darkSpyro

I've been wondering how much exactly the condition a chase variant's packaging is in factors into its value.

My only valuable chase variant is the "Crystal Clear" Stealth Elf in a triple pack with Sonic Boom and Wrecking Ball. It's unopened, though I've played a bit with the figures in-game so they're not untouched in that sense. More importantly the packaging is hardly mint, there are some creases in the cardboard backing, as well as slighly bent corners and some glue residue from a price sticker or such, and so forth.

I recall it being said that for rare variants opened is usually about half the value of a MISB one. But what if it's in a in-between condition like that? I'm just wondering that if there's no big different between a slightly beat-up box and opened if I should just open the damn thing and get it over with, making them easier to actually play with. Just too bad about the limitations of S1 figures...

The packaging was never meant to be durable . It you want to turn it into a paperweight then get a hard see through plastic casing .

If you want to be technical about it there is big difference between it opened and sealed but a minor difference between beat up packaging and mint .

That silly story of "how much is it worth holds no water " Opened or sealed , its worth as much as a buyer is willing to pay for it full stop .


I opened my Blue Bash and i am having fun fun fun .

Quote: Dark fhoenix

That silly story of "how much is it worth holds no water " Opened or sealed , its worth as much as a buyer is willing to pay for it full stop .

I opened my Blue Bash and i am having fun fun fun .

True, I just figured with so many collectors here I could get an idea of what the actual difference could be, even if there are no absolutes since these things often go on a case by case basis.

I do have a Blue Bash as well that I bought at the same time as the Stealth Elf box, but even though it too is unopened at least for now, as it is single-packaged it's at least easy to use!

dont forget these figures sell because of the software, so you should also take that into account, when you think about the value. there will comes a day when the software patches aren't available anymore, this can have a huge impact on the over all value in the future. the most comparable to give you some sort of insight to any future value are U.B Funkeys. since they pretty much was the first toys comes to life experience.

In most collectables really bad packaging is about the same value as opened. It might be a little more considering it has the cards and sticker intact but aside from that it is not anywhere near full value in most cases.

I disagree with the posts that say that condition of packaging really isn't important to the value of a limited edition figure. While the fact that such a figure is still factory sealed might raise the value above what an opened version might bring, the more pristine the packaging is the higher the price will be, with the worst packaging dropping the value just above or right at the same level as an open figure. If you're not worried about reselling the figure, by all means open it and play with it outside of the package. However, if you are determined to auction it off at some point and would like to see some decent money, make sure to keep it as factory fresh as possible as every ding, crease, fold and tear remove value in the eyes of collectors.

-Doug

Quote: CountMoneyBone

dont forget these figures sell because of the software, so you should also take that into account, when you think about the value. there will comes a day when the software patches aren't available anymore, this can have a huge impact on the over all value in the future. the most comparable to give you some sort of insight to any future value are U.B Funkeys. since they pretty much was the first toys comes to life experience.

Actually I was thinking of this for a bit. If there comes a time when legacy figures (lets say, SSA era ones) aren't playable/useable any more in the games, I would figure that those figures would become obscenely rare. They become "retired" in a more literal sense since they dont work any more.

Quote: spyroflame0487

Quote: CountMoneyBone

dont forget these figures sell because of the software, so you should also take that into account, when you think about the value. there will comes a day when the software patches aren't available anymore, this can have a huge impact on the over all value in the future. the most comparable to give you some sort of insight to any future value are U.B Funkeys. since they pretty much was the first toys comes to life experience.

Actually I was thinking of this for a bit. If there comes a time when legacy figures (lets say, SSA era ones) aren't playable/useable any more in the games, I would figure that those figures would become obscenely rare. They become "retired" in a more literal sense since they dont work any more.

i think if there is a skylanders game that will hold its price, it gotta be the first one. all figures works in 3 games, and that game worked very good software wise on all platforms. it also is a darn good game, even 3 years after its release. some of the figures are getting pretty rare at the moment too. if you have all figures in packaging and stuff it will fetch a nifty price on ebay in say 5 years or so i think...

LOL, SSA is crazy glitchy (I played mainly on 360, but some on Wii). There are heroic quests that are completely unfinishable for certain characters and/or certain upgrades. You have a ton of places where you can get stuck or fall through the world. Characters sometimes just disappear, and it locks up from time to time. Jump pads are really unpredictable, and there are certain place that just flat kill you (dragon lasers in Dragon's Peak, for example). Blocks move in weird directions practically untouched at times. You also cannot skip the silly story once you finish. And it is the shortest of the games. Also if you play on Wii, you need to take stock in Duracell. If there is one game that could really benefit from a patch it is this one.

