When to give up on a collection?

Hello everyone!

I am curious. When does anyone decide to give up on a collection?
Since I started pin trading, I have searched for wreck it ralph pins. Not that I have been unsuccessful as I have all of the PTD's to date, the Jumbo pixelated ralph, the entire WDI sorcerer hat set, and many others. My problem is that I still have a lot of catching up to do and they keep releasing more and more lol I still need last months LE 150 vanellope and now this months cheerleader vanellope. Of course I have to work early that morning so I wont be able to go. Because I am so far behind, its causing me to consider just abandoning the search and be content with what I have now.

My question is as above. When does everyone else decide to give up on a collection and move on to others? What factors play in to your decision to do so?

This is by no means a plea to get me pins I want, just a general question to help me make a decision

I started out collecting Stitch and went crazy wanting EVERY STITCH PIN!!! Then I started looking at my collection, and I didn't really like some of the pins, or the poses were the same, and I decided to just collect the ones I liked A LOT. I traded or sold off some and I really like the ones I kept.

MrsTheKing said:

I started out collecting Stitch and went crazy wanting EVERY STITCH PIN!!! Then I started looking at my collection, and I didn't really like some of the pins, or the poses were the same, and I decided to just collect the ones I liked A LOT. I traded or sold off some and I really like the ones I kept.

Click to expand...

So instead of trying to complete and collect all of them (stitch is a lot so I doubt there is a completest for them), you just slimmed down your collection and chose which ones you wanted? That makes sense and is easier to collect just some rather than all.

Firstly, the fun thing about this hobby is --- the thrill of the hunt!
Secondly, your collection is for your enjoyment.
Thirdly, it's not a race to see who can complete their collection first -- well, I guess it depends on how competitive you are. :hs:

When do you decide to give up one theme and start collecting another? It really depends on you. Usually when one gets burned out on a theme (its lost that luvin' feeeeeeling!), a collector will put it on the backburner or liquidate their collection. I do recommend the backburner first; I've seen a number of collectors bemoaning the loss of their collection -- its the ole absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder scenario.

Why do you have to give up Ralph? Why not ADD a new theme to your collection?

KGPINTRADING said:

So instead of trying to complete and collect all of them (stitch is a lot so I doubt there is a completest for them), you just slimmed down your collection and chose which ones you wanted? That makes sense and is easier to collect just some rather than all.

Click to expand...

Sorry. I totally forgot about the "Completest-syndrome".:anxious: This probably will be the best approach, by far, for you. :lol:

halloweenfiend said:

Sorry. I totally forgot about the "Completest-syndrome".:anxious: This probably will be the best approach, by far, for you. :lol:

Click to expand...

Yea I wasn't thinking about selling them, more of just stopping the search. Too much time and money spent in getting what I have now lol

Its not that I HAVE to give up, its just difficult to collect the pins. After market prices are ridiculous and a lot of the older DSF pins are pretty pricey. I have multiple collections (Tron, meet the Robinsons, Star wars, and others for my GF), but wreck it ralph has always been my priority. I could choose a different theme for the collection. Do you mean like JUST ralph instead of all of them? Or JUST vanellope and the sugar rush pins? That is a good idea. I could get rid of the out side themed pins and trade them to get the ones I want.

I know the feeling. A year ago I had every WiR released, I got burnt out and started collecting brave. I realized that I have some characters such as Ariel and batb that I completely adore and couldn't bear getting rid of.
I wanted to collect Frozen so badly,but when the pins c
Started coming out, I was mourning the loss of my mom and my daughter and I got diagnosed with incurable genetic diseases and I missed all the releases. Now I find it almost impossible to afford frozen pins, so I have resigned myself to collect my favorite character from the movie, Olaf.
Even though they are still expenses limiting myself to just one character makes it easier.
I wish I still had my WiR pins,.
I say all of that to say this:
If its a collection you are passionate about, see if you can limit it to certain characters,like just vaneloppe. As a completionist I find that it helps my compulsion and if I ever get others I count it as a bonus. I also like to have a section I titled odds and ends I fell in love with.

