To encase or not to encase?

[FearlessPhotog]

soft pop protectors are cheap enough that you should just buy them in bulk and protecting everything, only get the hard cases for valuable stuf

[Karubin]

Those that are high in value and those that I love as my grail will be in hard protector stack. The other ones will be in soft protector. Unless the box has a lot of damages, if not, I usually put them in some sort of protector.

[RobinBear177]

I always go OOB. But for more expensive pops I put the box in a hard case. Other than that I don't use protectors.

[runtodere]

I actually put all of mine in soft. I'm not a huge fan of the hard protectors - I always find I have to jam the pop in and I hate that. I'm probably doing it wrong though

Some pop boxes aren't folded correctly when shipped and some plastic inserts are out of whack which might make the pop not fit in the hard stacks.

Here's a tip, I find a lot of the problem is that people only remove the top or bottom when inserting the pop. If you remove both the top and bottom (this applies to the official pop stacks which can remove both) and then insert the pop it should be much easier. If the box is big, it will just barely fit and trap air beneath it if only one side is removed. I also find it's usually easier to insert the pop from the bottom.

Nice tip! I'll have to try that

[OffTheCHENG]

man! I wish I can have my collection with me at my workplace

[cheekylyssa]

**whispers** set your pops free from their cardboard prisons.

[kickinit]

My signed ones and higher price ones are in soft cases and my commons have no protectors. I worry that the stacks squeeze the Pops too much

[ShellyGt86]

I use soft ones for all except the more valuable ones, especially the protos. If you want
To protect the edges of the boxes and the plastic windows put them in protectors. If out of the box don’t worry.

[HarryPOPter]

OOB for life! I keep my expensive pop's boxes in hard stacks tho

You can't claim OOB then. We reject you.

Im 100% OOB. The box i keep in the pop stack alone

This is a great idea. Will she for the future if I ever get a pop signed

[wolfy233]

My signed ones and higher price ones are in soft cases and my commons have no protectors. I worry that the stacks squeeze the Pops too much

I know some high end collectors that only use soft protectors because they say the boxes are all a bit different and since the stackers have no give it could damage the boxes. I have no problem using them. I would rather have the peace of mind of the hard stacker protection.

[alphaomega1291]

I actually put all of mine in soft. I'm not a huge fan of the hard protectors - I always find I have to jam the pop in and I hate that. I'm probably doing it wrong though

Some pop boxes aren't folded correctly when shipped and some plastic inserts are out of whack which might make the pop not fit in the hard stacks.

Here's a tip, I find a lot of the problem is that people only remove the top or bottom when inserting the pop. If you remove both the top and bottom (this applies to the official pop stacks which can remove both) and then insert the pop it should be much easier. If the box is big, it will just barely fit and trap air beneath it if only one side is removed. I also find it's usually easier to insert the pop from the bottom.

This is helpful - I'm planning to get a few of the hard plastic cases.

[alphaomega1291]

My signed ones and higher price ones are in soft cases and my commons have no protectors. I worry that the stacks squeeze the Pops too much

I know some high end collectors that only use soft protectors because they say the boxes are all a bit different and since the stackers have no give it could damage the boxes. I have no problem using them. I would rather have the peace of mind of the hard stacker protection.

Have you ever found the soft plastic cases to bend due to the weight of too many stacks on top of it?

[weird888]

I actually put all of mine in soft. I'm not a huge fan of the hard protectors - I always find I have to jam the pop in and I hate that. I'm probably doing it wrong though

Some pop boxes aren't folded correctly when shipped and some plastic inserts are out of whack which might make the pop not fit in the hard stacks.

Here's a tip, I find a lot of the problem is that people only remove the top or bottom when inserting the pop. If you remove both the top and bottom (this applies to the official pop stacks which can remove both) and then insert the pop it should be much easier. If the box is big, it will just barely fit and trap air beneath it if only one side is removed. I also find it's usually easier to insert the pop from the bottom.

