how do you set limits for yourself?.are you obsessed?

[Twisted]

..i find myself in a predictament, where i keep preordering just about each and every collectors edition, when i know i cannot afford it at this going rate..i keep telling myself...nearly everyday..this is my last one for the month, or last one for the rest of the year..but i can't help myself..everytime something new pops up on the forums list..."i have to have it"..and make "impulse" purchases, and tell myself..i have 3 months to pay it off or extend myself a line of credit..and that if i "work 2 jobs this holiday season" i can "pay it off"..while..i know that would be difficult to pay off...right now..i believe i have already spent close to $1,000 on different ACR versions worldwide..even though i am using credit cards to pay for it..and also forget sometimes that majority of the items are more expensive for me with the exchange rates and international shipping than price advertised..i am having a hard time..telling my self not to do the few clicks on the computer and walk away..instead i keep snapping them up...are you guys "obsessed" or is it just me?...:)

[Kristallnacht]

You are not alone there Twisted ;) Everyone here is of the same ilk, including me. Whenever a CE comes out, i am also tempted to buy it and eventually end up doing so despite knowing the fact that after a few months, its price would be slashed by half...for eg. the Deus ex collector edition was launched for 85 GBP but now its going for 38 :suicide:

So you are not the only one who is facing that predicament. CE.org is a platform where all like minded CE obsessed freaks assemble to express their love for these expensive collectibles. That is why here everyone indulges in CE whoring unabashedly :haha: All the members here are inflicted by the same disease of shelling out doe at the slightest impulse.

So, without any qualms, CE whores of the world unite :haha:

[Neilikki]

Well, I only buy things I want, not everything there is.
Also, I sometimes wait for a price drop, when I know the probability of it is high.
The only things I preorder with the power of thousands sun are games I love the most . And even that's not always the case, when for example I simply can't. Like I really wanted the Animus edition but it was the most import unfriendly game I've ever seen, so I still don't have it...

[Solemn_In_Berlin]

Well with every flock there is a black sheep. And in ours, I'm the black sheep, and no, when I say black sheep, I am not giving it a negative connotation.

At the very core, I am a fan. So in that sense, I don't consider myself a collector but rather, a fan who collects. You won't see me buying the Call of Duty Prestige Editions even for half the price because I don't like that franchise. In the same manner, the War in the North CE seems to be the hot potato of the week because the quiver's apparently of high quality. Though I'm a Lord of the Rings fan myself, I don't see myself buying the CE for the sole reason that the game sucks. Another collector's item that I didn't buy because I felt that the game's not worth it was the Need for Speed Undercover Steelbook. A few of them made it here and they were selling for $60. I was well aware of how valuable it was to real collectors but still I didn't bother. I don't buy CEs for business. that's the retailer's job. And no, I don't regret not buying the Steelbook. Need for Speed has been dead to me ever since they pretended that the Underground and Most Wanted titles never existed.

On the other hand, I'm willing to pay lots of money for CEs that I like. For instance, I'm a huge fan of NIS and it pains me to say that I don't have the Ar Tonelico Qoga calendar and the Neptunia playing cards, both of which were NISA-exclusive bonuses limited to the first thousand pre-orders. Now, I'm doing my best to hunt them on Ebay and I'm willing to pay a lot of money for the items. $50? A hundred or two, maybe? To further expand on this, let's give an example of a CE I can already buy. The Skyrim CE's already available on our shores for $230. Yes, from $150, the price has ballooned to $230, most likely because of shipping. Still, as an Elder Scrolls fan who rocked Morrowind for an infinite number of hours and as a kid who has always been fascinated by adventure and dragons and the medieval era, I'm going to buy it.

Long story short, I only buy CEs I want because as a fan, they are special to me. If the game doesn't catch my eye, then forget about it, no matter how extravagant the CE may seem. Besides, in my opinion, CEs are made by fans, for fans. At least that's what they were back then. Now, they just exist as a way for greedy publishers who don't give a damn about their fans to make more money. Still, there are some guys out there like NIS, Bethesda and Naughty Dog who love their fans and want them to be a part of each and every step along the way. These people would love to write the next chapters in their books with their fans. So God bless them.

[DB5]

Well with every flock there is a black sheep. And in ours, I'm the black sheep, and no, when I say black sheep, I am not giving it a negative connotation.