The hard part for me is living in Florida,we get nothing worth trading with CA with.

I don't worry about being a completist. It would drive me crazy. Don't give up on your collection. Just be patient and other pins will come to you. I have about 5 collections which allows me to trade for a variety of pins and not concentrate on just one collection. Pins are constantly being released so we are all in the same boat.

I've gone back and forth with so many collections it's not funny. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs is the only collection I've never considered giving up. That being said, for me I knew I had to give up a collection when I knew I wasn't interested in looking for the pins anymore and wasn't heartbroken over selling or trading the pins. For me, I gave up collecting Ariel/Little Mermaid pins. Ariel is one of my favorite characters but I just have no desire to collect the pins. There are a couple pins I really want but I wont be heartbroken if I never add them to my collection. That being said, the few Ariel pins I still own I wouldn't trade because I love them. I stopped collecting Pocahontas pins because the few pins I still want are out of my price range. Once I'm out of grad school, maybe I'll be able to afford the few pins I still want but until then, that collection will remain on the back burner.

When to give up on a collection? When it stops being fun, and/or becomes cost prohibitive. They're just things. I suggest taking your time, even though it seems they keep coming out with more pins, that will slow eventually as different movies get more popular. Personally it doesn't bother me at all that I'm so far behind in collecting anything, because I know people will still be selling the pins I want when I eventually have the funds to go after them. And by that time I hope there are more to get because a bigger collection is a happier collection! :lol:

I totally understand. Sometimes I wish WDI would take a break on releasing the characters wearing the sorcerer hats. That is my main collection and trying to complete them is going to be extremely tough since I have Frozen to add to the mix and the very first one Jiminy Cricket which I have never seen before. But I'll keep trying. Only 14 more left to go!

KGPINTRADING said:

Yea I wasn't thinking about selling them, more of just stopping the search. Too much time and money spent in getting what I have now lol

Its not that I HAVE to give up, its just difficult to collect the pins. After market prices are ridiculous and a lot of the older DSF pins are pretty pricey. I have multiple collections (Tron, meet the Robinsons, Star wars, and others for my GF), but wreck it ralph has always been my priority. I could choose a different theme for the collection. Do you mean like JUST ralph instead of all of them? Or JUST vanellope and the sugar rush pins? That is a good idea. I could get rid of the out side themed pins and trade them to get the ones I want.

Click to expand...

Why not One character? Your favorite character. Especially, if it will help your pockebook, time, and enjoyment of the hobby. (Shhhh - don't tell anybody. But, you can always change your mind later.) :lol:

For instance, Maleficent is one of my collections. I was getting a number of them. After reviewing my collection, I noticed there were a LOT of head shots (too many!). I slowed down my collection by only collecting 3/4 or full torso Malies, which I enjoy much more than the head shots.

Thing2 put it in a nutshell: Most pins have a cycle. Though the pins you want pins are pricey now, that can and most likely will change in the future, becoming more affordable.

From what your said in your post, you are just at a point where nothing is happening. If I were you, I won't even worry about the most current and non released pins. Not being able to go to a release is not the end of pin collecting. It just makes the case a little harder. WIR actually doesn't have too many pins but they are getting harder to find and not really gaining $ so most are achievable for purchase. You have to make priorities of what and how many pins you are going to get. Is there a time limit to achieve these? It is a hobby, it should last a long time. Enjoy the times you go to a release or a trade night to meet new people. Many times everyone gets in line, does not talk, gets their pins and goes home. You have to speak, interact and know people. When you get to know someone you can start helping each other out. The release you can't make, a person you know that only want X pin can help you out and visa versa.

When you do make a release, get only the pins that you can trade or sell. Selling is just a 3-way trade. Buy your pin for $15, sell it for $25-$200 (depending on the release) and buy the pin(s) you want. Many noobies get into this hobby thinking they will get that one pin and they can get the entire Beloved Tales. A collection like like takes luck and friends with a little help of eBay.

