Cheesy Mac n Cheese Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Just...go on eBay and look at those prices. It's utterly insulting. I know these are old toys and collectors items now, but I mean, really. I've read COVID made a lot of people go nuts and buy sets on eBay and this demand drove prices up and the market still hasn't recovered from this. It's artificial. Investment buyers are totally driving actual longtime fans out of the franchise. Quote My friend went to Po-Wahi and all I got was this lousy rock. Blue sea...a Ruki leaps...the sound of water
Nato G Posted March 3 Posted March 3 I'm not a collector myself. The joy of Bionicle for me is MOCing. When I buy, I'm purchasing parts from Bricklink. And the absolutely nonsense prices of stuff like Irnakk and Karzahni make collecting basically impossible even if I wanted to. Quote Embers - A Bionicle Saga - Chapters/Review Ballads of the Bionicle - lore/character songs BZPRPG Characters - Minnorak, Kain, T'harrak, Savis, Vazaria, Lash, The Outsiders Ghosts Of Bara Magna - Ash Tribe - Precipere - Kehla, Somok, Skrall, Gayle, Avinus, Zha'ar
Taria Pakari Posted March 3 Posted March 3 A bit over a decade ago I would have, but not any more. Can't justify the costs. Quote
InfinityStuffBionicle Posted March 3 Posted March 3 sometimes I can find a lot of two that's worth the price, but never for collection value. Quote Previous username: Takanuva111 GENERATION 6: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
Valendale Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Nope. The only collection activity I do is when I click "I want to participate" on the raffles here. Quote
kawaii kitty Posted March 3 Posted March 3 last time i bought bionicle was about 6 months ago. although, i will be getting the minifig. i also never buy bionicle online, so thrifting is a fun way to get great prices for me. never paid more than 15$ for a set.(but i am waiting long periods of time for certain sets) Quote
Cheesy Mac n Cheese Posted March 3 Author Posted March 3 (edited) I bought all six Vahki a couple years ago at a garage sale, in canisters. I can’t remember if they were 100% complete with instructions, or the exact price, but it was $20 at most. The best way to do this seems to be garage sales, church sales, maybe some independent thrift or antique stores that don’t care too much about market value. I have historically been a completionist but I don’t think there’s any rational justification for that anymore. It’s really sad for me personally because I had a really rotten high school period where I was sent away from my family and Bionicle was really the only thing keeping me alive, particularly in 2008. To see this thing I was so passionate about be forever out of reach is depressing. Edited March 3 by Cheesy Mac n Cheese 1 Quote My friend went to Po-Wahi and all I got was this lousy rock. Blue sea...a Ruki leaps...the sound of water
kawaii kitty Posted March 3 Posted March 3 13 minutes ago, Cheesy Mac n Cheese said: To see this thing I was so passionate about be forever out of reach is depressing. bionicle reboot in 2027 guys, this time it's real! Quote
Master Inika Posted March 4 Posted March 4 It's a mix of things. It's not Bionicle, everything else is getting expensive, too. 2016-2019 I was able to get pretty sizeable Bricklink orders fairly often. I guess I'm fortunate to have gotten most of G1 by now. Quote COMING SOON! EXO-WARS: an EXO-FORCE fanfiction "You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." -- Turaga Nokama Click here to visit my library!