At the very core, I am a fan. So in that sense, I don't consider myself a collector but rather, a fan who collects. You won't see me buying the Call of Duty Prestige Editions even for half the price because I don't like that franchise. In the same manner, the War in the North CE seems to be the hot potato of the week because the quiver's apparently of high quality. Though I'm a Lord of the Rings fan myself, I don't see myself buying the CE for the sole reason that the game sucks. Another collector's item that I didn't buy because I felt that the game's not worth it was the Need for Speed Undercover Steelbook. A few of them made it here and they were selling for $60. I was well aware of how valuable it was to real collectors but still I didn't bother. I don't buy CEs for business. that's the retailer's job. And no, I don't regret not buying the Steelbook. Need for Speed has been dead to me ever since they pretended that the Underground and Most Wanted titles never existed.

On the other hand, I'm willing to pay lots of money for CEs that I like. For instance, I'm a huge fan of NIS and it pains me to say that I don't have the Ar Tonelico Qoga calendar and the Neptunia playing cards, both of which were NISA-exclusive bonuses limited to the first thousand pre-orders. Now, I'm doing my best to hunt them on Ebay and I'm willing to pay a lot of money for the items. $50? A hundred or two, maybe? To further expand on this, let's give an example of a CE I can already buy. The Skyrim CE's already available on our shores for $230. Yes, from $150, the price has ballooned to $230, most likely because of shipping. Still, as an Elder Scrolls fan who rocked Morrowind for an infinite number of hours and as a kid who has always been fascinated by adventure and dragons and the medieval era, I'm going to buy it.

Long story short, I only buy CEs I want because as a fan, they are special to me. If the game doesn't catch my eye, then forget about it, no matter how extravagant the CE may seem. Besides, in my opinion, CEs are made by fans, for fans. At least that's what they were back then. Now, they just exist as a way for greedy publishers who don't give a damn about their fans to make more money. Still, there are some guys out there like NIS, Bethesda and Naughty Dog who love their fans and want them to be a part of each and every step along the way. These people would love to write the next chapters in their books with their fans. So God bless them.

Very well said. I'd also like to buy CEs of only games/franchises that I'm a fan of, but the CE addiction has taken over my entire being like it was cocaine or sometin. Also glad to see that you're a hardcore gamer. All of you may hate me for saying this, but I strike our community more as collectors than gamers.

I don't wanna be frank about it, but it seems to me that games don't really matter to us. We play them, but we set them aside once we're through with it. CE on the other hand, they're a different story.

And yes, God bless NIS, Naughty Dog, Bethesda, Irrational, Media Molecule and others. Screw you, EA. Capcom,, I dunno. Sometimes they're Capcom. Sometimes they're Crapcom.

[RyT]

Can't believe someone is still looking for the Ar Tonelico calendar :D and yes I'm on the impulsive side as well buying everything I like. But then I've canceled my Assassin Creed Revelations preorder, didn't get Uncharted 3 nor the COD MW3 and Battlefield 3 and Skyrim just so I can fund the upcoming December release. These days I don't buy any CE of big releases, instead I buy only what I like and a fan of.

[Neilikki]

Well with every flock there is a black sheep. And in ours, I'm the black sheep, and no, when I say black sheep, I am not giving it a negative connotation.

At the very core, I am a fan. So in that sense, I don't consider myself a collector but rather, a fan who collects. You won't see me buying the Call of Duty Prestige Editions even for half the price because I don't like that franchise. In the same manner, the War in the North CE seems to be the hot potato of the week because the quiver's apparently of high quality. Though I'm a Lord of the Rings fan myself, I don't see myself buying the CE for the sole reason that the game sucks. Another collector's item that I didn't buy because I felt that the game's not worth it was the Need for Speed Undercover Steelbook. A few of them made it here and they were selling for $60. I was well aware of how valuable it was to real collectors but still I didn't bother. I don't buy CEs for business. that's the retailer's job. And no, I don't regret not buying the Steelbook. Need for Speed has been dead to me ever since they pretended that the Underground and Most Wanted titles never existed.

