What do you do when you have no or very little space left? Sell, store, etc?

[Faelrin]

I'm sure there's probably been a thread like this before (maybe I even started one)? It may have been a while ago though. I can't remember. Want to get these thoughts out while they are on my mind though.

I'm at the point where I have very little collection space reserved left (if any at all really). I keep going back and forth on if I want to sell stuff or not to make room for future stuff. It's so hard to decide on a future wishlist too with how much choice there is now. There's so many brands now, so much genera on the market (and numerous versions of those, although still plenty waiting for updates, if figure representation at all). It's honestly overwhelming, and is very hard for one to keep up with, especially someone in my situation anyways.

I've been in touch with @Halichoeres about some of this, and it is still really hard for me to decide on what to do, although selling might be the obvious choice because it would mean some funds and more space, but unless one is fully sure on getting rid of something, there is the fear of regret (and I'm not fully sure, but I think in the ways that I'm autistic could be making this harder as well).

So how do you folks handle large collections? Do you store, or sell things off? Or do you do a mix of both?
Also I'm pretty sure this topic has come up before, but do any one of you limit yourself to certain species, or groups? Or are there any species you like, but still decide to pass on figures of because they are not at the top of the favorites list, and/or don't have the space for? Cost aside which can certainly factor too.

[Gwangi]

I try to avoid storing and selling, both. I seldom sell anything because I usually want to keep what I buy, that's why I buy them. That said, the occasional cull is inevitable and can even feel good, and I do still have a small box of figures in my closet. I don't like storing because I feel like that defeats the purpose of collecting. I don't want to buy things just to box them up. Although rotating your primary display is an option too that has its own appeal and maybe that would work for you. For as long as I've been a collector I have tried to preemptively avoid acquiring more than I can display. Quality over quantity, so to speak. For example, I avoid exceptionally large figures, like CollectA's pterosaurs, even though I love them. I'm also not a completest for most of the brands I collect. More recently I've tried to avoid repeating species too much as well. I'm also fortunate enough to own my own house which allows me a lot of space to display my collection. If that's something you foresee in your own future than storing your collection is definitely the way to go.

[stargatedalek]

My philosophy is to sell if it's worth more to someone else than it is to me, otherwise I store. Even something I don't actively love could make for a great custom someday so I save everything that I can't sell at a good price.

[MLMjp]

You have reached that point also?

This applies to all of my 4 different figure collections, not only the dinosaur one.

I used to do "purges", of old figures I didn't care about and stuff not related to the collecting hobby, to make more space. Sometimes I donated it, sometimes it went into the trash... But now there are far more collectibles I care about than stuff that I can "purge". Specially since the most recent non dinosaur collection I started just keep growing and growing and it has the issue of having to store the boxes also, which take even more space.

I want to sell a couple of my dinosaur figures, but since I have zero experience I don´t know were to start in regards to shipping. On top of that, being from Europe automatically means less buyers and expensive shipping, I could try selling overseas, but I have the feeling people from there wouldn't want to "risk it". That is also one of the reasons I don´t feel like selling from certain collections, my Transformers for example, since there won't be many European buyers. I´m pretty sure I will donate those I dont want to keep anymore this christmas.

I still want to try selling some dinos, though.

[Bread]

I had to sell quite a lot of my collection a few months ago. Out of the thirty figures I had, only three survived the purge. Tough decision but it was made based on whether I would buy the figure again if it was damaged or lost, and if I wouldn't it would be sold to someone else. I was at this point due to lack of storage space for my small collection, but now I am at a stage where I can now resume collecting.

However, I do have my limits. One large shelf, once it is somewhat full, I am considering to do another purge. Again with the idea of whether I would buy the figure again if it was to be damaged or lost, selling the ones I wouldn't buy again. Probably going to be another hard decision but I never know if new figures will tempt me to replace others. This is also coming from the fact that I have two of the new bull rex from Nanmu, same variant as I love them so much. Dont think I'll be parting with those anytime soon lol. Plus I have recently got back into collecting Lego Star Wars (clone troopers only as of now), so that's another priority I have so yay for my shelf.... Not really as the space left is diminishing.

