To be perfectly honest, I don't draw the line, my economic situation does...

When my finances were doing a bit better, I paid 300 dollars for a below average knock-off figure.
Nowadays I'm trying to keep purchases below the 200 mark.

I think it really depends mostly on how much I want a figure, but you can't escape the reality of your finances. Having said that, I've never even considered buying any of the more elaborate custom pieces that go up for sale over at the Sideshow Freaks boards, some of which go upwards of 1000 dollars.

 

Money is not an issue for me. It's what they are selling for too much money is my issue. If it's something I really like or into I will pay up. But if it looks like junk then I sit back and say,,, "Ewoo that's way to much."

 

It depends on how much I want it. As a collector of custom pieces and occasional prototypes and oddities, I'm prepared to pay quite a bit for them when the need arises. Only if they fit the collection.

Not so much for the likes of some boxed figures...as an example, I have the first two Hot toys Black Widow figures, so I don't see any need to pay a lot of £££ for the other two similar ones. Same true for nude bodies...usually try to get cheaper ones (as long as the quality is there)

If you like MGS and Raiden will add to your collection, then get it.

 

I agree with the previous posters. It's about how much you want an item or set and if you have the money.

Off the top of my head--I only collect military-- I've probably spent the most on bbi Slick, that TS SAS exclusive, and a TS Vietnam set, maybe ROK related?

If I think it's super cool I'll get it.

 

As a strictly modern military collector, with the occasional "bad guy", female military, and Vietnam figure purchase, I have made a commitment to keep my boxed figure purchases at no higher than $200. However, I have broken the rule three times:

Off the top of my head--I only collect military-- I've probably spent the most on bbi Slick, that TS SAS exclusive, and a TS Vietnam set, maybe ROK related?.

Two of those times were for those specific figures: BBI's Slick and TS SAS.

 

Too many values to answer the question properly, for me at least. It's a pure gut reaction first of all, so there are going to be some figures where I will feel they're overpriced but if I have a sentimental attachment to the character or whatever, I won't be able to resist. But I will only pay original price or less, and virtually never chase any past figure at collector's mark-up.

Proportionate value/$ matters to me but obviously that works very differently within the range going up from cheap mass market figures, medium figures like eg DAM, higher figures like most HT, and then really special expensive cases like Thanos, Starcraft, Titanfall, or HulkBuster. I did use to feel a "hard barrier" at $200, but that's gone by.

And yes, there are going to be times where I'm going to have to pass on a figure if I feel I can't afford it right then, especially if it's a matter of priorities like eg at one point last year two desirable Sideshow Joes, a DAM Gangster, a Phicen, a DiD figure and 2 normally-automatic-purchase HT's all came out within about 6 weeks. I bought 3, caught up to 2 more later and let the other 2 go. And I will admit that having the good fortune to be able to buy HT, DAM, DiD etc in a brick and mortar setting, impulse purchasing plays into it. I am way more likely to justify the purchase of expensive figures when I'm in a real bad mood :wink

 

I tend to limit everything to the 120-150 range at most. I got the HT Selina Kyle and Batman for good prices and they're the only ones that touched 150 including shipping.
Any more than that I and I start to think "Why on Earth am I spending so much on a toy?"
Granted a very cool toy but something I wouldn't value at so much.
I honestly haven't bought any boxed figure since that time period. I was tempted by many a figure, any random Russian by DAM or the ThreeZero Breaking Bad Walt. I can buy them but... for lack of any concrete reason...
I just don't feel like spending this much anymore.

Maybe I will when something absolutely tickles my fancy but I don't know what that is. I don't think I'll ever break 200, so HT is out of the question for me.
I prefer making my own stuff and sure I spend a lot on loose parts and spend probably way more on 3D printed stuff.
I may be in a different phase right now but shelling out oodles of cash for one figure isn't that appealing. I can, just won't.

I like that Moonbase mentioned the Starcraft figure. I LOVE the Raynor figure but I don't think I'd ever be willing to spend 400 on a figure. Not even that 'whole lot more than a figure' figure.
In the end I'm probably just fooling myself. What I spend on custom bits and loose parts probably winds up at the same cost.

 

Like others, it all depends on what I am buying? Like I bought a Toawan Humvee for about $1,400 and a MTV for about the same amount. But for military figures...probably not more than $200.

 

Dave has the right idea here, there will always be something that comes along that will break your price barrier :wink

 

My basic Phicens are where I draw the line, although I do have the Foxes and Roses figures. Tons of things out there I wish I could buy, but if we are talking over say, 130 dollars, then I'm out. I would love all the Hot Toys Marvel and Predator figures, but I simply can't afford them.