If you really think about giving up a collection then you were not in this hobby to collect. Can't get that 1, 5 or 100 pins? That is what makes this hobby grow. If you just need that one Vanellope from the next release, it may be easier to just buy it. With the large and narrow selection and being an LE 300 (mostly LE 400) their are plenty of pin to go around. Of the 300 or 400+ pins, the majority of the pins are bought to resell. The prices are hight at first then everyone start to undercut each other to rid their inventory. Yes it nicer to buy it at cost but cost means a lot to a lot of different people. Buying your Vanellope for let say $45 would not be bad? Take into account the pin total cost (include tax), parking, round trip of gas, excess use on our vehicle and most important is your time. Waking up at 4 am???? And you haven't even thought about if you don't get a voucher within the LE limits. For me, one single purchased pin cost $29. It spreads out when I get more than one in a release but that or those pins have to be worth buying so I can trade or sell it.

This is a hobby, everyone sometimes think they have rights to get, have and sell the pins. Then get upset that they didn't get their pin!! "Their pin", I always laugh at that. And that starts - trading.

Sit back and think why you got into this hobby. If you do not want the chase and dead ends and excitement of getting that one pin then maybe pins are not for you. If you think you will never get that one pin then you don't know about personal "Grails". Pick your pin one at a time. Get it and move onto the next one. Not soon but maybe months or years, you will get all the pins for your collection. At least you know exactly what pins you want. Some people just buy collect and trade/sell before they decide that they want "their" one collection. I feel sorry for collectors that have 2 or more collections and are usually really HTF or rare pins that could take 5-10 years to collect.

Breath and decide.

You have these theme as far as I can see

Sorcerer Mickey
Tron
Meet the Robinsons
Ariel???
Star Wars
Tangled
Brave
WIR
Sleeping Beauty???

You have too much going on to focus on. Pick one theme and hit it hard then go onto the next one?? Good luck.

After 9 years of buying, collecting, trading and selling, I am down to 2 pins to be a completist of Pixar Up. It was hard but I gave up all my other collections to focus on the one. It makes this a fun hobby. The chase. I just think you have too many themes to collect and it pulls you apart. Many good traders were waisted and could have been used for another theme that the pin was super hard to get. Focusing on 1 collection uses all your resource.

In the end, reading this or the others are not going to change your mind. You have to deice if this hobby is for you because it takes time to get what you want. Even with a lot of money, pins just don't drop onto your lap.

Good luck in your decision.

I leave a collection when it's not fun anymore, for me. And that can happen due to many reasons. I used to collect Jessica Rabbit but all the fakes sort of sucked the fun out of it, I was always worried to death about whether I had a fake or not. I also collected Chip 'n Dale but it wasn't fun because I already have a lot of them and they don't really make new ones, or just rarely.

I've actually been thinking about giving up on all of my collections. But that's because I don't really like the current mentality around trading, in general.

< been waiting 10 years for certain pins..

I believe that when it is time for a pin to be mine I will achieve it reasonablly and with a fair trade even if that means walking away once or twice before then.

I also dont understand the idea of giving up whole collections- why did you get it if you dont love it? Is there some finite rule on you can only have X # of pins in your 'world' or why couldnt you collect A & B or even C? I couldnt imagine giving away a collection just because I couldnt acquire one or two pins? what about all the ones you DO have?

I know for me I'll start with one theme with open editions, easier to gets, then move slowly into the LEs and harder to gets once I'm down to the handful of hard to gets/wait for people to liquidate I move on to something new, occasionally I stumble on one of those hard to gets and celebrate but the world has way to many beautiful pins to be limited by I can only have XYZ..