Nice tip! I'll have to try that

No prob it took a few tries looking at it and figuring out the problem . Once I started doing this I found most fit inside pretty easily.

[BerserkerBlack]

It depends on the set up but I try to only use Hardstacks on grails or signed pops. Soft stacks are hit or miss for me

[PopYouOff]

I buy the thick/soft protectors like candy. Everything gets protected no matter the worth. Anything above $100 in a pop stack.

thats the right move !

[PopYouOff]

due to my kids being born... most are in plastic tubs...
its the sad sad truth

[PopYouOff]

anyone have soft protector recommendations?

[lililovesbac0n]

I keep them all in their boxes because it's easier for me to display them that way and I only have my very favorite ones in protectors. Some in soft ones and some in hard ones.

[weird888]

I actually put all of mine in soft. I'm not a huge fan of the hard protectors - I always find I have to jam the pop in and I hate that. I'm probably doing it wrong though

Some pop boxes aren't folded correctly when shipped and some plastic inserts are out of whack which might make the pop not fit in the hard stacks.

Here's a tip, I find a lot of the problem is that people only remove the top or bottom when inserting the pop. If you remove both the top and bottom (this applies to the official pop stacks which can remove both) and then insert the pop it should be much easier. If the box is big, it will just barely fit and trap air beneath it if only one side is removed. I also find it's usually easier to insert the pop from the bottom.

This is helpful - I'm planning to get a few of the hard plastic cases.

Glad I could help!

[MikeySanz]

I'm a relatively new collector and wondering what you guys do when it comes to encasing your pops in protectors or just stacking them on top of each other without protection? I've been putting all my pops in a protector regardless if they're "expensive" or common. I can see how that can start to get expensive given that the plastic containers range in cost from $.50-$3. Also do you prefer displaying your pops freely or in their boxes?

Here's my collection so far: https://imgur.com/a/qUp9Kr6

In a perfect world i’d have every single Pop in a hard pop stack just because of how neatly they stack but that’s not realistic. I wouldn’t mind putting most in soft protectors but sometimes they don’t uniformly stack. Sometimes I like going oob, it’s tuff for a pop collector!

[Vader27]

It depends on the pop for me all my grails definitely go in a hard case while my other ones either go in a soft protector or get taken out of box.

[Xeverus86]

I'm a relatively new collector and wondering what you guys do when it comes to encasing your pops in protectors or just stacking them on top of each other without protection? I've been putting all my pops in a protector regardless if they're "expensive" or common. I can see how that can start to get expensive given that the plastic containers range in cost from $.50-$3. Also do you prefer displaying your pops freely or in their boxes?

Here's my collection so far: https://imgur.com/a/qUp9Kr6

every single one in a pop stack!

[Malion]

Put them in the box but leave it open so they can breathe.

[Xenomorph]

I don't have that many in protectors, I have a few hard cases and a couple soft protectors. I should probably get more....

[BadEugoogolizer]

Eventually I ended up putting all of the boxed Pops I had on display in the soft protectors and the highly valued ones get hard protectors. It was just cheaper per protector to get em in bulk, so it was also easier than storing the extras.

I came into this thread thinking it was more about encasing unboxed Pops in a sealed off display case. That I'm totally for! I need more of them, but Daiso had these perfectly sized display boxes that fit minis and Pops really well. Also the ones from The Container Store that others use for minis are tall enough for pretty much any Pop, but you can only keep about 5 in each of em. Both types are stackable too, so that makes displaying and saving space really efficient.

[Jalapenopete]

OOB for life! I keep my expensive pop's boxes in hard stacks tho

I agree the really hard to find and the older i say preserve the box got to go hard stacks

Only ones i have oob are the ones I've bought oob and i agree the detail in them get better every year

[WildberryPOPtarts33]

Im a sucker for the hard stacks. Though I liked the old stack designs better for aesthetic purposes. The pop stacks are the most convenient, but they do make several variations that all look "cleaner" imo.

