Has anyone else gone holy shite when realised how much they have spent?

[HIPPEEDUDE]

Hello to all. Just sat down to work my budget out & how much i have spent lately on CE,games etc. Let me say it definately made my go :censored:
& sat me down on my bum for awhile. We arent talking a few hundred dollars either,as it stands for the past month my bill is less than $2000
but more than $1500. Shock city to me,all the little things seem to add up to one big bill. Anyone else done this & realised later how much
they actually spent?? Or am i just in the cheap miser range

[vhal_x]

Oh yes, have done this many times :facepalm:

Have made myself pretty depressed at times from being so gutted at spending so much money in such a short space of time, but then happy again once I receive all the goodies :D!

Last year, between the end of August and the start of November, I think we (me and my boyfriend) spent around £2500 on CEs :facepalm: xx

[HIPPEEDUDE]

Glad i am not alone,its a shocker when you realise it,but it is like xmas when you
get what you paid for.I forgot to include pre-orders that are due,a shipping bill for
an extremely bulky lot of games & i just realised i have one bill i forgot to pay due
now for one game thats over $500,it gets worse,i should stop thinking about it,lol

[Gazereths]

I try not to think about it tbh, I avoid adding up all the totals for stuff I've bought over the years, it would make me cry LOL.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I try not to think about it. It gets to a point where you realise you've spent tens of thousands and then it becomes redundant, as if your next milestone is six figures! I'm already well past the six figure mark in terms of money spent and how much my collection is estimated at, so anything between here and seven figures is irrelevant

When I tell people how much my collection is valued at, they're instantly like "Yea right!", and then they see the pictures and they're blown away! When I then describe to them how over 1,200 of my games are sealed, they begin to understand why it's worth so much!


I wish sites like HMV and GAME had a feature where you could see a running total of how much you've spent. I would really like to see statistics like that!

[themidlandmaster]

Not really

You earn money to buy things you enjoy, and I love collectors editions :)

[mawa]

I never check how much i spend and really i dont care how much it is lol
I have been on a shopping day in osaka ( japan ) and spend more then 5000 euro in 4 hours :)
But money needs to roll iff i dont buy the games i will spend it on other things or i go to the casino to play some roulette
So evry time i dont buy games the money will be spend
Dammit i need to learn to keep my money in my pockets

[Robalvarez2010]

Good response mawa. Its true money is meant to be spent not saved. I dont mean to go crazy now and spend every penny you have because its good to save some money at the same time. I for example have an account for bills, another account for the kids, another for my vaction time with the family, and yes one more for my hobby wish ever it may be.

[Amnoz]

That's actually a good idea Rob lol. I will have an account for all aspects of my life! I say that after I have spent about 2 to 3 grand just in the past few months :(

[AJLareneg]

I try not to think about it, personally. I would probably weep if I knew exactly how much I'd spent on all my stuff together. Though one of the first questions people generally ask me when they see my collection is how much it all cost... which inevitably has me wondering about it anyway.

[gurpswoo1]

I am in the same boat as most of you guys, when I started collecting I really had no idea what I was spending on CE's.

It's only once I started recording my items, did I start to understand this was too much and slowed down.

[vhal_x]

Yeah, I really didn't realise how much I'd spent until one night a friend bet us that we had over £10,000 worth of stuff

We told him to shut up, and after only a little bit through the collection, we'd already passed £10,000.

We stopped there :haha: Didn't want to unleash the horror xx

[questate]

Just think about all you collect as an investment. It willl make you feel less guilty. Also I believe it better to indulge ourselves into something constructive as game collecting hobby than to spend dough on smoking ***t, and getting into other wrong ways. Positives for game collecting outweigh the negatives by a fair margin IMHO.

[SquirrelRaper]

I kinda know how much I spent. I keep all my receipts for my games. Then I keep all the data in an Excel file with a bunch of other info. Though right now I'm behind on it.
I've probably have spent over a 100k in the last years that I've been collecting. It's kinda scary lol.