Stop stressing over what you dont have and start collecting something new- then youll stumble on the missing pins sooner than you think

-em

What -em said. When us old timers talk about the "10 year plan," we aren't just trying to be funny. In anything, a there is a natural turnover, which is why certain collections can go from flaming hot to freezer cold. When it gets too hard people stop trying to start a particular collection. How many brand new Tangled collectors are there? Not nearly as many as there were 18 months ago. Also, people stop collecting. I think it's because real life eventually leads to changing. Most people don't keep the same hobbies when their 32 as they had when they were 22. Mortgages and day care expenses tend to make people reconsider their priorities. So those people liquidate, increasing supply and with less people starting a particular theme because they are focusing on whatever the new movie of the moment is, less demand. And then the prices drop.

outside of Hollywood / Glendale there isn't much happening with WIR and just like it's causing you to have 2nd thoughts others are having the same conundrum. The last person standing will be the one able to scoop up the pins in a reasonable fashion. The old axiom is you can have things fast or cheap but you can't have both. Most if us can't afford to do it the fast way so we must learn patience.

I couldn't agree more with what the others have said. I started trading a long time ago, like '01. I took a break for a few years, of course missing a ton of amazing pins in the process. Slowly but surely, I've started narrowing down the"grail list" and knocking them off one by one. You have to be able to take the time to wait for the good finds to come your way. In the past few months I've gotten pins I never thought I'd own. Dont give up! (Unless you're a Frozen completist, in which case RUN! Haha)

Don't give up! I collect a little bit of everything. For me, it's a lot more fun and there's no pressure. I think having one collection would be really boring but that's just me.

Thank you all for the incite! It really does help. I think I just need more patience with collections lol eventually I will get them. In the mean time, I can focus on other pins and just keep the ones I want in the back of my mind. If I see them, try to get them. If Im unable to, oh well I will at a later time.

No one can be a completist forever ;D It may be fun to celebrate being a completist for a time, but for most, it will be physically impossible to keep up with any collection, no matter how big or small. It becomes exhausting and less fun if you are constantly chasing the new release. Getting the pin will be less special and more of an accomplishment than an enjoyment, if that makes sense. I think a lot of people feel this way when they get caught up in the "gotta catch 'em all" Pokemon mentality.

Definitely seek the pins you think you will cherish the most. Instant gratification is cool, but getting your hands on something after a long hunt can be more exciting and gratifying in the long run. Collecting is about the hunt more than the acquisition for most I think!


If you love the pins you have, keep them! All because the collection is "incomplete" in the eyes of others does not mean it is incomplete to you. There is no rule saying that one must be a completist to have a successful pin collection. If that is something you aspire to do, then by all means, go for it! But it will take time and patience.

I recently collected my last Winnie the Pooh pin. This was my first collection and I cherish every pin I have, but I feel like all the new pins don't have much to offer. For me, I decided it when I got that last pin from a trade for the DSF for the release of Disney's Bears. I feel like most of the other pins I have look really similar and my favorites end up being the hidden mickey's.

Collect only the pins you like and pass on the ones you don't. I've passed on pins from my own collections because I didn't like the art on it. You also don't get a life achievement unlocked for collecting every pin known to man in a collection (sorry completionists). If completing a collection is giving you grief, narrow it down to the ones you truly like and trade/sell the rest or put them in a corner to appreciate later. If you like something new, collect the attainable ones, and put the rest on a backburner. Last year, I received a pin I had been wanting since 2007 that was a cast exclusive.

I also have several micro collections, that I just collect if I find it off of a cast member lanyard; however, I'll only buy pins for myself if they are Ariel, Anna, or Star Wars related. I just started a new micro last week, which is Guardians of the Galaxy. I got the AMC pins and I think that's where I'll stop.

I'm a newer pin trader and have been going through 'growing pains' myself. Deciding what collections to focus on, how/what I want to collect. At first I was collecting all the pins I liked, but that quickly became too expensive.

Stitch was a main collection for me at first since I love the message of the film and the artist behind the movie, but I recently realized I'm not passionate about collecting him. Rapunzel is the Disney princess I most identity with and I LOVE the film, but I just can't get excited about the pins even though that was a main collection for me too.

