Does internet shopping kill some of the fun of collecting?

[paglinitattoo]

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting. So in general I want to say I think eBay and other online shopping sites are good thing, but I feel it takes some of the fun away from the collecting experience. I have been collecting comics for over 20 years, and I remember as a kid one of the funniest aspects of comic was searching for those hard-to-find issues. But now with eBay anyone can go online and find anything they're looking for extremely easily, and now that I've collected almost everything I'm looking for I sort of miss those days of hunting down a entire run issue-by-issue. This past year I've gotten into Funko Pop collecting, and I'm starting to feel the same way about buying online. On one hand it is a lot of work trying to hunt down some exclusives, but I find it's way more fun actually finding them in the stores, as opposed to just ordering and getting it sent to your house. Obviously with some exclusive, you can't just go to the store and buy them. So do you think that it's more fun to go find Pops in the wild or are you okay with just ordering everything online?

[treswright]

There is definitely a thrill finding something "in the wild" like a chase or HTF piece, but for every experience like that there are a dozen disappointing trips to the store where I find nothing. By and large I would MUCH rather buy online and avoid driving all over creation. My personal time is very valuable to me and I have a hundred things I would rather spend it on! Plus it's still fun getting those packages in the mail

[valorandvellum]

I'm totally fine with stuff being online because it creates unique experiences of its own. For example, when we're waiting for an online drop there will typically be a bunch of us chatting together. Having to stay up late or get up early, and guessing when drops will happen is definitely a bonding experience that you wouldn't get offline.

I'd say the only thing that I'd really notice is that there aren't as many surprises. Back in the 80s, you would walk into a toy store and it would be a surprise with what awaited you on the shelves. Nowadays there are leaks and announcements. Not quite the same experience as walking into a store and deciding there if you want to buy or not. I believe it was NECA who said that sometimes they keep a tight seal on things and do NOT announce because they want their buyers to have that same experience as before where you get to discover something yourself.

[CaseyJones14]

My favorite part about collecting is going from store to store looking for what I want. This past weekend I drove 40 miles to check out a new GameStop and a few other stores I had never been to. I found a Chase Dorbz which was the icing on the cake, but just looking around at the different stores was enough for me. At the same time, however, online shopping can be fun too. Every Wednesday I get a rush waiting for the Funko Shop item to drop and it's a lot of fun speculating what the item could be or talking with other Funatics about whether or not they bought the item. On the other hand I do find it disappointing that so many convention exclusives are shared. I'm really happy I got the XL Thanos Dorbz and Cereal Monster Dorbz, but at the same time I wish the people that waited in line were the only ones to get them.

I don't think Internet shopping has killed the fun, but I do wish things were slightly different.

[funkystark]

I'd be lost with out.

[willy wonka]

Its good and bad. But I do like going from store to store.

[toro423]

I prefer online shopping. Its so much easier!

[valorandvellum]

My favorite part about collecting is going from store to store looking for what I want.

I like calling ahead or using Brickseek first to make sure I'm not wasting time/gas But I also don't like driving around from store to store because then it starts to feel like running errands to me.

[CaseyJones14]

My favorite part about collecting is going from store to store looking for what I want.

I like calling ahead or using Brickseek first to make sure I'm not wasting time/gas But I also don't like driving around from store to store because then it starts to feel like running errands to me.

I hate talking on the phone so I only call if I'm driving more than 10 miles

[valorandvellum]

My favorite part about collecting is going from store to store looking for what I want.

I like calling ahead or using Brickseek first to make sure I'm not wasting time/gas But I also don't like driving around from store to store because then it starts to feel like running errands to me.

I hate talking on the phone so I only call if I'm driving more than 10 miles

I guess we're both lazy in our own ways I've even called stores that were only a couple miles away because I didn't feel like dealing with traffic.

[funko_vinz]

If I was younger, I would say internet does take out some of the joys of hunting for things. However, now that I have to work, it's a little more convenient for me to get what I want. Also, with all the convention exclusives, I would have no shot of getting any of those without the internet.

[ShockWaveZ55]

First off I love online shopping. Amazon prime is revolutionary and I've made hundreds of purchases online. Nothing beats finding something in store though. I remember this time last year I went to TRU looking for the bvs metallic 2 pack and a buddy and I bought the last two I was ecstatic! There is that rush of having it in-hand and not waiting in the mail hoping my pop isn't damaged(looking at you tru, ht, Walmart online). That being said the bulk of my pop shopping will be online and having a mail call does feel like Christmas at time.

[odnar]

I definitely appreciate the online opportunities to get exclusives especially. Also Ebay is sometimes the only way to get something I missed and/or really want. Not big on shopping generally and it can be frustrating to hit a few places and come up empty. Even when you call ahead or use brickseek it can be hit and miss for me. Aaaand I can be lazy when it comes to running these down. Now I have had some success when my Hot Topic posts in Instagram that something is in and then call ahead and have them hold it.

