Collecting Movie Merch: How To Start And How To Shop
Loving films is easy to do, but how do you elevate your passion to the next level? Collecting films on Blu-Ray and DVDs is simple enough, but how do you get more from movies?
Collecting merch and memorabilia fun way to show your love of films but it can be difficult to know where and how to start. Thankfully, the hard work has been done for you. Here is how to start collecting movie merch and where you should look when you are shopping for new collectables.
Budgets & Payments
Collecting movie memorabilia does not have to be expensive, but it can be. Before you hit the stores and auction sites you should set yourself a budget.
The best advice is to start off slowly, with a small budget to spend on little things. Work your way up to bigger purchases. Never spend a lot without investigating the memorabilia’s investment potential. If you could make some profit selling it later then that is a nice bonus, but you want to avoid losing value. The more it costs, the more research you need to do.
Having a PayPal account will be useful when shopping for collectables, especially when spending a large amount of money. Most online stores and websites accept PayPal payments. It is a safe way to spend your money everywhere from online casinos to independent book shops and can even be used offline in some high street stores.
Sort Out Storage Before You Start Collecting
When people start collecting merch and memorabilia, they need to start thinking about storage. Your home can be quickly overwhelmed by toys, collectable cups, and plushies if you are not careful.
Displaying your collection is a good way to get the most enjoyment from your collectables while storing them safely at the same time. Glass cases and cabinets take up a lot of room, so you are going to have to decide what stays on display and what goes into long-term storage.
Taking care of your collectables is important so spend a little on sturdy storage. Boxes should keep things dry and prevent crushing, so cardboard will not do the job. Buy rigid plastic storage that you can label.
Build Up from the Basics
Knowing where to start can be difficult. There is plenty of movie merch out there and some of it is not worth your time or money.
Start off by collecting posters and artwork from your favourite films. If you are a huge fan of a director, you can collect the movie posters for all their films like you do the blu-rays. They are easy and compact to store if you do not want to hang them up, but also look great framed and hanging on the wall.
They can be an investment if you can find originals for sale or auction, or if they have been signed by stars of the film, but reprints are a cheaper way to build a collection. Even on a small budget, you can get lots of posters.
Start the Search
This is the fun part. Retail therapy is food for the soul, and nothing could be more therapeutic than treating yourself to some movie memorabilia.
When you are searching for movie merch online look for a store, not the movie. Googling a movie title is going to give you a lot of results to wade through. Find specialist shops first and see what they have Check their customer reviews and ratings. You will need a go-to list of reliable stores if you are going to keep collecting in the future.
Make sure you shop around, including in the obvious places like eBay or Amazon. Your eBay account can send you notifications when new items go up for auction. Deals on vintage memorabilia, autographed merchandise, and genuine movie props will all pop up over time. Set some alerts so you can be the first to make an offer.
For Big Budgets Shop for Props
Genuine movie props are the ultimate in movie merch. They are often sold to auction houses and by bulk buyers after a film’s release. They can be good investments over time if you look after them. Props from recent films can be expensive but are worth paying a little more for to complete a collection.
There are more than just modern movie props available. Props for old movies still change hands today. The vintage prop market is always busy, with props for sale from movies from the 50s and 60s still popping up from time to time. These will often be backed by documentation proving their authenticity.
Reproduction props also hold their value well and look great on display. Fans of the Harry Potter books and films are well catered for, with replica wands for every major character available. Having the magic wands of Harry, Ron, and Hermione on show sounds awesome.
Be Careful When Collecting Modern Movie Merch
If you are collecting contemporary film merch, then there is going to be lots to choose from. Fresh releases often generate plenty of plastic collectables that should be avoided. They take up too much space, lose value, and the colours fade and change over time.
Be discerning when buying new movie merch and stick to things like poster collections or autographed pieces. These have a better resale potential and take up less storage space. If you must have the action figures from the latest film in a franchise, wait a few weeks. The price will crash when the hype passes. You can find great deals in supermarkets when a film disappears from cinemas when they discount all their excess stock.
New releases, especially the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga or Marvel’s cinematic universe, always create merch that is overpriced with little long-term value. There will be very few sensible collectable investments. Try not to spend too much money on this type of merchandise and save your money for something more worthwhile.
There is plenty of movie-related merch to choose from, so remember to be discerning and choose wisely. You can easily overspend and have a house filled with worthless plastic. Use these tips to guide you towards an eclectic collection that you can be proud of.
