One of the questions I brought up in my interview with Richard Gottlieb was whether it’s better for toy collectors to buy action figures at brick-and-mortar retail stores rather than, say, ordering them from online retailers. The idea is that this will encourage those stores (such as Target and Wal-Mart) to order more product, and since these retailers deal in huge numbers, that will help ensure the success of the line. This was Richard’s response:

My feeling is that anyone who is hunting at brick-and-mortar stores is doing so because they love the thrill of the hunt. For example, I used to collect first and rare edition Oz books and I experienced great fun, excitement and anticipation in walking into a used book store and not knowing what piece of treasure I might find. Therefore, I don’t think collectors should concern themselves with their impact on buying decisions so much as engaging in their passion.

In the comment thread for the interview, my fellow OAFE “Rustin Parr” wrote this: (more…)