“Spares”? Seriously? Why?

[Funky]

Why do so many RPFers get spares of expensive props? In case of theft? Or fire? Look, you will most likely have your primary and your spare sitting next to each other. If a thief takes one he’ll take them both. Same with a fire. Or flood. I mean, seriously. Do you need a spare car, or even a spare house, how about a spare job or even a spare wife!
Of course I’m kidding but why are there so many folks buys spares? Now I get different variations, you want every available one in that series. But does someone really need five LSESB lightsabers?
Sneaker heads get a pass. They NEED two pairs. One to rock and one to stock.

 

[Lost in Trek]

I think a lot of collectors get two, one to keep and one to sell later.

 

[Funky]

I think a lot of collectors get two, one to keep and one to sell later.

Then why call it a spare and not just scalper bait?

 

[13doctorwho]

I get a spare because I almost always want to modify one (and play with it)... and keep one as a collectible. The more important question is... why do you care? If a person has the money and wants to buy two, it's nobody's business.

 

[Leinads]

Everyone knows you have to get two! One to keep as a collectible, and the other to immediately take apart and spread across the workbench. Before long, you’ll be calling the collectible back into play to replace all the parts lost under the bench!

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Why do so many RPFers get spares of expensive props? In case of theft? Or fire? Look, you will most likely have your primary and your spare sitting next to each other. If a thief takes one he’ll take them both. Same with a fire. Or flood. I mean, seriously. Do you need a spare car, or even a spare house, how about a spare job or even a spare wife!
Of course I’m kidding but why are there so many folks buys spares? Now I get different variations, you want every available one in that series. But does someone really need five LSESB lightsabers?
Sneaker heads get a pass. They NEED two pairs. One to rock and one to stock.

These guys can apparently tell you all about it…

 

[Lost in Trek]

Then why call it a spare and not just scalper bait?

Good point.

Here’s my question… do these collectors buy 2 at the same time? Or buy one… then at some point later buy a second?

The reason is if the latter I wonder if they are chasing the feeling they got when they bought the first time.

But if we are really taking a “spare”… that does strongly imply a backup in case something happens to the first one.

 

[Schlegel]

I buy eyewear i like from movies... I do wear them and they stop making them and rapidly get very rare so a backup in case of accident is really desirable. Some of them get so expensive years later that they can effectively become unreplaceable.

 

[Psab keel]

One to display. One to use.

In the unlikely event said item gets damaged, it's nice to know you've got another. A collectible can get damaged through mishandling as easily as it could due to fire or flooding, etc. Having a second one is especially important if the piece is limited or rare. For those people who build, sometimes you enjoy the process so much that you want to do it several times, or the same item can be configured differently to achieve a variation. Sometimes the end result of the build isn't exactly what you wanted on the first try, but it's too late to alter it so you want another chance to get it right, which means having a spare to work with. Sometimes you want a spare in case you accidentally damage the parts during construction and if they're no longer produced you're not out of luck. Sometimes you want to sell one later on.

You own a toy store and resell items as a business, so it's not scalper bait. It's retail.

Why do you buy multiples?

It's also worth noting that many of us in these hobbies have some underlying obsessive compulsive tendencies, so it manifests in behaviors like this because that's part of the collector's mentality.

 

[Richard Baker]

I had a friend who would buy two of everything- one he had on display and the second was kept in a secure area (best were in a fireproof safe)

 

[Psab keel]

For figure collectors this is especially true. One mint on card (because the packaging looks great) and another loose to display in a diorama.

 

[Dr Jones Sr]

Not film props, but a wealthy friend does his best to buy EVERY known existing example of a super-rare thing.

There's something so rare that only a few museums in the world have one. He has 9, every one which has ever come on the market since he came into money 30 years ago. I don't know if any are left in private collections. He offers more money than people can refuse.

He doesn't display stuff, nor does he pack stuff away in boxes. He just has stuff sitting on every available table and chair all over his house. They'll be a dining table piled with 30 things worth $30,000 each, all the known examples that have come to auction.

I don't see the point of the "buy it if you can afford it" mindset. Then again, how would I know? Most of the things I want I can't afford ONE of them.

In his defence he does sometimes sell something to a museum, or if something doesn't come up to his standards he'll sell it to a private collector.

 

[Psab keel]

Collecting is a form of semi-controlled hoarding. Curated hoarding. lol Having been fortunate enough to own at one time or another just about every prop I could possibly want, sometimes the experience is more important than permanent ownership.

 

[Zombie Killer]

I buy one for myself and the second is to take advantage of the rich or desperate ones or those who slack or sleep on preorders and i let them help me fund my hobbies. I buy 2 so i keep one and someone else helps fund it, or in alot of cases outright pay for the one i keep. There i isaid it.

 

[Moviefreak]

I know one person in particular who initially bought two or three items during runs, thinking their value would keep increasing, and he will profit later when the runs sell out. But over the past few years, he’s been trying to sell the items here in the junk yard—sometimes there’s no interest at all, and the items just sit there. And if they do sell, more often than not, he ends up selling them for no more than what he originally paid.

 

[EmmaInCandyland]

I personally never have the funds to buy two of everything xD But I know people like spares in case a prop break for whatever reasons. Also, because sometimes these are made by hand, they like to have the options and pick the best and sell the extras. It's not always for scalping reasons. But yeah I am always in awe of people buying 2+ of a prop when something is already like $500! Good for them if they can afford it, as long it is not for greedy reasons I guess.

 

[probablyjarrett]

These guys can apparently tell you all about it…

This is literally what went through my head. I love this bit.

 

[Psab keel]

I get a spare because I almost always want to modify one (and play with it)... and keep one as a collectible. The more important question is... why do you care? If a person has the money and wants to buy two, it's nobody's business.

 

[Moviefreak]

 

[Psab keel]

Being a toy/ prop/ comic/ collectible retailer is no joke and it's easily one of the hardest retail spaces to survive in because you're dealing in non essential goods and the demand shifts constantly depending on what's trending. In that respect I can appreciate the dedication it takes to stay afloat in such a volatile market. It's nothing to be scoffed at if it's being run well and with integrity.

What I find vexing is the hypocrisy leveled at the rest of us when he does the same thing.