[Likey]

100K+? You lot are sick! :D

[vhal_x]

Believe me Likey, stick around here long enough, and it'll happen to you! xx

[Likey]

I'm sure I've already hit the £1000 mark already and most of it was this month. :/

[vhal_x]

Yeah, I've only been collecting for (almost) a year, and my collection is already well into the 5 figures :haha: Counted one small portion, realised that part alone was worth over £10,000 and then refused to count any more haha xx

[Likey]

Haha! Wow, I hope you have a good job or don't need to pay the mortgage, or have a rich husband. :)

I haven't gone completely nuts for CE/LE stuff, probably will if it is Final Fantasy related though but they don't release them that often and I only recently caught the bug lol.

[vhal_x]

Haha, I'm a stay at home mum, LOL - but my boyfriend works and he collects too, so that's why :P xx

[gurpswoo1]

Yeah I encourage anyone new to collecting or getting into it, to start keeping record of your editions and their costs now. Otherwise you will regret it.

[Likey]

Yeah good plan. Be nearly impossible to remember unless you can dig through all your old paypal transactions etc.

[Robalvarez2010]

That's a very good answer Questate, but lets be honest you guys. We dont really collect games for value wise more because its a hobby we like, because too be honest more then half are collection wont be worth shit later on. If you are in this for the resale value then guess what you are in the wrong business. This is not like the NES days that they will come out with 2 or 3 games with a collectors edition and thats it. Now every company makes a collectors, limited, special edition and mass produced them. You could still fine Bioshock 2 special edition for $11 here in my area. I found 2 months ago in a gamestop 5 prince of persia limited edition for $6 each. So of course I took them all. The only games that will hold up value are the ones that are numbered. But when I mean numbered I mean like no more then 20,000 copies, not like the NBA 2K10 10th anniversary edition that was numbered but they had like 600,000 copies. Just en`joy collecting and forget about the value of it. But you are right, I prefer spending money on this then drugs or alcohol since I dont drink.

[Cosmic_Link]

Yeah I just went holy shit when I got an email off First4Figures saying they want to take £280 off me next week for my Zelda statue... >.<

May not seem like a lot to some, but when you're not working it is massive amount of cash! XD Glad I had most of it saved! lol Will take pics when it gets here. They plan to have the shipping completed by the 12th May! ^o^ Can't wait! :D

[HIPPEEDUDE]

That's a very good answer Questate, but lets be honest you guys. We dont really collect games for value wise more because its a hobby we like, because too be honest more then half are collection wont be worth shit later on. If you are in this for the resale value then guess what you are in the wrong business. This is not like the NES days that they will come out with 2 or 3 games with a collectors edition and thats it. Now every company makes a collectors, limited, special edition and mass produced them. You could still fine Bioshock 2 special edition for $11 here in my area. I found 2 months ago in a gamestop 5 prince of persia limited edition for $6 each. So of course I took them all. The only games that will hold up value are the ones that are numbered. But when I mean numbered I mean like no more then 20,000 copies, not like the NBA 2K10 10th anniversary edition that was numbered but they had like 600,000 copies. Just en`joy collecting and forget about the value of it. But you are right, I prefer spending money on this then drugs or alcohol since I dont drink.

I thinks it still a little hard to say what will be worth anything value wise in a few years time. I dont collect for the possible re-sale value when i am old & decrepit but i do know that i would probably get most of what i spent back,if not more. You only have to look at things like the old nintendo systems,atari 2600,sega systems & all the associated games etc. A few years ago these things were in some ways not worth a pot to pee in but all of sudden popularity has gone up & so has the price. I dont really think any of us could really sit here & say what would be worth the most re-sale wise in years to come. Things that are hard to find now & cost lots of money may be worth next to nothing,things we couldnt give away so threw away may be the ones worth more. At the end of the day we collect because it gives up some form of happiness,its just unfortunate this happiness can cost you more than you realise sometimes.

