Hulk TPB, weird romance, magnus robot fighter SA, and a jimmy olsen 21 which I spent about a year looking for a copy in my price range-$16.  

Oh and a bunch of EC Crime Suspensetories reprintz including the frazetta story that was the only one he inked wherein some dude finds out his GF is PREGNANT and shoves her off a rollercoaster.  He gets his, though, in a similar fashion in the typical O Henry twist ending.

Edited September 24, 2018 by kav

[Buzzetta]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being frugal with your spending.  There is no need to buy things just for the sake to say you are buying something or actively pursuing things.  When the right item comes along you will go after it. 

[lizards2]

I still collect way too much.  Quantity and quality.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by lizards2

[RockMyAmadeus]

3 hours ago, Brian48 said:

Just realized I've only bought three slabs this year and only a handful of loose reader comics and magazines. Yeah, made a lot of bids in the various auctions, but they were never aggressively pursued. More like tracker bids.  Other than Kirby's 4th World Omnibus, I haven't bought a lot of trades either.  Kind of weird to say it, but I'm pretty satisfied with my small collection right now and think I'm going on hiatus again, the last time being a 30 year break.  

Anyone else frequent this board, but don't really collect any more?

 

I've gone through periods like that. I found something that thrilled me again in comics, but it comes and goes.

Whatever you find to give you that thrill again, in comics or not, I hope it comes soon for you.

 

[romanheart]

Rising shipping prices and auction fees are slowing me down.

[KPR Comics]

Right there with you, OP.  I have one book left and I'm done.  

For now.

[oakman29]

I buy  very few books a year, but it's not from a lack of interest.  Adopting two boys has made collecting tough, but I figure I try to get the best quality book for my money instead of getting just anything. I try to keep more focused.

[Get Marwood & I]

I never tire of comics. Its one of the few things in life, along with music, that makes me feel truly content. Pottering away with them, filing, collecting, researching. All the usual things we love - the smell, look, touch, a longing for the simple days of our youth. I can't afford the books I would like to buy anymore, and, like many I suspect, I would like to skip back 20 or 30 years and be alive again then so I could really live out my love for the medium. Not because the stuff would be cheaper, but because it would be available! Some days I long to go out and visit the comic shop I have in my mind and root around in it. But it doesn't exist anymore. 

The golden age of comics has gone for me. I still enjoy staying in the hobby by collecting things that most don't care about. If you'd have told me 20 years ago I'd be searching for pence copies of Gold Key Tom and Jerry's I'd have laughed at you. But it keeps me in the comic world and keeps me content. But I do sometimes get tired of it all, and a break tends to reinvigorate my interest. To give you an example, it's a beautiful sunny day here today and I've just realised I've been at the computer most of the day researching. I enjoyed it of course, but a part of me is saying "go out.....live..."

Know what I mean?

[marvelmaniac]

I have not bought anything for my collection in two years.

The books I need to complete my runs are all Pre-Hero Marvel Horror (JIM issues between 1 - 33, ST issues between 1 - 42) and Westerns (Kid Colt 1, 2 ,12, 24 and Rawhide Kid 1,15) in lower grade,these books very seldom come up for auction and the BIN prices are absurd.

As I have gotten older and have just recently retired I am not really interested/motivated to spend a premium to buy books that will get read once and then stored away like the other 3600 books are.

Even though I am no longer active or as motivated as I once was in buying/completing my runs I still look at eBay each week (just in case) and still frequent the forum and try to contribute where I can since I still enjoy talking about the hobby and collecting.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

 I go through hot and cold periods. Unfortunately the books I want are HOT right now so my buying is cold lol. But in all seriousness, I am happy buying a book here and there, I don't have anything that really has me "needing" specific comics right now. But I still buy and sell regularly, just not attached to the books.

[Scrooge]

I still read comics almost daily but don't have the time to research sites for new books to the collection (all the more since I, too, am price resistant at this point) after I spend time with the kids but the nice upshot is that I do find time here and there for reading books from the collection, which I didn't have in the past when I was looking for the next acquisition.

[NP_Gresham]

My buying has slowed down considerably for 2 reasons. First, the runs I collect are close to completion. What books remain are almost impossible to find ( read: 30/35 cent variants) or impossibly expensive or a combination of both. Second is the hyper- inflation of prices. I can’t help but think that many of those books at the end of the ASM run - the run I abandoned after yet another reboot- will be available much cheaper if I simply wait out the bubble. I doubt the pre- hero Atlas runs I collect will reverse themselves, but the growth curve might flatten a bit and present better buying opportunities.

Whenever I think of exiting the hobby I peruse the WTB section. I can’t bring myself to part with books others are after. 

Hiatus sounds like a good plan

[justafan]

I've also entered a lull in my buying/collecting.  I went for nearly a month without buying or even looking for a comic. as prices have gone up I've become way more selective in my purchases.  I think I'm also entering a period of enui with comics.  maybe it's over-saturation with modern variants or high grade SA comics and OA that now cost more than a Picasso or Monet. (I've already completed my run).  For some reason I've begun to be more interested in real estate as an investment and get more than my fill of reading comics as bedtime stories to my kids.

I no longer feel that zeal or excitement when I walk into a comic shop.  I'm not even sure why I'm going to both Baltimore comicon and NYCC as I'm not really looking forward to the hunt and jacked up pricing.  

I feel like I'm in comic book menopause. maybe it's just time to move on to something else.

[Get Marwood & I]

34 minutes ago, justafan said:

I've also entered a lull in my buying/collecting.  I went for nearly a month without buying or even looking for a comic. as prices have gone up I've become way more selective in my purchases.  I think I'm also entering a period of enui with comics.  maybe it's over-saturation with modern variants or high grade SA comics and OA that now cost more than a Picasso or Monet. (I've already completed my run).  For some reason I've begun to be more interested in real estate as an investment and get more than my fill of reading comics as bedtime stories to my kids.

I no longer feel that zeal or excitement when I walk into a comic shop.  I'm not even sure why I'm going to both Baltimore comicon and NYCC as I'm not really looking forward to the hunt and jacked up pricing.  

I feel like I'm in comic book menopause. maybe it's just time to move on to something else.

You'll have to change your name to 'wasafan'