I remember when I first started seriously collecting. I'd discovered Vinylmation and my interest shifted from thinking they were cool and picking up a couple that I liked, to realizing that they were 3" Mickey shaped memories of my childhood at Walt Disney World. There were so many that I wanted and I wanted them now!
I started to build up my collection via eBay, since everything I wanted at that time was retired, and soon enough I had ran out of funds to keep going. My collection had reached around 10 Vinylmation at this point (I had not yet made a budget for Vinylmation) and I was pretty upset that my teeny tiny collection had reached a plateau, while I was noticing online that other collectors had a Vinylmation collection hundreds strong.
Now my collection has increased to almost 100 vinyls and when I think back to those early days, I feel a little sad that I didn't soak it all in at the time. I want to encourage new collectors not to feel down about your collection as you start out. Don't feel the new collector blues!
My early collection - circa January 2012
If you're looking at other people's collections and thinking "mine's not that great" or "I wish I had that many", here's what I want you to start thinking instead:
Think of all the excitement ahead of you!
Remember the adrenaline rush you got as you opened your first blind box? Remember the excitement you felt when you received a longed for vinyl in the mail? Remember how awesome it was to finally pick up your favorite character at the Disney Store or D-Street? Don't forget that! The more vinyls you have to add to your collection, the longer you'll create these wonderful memories as you build your collection
Be happy that you found the Vinylmation hobby
Even if you only have 3 vinyls, think of all the happy memories they bring and how much you love them next time you wish you had 300. You found this great hobby and it's not going away any time soon!
Enjoy your mail days
Now my collection's gotten bigger, I'll go through periods where I won't buy vinyls (shock horror!) just because I have most of the ones I want. Sometimes there are slow periods where not a lot of Vinylmation sets are released, or out of what is released I just don't want many or even any at all. During these times I miss the excitement of mail days. The anticipation of waiting on that vinyl to arrive, the fun of opening it, and the thrill of that figure you wanted finally being part of your collection. Don't take it for granted
Collections like this are what made me feel the new collector blues
Don't rush it
I definitely wanted to grow my collection as quickly as possible, but in rushing, I made some mistakes. Sometimes I wish I had paid more attention to the going rates for vinyls on eBay, so I didn't end up paying too much for a figure. I also wished I'd prioritized what I wanted better and looked at how frequently figures are listed on eBay. I bought one figure as soon as I saw it and then didn't have any money left to get a different figure that took weeks to appear again on eBay. That's why I suggest reading this Vinylmation Beginner's Guide post to help with that
Step back and look at your progress
Sometimes having just 5 figures can be more meaningful and special than owning hundreds. You might run out of space and have to pack some out of sight, which takes away the purpose of having them in the first place. You might stare at a wall of 100 figures and see them blur together, instead of seeing the memory and magic each individual figure holds. It's also fun to look back at say 20 vinyls and remember that time when you only had 4, and to think of everything you went through to get those up to 20.
I hope these tips help you lose the new collector blues and feel joy and excitement in your collection - no matter how many vinyls you have!
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