Changing collecting practices due to covid19

[Phrubruh]

Are you holding off purchasing any star wars items until after covid19 blows over?

[Dave]

I've got a salaried position, so luckily my paycheck isn't directly impacted like service workers, contractors, etc., so it won't put a crimp in my online orders. 

Store runs were already pretty unusual (nothing to find) and I expect it will stay that way.

Hopefully everyone can find their way through this health and economic chaos we're going to have for the next couple of months.

I was talking to my parents about similar lockdowns they experienced in the mid-50's with polio.  Schools cancelled for months, etc.  I guess our society hasn't seen anything like this since then.  65 years later we've got our own pandemic and lockdown to manage through.

[GrandMoffNick]

Financially I'm not too concerned. Store runs are done unless I'm grocery shopping at Target. And I'll plan to limit toy buying for a bit to Star Wars and not other lines.

[Rob]

There's nothing 3.75" to buy anyway...

[P-Siddy]

I haven't had time to due any "runs" lately as I was focused on finishing my novel by the kids' Spring Break (which I managed).  And now with schools out for until April sometime, it seems unlikely I'll be making many more. 

But I have to run to Target today and while there, found the Mandalorian wave!  Nice to be done with that.

[Matt_Fury]

Seeing as retail around here has been a desert, I've been purchasing what I want online anyway.

My current job isn't going anywhere so money's not an issue.

[Scockery]

There's nothing 3.75" to buy anyway...

Yeah. Nothing at brick and mortar anymore. Other than to check Five Below, which only gets in that boring TLJ Force Link case that has no army builders in it and R2-D2 sells out first. (I did finally get one.)

[Diddly]

I've mainly been hitting grocery stores, which don't sell Black Series, so yeah, I'm on hiatus until this all blows over I guess. All the stores here are still clogged with #100 Lukes and Jannahs, and I was hoping to get that wave on Amazon for under MSRP. I did find the new Marvel Legends Vulture the weekend before all of the you-know-what went down, so that will likely be the last figure I buy for a while.

[McMetal]

I’ve just been checking out Target and Best Buy mostly because the 6” wave with Dooku is hitting there now, but I fear those runs will soon be coming to an end.

I don’t mind going online for stuff, but I have to wonder who is going to still be around to pull and pack those orders soon. Could definitely see things slowing down for awhile.

[JediJman]

I'm not sure yet...kind of in wait and see mode.  I could see cutting back if things don't improve in the next few weeks.  I am extremely disappointed watching local posts about collectors (not from JD) making increased toy runs due to lower store activity from the rest of us.  My kids can't play within 6ft of their friends but some jackhole is driving around the metro to snag 8 Red Hulks?  That's messed up.  Stuff like this makes me start thinking about closing down the collection or at least really pulling back. 

[Rob]

I haven't really changed anything, I don't do toy runs and haven't for years.  If I can get it online, I 100% will pay a few extra dollars to have it dropped off at my door rather than wear and tear on the car and spending money on gas, not to mention my time. 

With Toys R Us gone, and the nearest Walmart a 45 minute drive, the only time I ever check a shelf is if I walk over to Target downtown at lunch just for the hell of it, or if I happen to be at the one near my house for groceries or other stuff.

[Jeff]

I haven't really changed anything, I don't do toy runs and haven't for years.

Ditto.  I look when I'm at Target on a grocery run, but haven't made dedicated toy runs in a long, long time.  Having to manage the schedules of four busy kids killed my toy runs before the current barren distribution ever did.  I get most everything these days from Amazon, EE, or HasbroPulse.

The only way COVID has affect my collecting so far is that I lysol-wiped the hell out of the TVC figures I got from Amazon this week before I opened them.  Wanted to make sure same-day delivery only sent me TVC figures and no viral surprises from the Amazon warehouse workers/drivers. 

[Jesse James]

This has only really saved me money from impulse purchases and expensive dinners out...  my toy ordering shifted to online eons ago.  Haven’t seen much here in a while.  That’s fine...  I enjoy seeing less people, in a way.  My shopping has been later after work too as less people in the stores so I have taken to all the social distancing well.  Toys long before this were online. 

[Chris M]

I've bailed on the SW business and have been out for years now.  However, I am collecting select 80s GI Joes.  I have a salary and am continuing to work, so aside from not driving right now, my financial situation is the same.  So with a number of people putting collections up for sale, I've been able to get some good deals on some normally expensive figures.

However, as I mentioned elsewhere, I'm more focused (hobby wise) on building a number of model projects for clients.  So unless I see something I'm dying to get, my energy and finances go towards the clients work.

[Jedi Idej]

I traded Target and Walmart brick and mortar for online a while back. I'll  check out their toy aisles only if I'm at the store for some other purchase.

The shelter-in-place we're under has stopped my occassional visit to discount outlets like Ross.

What is making me pause is thinking about the amount of stuff I've accumulated. As cool as something is, how many times will I use it or appreciate it? As convenient a book or blu-ray at my fingertips are, would checking it out from the library or streaming the movie from a service make more sense?