You summed up there what I was thinking also, but could not get down in words (my bold added).

My fav TF is Doublecross (.<<---look the very left of the screen here--<<), it was bought for me by my deceased Grandfather, it was my fav toy then and now, because it's a cool toy, and because my grandfather gave it to me. It was also the only TF toy I ever got in the box. Other ones were loose, second hand etc, I had like maybe 3 TF toys when I was a kid, we grew up relatively poor, and TF's were expensive compared to other toys of the day, luxuries and all.

In short, I agree with what Pho'ptimus Prime said about keeping the ones that were from your relatives etc.

 

I was a geewunner when u was a kid, got rid of my old stuff as I got older.
First tf I bought as an adult was the smokescreen alternator in the early 2000's, now me n the kids have about four and a half forty litre tubs full of em. Mainly a chug collection, but loads of movie stuff and a handful of masterpieces and 3rd party too.

 

I'd sell most of my collection if I had to, but there are definitely a few pieces that I'd want to keep - my childhood Prime, for instance, as well as a number of my Diaclones and Bumblejumper. Perhaps this is an option for you, too - keep 5-10 pieces that you're really attached to, sell the rest and invest the money in your family.

 

I'm 36. I sold my whole collection about 4 years ago. I regret it to this day. Started collecting again when combiner wars came out. What helps(or doesn't help depending on how you look at it) is that my older brother and teenage nephew are both collectors also. We have a good time talking about tf in general at get togethers and we go hunting together sometimes. Even buy each other figures if we know that person has been looking For it. Its fun. My wife doesn't mind it. She prefer I collect tf as a hobby rather than racing/modifying cars. So I sold my dream car(94 supra twin turbo) and just kept collecting tf as my main hobby.

 

Going on 42 this year, so I've been in the Transformers game since day one. I vividly remember my mom buying me Gears at Kmart that sunny day so many years ago. I've amassed quite a collection since then and I have no plans on parting with it or the franchise until it ends or my spark does. I've gone through lots of financial ups and downs but I never considered selling, just the buying slows way down. I work in an industry that offers little for benefits and retirement so I consider my collection as a Trans401k, if you will... have parted with stuff lots of times but it was doubles and triples, which does help financially. I suggest starting there, dip your toe in and see how well you cope with letting stuff go. Not everyone can easily, myself included. I wish you all the luck in this difficult decision, we all can offer as much insight as we can, but ultimately it is your decision and yours alone.

 

I have sold some pieces. My wife has always supported the collecting, and I think would be quite unhappy if I sold the entire collection.

 

Remember that your house has likely also accrued value--I'm just guessing here--but I'd imagine more value than those lost toys would've.

Just playing the Devil's advocate for the sake of optimism.  

 

I sold most of my collection over the last couple years, some 250+ figures. The boxes piling up were becoming too much of a headache, and it wasn't sustainable anyway. I started by dumping the items I had the least attachment to, gradually chipping away to the core of my collection. It helped me tremendously to look at each figure individually and not as part of a group; it's asking yourself, "is it really worth collecting all the Wreckers, even if I don't care much for any of these figures?".

It has to be an ongoing process if you continue to collect. I force myself to re-evaluate every so often to ensure I don't fall back into bad habits. "If it's out of sight and out of mind, what's the point of keeping it?"

I also have to say, selling my collection in itself was/is a hobby. Frankly, it feels just as good to buy something new as it is to make money getting rid of something unwanted.

 

Every so often, I clear out all of the shit that I impulse buy(ross, thrift stores). It's nice staring at shelves full of stuff you want. I also am a heavy Joe collector.

I went through a period where I didn't buy anything for about two years. Mostly because I was busy.

But with a carreer change, and you needing like two years experience being an apprentice, you need to get your priorities straight. Only get the shit you have a connection with, stop, or purge.

Kids aren't really expensive. If you have health insurance, and pay your bills, you'll survive. Day care is a killer, though. Also, doing a bang up job in your baby shower registry does wonders.

I have a great job, and im taking my ccna exam next month. I'm saving for my change.

I'm divorced, and have a 4 year old. I had absolutely no interest in having a family but, it happened. Sit down and look at it all on paper. Set goals.

Stay fit, stay sharp, make good decisions.

 

I'm 41 now. Got back into TFs around the time of the first book-style re-issues having seen the odd Takara re-issue show up in the proceeding years. Only wanted to get a few G1 figures but then I kept buying the bookstyle figures as they were released. I had no interest at all in modern Transformers as it was G1 or nothing... And then the Binal-tech/Alternators line and MP-01 were announced and that took me into a whole new direction.

