Can you collect on a budget?

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Posted By: Rhys

I think limited budgets are the just about the only thing that keeps people in the hobby for extended periods of time. I do not have a problem with the big hitters in the hobby, they will always be around but thier collecting shelf lives are usually about 5-6 years or so. Go back 10 years and look at the major buyers in the hobby. They burn out quickly if money is not an issue because the fun of finding items and the challenges associated with being on a budget are not present. When I was 18 years old and only had a budget of maybe $300-$400 per month on cards I was having much more fun digging through SCD and finding deals and cool things than I do now with the capabilities to buy bigger items, and I am still on a wife-induced budget for the things I truly keep for myself and am in NO WAY a wealthy person.

Like I said, go back 10 years and the guys who were spending tons of money (collectors mind you, NOT dealers like Rosen who only do it for the money) are almost all out of the hobby now. Actually big time buyers have a much shorter shelf life than that. Just take the big players on this forum for example, not many people were around five years ago much less ten and if this forum lasts another 10 years I would bet most of the big money spenders no longer collect cards and have moved onto something else. People with tons of money buy and sell cards for a while until it stops being fun because they have virtually everything they want and they move onto something else. It does not happen to everyone but it happens to the overwhelming majority of wealthy people in the hobby eventually.

Many of the collectors on a limited budget that I knew 10+ years ago are STILL collecting because it is not a competition to them it is simply fun. I am not implying that people who are wealthy do not enjoy it, or that they are not entitled to buy what they want, I think they are necessary for the hobby to thrive, only mentioning that lots and lots of money burns people out of the hobby much quicker than collecting on a budget does.

Dont believe me? Start charting the sales of some of the most expensive cards in the hobby through auctions. They will resurface about every 5-6 years in general at the latest either in auctions or through private sales (with some exceptions).

Rhys