This is a hard strategy to the whole space issue. I don't recommend it but I don't want to push away this idea from you or others. It is 100% anyone's decision on how they operate when faced with space issues for their collection. Hopefully @Faelrin the space of your collection will improve or resolve within time. I wish good luck to you.

[BlueKrono]

For me the answer was always "put up more shelves" until we literally ran out of wall space. The existing ones became quite overcrowded. Then last month my partner and I had our first child, and my collections room had to become the crib room. At the moment most of my collection (the non-breakable segment) is in storage, unfortunately. I've always resisted selling off large portions of my collection in hopes that someday we'll live in a home of 1,000 sq ft or more. It's hard not to seem overcrowded in such a space.

[Shonisaurus]

My philosophy is to sell and in any case give the toy figures of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals to relatives or charitable institutions. In fact, I like more to give the figures to children in social exclusion or to relatives (grandchildren of my cousins ​​who in my region we call them nephews). I know that many figures cost a fortune but in my case I am not a nickel in that regard, I prefer to give away to sell figures.

As for the space, I have little space left and that is one of the reasons why I have not bought many dinosaurs in recent months, I prefer to enjoy the figures that I have and in any case if I buy from a new company or as I call exotic and expensive , like PNSO or Nanmu or W-Dragon it will be a figure like livyatan from PNSO, sinoceratops, olorotitan from PNSO or kosmoceratops from BoTM, that is, a dinosaur or prehistoric animal rare in my collection or nonexistent as happened with my paraceratherium from iToy, I also do not want to fall in unbridled consumerism since I cannot and must allow it because I must not lavish the money I have and I want to enjoy the small things in life and day to day, rather than spending on new figures in a compulsive way as I did before.

I said I have little space and I like to sell the figures or better give them away without asking for anything in return.

If my health allows me (which is poor), I plan to dislodge the books from my history, art, and literature shelves and leave only books on paleontology and prehistoric life and place more dinosaurs there. It is my dream, but I cannot guarantee anything because of my poor health.

[Fembrogon]

Most of my collection is currently in storage, but prior to that, I started installing more shelves for housing. I would also routinely reorganize my figures, both for fun and to maximize space.
Sadly, last year I had to move, and most of my belongings are still in storage until I have more living space; but you can be sure I'll be putting up lots of shelves again when I can!
I don't like the idea of selling, because the whole reason I buy is to HAVE them. I only resell occasionally if I feel dissatisfied with a particular figure.

[Concavenator]

it was made based on whether I would buy the figure again if it was damaged or lost

I recently adopted this philosophy too. I didn't even have what could be considered as a big collection anyways, yet I still felt like I had just too much stuff, so I got rid of a big part of my collection, and I don't regret it at all. Yes, I have less figures now (and thereby less species) but I don't care, I really like everything that I have now, since as @Bread said, I'm also keeping what I would buy again.

And regarding the fear of regret, I also suggest to you thinking whether you would buy or not X again. If you would, then keep it. If you wouldn't, just let it go. By doing that, you'll recover money and space for stuff you may like more. Heck, I even got rid of the original Papo Tyrannosaurus which is arguably the most famous and important, like it or not, dinosaur figure ever made, and which I had since I was little, and I don't regret it. Or the Carnegie Giganotosaurus, which was one of the very first figures I got. I sure enjoyed my time with these figures, but if I'm not into them that much now, then I'm sure someone else will be happier with them than I am now. A secondary benefit of me downsizing my collection is that I can focus more on taking care of the figures I'm keeping, since I dust them off to keep them clean and safe. It also takes noticeably less time to do the whole task.

As to what solution might be the best, I would say that selling, clearly, if you can. Myself, if I decide I no longer want a figure I first try to sell it, and if nobody wants it after some time, I simply donate it. Storing is another solution, though for me storing isn't a very efficient solution. Because why would I get a figure for, if it isn't for putting it on display so I can have it on sight? And it doesn't completely solve the space issue, only partially. Yes, you could save some space on the place you display your collection at, but the figures you would want to get rid of still need a place to be stored... And that space could be used for something else, perhaps.

Hope you find this useful, @Faelrin , I wish you luck.