I've thought about quitting over the years but I've never truly needed to. I'm actually incredibly picky and I'm far from a completist so I've not amassed a huge collection. Enough to take up a couple of shelf units and a cupboard full of MP boxes. Even so I'm probably looking to sell some G1 stuff soon to make more space for the MP releases I want. I now have 2 kids and the family home is filling up with so many of their toys it feels weird keeping a portion of the family home for my own! Money has never really been an issue and my wife just ignores my hobby. She knows I can usually sell the toys for the same price I've bought them for down the line (some for a little less, some for a little more) so, again, there's no pressure for me to stop other than my own desire to go for quality over quantity. I'd rather have 20 figures I love on the shelves with each figure given enough space to shine than to pack 50 figures on a shelf. That to me soon becomes just plastic noise.

The last big clear out was when I sold most of my BT figures. I just one day realised the MP line had made them redundant but I still couldn't bring myself to part with Smokescreen, Jazz or Hound. Maybe I will one day. Managed to get between £40 and £60 on eBay for most of them and significantly more for KISS Players Rodimus (more than twice what I'd bought him for). So far I've not felt the need to buy any of them again as for the last couple of years I'd owned them they'd never been on display anyway.

Anyway, I'm rambling. The upshot is you should decide on what you can live without and sell those first. No point in keeping the items that could get you the most money if it's a handful of the cheaper figures which are the ones you keep returning to. If you're still in need of more funds then you start looking at the grails to see what you can let go.

BUT, and this is the most important bit, there are more important things in life than TFs. I'd sell off all mine in a heartbeat if I needed the money for family reasons.

Good luck fella.

 

That's the key point right there, for me.

Selling your collection won't magically make you financially stable enough to start and support a family long term. What happens when your TF sale money is gone? You'll slowly drift back to where you are now. And your stuff is only worth what someone is willing to pay, and in this climate it's pretty much a buyers market out there  

If keeping the collection means you need to buy a bigger house in order to have kids and store it all, then if i was in that situation I'd downsize to keep just my favourate and sentimental pieces.

If you are buying toys instead of food or other necessities (which would be bad) then seriously take a step back and re-assess your priorities!

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I think our passions make us who we are - it's not about being mature or childish, it's about what makes you you....don't give up yours for a drop in the ocean of life.

What would I do? I'm currently offloading a lot of my impulse buys to recoup money and clear my debt. My core collection isn't being touched, but over the years I've been a notorious impulse buyer, and I've stopped now. This money will help me out, but I'm not reliant on it.

You need stability before starting a family, and unless you've got an Action Comics #1 to sell for millions and set you for life, you likely won't get it from selling your stuff.

 

Not gonna make any assumptions on your financial status or what is best, but you will love your eventual child(ren) more than your toys. And your kids will love you back, not just sit on a shelf looking back at you stupidly.

Unload them in the manner that will most benefit you and your mrs. The benefits will outweigh the costs.

 

I had a similar situation quite a few years back. I considered selling it all but decided not to. I sold off a few pieces here and there but not the whole collection. I mainly sold off pieces that were not as important to me. Not that they were cheap or inexpensive items but mainly things I didn't have such an attachment to. I also stopped buying for a few years until I was in the financial state I needed to be in.

 

I'm 35. I often was in situations where I needed money. For example quick money would've been selling off my vinyl collection. I thought about it and kept it. I rather endured the bad time and thought of other ways to solve the problem. It would've been pointless to start a collection in first place, if I intended to sell it. So far I've managed every problem I faced.

Also buying the stuff later again would be more expensive than the first time. So you would actually lose money in the long run.

 

I've sold much of my collection to changing taste but not ass much to cover financial lags hear and there. I have two kids and they ALWAYS come first.

 

At some point, everyone has to evaluate if they really want all their toys. Even without money considerations, they start to take up too much space. I would recommend skimming off the stuff you can live without.

If there is ever a toy/comic/collector convention that occurs anywhere near you and you can get a table for a reasonable amount, this is a great way to unload a bunch at one time without having to deal with ebay or having to ship stuff.

 

I strongly recommend scouting out conventions before you pony up for a table. See the volume of floor traffic, what percentage is there just to cosplay (hint: they're wearing most of their money), how much stuff guests are carrying (lots of empty hands are a bad sign), and what dealer prices/stocks are like. You do not want to pay a fortune for the table and be cherry picked just enough to break even on it.

 

I myself have a child and collect the trick is make a list and stick to it, for me its classics g1 being finished.

Ive sold toys in the past and not regreated it, use this to downsize and keep the pieces you love, a good partner will respect your doing something

 

If its the cost of having a child its not as pricey as one thinks if its trying for the child increase yours and hers protien intake but you avoid chicken, hope this helps a lil if you need more info pm me i know alot about this stuff