Wow, lots of feedback here. After reading responses I kind of change my train of thought a little bit. I back off my stance as that all people who keep all their stuff in the boxes as just trying to make a qiuck buck later. Sorry to paint everyone into the same corner. (although I have seen quite a few mercenaries in my time).

I just think you can't get the most joy out of it without taking it out the box and playing with it a bit (especially if you never owned the toy as a kid) then put it back in the box after your done.

Again though as has been stated many times, you paid for it so you can pour gas and light it on fire if you want. Fire!, Fire!, heh,heh,he,heh,he,heh!  

 

i keep my figures misb unless i get a duplicate one as a gift then i will open and display it so i can have a misb and a loose one on the shelf

 

QFT.  
Really, some of the USA packaging are not worth saving but the rest have such great artbox that it will be wrong throw it away. ^^
In resume: I throw most of the boxes. XD

 

I compulsively collect carded 25th anniversary GI Joes, or at least all the ones that I really liked as a kid. I have no idea why I am compelled to do it, but I am. I think it has to do with my wanting them so badly as a child, and not being able to have them all. Now, with the nostalgic packaging, it's like I have gone back in time, and I'm reveling in it. These are the only figures that I have done this with. Having said that, I don't play with my toys. I open them and put them on my shelf, as I just like looking at them. Mainly, I collect for nostalgia.

If we got cheaper, domestically available TF reissues here in boxes similar to their originals (like the Encore series), I would probably do the same with some of the Transformers.

 

I keep the JP boxes too.

I also like the little collector's cards Takara includes. Admittably it's in Japanese, but I think it's a lot nicer way of including a bio and tech specs than printing it on the box and having to cut it off.

 

So far as I understood, real men get a productive job that will take care of their wife and kids and, if there is a surplus of money coming in as a result of that job, he may or may not choose to entertain a hobby.

If that hobby is Transformers toy collecting, he may or may not decide to open his toys. If that hobby is NASCAR commerorative car collecting, he may or may not decide to open his toys. If that hobby is NFL figure collecting, he may or may not decide to open his toys. If that hobby is collecting pre-war Lionel trains, he may or may not decide to open his toys.

...and etc.

 

I really wish I never opened my 25th Joes because now I've got like 50 and all these little weapons everywhere, and I'm starting to forget what goes with who. Plus they just stand on the shelf, and its not like I play with them.

 

I agree with OmegaDead 

 

Solution: buy some vehicles and stick the figures into them.  

 

Why take it in box if you could transform that and make photos.

 

I find the more I spend on an item the more fun I have liberating it from packaging. I Only keep the back card from North American stuff but try to be meticulous opening Japanese issue/reissue stuff.

 

Autobot Jazz PR, you are the man! I run on the presidential ticket of

FREE THE TOYS 2008! FREE THE TOYS!

 

Man, if I kept all my Transformers in the box, I would use half of them to build a giant cardboard house to store the other half in.

Then I'd be like a homeless guy, living in a cardboard box.

Life is hard.

 

...a really awesome cardboard box!

 

Some people like them opened, some don't. If I had the money, and room, all of mine would be in the box.

 

There is only one transformer I keep in the box. It is also the only duplicate transformer that I own. And again, it is also the only transformer i actively went to TrU for every day in search of. Commemorative Soundwave.

Soundwave is my favorite G1 character, and I wanted to original toy for many years. It was sort of a "holy grail" for me. When it was finally rereleased, I had to get one.

After giving up on finding it in multiple TrU's (bastards came in every morning and bought every single one of them to resell, the employees told me), I started my search here on the forums. I found a kind member that was selling two of them for decent prices, but was trying to sell them as a pair. I decided to go for the deal and get both of them, one to play with and one to keep MISB.

Getting a new Transformer, still completely new and sealed in its box is always a nice feeling. Of course, I cant wait to rip the sucker out, but that feeling of newness is always pretty nice. But of course I cant transform it if it is still in the box. Normally I can only choose one side of the coin, but it is very satisfying to have both of these feelings when it comes to Soundwave.

That is why I keep just one duplicate still in its box.

 

Personally, I'm a strict opener.

Ok... I'm like 99.8% strict opener. The only stuff I keep in boxes are doubles (like my extra Kermit, Crazy Harry, and Gonzo figures). Sometimes I get doubles in eBay lots (like when I won a huge lot of MOC World of Springfield figures and it had like 5 ones I already had). A few MIB/MOC figures can make a loose display look pretty good actually.

But all in all, I believe opening (and saving the box   ) is the way to go.  

 

I have a Premium voyager Megatron and a voyager EVAC MISB. That´s the only stuff I have. Megatron looks way better in box.

 

keep commemorative and Japanese ones in box, rest are opened.

 

Here's a weird TF packaging feeling I had recently...

I bought my little niece a Cyber Slammer as one of her birthday presents. I tore open the card and bubble for her, not bothering about doing it carefully it because the card was just gonna be thrown away.

In the end I kept the backing card (tatty as it was now) and the inner card of the bubble. And the instruction sheet.

And I have no idea why.