On the other hand, I'm willing to pay lots of money for CEs that I like. For instance, I'm a huge fan of NIS and it pains me to say that I don't have the Ar Tonelico Qoga calendar and the Neptunia playing cards, both of which were NISA-exclusive bonuses limited to the first thousand pre-orders. Now, I'm doing my best to hunt them on Ebay and I'm willing to pay a lot of money for the items. $50? A hundred or two, maybe? To further expand on this, let's give an example of a CE I can already buy. The Skyrim CE's already available on our shores for $230. Yes, from $150, the price has ballooned to $230, most likely because of shipping. Still, as an Elder Scrolls fan who rocked Morrowind for an infinite number of hours and as a kid who has always been fascinated by adventure and dragons and the medieval era, I'm going to buy it.

Long story short, I only buy CEs I want because as a fan, they are special to me. If the game doesn't catch my eye, then forget about it, no matter how extravagant the CE may seem. Besides, in my opinion, CEs are made by fans, for fans. At least that's what they were back then. Now, they just exist as a way for greedy publishers who don't give a damn about their fans to make more money. Still, there are some guys out there like NIS, Bethesda and Naughty Dog who love their fans and want them to be a part of each and every step along the way. These people would love to write the next chapters in their books with their fans. So God bless them.

You are not a black sheep. I'm also like this :beer: A lot of people are. Probably most.

Also, I don't like steelbooks. They mess the look of my shelf.

[TrustyBadger]

@Twisted:

Ultimately even if money is no option most of us have limited storage space so we do need to apply some constraints to our collecting:

1. Franchise - pick your favourite franchises and only collect them.
2. Edition - specifically collect the best edition of that franchise as opposed to every edition.
3. Platform - e.g. only the PC compatible version, 360 or PS3 only.
4. Price e.g. no collector's edition costing more than X.
5. Size e.g. no ridiculously big collector's editions e.g. Crysis II Nano

In practice what I do is pick my franchises based on my interests/preferences, in my case Assassin's Creed, Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy and Mass Effect make the cut, however Call of Duty, Crysis, Dead Island, Halo and Uncharted do not. Occasionally, I'll splash out on the odd edition which interests me if the price is right but on the basis that it's a one off and not intended to be a complete collection.

In terms of platform constraints, I generally prefer the PC version if it's available, sometimes it's cheaper but mainly because it's more likely to stand the test of time. However if that's not available I'll pick the 360 or PS3 based on it's merits. Additionally, I tend to pick up standard versions of the game for each of the other platforms when they reduce in price and/or come in Game of the Year format with added content.

I always try to buy the collector's edition strategy guide for each of the franchises I'm collecting as these tend to be nice collectible pieces with concept art and screen-shots as well as being a generally handy reference. For something like Final Fantasy where the 'best' collectors edition (Crystal Edition) isn't very compelling I'll happily settle for the 'Limited Collector's Edition' in the knowledge that the collector's edition strategy guide is a far better addition to the collection than the questionable value of what they pack in.

Hope that helps in some way! '_'

PS. Just a word on money, if you're borrowing money through credit cards to pay for this stuff, my advice is to stop or cut it down dramatically. Collector's editions just do not hold their value and should you need to sell them to recoup the money you're likely to get far less than you spent. You may see some of these things listed on Amazon / Ebay for exorbitant prices but they don't sell at those prices, that's just wishful thinking on the part of the sellers.

[kizeal]

Well...every time I look at new CE stuffs, I would tell myself whether I like that genre or just buy for the sake of collecting.

As i only buy CE of games that I play, I tend to limit myself to certain CEs like PS3 and PC CE which is some of the games that I actually buy and play while enjoy looking at the extra stuff that came with it. That is probably how I cope with buying CE and not being obsessed with every new CE that came out.(else i would go broke already)

[AJLareneg]

I pretty much only buy CEs for games I like as well. Most of my collection spending goes on things related to said games I like. And that sometimes can be a problem. I mean, you'd think something like inFamous, it has no real merchandise, so it shouldn't be hard to collect for!

........yes well. i am still finding new things. ive been buying inFamous things for almost two years..........and there is still new things popping up.

there will never be an end. XD;

Another thing that makes it quite unfortunate when a CE for a series I really like isn't available in my region. Or there's like five of them. All different, and all really cool. :(

[kizeal]

I pretty much only buy CEs for games I like as well. Most of my collection spending goes on things related to said games I like. And that sometimes can be a problem. I mean, you'd think something like inFamous, it has no real merchandise, so it shouldn't be hard to collect for!