[CARN0TAURUS]

I learned this lesson in the early 1990s when I used to compulsively buy and collect things that I liked.  Sports memorabilia, diecast construction toys, star wars and super hero action figures, WW2 items, diecast cars, , guns, etc...  Finally in the late 1990s I was spending a significant amount of money to store a lot of these things and I realized I never ever enjoyed any of them.  What was the point?!  I slowly started selling and keeping only the things that I could display and simply didn't want to be without.  Having kids changed me to the point that the guns went out too.  Unlike my father, I have never taught my kids to use guns or taken them shooting.  My wife was a big influence there and I had already stopped hunting long before meeting her anyway.  My childhood dinosaur collection was limited to a handful of figures I had as a kid and those are all still around for nostalgic reasons having already served their second tour with my kids playing with them now they have double the sentimental value, every scar, scrap, and chip a testament to the joy they brought my kids and myself during play.   I will never get rid of them and my son has already asked me if he can have them to pass on to his kids which I said yes and they are probably anxious to be played with again when his kids arrive

So luckily for me I have never had to sell off dinosaurs like I did with other things that I used to own.  What I own now fits comfortably into two medium heavy duty home depot storage boxes as I rotate my dinosaurs, land animals, ocean animals, and prehistoric mammal collections to suite my mood.  It's fun to put them away for a little while and rediscover them again over and over every year, every three or four months I rotate them to keep the shelves and cases looking fresh.  Sometimes it's dinosaurs and ocean life, or dinosaurs and land animals, or prehistoric mammals and ocean life etc...  Two categories are always stored and two always displayed.  We don't rent a storage unit anymore, I just have the two boxes in my closet next to my shoe rack and there is plenty of room to grow the collection as the boxes are filled to less than 60% capacity.  I buy 1-3 figures a year with the exception being 2021 as with my recent purchase of gamba, paul, and connor I've pushed my acquisitions for this year to five!  The other two figures I bought earlier in the year were the gorgeous eofauna deinotherium and straight tusked elephant.

Our house is decent size (2,200 sq ft) but display space is divided evenly between family photos, family vacation souvenirs, my wife's, my kid's, and my collectables.  I'm trying the best I can to teach my own kids the lesson I learned about accumulating stuff just for the sake of accumulating stuff.  I haven't always succeeded but I think we're making some progress. 

I no longer care about size or scale or quantity, I only care about quality.  Two of my favorite dinosaur models in my small collection are the tiny but beautiful Kaiyodo miniQ miniature cube T-rex and Triceratops figures my son gave me for my birthday and it's not just because he gave them to me.  I love them because they are genuinely amazing, the quality at that size is incredible.  Honestly, I probably would've never bought these before because of the size alone, so lessons still being learned.  Now I want to collect more of them but not sure where to buy them.  TIA if anyone can point me in the right direction for a good place to buy these amazing little figures!

[Faelrin]

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. I think finding myself in not the best financial situation right now is why selling things now seems so enticing, but I've also been warned by other folks it would be a temporary fix to what might be a long term issue anyways. I think folks make a good point about not selling things unless I'm either interested in buying it back, and/or if it is easy to get again.

I also do agree with many folks about buying things because I want them, at least at the time, though there have been perhaps a few impulse buys on some Mattel figures, just because it was there, or the only one on the shelf at the time, things I might have passed up if distribution was worse perhaps, mostly regarding some repaints. There are also a number of figures I have ended up with over the years from trading and whatnot that I'm already storing and wondering if they might be better off at a new home, such as some Schleich and Carnegie Collection figures, if not the older Hasbro JW figures which is what I got started with collecting (as far as prehistoric stuff goes).

I do think storing things may be a good idea though, especially cycling things out. It would perhaps make things fresh again, though that isn't to say I don't like what I see on my shelves. I think once I have the energy to manage things again, I'll see what I can move to the closet, and if I really don't want it after all, then perhaps it needs re-homed, assuming any are interested.

