Does internet shopping kill some of the fun of collecting?

[Maclay]

I do love finding stuff out in the wild, but since I live in Finland, GameStop is pretty much the only store that sells Pops. I don't think I've seen them anywhere else. There isn't a lot to find so the only option is online shopping. Which I don't really mind.

[Shinfo13]

I guess this completely depends on where you live. If its somewhere more rural or less populated it has to be a bummer because you're probably stuck with a handul of spots to check like Gamestop or have to drive absurd distances to find a Hot Topic. In that case I imagine that online shopping is a huge boon to expanding your collection. It does have its perks though since I'm sure your odds of scoring stuff like chases are better.

For me being in SoCal, its vastly different. I have way too many places to hunt including Frank and Sons and a shop who solely deals in rare Pops called Funko Peak. Its great but the downside is that the hunt really isn't that thrilling anymore because there are so many collectors on top of the flippers that finding anything awesome while hunting is very rare. I still have a sweet spot or two but even those are becoming unreliable with the Funko craze expanding and people catching on. I've been collecting for 2 years so far and have never spotted a chase in the wild and at this point I doubt I ever will so I'm stuck with resorting to online for alot of stuff unless I want to pay primo $$$ at Franks/Funko Peak.

[hothzambonidriver]

Personally I feel they both have their advantages. I have been collecting since the early 2000's and there is something appealing and fun about 'the thrill of the hunt' in going from store to store and looking for those additions to my collections. However, shopping online also comes in handy for those elusive items that I can't track down in stores. Walgreens is usually a dud near my house. Plus, there are no Box Lunch or FYE stores anywhere near me so I have no shot at exclusives from those stores without online options. Also, there are those times when my life has so much going on that I don't have time to spend a couple of hours going from store to store. What I like to do is balance them out. I shop online (love getting packages in the mail) and go 'on the hunt' when I have time. I enjoy both and will continue to do both.

[ruxy_100]

I try to buy everything I can in store. I only go online for vaulted pops or excluaive that don't make it over here.

I'm the same with any other product. I would much rather buy Blu-rays and comics and anything like that in store. It just feel much funner to me.

Plus with the quality control issues on a lot of Pops, I like being able to pick out the one with the best paint job

[Jezter]

I don't mind getting stuff in stores, as you can see paint and any damage, which is a crap shoot online. I tend to buy online faster if the item is no longer in stores, OR is cheaper than anything in store. If I've been to say HT a few times and they don't have the exclusive I want, but the price is still within range, or even cheaper on Amazon, I buy it. It's a risk, because if the Pop is in bad shape you waste time shipping it back and getting a new one, but otherwise I don't mind buying online at all.

I have little luck on the Funko shop, usually due to lack of funds on a Wednesday, or getting special items from comic stores online, plus I don't usually like to spend over retail for items, so that limits what I'll get online as well. I think I'm pretty balanced between stores and online though.

[paglinitattoo]

Thanks for everyone's stories and all the replies! You guys made some good points

[FunkoJoeSuper]

It's nice being able to get HTF online when they can't be found in stores, but the thrill of finding something in the wild is definitely awesome.

Also, without online buying possible, flippers would not be a problem allowing more opportunities to find chases and HTF pieces in stores.

[allcutethings2]

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?

I generally collect stuff for three reasons. One, for the nostalgia and memories associated with the said stuff. Two, appreciation of the art form. and three, for the community surrounding a type of collectibles. I've met so many people while out hunting down items, trading items in person, going to conventions, etc. They're some of the most awesome people I know. I've also met many people first online (sometimes only online).

The online market and community to me doesn't take anything away for me, at least. If the online market didn't exist, I wouldn't have some of the pieces I do. I wouldn't know some of my friends. I do enjoy the thrill of finding a chase in the wild (which took me five years to find my first one to buy at retail!), or being able to pick out the exact figure with a great paint job. But I also appreciate the ease of ordering from home, without having to brave crowds or weather, or even outside on those days when I just want to stay home. There are some exclusives (Box Lunch for example) that are at stores that don't have locations near me. Other times, I've found something in store that was sold out online. All in all, I like both. They both add to the game of collecting Funko!

[Mister Piggy Wiggy]

This is my personal opinion, which probably wasn't asked for. But I much prefer the thrill of the chase. Yes, I understand that it's not easy for some to go shopping, especially if they reside in a rural, or urban area far away from a mall. I live in a big city, so I can easily just walk to several big chains such as GameStop, Toys R Us, Best Buy, and so forth. If I didn't go out, then I would had never chanced upon the greatest Pop deal of my life. Besides, I could use the exercise. Oh, and I don't have a credit/debit card, too.

[felixfelicis]

I work full time and have health issues where walking and getting in and out of a car can be impossible for me some days. The internet, especially Amazon Prime, is a godsend for folks like me. When I was in my late teens and early 20s collecting My Little Pony it was a thrill. At 34...I just want everything as easy as possible.