[Robalvarez2010]

You do make a good point hippeedude. You never no one day people won't be interested in collecting video games anymore, video game collecting market could just crash one day. But the reason why I say that mass produced collectors edition won't be worth as much because just on this website how many collectors do we have, so just imagine how many there are in the entire world. The only way I really see mass produced collectors go up in value is because not everyone actually keeps them sealed.

[HIPPEEDUDE]

You do make a good point hippeedude. You never no one day people won't be interested in collecting video games anymore, video game collecting market could just crash one day. But the reason why I say that mass produced collectors edition won't be worth as much because just on this website how many collectors do we have, so just imagine how many there are in the entire world. The only way I really see mass produced collectors go up in value is because not everyone actually keeps them sealed.

Its not so much wether anyone keeps them sealed or not its more wether there is a need or want for them. The greater the want or desire for something even mass produced,the higher the price seems to go up. If theres no desire for something then the price drops down. As an example,at them moment i can buy a brand new sealed GTA IV special edition for $30 simply because nobody wanted them. Whereas say Assassins Creed first CE with the 10" figure of Altiar will still go for a few hundred dollars used.

[mawa]

On this moment i spend not allot beacouse ineed to safe some money fo my trip to tokyo :)
But i have spend also allot like i had about 300 ps3 games including almost all the dutch collectors edition.
I have spend about 50 euro each some where cheaper some some more expansief. Thats already 15.000 euro lol also i have a very compleet nintendo virtual boy collection all games and allot promo and 2 store displays cost me also about 8000 to 10.000 euro.
And then still i have about 2000 games here lol so i i think i have pay also about 75.000 euro for games in the last years. Maybe some more.
But like you all know i am selling also some off now from my collection because i have to much lol

But like i have say in my athor post here money needs to be spend ;)

[BigMike382]

Does not help that ebay reminds you everytime you check your summary. But yes i ask my self what am i thinking, but take a look around my room and then smile and its all ok.

[Gazereths]

I was thinking of maybe doing a valuation for insurance purposes (I know it will be a shock)

Have any of you had your collections insured/appraised?

I was just thinking it might look very suspicious to my home insurance company if my house burned down and I claimed for so many 1000's of pounds worth of games/merch/LE's/CE's.

[SquirrelRaper]

I suggest to everyone to keep receipts for all their games, just slip it inside the case if you open your games or if it's sealed and in a slip cover, just put it in there with the game.
The things that end up valuable are the things no one thinks would be valuable unless it's a known fact it's really rare. Like the other day I decided to pick up 3 DS games during the Buy2Get1Free at Gamestop, and since I don't keep up with the value of Nintendo games, didn't realize that I had found a rare game for like $7 but was the free one in the bunch. Complete it sells for 30-40 on Ebay and sealed the cheapest on Ebay right now is $50. I called around to other gamestops to find a sealed copy but they were all gutted. Ugh when will they stop opening their games. >_<


100K+? You lot are sick! :D
Yeah, it happens when you're bored.

[questate]

That's a very good answer Questate, but lets be honest you guys. We dont really collect games for value wise more because its a hobby we like, because too be honest more then half are collection wont be worth shit later on. If you are in this for the resale value then guess what you are in the wrong business. This is not like the NES days that they will come out with 2 or 3 games with a collectors edition and thats it. Now every company makes a collectors, limited, special edition and mass produced them. You could still fine Bioshock 2 special edition for $11 here in my area. I found 2 months ago in a gamestop 5 prince of persia limited edition for $6 each. So of course I took them all. The only games that will hold up value are the ones that are numbered. But when I mean numbered I mean like no more then 20,000 copies, not like the NBA 2K10 10th anniversary edition that was numbered but they had like 600,000 copies. Just en`joy collecting and forget about the value of it. But you are right, I prefer spending money on this then drugs or alcohol since I dont drink.

I personally dont collect for resale value, although, I do keep many of them sealed. I still think the value of many of these editions would increase, if marginally and not massive. You also need to be prudent in collecting, as in life and ofcourse know what is a sound value for money CE and which ones would appreciate or depreciate.

One never knows when they might need money, and CE is worth the expenditure than a puff. The way I see it :)

[Likey]

Yeah, make sure you have all your stuff as part of your house insurance.

