Collectors crisis??

[HollowZero]

Sounds like you're feeling societal pressure. Your embarrassment most likely stems from the fact you're male. As Gator also described, it seems "wrong" to be a man in this situation. Collecting girls toys.

But remove yourself from what society thinks for a moment. Are you yourself happy? Or are the toys an honest regret?

It seems like you may have enjoyed the hunt more than the toys. Perhaps sell the commons in lots, to re-collect them.

[Aflame]

I only collect G1 so when hasbro stopped making them I stopped collecting  and used to go in to charity shops but never much luck so for years I didn't really collect and I thought of that saying /line "time to put away childish things"  and I put my ponies and most of my teddies up in the attic the house got redecorated and I had  some deaths in my family including my mum and dad, and I started to miss them as my mum had bought a lot of them for me so were like tangible memories, the next day I thought bugger the saying , and an hour later I was in the attic getting them down cleaning them and displaying  some , I was so glad I didn't get rid of them and then I found eBay the arena  and then pony con and I have never been happier, lately I have only brought the rereleases but, I will buy an old one if I see them so yes I agree you should put them away for a while  and see  if you miss them ,if you do then keep them if not sell them on here at least you will know they will go to good owners and never be ashamed of of liking something out of the ordinary if people were all the same the world would be really dull , <3   

[Prince_Sunbeam]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses everyone!

I do think that the hunt (and extensively setting up the room) were more the fun part for me than just the "having"

Reading through all your replies, I do think I should at least try sorting. Probably Kondo style- see how each one makes me feel. Come up with ones I definitely wont let go, ones I definitely can, and ones Im unsure of. I can probably just pack up the unsures and keep or sell the rest.

Part of how Im feeling is guilt that Im "giving up" on this hobby/collection. So hearing other collectors validate that its okay to walk away feels good. And yall are right, if the fun is in the hunt then theres nothing wrong with starting over if I change my mind!

Im definitely feeling a bit better about this. Though still rather overwhelmed with the actual process...

[Taffeta]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses everyone!

I do think that the hunt (and extensively setting up the room) were more the fun part for me than just the "having"

Reading through all your replies, I do think I should at least try sorting. Probably Kondo style- see how each one makes me feel. Come up with ones I definitely wont let go, ones I definitely can, and ones Im unsure of. I can probably just pack up the unsures and keep or sell the rest.

Part of how Im feeling is guilt that Im "giving up" on this hobby/collection. So hearing other collectors validate that its okay to walk away feels good. And yall are right, if the fun is in the hunt then theres nothing wrong with starting over if I change my mind!

Im definitely feeling a bit better about this. Though still rather overwhelmed with the actual process...

Another thing you could do while going through your progress is maybe think of redesigning the room to fit your smaller collection. Imagine how you might set up one corner of it, maybe have different display ideas. If you get rid of the dead wood of your collection but then still have a corner of space you can use to have fun creating new displays every so often it might help.

Just don't rush through it. Take your time and figure out bit by bit what you want from your collection, if anything, going forward.

[Zargata]

I can empathize. My collection has been in boxes for 4 years now, and I still dont have them really on display. For me, I need a goal in order to get into collecting.  So right now my goal is to create an inventory of what I have so I can then develop a goal about what I plan to do next.

[Rik]

My aunt was in a slightly similar situation. She still had her collection from when she was a kid, and she was very distant from it. But she feared she might get really attached to them again if she sorted them out / sold them. So now I'm selling them for her.
It's probably not an ideal solution for you, but maybe you can get someone to help you sort them out?I don't know how big your collection is, but you probably only have a few you REALLY love, while you might've even forgotten about others.

[Zapper]

Im definitely feeling a bit better about this. Though still rather overwhelmed with the actual process...

Give yourself time and take it slow. This will also give you more time to really think about which ones you want to keep.
Personally, I always separate the ones I want to sell first. I put them all in one box so I won't see them anymore (I hate clutter). It helps to get them out of sight first.
Then days/weeks later I come back to that box and see if I still want to sell all of them.

I do this once in a while to keep my collections small. So far only one collection completely survived that process (my Monster High dolls), all the others get decimated once a year

[Taffeta]

Im definitely feeling a bit better about this. Though still rather overwhelmed with the actual process...

Give yourself time and take it slow. This will also give you more time to really think about which ones you want to keep.
Personally, I always separate the ones I want to sell first. I put them all in one box so I won't see them anymore (I hate clutter). It helps to get them out of sight first.
Then days/weeks later I come back to that box and see if I still want to sell all of them.