I think I like folks suggestions on cutting back to to a few figure purchases a year, since for the most part there is no rush with many of these for some time (exceptions being the Mattel stuff and the absurd aftermarket prices some of those go for). I'm also behind on quite a many that interest me (especially CollectA's), but again if and until it risks being retired, there's time to catch up. I guess if its on my mind for several years straight then I must want it bad enough, right (such as with CollectA's Edaphosaurus)? Well there's also the worsening paint apps that seems inevitable for companies like Safari Ltd, Papo, PNSO, etc, so that's also something to contend with. And since this is me we are talking about, with how I'm interested in anything spanning from the Ediacaran to now, that's going to be hard. I think maybe a limit of ten or less for non Mattel stuff per year is probably a fair deal. Maybe I need to cut down on the Mattel stuff too. I guess we'll see how I handle the film's line next year. Some are obligatory for my collection, and wanted from them for a few years now, regardless of getting put into the next film.

Worth mentioning that I also have a lot of other figures that aren't prehistoric that are scattered about my room as well, such as good sized assortment of HTTYD figures, or fantasy figures like those from Safari Ltd and Bullyland, or the bunch of amiibos I have.

[Halichoeres]

I'm not really adding anything new here, but I've always had that weird little pathology that drives a person to collect, and in addition I've moved 19 times since I graduated from high school (so almost once a year on average), which means I've confronted this issue several times. I'm in a pretty comfortable place now, so I have adequate space for my main collections, which are prehistoric figures and books. Luckily lots of my bulkiest books can live in my campus office. But since I've had to box up various collections so many times, I've taken a hard look at some of them. When, for example, my Star Wars action figures emerged from storage some years ago, I had no urge to display them and didn't feel any particular way about them. So I knew I was safe to unload them. The only collection that mostly lives in storage is my Lego collection, but I really enjoy pulling them out and building now and again, so I keep them even though I don't remotely have space to display them all. A fair number of my dinosaurs are in storage*, but only because my last move wrecked a couple of bookcases. There's room for new ones, but I'm being really picky about what kind to buy because I only want to buy them one more time if I can help it.

Anyway, for prehistoric figures in particular, you probably know that I keep my collection manageable by limiting myself to a single exemplar of each taxon in most circumstances. That approach isn't for everyone, but setting yourself rules can be helpful. Given your particular space limitations, the JW figures seem like the most obvious candidates for a cull given how bulky they are--but of course, that's easy for me to say since I don't have the same attachment to the movies that you do! If you box them up for a while and don't miss them, or don't have a big smile spread across your face when you open them up again, that could be the test, as others have suggested.

* by "storage" I only mean tucked under a bed or into a closet; if I had to rent additional space outside my dwelling for a collection I'd regard that as a sign of real trouble.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I keep most of my collection in storage and rotate what goes on display. I have a Carnegie mountain and some self-made shelves that I rotate out, as well as other horizontal space here and there. Currently the theme on my TV stand is German manufacturers, and my Battat shelf has been switched out to mammoths for the season.

I started to limit myself on what I collect by trying to avoid collecting from new brands and focusing on older figures I haven't gotten yet. Safari is the only company I regularly buy new prehistoric releases from year-to-year anymore.

[SidB]

I keep most of my collection in storage and rotate what goes on display. I have a Carnegie mountain and some self-made shelves that I rotate out, as well as other horizontal space here and there. Currently the theme on my TV stand is German manufacturers, and my Battat shelf has been switched out to mammoths for the season.

I started to limit myself on what I collect by trying to avoid collecting from new brands and focusing on older figures I haven't gotten yet. Safari is the only company I regularly buy new prehistoric releases from year-to-year anymore.

I take a rather similar approach, by limiting my new collectables to PNSO and Safari, with a few exceptions of figures that I really like from such as Nanmu, CollectA, Vitae, though these really are limited. I have three display areas, one a large bookshelf in the living room, with associated nearby shelves. Currently, my PNSO's and Papo's, with a few other compatibles have been displayed here for the last year. In the hallway there is a high shelf that runs at about 2 metres high for the Safari's and Carnegies. Both are in a diorama setting. The spare room has a synoptic 1/20ish scale Cenozoic mammal display at present, with plenty of figures in storage, for rotation, along with the 1/35-1/40 scale mammals. My CollectA's, Battats, Invicta's and Favorite's are all in storage, but are likely going to be rotated out to replace one of the big displays at some point. This way I am able to satisfy my desires for both permanency and change. It's fun and if it ceases to be so, then it's time to quit. So far, so good.

