How do you communicate with other collectors readers?
There are many ways to do it nowadays. It used to be limited to swap meets and toy fairs and perhaps the small ads in the backs of magazines. Oh yes, conventions too. Maybe the odd old toy shop as well.
Now there's the Internet, ebay, Facebook, online fora, blog's. The list is endless.
So what do you do readers? Has the experience changed?
My contacts with other collectors is mainly by email or Facebook these days. I shop mostly on Ebay. Sometimes I'll go to a larger swapmeet. The 'thrill of the chase' has pretty much gone, as 99.9% of everything is available at a price online. I do enjoy communicating with other collectors, as this used to take months sometimes, but can now be instantaneous.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the chase John. I suppose bidding is a form of chase maybe. I still love a good rummage in charity shops and car boot sales for the thrill of finding something juicy, which has happened quite a few times over the years. Collecting vintage toys takes many forms - the variety of stalls at toy fairs proves this, so I've often wondered why we don't have a TV programme like Toy Hunter in the UK. i think there's enough collectors in the UK to make one a success.
DeleteYears ago my contact with collectors was built around ads in Model and Collectors Mart, magazines, toy fairs and vintage toy shops, Woodsy. These days contact is mostly done through ebay. In the past, contacts who shared a similar interests often become life long associates or friends. These days contacts often seem to be temporary, lasting as long as it takes to complete the transaction. Maybe it's a reflection of our disposable consumer society or ebay's computer driven culture?
ReplyDeleteI used to put Ads on Model and Collectors Mart Tony! Its through that very thing that I made contact with our Bill the blog writer. In many ways the blog came out of my desire to talk to collectors about their toys rather than having to buy or sell anything.
DeleteI don't do farcebook or forums, so it's still the old-fashioned way. E-mail and the off phonecall or skype. I've been lucky to have had visits from a couple of online collecting friends, but other in-the-flesh contacts are restricted to swapmeets (as & when I visit these nowadays). But the great advantage of the internet is that at least we've found kindred souls to communicate with - I'd be a very lonely nutcase without it!
ReplyDeleteBest -- Paul