Plus for me, my OCD completionist mentality is a real problem since it is, frankly, nigh impossible to sustain being a completionist with almost any large scale theme like an entire movie (unless super specific like Ling or Kovu where there are only 2-5 pins in existence )

After taking a good hard look at my collection and pin trading as a hobby, I think I finally came to a conclusion on my collecting. I collect Sorcerer Hats, PTDs, and BT of the themes I like plus any special pins I really love along along the way. Having a consistent theme like sorcerer hats and PTDs running through my collection helps with my completionist compulsion, and other pins I really love, not just like, get sprinkled in for variety. I focus on my B&B, TLM, and Frozen collections, while being on the look out for good deals for my many other smaller collections I have (Hercules, Halloween, Christmas, etc. etc.) by focusing on pins I love rather than just like, it keeps it more manageable and I can always appreciate and ogle the other pins in other peoples collections I decided quality over quantity works best for me.

As mentioned by others, I like the idea of micro collections and stumbling upon things over time, time being the operative word. Also, the notion of a misfit section is great. Odds and ends you love that don't belong anywhere can all be on the island of misfit toys together

I won't abandon my Stitch or Rapunzel collection, but I will trim it down to absolute favorites. The others become traders.

I think most traders go through phases of re-evaluating their collections, and that's how your traders collection grows.

If your feeling overwhelmed maybe scale back? For instance if I collected Ralph, I'd go after the pixel ones and sugar rush because I adore those pins, but ignore the baseball and sports themed ones since I don't care for them. I wouldn't buy ones I don't like much just to have them all. However that's just me, I know some people really do strive for completion of a theme. Decide what's right for you Best of luck with your collection!!

Fortunately for you I don't think WIR is as big as many other movies/character groups. They were kind of big last year (I certainly like them), but it seems to be petering out now I think. Be glad you aren't trying to collect something already largely established over many years! Haha!

There are collections I KNOW I wont ever complete, but it's just fun to see how much I can get and add to it over time without feeling stressed about it.

I started out of the gate knowing that I wouldn't have the money or inclination to pursue every single pin of a certain theme. One advantage of having a lot of interests is that you can't throw too much effort into any one of them

For example, I love the Haunted Mansion, but that is a huge money sink and I don't by far like every pin that comes out. Some are really ugly, or not my thing, or whatever. I do have one HM pin as a nice little memento, and that makes me happy. Same for Pirates of the Caribbean, and those two pins might start a collection of JUST ONE pin for each ride I REALLY REALLY like.

I settled on Jules Verne as a theme, but again, I don't like EVERY 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Journey to the Center of the Earth pin out there. So I narrowed it down again to pins that feature Disney characters on them (i.e.: Mickey as Captain Nemo, Donald riding Space Mountain: Mission 2). I've made a few exceptions just based on what's available, but overall it has served me well and I'm pretty much done now. The only things I'm really looking for are a couple Little Mermaid characters for a diorama I put together mixing 20,000 Leagues and Little Mermaid.

I've thought about starting another collection, but nothing has really gotten off the ground. I thought about Fantasia, and have a nice Chernabog pin, but there isn't really enough out there that I like to want to bother (plenty of Chernabogs and Sorcerer Mickeys... and plenty of scrapers of the few relevant Cast Lanyard pins). And I thought about Disney characters on Main Street, but that's still a pretty big investment and I don't really have the money for that right now. And then I thought about Peter Pan, not because it's my favourite Disney film but I tend to really like the pins. However, that one is plagued by scrapers too. And then I thought I might take the same strategy of Disney characters in the Haunted Mansion, which is still plausible, but not something I'm taking seriously right now either. In a few weeks I'm getting married and going to WDW for the first time for our honeymoon, so who knows what I'll end up picking up there as I make my way through the stores and the traders.

Anyways, my ultimate point is that you are perfectly in your rights to slim down your collection to something crazily specific. Maybe you ONLY want WIR PTDs, or ONLY Vanellope, or ONLY pixilated or sorcerer hats. It gives you the thrill of the hunt, the enjoyment of something unique, and a discernible goal.