[Roselaar]

Buy a second house.

But that's a rather extreme solution, I know.

[Duna]

I second the recommendation of setting your own rules. That's what I did (you can read them in my collection thread) so it's very easy most of the time to find the figures you want to buy, and not. I have rules for dinosaur figures and non-dinosaur figures (that are more estrict).
For example:
- PNSO releases an Himalayasaurus. Do I know that figure before? No. Has it special features or very different from other members of the family? No. Do I have a representative of the family? Yes, Safari ichthyosaurus that is very nice. PASS.
- Another example, PNSO releases a Tarbosaurus. Do I know that species before? Yes. Is it a species I knew from my childhood and it's well known?= Yes. BUY. Same with Collecta Mamenchisaurus.
- PNSO releases a Parasaurolophus. Do I have that figure? Yes, it's one of the species I know since my childhood. Am I happy with it? Not at all, it's not updated. BUY. Give Collecta parasaurolophus to my children.
- Collecta releases a Bajadasaurus. Do I know that species before? Not from my chilhood, I've just learned about it. Has it special features or very different from other members of the family? Yes, it's absolutely cool. BUY. (same with Amargasaurus, Qianzhousaurus, Miragaia).

Another suggestion is limiting to several collections, less is sometimes better. I would love to collect Jurassic Park from the first movies, but I won't, I have no room, so better not start.
Use cabinets, in a cabinet less that 40x40 cm you can have more than 2 square meters using the shelves, and figures are protected from dust and falls. I have two cabinets because I mostly display small vintage figures.

I like to have everything on sight, I only have very few figures boxed (the toxic 1986 AAA figures and others). So when I buy a new figure, I have to find the place for it, otherwise I won't buy it. Sometimes a new figure replaces other (as for example the PNSO parasaurolophus to the Collecta) and the replaced figure goes to my children. So I don't really "get rid of it".

[paleochris]

I too have just separated a first set of figurines to make some space! I got separated from everything related to the JP and JW movies which definitely don't belong in my collection which is scientifically accurate.
I sold W Dragon Spinosaurus, King T Rex and Killer Queen from Rebor or Sweney the Velociraptor from Rebor and I also sold the Papo T Rex running green! I also sold all my schleich except the Diabloceratops. I know that, except for a revolution in terms of brand quality, I won't buy some brands anymore while I become a fan of others. There are only 2 or 3 PNSOs that I don't want to buy, I own almost 90% of the entire PNSO line.

I look at my collection and I say to myself that now I only kept the ones that I am 100% sure I want to keep! and that makes the collection better!
I would love to have as many species as possible, I would really like to have 500 or 1000 figures, but at the same time, I don't buy just to add up the taxons, I'm becoming more selective, so I prefer to grow my collection slowly by selecting the best and if it takes 10 years to get 500 figures, it's okay, because in the end I'll have 500 figures that I really like!

I like to have several figures of the same species because I find it interesting to have different interpretations, poses etc. but only if the model really offers something different! Often, for a species, I have a PVC figure like Papo, PNSO etc. and a resin model for example.

In any case, I don't make a collection anymore to accumulate as much as possible. When I see the collections on youtube or elsewhere with 3000 figurines that are piled up and half of them are not even visible, I find it less attractive even if it is still very impressive. But the presentation is also important, with a little space between the models!

I have about 150 miniatures I'm at the maximum of my space so... I'm going to arrange a new room in the house to have about 25m2 dedicated to my collection!

[SenSx]

I'm keeping the unexposed figure in a storage box, but I think I will just sell them now.
It's not that I bought too many figures, it is just that I upgraded the quality of my collection.
I started with Papo, but now removed those with Nanmu or W-Dragon dinosaurs when it comes to JP representation for exemple.
I still enjoy those Papo figure, but I don't think I'll ever showcase, them anymore, I'd rather sell them now I guess...

And from now on I only buy what I can put on my shelf, and since it is nearly full, I won't be able to buy a lot, unless I replace some models by better ones.
The only exceptions I will make will be for an Albertosaurus / Gorgosaurus Suchomimus and Megalosaurus.
I've been waiting for those two although I don't have room for them ><
But they are must have, might have to change my shelf just for them...