I do this once in a while to keep my collections small. So far only one collection completely survived that process (my Monster High dolls), all the others get decimated once a year

I will be doing this to my MH dolls when I get home, as I know I don't have space for a large MH collection and I want to pare it back to favourites so they fit on one shelf, hopefully.  Right now I feel like I'm also going to keep only 2 EAH dolls - Justine, who is my favourite, and original Apple, who was my first. I'm not really attached to the others. I've also sold pretty much all my other collections over the years, like keypers, she-ra, etc. Mostly for pony space reasons.

The closest to this experience was when I realised my Jem collection wasn't making me happy any more and debated whether to sell it, but what I ultimately did was get rid of all the outfits I had that I didn't like (no point keeping them just because they're rare) and every single Jem and Rio doll (because I can't stand either character). And now it's basically a Misfits and Holograms zone with some IT dolls and they all fit in the cabinet and I feel much more attached to them now than I did before. I still have some boxed ones and stuff to get rid of when I have some time at home, but it made me more connected to my collection having done that and made sure the things I have are the things I really love.

G1 MLP is the only completionist collection I have. Everything else is subject to space and opinion changes and I think that's healthy.

[achab1984]

Oh I have gone threw this so so many times! I cant even say how many times now. There are some ponies/ Breyers that I sold that I really wish that I did not! They are ones that I never will get myself to buy again! They cost just way to much now! What I should of done was hold each one and go from there!

I would go threw your ponies and take the ones that don't make you happy of smile at all! Sell those ones off. That is what I did last month with mine! I have a smaller collection now and love who I all have! I went form 400 to about 100 ponies! Yes I know that is a lot but I can put on one bookshelf instead of three! Please don't just sell them all! I have done that way to many times and wish that I didn't do!

This feeling is not going to be forever! Your love most likely will come back but might not be the same way!

I right now am only buying the 35th retro ones! I do not care for anything else at the moment! I also am finding that I am enjoying pony art online more then anything! I love to Google ponies and look them all!

[caseysealia]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses everyone!

I do think that the hunt (and extensively setting up the room) were more the fun part for me than just the "having"

Reading through all your replies, I do think I should at least try sorting. Probably Kondo style- see how each one makes me feel. Come up with ones I definitely wont let go, ones I definitely can, and ones Im unsure of. I can probably just pack up the unsures and keep or sell the rest.

Part of how Im feeling is guilt that Im "giving up" on this hobby/collection. So hearing other collectors validate that its okay to walk away feels good. And yall are right, if the fun is in the hunt then theres nothing wrong with starting over if I change my mind!

Im definitely feeling a bit better about this. Though still rather overwhelmed with the actual process...

If the getting is the best part then maybe you could buy then resell to others? like cheap lots off ebay/craigslist/flea markets? maybe like restore? just a thought. 

[Dragonflitter]

This is a great thread! I feel better about my own situation and pony collecting after reading this.

I had something similar happen to me with my cross-stitch. I used to sew a lot, but then I got kinda bored with it and put all my sewing supplies away. I also felt bad because it was a hobby that would never earn me any money back. You can sell things that you cross stitch, but usually you just make back the cost of the materials. It's such a slow hobby that you could never sell anything to be paid for the time it takes to do it.

So for a few years I put aside my projects in a closet, but recently I pulled them back out and dusted them off. Now I do cross stitch while I watch TV, and make gifts for friends. It feels worth it. It's an expensive hobby but a fun stress reliever.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I have purged and re-collected 3 times now. I dont think I will ever amass a collection of the sizes I used to have. Now it's just VIP special ponies, my childhood herd, and the occasional thrift store pony.  My childhood ponies mostly have gone to my kid...

[JazzMatazz]

The act of collecting is 80% of the fun-  you should have no guilt in moving on-  just sell them all and if you change your mind later, you can re-collect them again

This is what I feel. There is some reward to be had in scoring a deal or scouring local flea and thrift to find new ponies, and at some point you just have too many to make it a rewarding activity...
Maybe sell off a few of the more common ones and see how you feel with a smaller collection?

I went through a big purge of all the common ponies when the peak of FIM hit and ponies were selling like crazy. Now I'm just starting to pick up collecting again. It's always been about the thrill of the hunt for me! Which is why I specialize in selling 80s/90s kids toys as a side hobby because I enjoy the hunt.

[Prince_Sunbeam]

Wellp! Im officially doing it. Im listing a bunch of ponies for sale. So far I feel good about it!
Thanks for the support yall

[aquamarinemolly]

Like you said, everything ebbs and flows.  I promise you, our friendship is based on much more than just ponies, and our little community will be here for you...if you want to visit. You have my unwavering support to go EXPLORE NEW PASSIONS! <3