[DefNotBlitz]

Online is pretty much where I have to get all my exclusives as a Canadian. Even driving to the US isn't a guarantee since I can only do it so often before it's cheaper online. I'd love to never have to pay shipping costs but it's the price of business as a collector.

[JoshChaos]

I buy lots of Pops online. However, I'd still prefer driving around going from store to store looking just to see what I could find. I don't get to do that much anymore, but I did a few weeks ago one day when I was out of town and had a couple of hours to kill. I ended up going in FYE and right there on the front was a CHASE Freddy Krueger. That's my third chase in the wild (the other 2 were found at Hastings before they closed up shop), and none of those would have happened had I not been out just seeing what I could find that day.

[valorandvellum]

I buy lots of Pops online. However, I'd still prefer driving around going from store to store looking just to see what I could find. I don't get to do that much anymore, but I did a few weeks ago one day when I was out of town and had a couple of hours to kill. I ended up going in FYE and right there on the front was a CHASE Freddy Krueger. That's my third chase in the wild (the other 2 were found at Hastings before they closed up shop), and none of those would have happened had I not been out just seeing what I could find that day.

Lucky! I guess if I were able to actually find a chase, I'd be more happy to shop around from store to store.

[Chase Variant]

No.

The hunt is not fun. Finding something in the wild IS fun, but you get the same thrill whether you come upon it incidentally or you were searching for it deliberately. I'd rather do without the latter.

[Lilbrimer23]

I have to say as someone who lives in middle America (Tulsa, OK) that if it wasn't for the online shopping experience I would go without most of my collection, sure commons and most exclusives would be easy enough but like today, the super awesome thunder beam mega man dorbz would not be coming home in a few days. And forget most shared exclusives from the cons. But in saying this there is nothing better than finding that piece you've looked for for awhile sitting on a shelf. I love both experiences.

[Squird]

KC is kind of blah for finding Funko, especially Dorbz. Online is my only choice.

And really, there is so much more to ruin collecting than being able to get what I want.

[Quazimoto]

Not for me personally. Fact is, I wouldn't be into collecting without online shopping. My area is terrible for getting new Funko items as a general rule. More importantly, as someone who lives with agoraphobia, going out into public at all is terribly nerve-wrecking. I force myself out there every now and again, but I don't have the ability to make it a regular habit and thus 99% of all the Funko things I buy is online.

[Zae05]

Online is just always so much easier, but finding something in store always feels nice. The excitement of knowing your online package has been delivered feels just as great too.

[HowardTheDuck]

I love the excitement of checking the mail waiting for those special packages honestly.

[HappinessGuano]

Honestly, I love online. Most of my Pop!s are bought at the stores, but online makes it so much easier to buy things that have disappeared from the stores but are still available other places, or things that never came to the stores I visit at all. Mulan and Mushu were two that never appeared at any of the stores I go to, so online was a very helpful tool for them.

[squidward]

I prefer online just because of the time it takes to go everywhere. I try to buy multiples so that I can hopefully get one mint box and then I return to the store any that were damaged in transit due to poor packaging.

[Leftcoast]

I try to stick with going store to store and trying to search for myself. To me that's what any collection is all about, the fun of going to 5 different walmarts or whatever stores in my area to find it personally. Of course some harder to find items I have to get online but every Wednesday I'm exicited to see what the funko shop has. They kind of go hand in hand. Better to find on your own but can be fun online

[Geescube]

With all the cruddy in-store experiences as of late, I would MUCH rather shop online. Its just risky with damage and also if shipping isnt free that is a killer. I find that now a days you might have a better chance of finding chases via online purchases since many in store employees have caught on to the whole chase buzz.

[RoboFist]

I think it used to, but times have changed so drastically within the past 2 or 3 years that I think the Internet has a big place in this collecting community now.

I'm an out-of-box collector, so buying online is always a huge crap shoot that I'd rather avoid whenever possible. I'll spend my lunch breaks and days off driving around from store to store hoping to find that one Pop I'm looking for. Even when I'm on vacation in another state, I'll stop by every Walgreens and GameStop I can just to see if they received exclusives before my own state did.

I don't think any amount of online shopping can beat the rush and sense of community felt the morning comic con exclusives hit stores. For whatever reason, those days of getting up early, waiting in line, and talking with fellow collectors reminds me of when Black Friday was relevant back during my childhood. It's fun, and I like getting out of the house and actually conversing.

Also, I know how infuriating it can be securing a coveted Chase figure in the wild. To this day, I've only ever spotted two, but one of them was a Metallic Joker. Spotting it in the wild was the most exciting Pop experience I've ever had because I WASN'T looking for it. If I spent months trying to find a Chase, I'd probably be impossibly frustrated, too. They're stupidly hard to find, and 95% of them never even make it to the sales floor because employees are now 100% in on the Pop-hunting game.