Swap Force is the superior one, technically (at least on WiiU/PS3/360). And Giants is probably the most refined and focused of the games, it feels like an iteration on SSA, but they really focused on fixing the most annoying stuff. I haven't played Trap Team (not till Christmas), so I cannot comment on that.

i havent had any of these problems on the ssa ps3 version, and i have played this game many times now over the 3 years after release. maybe the wii and x360 version is worse... unskippable talking and cut scenes is there of course, but that is not a bug or glitch.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

dont forget these figures sell because of the software, so you should also take that into account, when you think about the value.

True, and I'm aware that eventually the value will drop because the series will fade.

Quote: darkchylde28

If you're not worried about reselling the figure, by all means open it and play with it outside of the package. However, if you are determined to auction it off at some point and would like to see some decent money, make sure to keep it as factory fresh as possible as every ding, crease, fold and tear remove value in the eyes of collectors.

If only the CC SE had a wow-pow and switchable paths, I'd feel a lot better about using her in-game and would probably open the box on the spot. As is she's obviously inferior to my Dark Edition SE for gameplay purposes. Still fun to play mind you, but the S3 wow-pow is pretty cool nonetheless (though the S2 one is nice too). I don't have the S2 Wrecking Ball, so that figure has at least that going for it, but again for Sonic Boom I do have the S2 one as well. But of course by far the majority of value comes from the CC SE. Still, I think probably in the end the hassle of finding a buyer abroad - domestically I don't even know if there are "hardcore" chase variant collectors - and selling and shipping it for a price that'd make it worth the effort is a bit too much.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

i havent had any of these problems on the ssa ps3 version, and i have played this game many times now over the 3 years after release. maybe the wii and x360 version is worse... unskippable talking and cut scenes is there of course, but that is not a bug or glitch.

You're either lucky or aren't being nearly as nitpicky about that game as you are about Trap Team which you have made clear in your opinion is a buggy mess. Because many of these issues, if not all have been reported on the PS3 as well. We were practically begging them to patch the game back in 2012 due to a few of the problems on ALL platforms. Lightning Rod's Heroic Challenge was flat out broken after a certain point.

One thing to take into account is the fact that 3 packs with Rare skylanders are worth less then single packs with Rare skylanders. As most people that buy them unopened want to display them so singles are more desirable.

Any value Skylanders figures hold is short term, at best. If you plan on selling any of your figures, my recommendation would be to do it within the life span of the game. There is absolutely no long term value in these once the game is over and done with.

There are many things working against the figures holding value, not the least of which is the large numbers of them still lining store shelves - any Toys "R" Us you go to now has four generations warming the pegs, waiting to be bought. The other major factor, and this has been brought up already in this thread, is that once the game is no longer supported, people's desire for the figures will wane and the bottom will drop out of the market. If anyone needs to see an example of this happening in recent history, look up U.B. Funkeys.

Yeah i was thinking about this...i have all my figure box's stored in box's here an there...

All these box's are starting to take up alot of room...was thinking of just throwing them away....i have pulled all the stickers an cards and have them in a binder.

So what do yal think..should i keep all the figures packages....or just trash them?

Quote: Phoenix_Lord

Yeah i was thinking about this...i have all my figure box's stored in box's here an there...

All these box's are starting to take up alot of room...was thinking of just throwing them away....i have pulled all the stickers an cards and have them in a binder.

So what do yal think..should i keep all the figures packages....or just trash them?

Idk im in the same boat i have a sealed set of ssa, giants, swap force with variants etc all in boxes (they were on my wall but we are going have renovations in the house soon so i figured id box them for now). They are starting to take alot of room and trap team is nuts with the amount of stuff. So i'm debating dropping the 3 packs (minus the legendary) to make some more room.

I sometimes ponder whether or not to take the figures out of the packaging, now I do not have any rares, but I have come to realize that I purchased these with the intent to enjoy them in the game and not to sell for profit. These figures will have an expiration on desirability and the value will crash, so I am just enjoying them for what they are, a physical toy that when placed on a magic portal come to life in your video game.

For regular figures I don't see much point keeping them packaged. I do have some regular figures currently still in packaging, but that's mostly just because I haven't really played much since February, until just this week played a bit of SSA (got it later than Giants & SF, and yet to finish it).