I have no problem shopping in public for figures. I do most of my shopping online though. I hate wasting my time hunting and finding nothing. With preordering through BBTS, I know I am getting what I am waiting for in a timely manner no matter what. It's become even more so in the past few years. Especially when it comes to Henkei/United. I have to get those versions online.

- Gregg

 

Sums it up nicely.

 

I can understand if you're a teenager and worried about being uncool or any of the typical stupid peer pressure crap of the time but anybody else? I can't understand why anyone would be ashamed; especially these days where geek-culture is chic and fairly mainstream. Plenty of collectors troll the pegs anywhere I go too. And even if they didn't, people do understand that adults buy the grand majority of toys, right? If not all of them?

You also have to reach a point in your life where you stop caring what other people think. The sooner the better.  

 

Well it was meant to be serious, but yeah... express yourself away!

 

If I'd see the bots I'm interested in, in a toy store, I would buy them. But I don't and I'm not aware when or if they will show up regularly in shops here so I just import them from the UK via Kapowtoys and one I got from Amazon.

I would not buy any Transformer from Ebay, because mostly they want stupid prices. I'm not gonna pay 80 Dollars for a toy... hello?!  

I prefer stupid prices only for vinyls, as music is my biggest addiction!  

 

I'm 17 going on 18 and I don't bother anymore . I used to not so long ago , I used to take my little bro in with me as much as possible and say they were for him , but now I don't gee a fuck , pardon the glaswegian. My gf thinks its cute Im a geek   and when my sister or gran moan I say well I don't need clothes and its my money

 

It doesn't even cross my mind what people might think of me when I'm buying toys in public.
I'm too busy judging everyone else by what they're buying.

 

I have a counter question: If you go out and buy condoms or tampons do you care what people think or for who you are buying those? I guess no, so why would you care about that, when you buy toys? I mean, there are people who buy used girl undies. So what's so wrong about people buying toys. Especially if it has nothing to do with a sexual preference, just because it is your hobby! And it is way more interesting than people who collect post stamps.

 

I'm thirteen, and I don't care what people think of me when I'm standing in the toy line searching through the pegs looking for something I don't have that I might like. If they have a problem with it, it's their problem to deal with!  

When I first starting collecting in 2008, I was admittedly a little shy, but that soon went away. What's better is when you know you're family is supportive of your hobby, no matter what it is. My mum often finds herself searching through the pegs with my little brother and I looking for the toy we want!

Long story short, I don't care what so ever. I've often seen kids my own age looking at the Transformers, amd I say, kudos to them!

 

Sometimes I think people look at me funny cuz Im a teen but Im still not embarassed about buying toys at the store.

 

I am sure majority of the cashiers who handled my transaction thought I was buying for my kids (being that I am 36) but even if they knew I was buying them for myself, so what? I've learned long time ago that life is too short to care what others think of you. Just live your life to the fullest and be happy.

 

It bothered me when I was teenager, seemed to me that you would be looked at as if there was something wrong with you, which in many respects I can understand. During my late teens I moved away from most of my collector habits as I was discovering new things-music, booze and women. I still retained my inherit 'geekiness', but used it to make myself individual among my friends. Coming back into full on collecting, I wasn't afraid of what people thought as I'd made my collection a part of who I was, without being defined by it. Most of my social group is made up of artists and musicians, and they think my stuff is cool. If that stands then who cares what the shop assistant thinks?

Its like buying cigarretes/booze when you're young. Being worried about it makes you stick out like a sore thumb. Self conciousness comes through. Act like it's the most normal thing in the world and no-one will think about it for a moment.

 

I go to my local TRU & Wall-Marts almost twice a week. Actually other parents ask me for recommendations on what toys to buy when they see me getting my toys or asking when the next shipment would arrive.

 

This, exactly.

 

I actually prefer to buy figures at retail, since it's fun to go out hunting and find something new. However, the distribution is so spotty in this area that I've been buying the vast majority of my toys online lately.

 

Same here.

Who cares what anyone else thinks? How do they know you aren't buying it for a kid anyways? It's more immature to be an ass to everyone and have an attitude just because you can. If buying a toy makes me immature in someone else's eyes, so be it. I'd rather be immature than a judgmental human being.

 

Nope, doesn't bother me at all.. I'm a consumer and if I'm looking for a certain Transformer I'll buy it at retail wherever I can find it, why should a retailer care how old I am?   I'm such a regular at my local stores that the toy clerks know me and what I'm looking for.. many times they even help  

 

Some of the nicest parts about being a teenager that buys toys from stores in the bad part of town are the looks of, "Oh thank god, there's at least one nice kid that's not trying to steal from us" that I tend to get. It helps that I don't really have an intimidating appearance.

 

I'm well known in my local toyshop for walking in, looking at the Transformers stand, shaking my head and walking out again.

I bought a pram for my daughter from there the other day and the woman behind the counter said that she was amazed that I was actually buying something. I replied that it was nice that they actually had something that I wanted in stock!

 

I would gladly buy in stores and would not be ashamed about it one bit. But the hunt is just not practical for me these days, so I buy from the Radicon-Exchange or online stores.