Bambi Posted March 4 Posted March 4 I haven't bought an actual Bionicle set since the Stars. I can't even imagine what it'd be like trying to finish my collection now. Quote [my blog] [custom emotes]
TERIDAX941 Posted March 4 Posted March 4 I've been gradually collecting via bulk lots, going through and finding various sets and if there are missing pieces I go to bricklink for the ones and twos that are left. It's been rather successful, I'm currently only missing a few of the more expensive titan sets from the latter years. 1 Quote Formerly Iron_Man5
InfinityStuffBionicle Posted March 4 Posted March 4 the worst effect of the pandemic on me specifically probably actually was the price spikes 1 Quote Previous username: Takanuva111 GENERATION 6: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
Cheesy Mac n Cheese Posted March 4 Author Posted March 4 (edited) Also: am I really the only one who kept canisters? They’re literally meant to be permanent (Mahri notwithstanding), and I know that some sets didn’t fit inside once built, but that was the primary purpose. Finding a canister set with the canister actually included can double the price. Edited March 4 by Cheesy Mac n Cheese 1 Quote My friend went to Po-Wahi and all I got was this lousy rock. Blue sea...a Ruki leaps...the sound of water
Taria Pakari Posted March 5 Posted March 5 4 hours ago, Cheesy Mac n Cheese said: Also: am I really the only one who kept canisters? They’re literally meant to be permanent (Mahri notwithstanding), and I know that some sets didn’t fit inside once built, but that was the primary purpose. Finding a canister set with the canister actually included can double the price. Still got all my canisters. Suppose if there ever comes a point I sell my collection, having them with the canisters will benefit me then. Quote
The 1st Shadow Posted March 5 Posted March 5 Every so often, my local Bricks and Minifigs will get some stuff in and call me if they find anything good (Having worked there in the past helps there) and I'll come in to check it out. If I find anything I don't already have (or parts to complete something I have a partial of) I'll buy it. But yeah, last few years, haven't done more than pick up a mask, a disk, or a couple krana within a 12-month period. Honestly, I don't think I bought anything Bionicle since we got the house last year. The few masks I need for the collection are all the high-priced ones that Covid drove through the roof. Silver Nuva masks used to be $20-30, but within a couple months of Covid, they went up to $100+ and have never gone down. Quote ~Your friendly, neighborhood Shadow ~Credit for Avatar and Banner goes to NickonAquaMagna~
David Skyroller Posted March 5 Posted March 5 Keep in mind that the items you see on eBay HAVEN'T sold. Items there that get listed below market value sell pretty quickly. But there are still loads of people buying overpriced items on eBay when it would be much cheaper to source them from bricklink. For example the Grey Rhotuka is ~$90 on eBay but ~$40 on bricklink. I would use bricklink as a better gauge of "market value". Historically I have bought bulk lots that are great deals if they have collectibles or sets I'm missing. That doesn't happen very often these days, but it's still at least once every six months. I'm still short a couple Nuva masks and half a dozen kanoka, but I'm not in a rush because once I'm done with those, Kraata will be the only collectible remaining, and I don't see myself ever finishing those. It's crazy to me that putting together a complete kraata collection costs more than all the other collections combined... 1 Quote
TERIDAX941 Posted March 5 Posted March 5 7 hours ago, The 1st Shadow said: Silver Nuva masks used to be $20-30, but within a couple months of Covid, they went up to $100+ and have never gone down. Tell me about it, pre-covid I traded a silver pakari nuva for a complete Toa Hordika Vakama (with canister) and a Mctoran Takua (basically Jala but with the blue pakari). Nowadays I could've traded one for a Vezon/Fenrakk or even a Brutaka. 1 Quote Formerly Iron_Man5
Cheesy Mac n Cheese Posted March 6 Author Posted March 6 (edited) I’d be more focused on sets, getting masks or kraata is a pipe dream. Then again, so is getting Takutanuva or Toa Mata Nui. Edited March 6 by Cheesy Mac n Cheese 1 Quote My friend went to Po-Wahi and all I got was this lousy rock. Blue sea...a Ruki leaps...the sound of water
InfinityStuffBionicle Posted March 7 Posted March 7 7 hours ago, Cheesy Mac n Cheese said: I’d be more focused on sets, getting masks or kraata is a pipe dream. Then again, so is getting Takutanuva or Toa Mata Nui. I usually collect via online auctions for bulk lots, and there are SOME mask pack masks there, but the lots in question have literally doubled in price between 2023 and now. What was once between $50 and $60 is now over $100 Quote Previous username: Takanuva111 GENERATION 6: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
Taria Pakari Posted March 7 Posted March 7 45 minutes ago, InfinityStuffBionicle said: I usually collect via online auctions for bulk lots, and there are SOME mask pack masks there, but the lots in question have literally doubled in price between 2023 and now. What was once between $50 and $60 is now over $100 There was a very brief period in 2009-2010 where I bought a few mask/krana packs dirt cheap; and still sealed, on Amazon of all places. They just had them going for like £7... it was nuts. 1 Quote
son of the shadows Posted March 7 Posted March 7 I was in the mid 2010’s, but now I’m like “well at least I have all of mine still from childhood”. Though I did get the full set of 2015 Toa and Matoran/Villagers Quote
kawaii kitty Posted March 8 Posted March 8 4 hours ago, son of the shadows said: Matoran/Villagers still completing my set of protectors, they are my favorite group of the bionicle small sets. Quote
son of the shadows Posted March 8 Posted March 8 4 hours ago, kawaii kitty said: still completing my set of protectors, they are my favorite group of the bionicle small sets. Oh that’s what they are called! Yeah they were very neat Quote
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