........yes well. i am still finding new things. ive been buying inFamous things for almost two years..........and there is still new things popping up.

there will never be an end. XD;

Another thing that makes it quite unfortunate when a CE for a series I really like isn't available in my region. Or there's like five of them. All different, and all really cool. :(

Well.even if it does end..you know you will start a new one soon after..its a collector's habit..

[vhal_x]

I'm obsessed. I'm constantly thinking of ways (or, trying to think of ways) to work my money to get as many CEs out of it as possible.

I buy pretty much every CE that comes out (if I can afford to) as most games I like, and if I don't, chances are my boyfriend does, so with him being a collector too, we pick up most CEs there is.

We've had to miss out on a few CEs already this year, not major ones, but still ones I'd have liked to get (Rayman, LOTR, etc), but as we were not prepared (this is my first year of collecting, so have never experienced the sudden extreme influx of games in this short amount of time (Mid-August to December), so had no savings put away, ready for the CEs.

However, next year, I have a game plan. Myself and my boyfriend are saving up from the start of the year, up until September (since August only has a couple, we'll be able to get them AND save) and then, from September, we will buy CEs like we did this year, out of our money (not the savings), but any ones we can't afford, we will just dip into the savings to purchase :)

This may sound extreme, but I really am caught in the grip of collecting. To the extent where we are looking for a bigger house, simply due to the fact of "the CEs don't have enough room" :facepalm:

Also, next year, even if we don't save, we'd be able to afford more than we can this year, as this year I've had to pay off debt to the damn electricity company (their fault, not mine :facepalm:) and we've also had to buy lots of things for the house (it's our first year in our own home, also). Oh, and my boyfriends tattoo has used up quite a bit of money (over a grand!) and I've had to owe my mum a bit of money too as she has helped me out with buying things when we've not yet been paid/whatever :rotf:

Ah, I'm rambling. But CEs are a big part of me now, and they always will be, so as long as I'm happy collecting, I'm fine with being "obsessed", I look at it in the sense of, I purchase CEs with money, not by using Credit Cards.

I know some of you have admitted to using Credit Cards, and I think that it mainly where the problem lies, as it spirals out of control (and it does for most of us), you realise, "oh but I can just get that on credit, oh and that one too, oh, might aswell get that one aswell" and then you just put yourself into debt doing something you love, and the debt will turn it into something you hate.

Just my opinion on it, but if there's ever a point when I need to get a Credit Card to fund my CE habit, then I think I'll force myself to quit completely, because as much as I love CEs, I do not want to get myself in debt over them.

If I need a credit card to get myself a "holy grail" CE on the other hand (like if I hadn't yet been paid and I figured it was my only chance to get it), fair enough, I'd probably get one then, pay it off within the month, and then cancel/close the credit card, to ensure I don't use it for anything else.

Phew, I wrote a book... But yeah, that's how I feel. A bit rambly and shit, but yeah, that's my take on my "addiction".

[RyT]

Had credit card once, almost couldn't pay off. Never by any chance have any credit cards again. It's either I pay off with cash, pay off at higher price on ebay or just totally don't get it

[vhal_x]

That's exactly what makes me so against credit cards, I mean, if I had the chance to get the Fortune Hunter edition, and hadn't yet been paid, I'd get it on a credit card (if I could dive out and sign up for one before the auction ends or whatever), then when I've been paid, pay it off instantly (before any interest is added) and then just shut it down.

I keep getting offered credit cards from banks and all the shops I go into keep offering me store cards (which are essentially the same) and everytime I'm like "NO!" :rotf: xx

[Dreamcazman]

I have a pretty well paying job, both myself and my wife run a small computer IT business and I'm making a lot more than I used to when I was employed.

Money really isn't an issue, but I don't go nuts, I have many other important things to take care of first (mortgage, two young children, etc) and as long as that's all sorted first, then I can spend some of what's remaining on fun stuff! :D

I only buy the CE's of games I want to play, this year especially was costly. Too many must haves released in a really short space of time. I can understand how some people had trouble affording everything.

The only CE I preordered, then cancelled was Skyrim. I have too many other games that I haven't played yet and was only really going to get it because I thought I might be missing out on something. I thought afterwards that I probably will never get around to playing it (time is precious atm) and after getting bored with Oblivion & Fallout 3, I decided to give it a miss. Don't really regret it either.