THAT'S where the internet comes in. "On-the-clock flippers" have made certain exclusives and Chases nearly impossible to find in the wild (not COMPLETELY impossible, but the odds are definitely not in our favor anymore). With communities like this one, we're able to help each other out, trade, keep everyone up to date on when exclusives drop, etc. It's not AS fun, in my opinion, but I grew up during the Pokemon cards and Beanie Baby crazes, and I'm perversely nostalgic for those long drives and frustrating hunts for some reason

[YourAverageFunatic]

When I started collecting, I had a rule to only buy stuff I could buy in stores and refused to buy online.

The rule only lasted about 2 months .

The only dissatisfaction I get from shopping online is waiting for the product to arrive. Other than that, I have no problem either way.

[tlaloc666]

since i am in tijuana.... o prefer online shopping but when i cross the international border i always go to hunting and pick up my stuff at the post office :P

[Classier]

While I love the thrill of the hunt, and finding that ONE pop that's been teasing me since glams, I care more about the actual figure itself, so I don't mind if I have to purchase online.

[popmad2016]

IMO, not at all...it's what sparked my collecting (at least for Pop!s that is!). I live rural, I don't like malls or busy places much (true country boy), so I've never actually bought a Pop! in store...all my purchases have been online to date...and I've paid a fraction of the store price for a large portion of them! So I'm having lots of fun collecting this way... *shrugs*

[ThePhantomFunko]

I remember being a teenager in the 90's with a raging comic book obsession and having to actually drive around and hop trains to find the issues I needed to fill gaps. The internet was around at that time (although in its early days) and while there may have been some sites available to order from, I was unaware, and because of that the thrill of the hunt was on. I would spend weekends traveling all over the Northeast trying to find back issues and comics I needed to complete my collections and it was super rewarding when I found those special issues sitting in back issue bins. It was a natural high. And to be honest I still do the same thing with POP's.

I would be lying if I said I didn't order any of my POP's online, but I try my absolute hardest to stick to "hunting" and I could honestly count on one hand how many POP Vinyl's I bought on the web. I use the web mainly for exclusive figures that you simply can't walk into the store and buy as well as figures that came out and saw retirement before I event got into the hobby. So, in many ways, the internet hasn't yet killed any excitement for me as a collector.

[SCF]

For me personally, I love the ability to shop online. Actually o the 5 chase pieces I have, 3 of them came from random online orders for the regular version. With a 50+ hour work week and a couple of kiddos that have a VERY busy after school activity 5 days a week I just can not get to the stores that much.

[racheva]

I think about this sometimes. I collect Star Wars and I have a tendency to buy entire waves in one go because I'm a completist. It saves time. I try to hunt for store exclusives to make up for it. And when I'm at a con, I look for pieces I'm still missing from previous years, tho that number is much smaller now. I've actually started to plan what smaller collection I'll hunt for at my next con to keep it ~interesting.

[ThePhantomFunko]

I do have to say that EVERY collector, whether it be POP's, books, video games, comics, DVD's, art, or whatever it is that they love, should at some point turn the internet off and go out on a "hunt" for their treasures. There is something to be said about the excitement you feel when you find the item you've set out to find and you'll bond with that item more and will always have the story that goes with it to tell.

The 90's was dominated with comics, trading cards, and WWF wrestling figures for me and I had tons of fun seeking out my items and have tons of memories and story pertaining to those areas of collecting (especially with comics).

[Katers]

I like both, but there's a lot to be said for going to stores! I will drag friends on 'quests' where we'll be hunting for that last MM, or the most recently released Pop. I've gone from SoCal to Vegas to check Hot Topics for an out of stock Pop, and dragged family in other states to B&N looking for exclusives. On one quest, a friend and I hit 3 B&N and 5 GSs just for the adventure of the quest!

And yet, I know if I fail, online is an option. What I don't like is when people use it to price gouge. I totally understand getting your $ back, and even making a profit, but a MM being sold for $150 really annoys me.

[Princess]

I would seriously not be able to collect without online shopping. I collect mostly Dorbz now. I am not aware of a store with Dorbz within a 4 hour drive of me....and I'm not even sure if there is a store even if I drove that far. I have no choice but to buy from PC, FP or other online retailers.

There are so many exclusives that I can't get in Australia. If I could not buy online and have them shipped to some wonderful people in the USA who help me out and then ship them to me.

While I do miss the rush of going in to a store and seeing that one figure you have been hoping to see.....if there was no online stores, I would have lots of room in my house and lots more money because I would have no Dorbz .

[rkwo]

Online buying has made it much easier to build a collection. There's just so much stuff that isn't readily available at the store.

[NookanCranny]

I'd shop instore if I could but none of the figures I'm after are ever there

Have purchased all of my Pops online except for K-2SO .

[ryanc_]

I like both, but physical stores can often suck at stocking or at helping you check for Pops so that's when online shopping is preferred for me