I would say that posting your collection on here has some weight when claiming, as you've posted photos and hopefully have some record of it e.g. receipts in a fireproof safe.

Not sure if the insurance will pay the value of what you paid or what it is currently worth, though. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. :)

[SquirrelRaper]

Yeah, make sure you have all your stuff as part of your house insurance.

I would say that posting your collection on here has some weight when claiming, as you've posted photos and hopefully have some record of it e.g. receipts in a fireproof safe.

Not sure if the insurance will pay the value of what you paid or what it is currently worth, though. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. :)

Oh, trust me I have insurance lol. It covers it, pretty much what it would cost to replace all my items, well at least the ones that are replaceable. I have a database and some photos but I need to get it to up to date big time lol. I have most of my PS3 games in there but I don't have my other games in it.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

It would be very interesting if sites like HMV and GAME had a feature to show you how much you've spent. Such a statistics page would probably blow most people away!

Surely there must be some way they could do this? Especially the companies which issue loyalty cards, like GAME.

[Likey]

I've never ordered through their online sites before but shouldn't there be a transaction history like you can get on Amazon?

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I've never ordered through their online sites before but shouldn't there be a transaction history like you can get on Amazon?

Yea, but I think it only goes back so far. I guess they must keep such data stored somewhere though. I've only been using the online store for a few years as I always had problems with damaged items (still do), but I've had my reward card for the best part of a decade now, so they must keep data somewhere of past purchases. I would love to see a statistics page! Or even if I could phone up and ask customer services to give me a total, that would be cool

[Likey]

Obvious question but have you tried emailing them? :)

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Obvious question but have you tried emailing them? :)

Actually, I've been in contact with them, and I'm told that such a feature does exist hidden away in the back-end of their systems. I'm working on having the feature implemented as we speak ;)

:thumb:

[Likey]

That would be sweet.

From the back-end, it's just creating a query/view of the records going back to your first purchase. Just make sure they have a breakdown of each order so it lists each item you bought. :)

It's also interesting to see the VAT changes in-between that time.

[Likey]

As a side note, this forum is ridiculously dangerous as this place encourages you to spend and exposing yourself to other items that you didn't know existed, so may purchase those as well lol.

[davidw]

yes it has made me worry many times - and an even bigger yes to this forum being dangerous :)

[vhal_x]

Yeah, the forum does completely encourage extra spending!

I spend within my means, but I budget it all out so I can get as much as possible but there have been a few "SHIT!" moments when you realise you've left something out of the budget haha :haha:

No major casualties here though (so far) other than being unexpectedly charged for something and then having to borrow from my mum :facepalm: xx

[Likey]

My only issue at the moment is that I want to grow my Final Fantasy collection (still early days) but I live in a 1 bedroom flat so I don't have much space as it is. :/

Need to buy like a 3 bedroom house before I can go nuts lol. Still looking...

[cferro]

this month alone

guild wars 2 collectors edition
monster hunter frontier 2 collectors edition
Otomedius Excellent Special Edition
Tanteibu: The Detective Club limited edition

maybe max payne collectors edition... not to mention regular games to just play
:sick::sick::sick:

[gurpswoo1]

this month alone

guild wars 2 collectors edition
monster hunter frontier 2 collectors edition
Otomedius Excellent Special Edition
Tanteibu: The Detective Club limited edition

maybe max payne collectors edition... not to mention regular games to just play
:sick::sick::sick:

Expensive month for you then.

I got my sealed Fifa Street Steelbook from Evil as well a copy of Space Marines 40,000 to put in my Steelbook( well steel tin) .