I'm also dead set against credit cards. I use a debit card (ie. my own money) and don't plan on changing.

[kizeal]

I'm also dead set against credit cards. I use a debit card (ie. my own money) and don't plan on changing.

Yup..i plan on using debit too even when i am employed..at least that is some way i can restrain myself..

[SquirrelRaper]

I dont have any real limits. I haven't been skipping many CE's in the last few 6mths or so, except a couple I know will be really cheap soon or a franchise I really hate and plan on getting it cheap as well, lol. Though, I plan on buying lots more games very soon since my funding is about to dramatically increase.

I have credit cards but I only use them to gain stuff from them and pay them off before the month ends, so I don't have interest to pay on them. I have probably 10k in credit cards and a credit line for 5k. Besides, it has gained me a good credit score from having them, haha ^_^

Obsessed? Yes, but I think it's a good thing as long as it doesn't drive you into the hole.

[Onyxia]

I mostly just buy games I like. I don't bother with CEs of games I won't play. I also try to give myself a budget and not go over it. Keyword: try. :lol: But I always make sure to not go overboard. I don't have much time to go out, so I usually spend that money on video games. Sometimes it does get a little more crazy (like November), so I try to spend less the month after. I ask myself if it's something I REALLY need (some CEs are rather... lacking).

I use a credit card. I use it like a debit card online (as I can't use my actual debit card). If I buy something, I pay it off RIGHT AWAY (literally the moment it's paid for in PayPal). I only buy something if I can afford it. Like SquirrelRaper said, it also helps you build good credit! I've never been tempted to just buy something without paying it off. I tried once... ended up paying for it 5 minutes after. I'm not using my CC the way it's meant to be used, I guess!

[mawa]

I never use my cc for buying games
I always do banktransfer or paypal or pay it cash

I have a bankaccount where i transfer evry mouth cash to to buy all i want to have.
Some mounths i spent only 400 euro but this mounth i have spend about 1500 euro whit all the things coming out :)

But like i told before i always safe first the money before i buy

[AJLareneg]

I know some of you have admitted to using Credit Cards, and I think that it mainly where the problem lies, as it spirals out of control (and it does for most of us), you realise, "oh but I can just get that on credit, oh and that one too, oh, might aswell get that one aswell" and then you just put yourself into debt doing something you love, and the debt will turn it into something you hate.

Just my opinion on it, but if there's ever a point when I need to get a Credit Card to fund my CE habit, then I think I'll force myself to quit completely, because as much as I love CEs, I do not want to get myself in debt over them.

If I need a credit card to get myself a "holy grail" CE on the other hand (like if I hadn't yet been paid and I figured it was my only chance to get it), fair enough, I'd probably get one then, pay it off within the month, and then cancel/close the credit card, to ensure I don't use it for anything else.

Phew, I wrote a book... But yeah, that's how I feel. A bit rambly and shit, but yeah, that's my take on my "addiction".
Only collection item I have used my credit card on is buying my replica amp, but seeing as how I got it for less than half the selling price as the one that recently sold....I think it was worth it.

Also, in an ideal world I wouldn't have a credit card. I don't have much savings, and unfortunately thousands of dollars in car repairs (which ultimately ended with me buying a new one :() and medical bills these past few years have dumped a lot on me. I could probably be using more collection money to pay it off but.... i like things. lol.

so yea. i'd prefer not to have a card, and i never ever use it except for emergencies (...and cole's amp counts ok) or in instances when i can save some money using it, and then i just pay it off at the end of the month. (like my amazon card sometimes :I)

otherwise i'd try to recommend avoiding them if at all possible but its not always possible for everyone.

[Hans v Hube]

I kid myself into saying 'you buy this & no there is no booze this weekend' sometimes it works sometimes not!

[Dexter_Lecter]

Despite how badly I always want the newest CE's I wait a couple months before buying them. If you shop around on amazon or ebay you can get amazing deals.

I got the Halo Reach Legendary Edition for only $50 "used" but everything was still in shrinkwrap. The box just had a few dents.

I love CE's but I love saving money more. I also got the Bioshock 2 and Catherine CE's for only $30 each. A huge discount compared to their original prices.

Don't buy a CE just because it's a CE. Ones that just have an artbook I never buy, wastes of money in my opinion. Let it have something that catches your attention.

Make rules for yourself and you'll have much more money.