I know. Another post Botcon thread. But I was looking through my stuff and thinking.

Every year I go, I go through the arduous task of compiling a list of wants. I think of everything I would want to look for or possibly add to my collection. Then I look each item up on ebay, check out current and completed listings and get a price range for each item: loose, complete, MISB/MOSC. I then put it into a spreadsheet and print it out and bring it along.

Each year I do this, and each year there is no point. I rarely even look at the list. I am like a kid in a candy store and start running at tables, arms flailing wildly, ginormous stupid grin on my face, all just lost in the moment of pure TF geekdom. I end up doing more impulsive spending, and sometimes I look at some things at a table and think "Well, for that price why not?".

That is how this year started off for me. Ran right to the Hartman's table right when preview night opened. I was looking at getting some Headmasters, since I am a big fan. They still had plenty when I got into their store, but then I saw some G1 cassettes, complete, mint, with cardbacking...All for 30 dollars. Hell I couldn't pass that up! Sure G1 Highbrow was on my list, but for the price of that, I could get three sets of tapes! So I bought the three sets, and to add to the impulse buys I found a Micromaster set on the way to checkout for 5 bucks with card backing!

All in all, in the very end, it turned out I got 4 things on the long list that I had made, and a majority of the stuff on the list (which was carried over from the list from last time) will be carried over to next year's list.

Anyone else go through anything similar? Or am I the only one who is obnoxiously anal in preperation, then falls apart and gets taken by the moment when it arrives?

 

I try to make a list of stuff I really want to find, and nail that first. Then I see what else there is around. I pretty much stuck to my list this year.
I went to Botcon hoping to find:
-WST Dinobots (got them, except Grimlock. Someone picked up the last one from the pile I was about to buy, when someone started talking to me, and paid for it himself. DAMN.)
-MP-03 Starscream (got)
-Something cool from the Hartmans (I'd say a sealed Classic G1 Combaticons set works. Especially since after using the prize money I got from the art contest they only set me back $50!)
-MIMB Victory Leo (Nope. had a lead on one for $350, but didn't have the funds)
-Alt Sunstreaker (Yup. To be fair, I knew full well that Harlod had gotten me one)
-Other Alts (I got Skids for $10 loose at the end of the 'con)
-Darksyde Megatron & Waspinator (yup)
-BM Thrust MOSC, with exhausts facing forwards (nope   )

My only real Impulse buy was a sealed case of DX Micromasters (got 2 sets in the case, 2 chase figures in there too). £30; I was happy with that.

 

I make a prioritized list of the main things I want to get. Don't do ebay research on prices though. Most stuff I buy is from the list and impulse buys are usually just deals I couldn't pass up, like GF Soundblaster for $45 and Police Gasket for $20.

 

Yes, I did make a wants list, But do to how much time I spend at my booth I was not able to really look for everthing on my wants list. But did get 15 items for my wants list there was about 50 items on my wants list.

 

I'm not a big time collector anymore, but I do jot down a couple of things I'd like to get...usually things I passed on preordering or buying in stores but know I'd cave and buy on impulse at the show, so I just make plans to buy them. This year it was THS-02 G1 Convoy and Energon Shockblast. Didn't find a Shockblast for a price I was willing to pay, but I did get a good deal on a THS-02, and I'm happy with that. No impulse buys this year, unless you count buying a sovenier hat when I'd planned to buy a shirt because the shirts were sold out already.

 

I was so proud of myself...I prolly spent close to $600, and out of all of that the only impulse buys were G1 Punch/Counterpunch....and a Unicron stand. Not too shabby...

 

My only impulse buy was a KO liokaiser set for $10.

I did have a list, but once I entered the Hartman's booth well I picked up a lot of other stuff as well.

  and all the GF picked up were some comics

 

I usually have a list in my head every time I attend, but as normal that list goes out of the window as soon as I walk into the dealer room and I run around like a kid in a candy store.

Though I did manage to grab some items on that list.

 

So the true question is Did you do more Impulse buying or Stuck to your list.

I would have to stay Impulse buying. Can not pass up the Bust for 20 dollars each when the comic book store is still asking 80 for his Devastator. Out of my 300.00 Dollars I spent 120 went to just Bust, That is truly money out of my pocket. Does not count item I traded other dealers for.

Over all I'm happy with myself that I did not spend more.

 

Actually, I did have a list, and I did stick to it. The only items on my list that I didn't get were the Twincast Reissue and Soundblaster reissue, and only because they were way way way too expensive.

 

I was hoping to get MP Starscream at the show which I did, other then that it was pretty much whatever caught my fancy.

Although I have to admit BW Tarantulas was kinda on my list for Botcon but I was really iffy on whether I would actually pick it up or not. The big reason I did end up getting one was the Hartman's had a bunch of them for sale at a very reasonable price so it was really an opportunity I couldn't turn away from.

 

I had a list (more a mental list than a physical one) which was pretty modest. Got close to everything on the list the first day, which left the remaining time in the dealer room with me going "what COULD I get?" That means I pretty much spent as much too much as anyone who completely ignored their own lists.

 

Actually now that I look over my botcon swag, I did a pretty good job of sticking to my list.

Between Elvin and the Hartman's I was able to scratch about a dozen things off my list... sadly bumblejumper wasn't one of them.

 

I am proud to say that i stuck to my list and got a lot off my want list(nothing from the hartmans I might add). Most from the parts party, which after seeing the prices in the dealers room saved me a small fortune.

 

$20 for a boxed ratchet? What were the hartman prices like..? What did a sealed minibot or autobot car go for, for instance?

 

I went to Botcon with one thing in mind: I was not going to buy any figures. And well, I did just that.   And I looked over my oddity collection before I left and knew I had to pick up some BW oddities which I did. Then I had the: "I will NEVER find it." list. On that list: TF Big Wheel, Megatron Microphone and Soundwave Tapedeck. Found Soundwave for a good price at Botcon. Wheee!