So I spending in my means. :(

[mb7241]

Sure, I've astounded myself at the amount I've spent...I'm sure I've spent probably $30,000+ on video games since I've been collecting (nearly 10 years, and that doesn't count resales I've made throughout that time frame...it's probably more like $5000 counting the resales). And yeah, you might say I've a very expensive collection, if for no other reason than the number of exotic/rare/unusual games I own, or the handful of betas/prototypes that I have (heck...do I have $50,000 worth of games and related items nowadays? Maybe $60,000-$70,000+? The way the video game market has been going in the past year or so, I've been getting rich on paper just sitting behind the computer o_O). But the money is irrelevant, in terms of what I've spent for my collection or what my collection is worth. I've said it all along...I collect for fun. I don't anticipate being able to sell a brand-new PS3 game for $500 5 years from now...I buy what I like for my collection, and I hang onto it...and I buy any deals on stuff I don't like, and promptly resell it, trying to pass the deal onward :) .

[Xmo]

you guys are blowing thousands for your collections each year?! damn I gotta get a job

[vhal_x]

I'm blowing thousands on my collection every couple of months :facepalm:

I really think I need CE rehab :rotf: xx

[HIPPEEDUDE]

you guys are blowing thousands for your collections each year?! damn I gotta get a job

Each year?? Try sometimes on the ridiculous side of every month for some people,sometimes even the occasional week will be a big spend without realising it till its far too late,lol

I'm blowing thousands on my collection every couple of months :facepalm:

I really think I need CE rehab :rotf: xx
Ummmm...Just leave the rehab for a little while,well at least till i send you your package anyway,lol

[vhal_x]

Don't worry HIPPEEDUDE :P I don't think I can tear myself away from collecting :P Even if I do need rehab lol xx

[HIPPEEDUDE]

Don't worry HIPPEEDUDE :P I don't think I can tear myself away from collecting :P Even if I do need rehab lol xx
I dont think you could either,there to much temptation & so many tempting things available,its soooo hard to say no sometimes,lol

[vhal_x]

Yeah it sure is, I think this site is mostly to blame for my addiction :P

Allan was collecting for about a year before I started, and in that time he hadn't really gathered much, purely due to not knowing where to look etc. When I started collecting, we had already frequently been visiting this site (but without realising there was a forum) to keep ourselves updated on release dates of certain editions. About a month or so after I started collecting, I joined the forum here (once I finally discovered it haha) and ever since I've been constantly buying new things, etc.

Prior to that, I was just picking up little cheap things off ebay, and the occasional preorder. Now I'm into everything!

Gah!

Collectorsedition.org - where your bank account goes to die :rotf: xx

[Xmo]

I'm blowing thousands on my collection every couple of months :facepalm:

I really think I need CE rehab :rotf: xx

And how can you cure your addiction? By taking standard editions pills LOL

[gurpswoo1]

And how can you cure your addiction? By taking standard editions pills LOL

If these exist, please send some my way. Alternatively if you any of you start a Collector's Edition rehab, sign me up.

Because I'm poor from buying all these edition the only thing I can pay you with are my Collector's edition themselves. :facepalm:

Seriously this site is a blessing and a cruse.

[Xmo]

If these exist, please send some my way. Alternatively if you any of you start a Collector's Edition rehab, sign me up.

Because I'm poor from buying all these edition the only thing I can pay you with are my Collector's edition themselves. :facepalm:

Seriously this site is a blessing and a cruse.

What I meant was instead of CE's, get Standard Edition instead.
Even I is showing symptoms of this addiction :suicide:

[Amnoz]

What you really meant though is that you have found a cure for collecting collectors editions! I will take a one month supply :) But like someone else said, I can only pay with collectors editions :(

Maybe we should create a new section in the forum strictly dedicated to interventions. Each member will have a thread stating the maximum amount they should spend over a period of time. Members will leave updates and if they go over their limit, then everyone will give them flack by saying how nice their collection has become!

[Xmo]

What you really meant though is that you have found a cure for collecting collectors editions! I will take a one month supply :) But like someone else said, I can only pay with collectors editions :(

Maybe we should create a new section in the forum strictly dedicated to interventions. Each member will have a thread stating the maximum amount they should spend over a period of time. Members will leave updates and if they go over their limit, then everyone will give them flack by saying how nice their collection has become!

Great idea, someone start a thread. I know I just started collecting, but I would like to limit myself.