[Gooker1]

Those that are high in value and those that I love as my grail will be in hard protector stack. The other ones will be in soft protector. Unless the box has a lot of damages, if not, I usually put them in some sort of protector.

That's the way to go for sure

[Greymom]

Most of my collection is in soft protectors. The signed ones are in hard cases.

[NCDS]

I buy the thick/soft protectors like candy. Everything gets protected no matter the worth. Anything above $100 in a pop stack.

thats the right move !

I even protect the ones I get for other people! It seems wrong to pass one along without protection.

[rexflexall]

My rule used to be anything of value over $100 goes in a stack, but that has proven to be a bit costly with over 300 pops!

[Mizarkie]

I think its all personal preference. My commons dont go in any sort of protector at all, but more valuable stuff like grails go int hard stacks. I like hard stacks just because they offer more protection. Recently I've used some of the stick plastic ones and those awesome too.

At what price point do you consider a grail? A few hundred dollars worth?

It doesn't necessarily mean price. To me a grail can have sentimental value as well as monetary value. So yes, i have pieces i consider grails due to price and also some that i just love. For example common pops that have been autographed, i consider a grail.

[alphaomega1291]

I think its all personal preference. My commons dont go in any sort of protector at all, but more valuable stuff like grails go int hard stacks. I like hard stacks just because they offer more protection. Recently I've used some of the stick plastic ones and those awesome too.

At what price point do you consider a grail? A few hundred dollars worth?

It doesn't necessarily mean price. To me a grail can have sentimental value as well as monetary value. So yes, i have pieces i consider grails due to price and also some that i just love. For example common pops that have been autographed, i consider a grail.

That's prob a good way to tackle it - I just got a signed Millie Bobby Brown pop which will go in a hardshell.

[funkobry]

I put my commons or exclusives in the soft protectors. My grails are in Pop stacks. I also put my higher end Pops in a display case I bought from Ikea!

[Geescube]

anyone have soft protector recommendations?

i only buy from fugitivetoys.

[Mizarkie]

At what price point do you consider a grail? A few hundred dollars worth?

It doesn't necessarily mean price. To me a grail can have sentimental value as well as monetary value. So yes, i have pieces i consider grails due to price and also some that i just love. For example common pops that have been autographed, i consider a grail.

That's prob a good way to tackle it - I just got a signed Millie Bobby Brown pop which will go in a hardshell.

Yea for stuff like that, I personally want it protected as much as possible because it has more value than just money. Side note: A signed Eleven Pop is awesome! How is she in real life?

[daOCHO]

Like what most people have said, most of my exclusives are kept in soft protectors. The ones with more sentimental value are kept in hard case.

[wolfy233]

My signed ones and higher price ones are in soft cases and my commons have no protectors. I worry that the stacks squeeze the Pops too much

I know some high end collectors that only use soft protectors because they say the boxes are all a bit different and since the stackers have no give it could damage the boxes. I have no problem using them. I would rather have the peace of mind of the hard stacker protection.

Have you ever found the soft plastic cases to bend due to the weight of too many stacks on top of it?

They might so i don't risk it. If you do you some hard stackers, place them on the bottom.

[PopYouOff]

I buy the thick/soft protectors like candy. Everything gets protected no matter the worth. Anything above $100 in a pop stack.

thats the right move !

I even protect the ones I get for other people! It seems wrong to pass one along without protection.

dude you are a genuine badass!!
if i may ask... where do you get your protectors?
possible link?

[Jeffbot4001]

The Pop Stacks look really nice for display purposes. If you're thrifty, you can usually find some one sale every once in a while, and I often buy a half dozen at a time when there's a shipping incentive. In general, it just comes down to what you want your collection for. There's nothing wrong with taking yours out of the box if you want to see them that way. And it's only slightly insane to put them all in cases like I do.