 

It depends on:
1. How much a fan I am?
2. My finances?
3. Available space?

I'm a big Batman fan but my finances at the time didn't allow me to get the '89 mobile. Space is also a concern. The same goes for the BTTF Delorean.

ThreeZeroes' GoT and Walterwhite are relatively cheap and since I'm also a fan of the shows, I'm supposed to get them. Unfortunately, my finances doesn't allow me at the moment.

I would like to complete the AoU line but I just can't justify getting Cap and BW and paying higher amounts (compared to Avengers 1) for reused sculpts.

I'll probably get the Dawn of Justice line no matter how much it costs but I'll probably have to limit my purchases to must haves. Eventually, the hobby would priced me out at $250.00. If it's only 1 figure, sure $250.00 may not be much but if you're getting say 8 figures in a year, it's already a fortune. I estimate that I'll be spending around $3,400.00 on figures this year alone! The key for me is just get the must haves moving forward.

 

For me, I purchased the HT Robocop and paid £199 for it, when it turned up I immediately regretted it and started thinking about what else that near £200 could have bought me. Sometimes I look at my shelves and think about all the money I could have spent on 'useful' things rather than nice things to look at; I'm sure I'm not the only one that experiences a little 1/6th guilt every now and again.

I'm comfortable with anything up to about £125, but it has to be something I really like.

Anything beyond that it has to be something I REALLLLLLLLY like

 

What everyone else said. When I first got back into this hobby just under two years ago, I was going a little crazy, POing a ton of stuff, then the luster wore off, and now Ive slowed down dramatically. Im actually getting more into kitbashhing/customizing (which in the long run, if I were to add up the receipts, is probably WAY more expensive than getting a box set). It does depend as others have said, how much do I REALLY want that figure. I paid just over $300 back in 2013 for Enterbay's Leon the Professional because it's one of my favorite movies, and $257 (with shipping) for ACI's Aragorn LE, and I don't regret those at all. But, honestly, a lot of these figures now, going for $230-250, I just can't justify/swing. I would have loved to have gotten iminime's Braveheart figure, as its my favorite Mel G role/movie, but $1000?!, I don't have that kind of money to piss away on a stupid toy. As abake said, there are some really cool customs being done for sale over at SSF, but aside from the occasional HS, I can't see paying $250-500 just for a costume. I would say, going forward, for most of my boxed sets, that even $250 is too much. In less than two years my HT days are coming to a swift end. There would have to be a character of real interest to me to justify paying that amount again.

 

As I seeing prices soaring above the 100.00 mark. Just makes me think and rethink about buying figures and just build my own. WHICH I well say, is getting a little expensive too IMO.

Hell, even the nudes are getting a little pricey for my taste.

 

Hell, even the nudes are getting a little pricey for my taste.

:lolHell! You have nailed it Uswin!:lol $100+ for nude? No, thank you!

 

For me it depends entirely on the figure. The price range in my collection is all over the map, but each time I bought a figure the price was right - for that one - at that time. I've walked away from plenty I thought were pretty cool and I've snapped up some I never imagined I would have until I saw them.

 

I drew the line at Hulkbuster. Really neat but at $1000+ in Canadian dollars, unjustifiable.

 

Same here, and then find a head to put on it. I want to complete my Indy, but, there is no way in hell I'll pay $250 for a head, just because everyone says it's the best. Yeah, you heard $250.. for... a... HEAD!!!

CHEERS!

 

funny thing, I probably draw the line at around $100 for boxed figures, but I haven't bought a boxed figure for years probably. I have kit-bashes that have run over $250 all told, kinda like death by 1000 cuts...as long as I'm not spending all that money at once the total kinda creeps up on me. (I did buy a Shi body and Shi head from MD recently in the same order...around $120 or so, but I had to just swallow hard and get it done, lol)

 

It depends. If I shop within EU I'm could pay about $160 but if I decide to shop outside EU (US, HK e t c) I'm not prepared to pay more than $110-115 (shipped). Why? If the total sum exceeds $160 the customs charges alone (and what not) easily reach about $40-50:wail
That's why I'm sticking to retailers within the EU for my boxed figures. OK, I'm getting my boxed figures a little to late to be in the game but I'm thinking that at least I'm getting 'em and not pay crazy inflated eBay prices.
Cheers!

 

Yes, I'm just like you. Sometimes I recieved my figure 6-8 months ago the "normal" release (non-Asia release). But I'm ok with it.

