Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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Skyquake87
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Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Skyquake87 »

Having recently moved, I'm now feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I have. Never seems like much when it's all tidied away nicely in a house, but in a flat with limited space? I feel like a hoarder!

I've started picking through the crates of Transformers and other assorted flotsam and flogged a few easy targets on ebay (Movie 'bots and action figures I bought on a whim and have just left in their packets and such), but I am thinking I am going to have to make a decision on some of the boxed Transformers I have. Either selling them (probably not, if I'm honest) or getting rid of the boxes (much more likely), so I can reduce the space this silly hobby takes up.

Now, I'm not on the whole a mint in boxer type of collector. I've crates of loose stuff, which is mainly modern figures, but have kept things like reissues and any Japanese releases in boxes. Mostly because I like the design and artwork.

Whilst I never expect to make a mint reselling, I am mindful that boxes for some figures are worth keeping, so the Book box reissues and ehobby boxes are going to stay (although that 2004 Preadking reissue box is so knackered, I'm at the stage where I'm thinking that's going to have to go), but I am wondering about things like the Masterpiece boxes, which whilst nice, aren't very exciting to look at. The western reissues all have stupid massive boxes - particularly the Platinum reissues and Hasbro's Commemorative ones (Book boxes without the stuff that made the Takara ones worth the bother), so I am thinking those are to go. Less so the recent reissues from Hasbro in the original '80s style packaging.

It's just made me ponder about how I've fallen into keeping boxes for some figures and not others. And the problems that's left me with now!

How about you folks, do keep boxes or just bin them?
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Clay
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Clay »

Depends on the style of the box and the nature of the figure.

For me, mass release Hasbro stuff boxes tend to get broken down flat and kept in a tote. For what purpose? I've no idea! The last time I dug out old packaging to go with ebay listings was probably 2008 or something.

Fancier and import stuff I tend to keep boxes for, for both the same (now unlikely) reason above and also because they look neat. One thing I've started to do lately, as I too live in an apartment with limited space, is to actually put the figures back in their boxes as I rotate them off the shelf. For instance, I finally accepted that I've no real place to put a two foot Scorponok or Legends Grand Max in the display cases I have (too many shelves would have to be taken out), and it made little sense to keep them in totes with other smaller toys while also keeping the packaging. So, back into their boxes they went. This effectively created a ton of space in the totes they were occupying for smaller figures that I don't keep the packaging for.

I keep putting off a major rearrangement of the shelves, but I anticipate that many of the figures whose boxes are piled up will simply be rotated back to them. It's more tedious than dumping them in a tote, but worth it afterward.

tl, dr: keep the boxes if it's the kind of figure that you keep the box for, and pitch them if it's not. I realize that's entirely idiosyncratic, but hopefully it makes sense.
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Tantrum
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Tantrum »

I keep a few boxes that look nice, including the TRU reissue ones you mentioned, the few MPs I have, and I think the Alternators boxes are in my attic. Mostly, it's figures I plan to be extra careful with when moving, and want to protect. However, I did find the packages for some Micromaster combiner KOs that I got at Big Lots for $4 each when going through my attic. I don't know why I kept them, so I tossed them. I think I have a few KO boxes with funny translations on them.
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Clay
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Clay »

I think I can clarify a bit: if you got the figure just because the mold is interesting and it's a mainline release, the packaging can probably go. If you got the figure because the mold is interesting and the release itself is somewhat noteworthy (masterpiece, fancy japan stuff, display value on its own), keeping the packaging is probably better. Examples from my own stuff including only the rarest of the Alternator-only release boxes (Decepticharge and Swerve), whereas all the Binaltechs are in their fancy boxes.

For stuff like your 2004 reissue Predaking (which I also have and mine is also deteriorating), I would (and do) keep the box because the boxed-set with metal body figures never-released in Japan is half the cool. It helps that I keep the figures themselves in said box, but still.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Skyquake87 »

That's been my general approach, keeping the boxes for the fancy Japan stuff (well, except for MP Thrust and Prowl) and recycle everything else. I have (so far) kept the boxes for the Studio Series figures I have, as I quite like that. Does get a bit boring for the Constructicons, where all the backdrops are the bloody pyramids, so those might have to go. Hmm.

I do get annoyed with packaging that's four times the size of the actual toys. The Platinum Series reissues and anything in that line is just silly. Great honking boxes for piddly little figures. The AoE Breakout Battle and Reissue Insecticons are particularly amazing examples of this.
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Denyer
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Denyer »

Don't keep them personally. I've got a few 'boxed' things (set of individual Quantron members, if anyone's interested when it's safe to go out and post things, a KO G1 Sideswipe, an MIB Japanese G2 Convoy, carded Noise and Graphy reissues for the novelty) but it's just for flavour in displays or with the 3P figures because I intended to open them and display them around the combined form. And I've got token examples of carded/boxed MOTU Origins, MOTU 200x and Starcom.

Used to flatten the 3P boxes and keep them (lots of really nice artwork) but they'd have been difficult to ship even if I was selling stuff, and doesn't really seem to factor into value.
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Sades
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Sades »

I'm pretty sure I still have boxes (empty, flattened, INSIDE ANOTHER BOX) for Beast Wars- era things in my basement. I'm trying REALLY hard to train myself to throw boxes out, though, because I hate clutter and owning superfluous things yet I'm compelled to keep some things "in case they're needed one day".
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StoneCold Skywarp
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by StoneCold Skywarp »

Well, I did it. I recycled a bunch of my ko MP Boxes as I have no intention of selling them on. Kept the boxes for my 3rd party stuff as they hold an intrinsic value with the toy.

Was quite a cathartic experience flattening a bunch of boxes and freeing up a, frankly, ridiculous amount of space.
Took the opportunity to relieve said boxes of the various accessories and place them into sandwich bags/ziplock bags so they're to hand when I want to change up my displays.
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Denyer
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Re: Boxes and boxes and boxes...

Post by Denyer »

I think I might have collected a bit too much over the years from the fact one of the large storage tubs is just accessories. Admittedly does include 3P combiner bits etc for teams I only wanted one member of, but it's still quite a lot of weapons (and probably mostly because 3P tend to bundle extra stuff that doesn't all end up displayed with the figures).
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