Now I take more time to think about what I really want, 'cause the price are rising for many reasons and it's ok but I can't buy everything I want.
Altough there is no "line" if there is something I reeeaaaally want. I can cut on some others releases, in case.
And just for talking, about head and bodies, I know weapons are much more detailed (in some case) and difficult to make, but jesus.. 60-70 dollars for a single weapon? Come on

 

Love you guys responses. it's not whether I can afford it or not (often I can't if it was not for pre-orders and paying each week I could not afford this hobby) but I just think I have to draw the line some where. so far the only figure I have paid 300 for was the Cap/Steve but you could say you spent 150 on each figure so I don't know if that count. I love that Hot Toys Whiplash figure but 400.00 for a figure from a man with my very modest means seems crazy for me. I think I will pass and don't be surprise when I write and say I cancelled the Raiden. I am waiting to see in hand pictures of it I want him to at least feel and have the weight as if he cost 300 to make, but if I do go ahead and buy him (by the way I have paid for him) but I hope it isn't like the falcon. I loved the head sculpt but found everything else lacking, like the body so I cancelled the order and took the hit of my deposit. I do have the head sculpt and put him on a body of my liking and i love it.. I just felt that was one of the figures I would regret spending that much on. Just received the Wolverine of Future days past and I love it. but still think It should have been no more than 200.00 I think if I have to do this much contemplating buying a figure it means I shouldn't buy it.

 

Between $50 and $100--and I'd better get a lot for my hundred bucks.
That threshold locks me out of a lot of high-end figures.......but I've learned something over the years: the higher the price, the more fragile the piece.

I just don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for bitter, frustrated tears.

 

Between $50 and $100--and I'd better get a lot for my hundred bucks.
That threshold locks me out of a lot of high-end figures.......but I've learned something over the years: the higher the price, the more fragile the piece.

I just don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for bitter, frustrated tears.

amen brother, I experienced that with both Black Widows that is why I have sworn off Hot Toys female figures. Will not be buying another Capt American until I see proof they have improved the body drastically. to be honest even though I do buy their figures to an extent Hot Toys is over rated and over priced. You would think with what they charge the outfits would be made of better materials and like wolverine tactical vest should have had metal buckles on them. I will get the Briareos and the Arkham Batman, because I don't have either and I love both characters but if they are not done right Hot Toys will be lucky if I buy another box figures, besides the Hulk. but soon no matter who the character is I am going to be priced out. with the soon to be going price of 300 for a figure they are taking the fun out of buying. there is a point where even I shake my head and say did I really pay that much for this?

 

I like displayed figures and the idea of spending hundreds on one figure makes me think I'd be afraid to even open the box so it's $150 for me also in general. Some of my older figures uniforms are now showing slight fading issues so really not worth it in the long run unless you are keeping them boxed, for me no fun in that.

 

I'm pretty much out on 1/6th, just collecting the Gangster's Kingdom line, but I will grab an occasional figure here and there.

 

I refuse to pay any more than one million dollars for a single figure.......

 

lol! but seriously i think the answer is probably not more than 100, except in special circumstances, like HT/SS Marty!

 

If it's something I really like I'd pay the price but nowadays I'm more into saving money than collecting. Of the new Avengers 2 figures (which I really love), I ended up pre-ordering only the Captain. The price increase really put a block into my buying impulses and of course I can just wait for the later movies to come out and (hopefully) get better versions of the same characters.

As for military figures, I'm currently buying piecemeal through local auctions. It really drives the price per figure down because I already have a lot of unused parts in my bin.

 

I limit myself to ~ 100 or less (60-80 average) for non Hot Toys and only buy a Hot Toys if the subject peaks my interests. The reason is really production value. Most off brands don't give consumers the same "value" or "quality" so I price relatively.

Enterbay and ThreeA are very good too but they now cost more than a Hot Toys for me on average. DID is really pushing it up there in price too.

I know... licenses, low runs, blah blah blah... yeh... but I'm a consumer so I will pay perceived value. There is so much out there I can choose. No need to get caught into a money trap while there are other more important things such as family, food and rent.

Lastly, I just buy a lot of parts to keep prices reasonable and recycle lots of bits.

 

Parts buying doesn't always keep things reasonable. Sure, you might spread the cost, but, weigh up that cost when you have all the parts you need and you can get a shock.

I built my HT Godfather from parts and I thought I was getting good deals. Once it was complete and I posted it, Wookster asked me how much I'd spent altogether. For just the parts to make up the figure, just the head, hands and outfit, I'd spent more than if I'd just gone and bought the boxed figure! I know, and the boxed figure included a body, set and accessories!

It was the price of parts and what I'd end up spending just to complete the figure without accessories that was the final nail in the coffin for me buying 1/6.

CHEERS!