The question in the title is pulled directly out of the Collector's Spotlight. I've been mulling over the question the last few weeks and since I won't be getting to answer the question for a long time yet, I figure I'd give my opinion and provide you the venue to do so as well (assuming you haven't done a Spotlight yet).

It's a very important question. Many of us have made "mistakes" in our collecting career. Lord knows I have. I hope others don't make the same "mistakes" we have. So my answer would be simple:

Buy only what you like and what attracts you. Obviously everyone has different tastes and there's room for all flavours of collecting. Don't let others' excitement for stuff you may not necessarily value yourself deviate you from your goals. This isn't a competition. Turning it into one will net you stuff that, in retrospect, you wish you never bought. Stay patient and focused, and you will eventually build the collection of your dreams. Ultimately, the goal is to look back and say "That's money well spent" rather than "I have no idea why I bought that."

I would pretty much mirror exactly what you said. I never went crazy for any models that others were hyping. I know my limits and never break them. I have been in the game long enough to see something I missed make it back around.

I agree. And sometimes it is good to limit yourself to certain series or types of things. That is if you want to be able to complete a collection...

As a newbie here,

I would say that actually registering here and talking to people is a great jump up onto the true collecting ladder and actually reading stuff on the forum rather than just searching the one piece of data you need to try and avoid a fake purchase. This forum is worth its weight in digital gold.

I would also say the comments above are priceless in order to keep sanity and a touch of reality, as a new collector that only started "collecting" a few years ago, and even then only a pair every few months as opposed to a pair (sometimes two) per month now its easy to fall into the competitive trap of "my collections bigger than his".

In isolation its easy to get carried away and think "I have 8 pairs of £150 sunglasses, that is quite a bit of money and is impressive" then a few years later think "Collection is up to 30 pairs now, I am an Oakley God !!" and feel that you are a real pace setter. But then you come here and realise there are people with 100 pairs of THE SAME STYLE !!! and suddenly any ideas you had that you would compete comes hard up against that old adage - theres always a bigger fish in the sea. This sea even has the original owner of Oakley as a member and then has people he is currently looking to buy off in order to enhance his own collection, truly proof that theres people here with deep pockets and alot of love for the product.

So like others have said - find what you like, collect that, dont get suckered into the never ending Frogskins crack habit, dont get fooled by the current Oakley machine that sells "Limited Editions" every day and feel you have to have one, and if yoou do like the older stuff, especially the X Metals then get busy saving and buying cos they are only going up in value and becomming harder and harder to find for reasonable prices.

Best of luck.

J.

Wonderful stuff!

Nicely written James, I think most of us start with trying to get a much as possible. You really are excited about every single pair you get, especially when it's at a great price. But after a couple of years that excitement slowly goes away.
You start to focus on more unique pairs and pairs that really appeal to you, that way you really feel like you have a more qualitative collection instead of a quantitative collection. To me, having a qualitative collection makes me feel way more content than a quantitative collection. Each pair I have makes me smile when I look at it.

To me things also have changed a bit as the O has also become my business, so I actually get every pair in my hands and then the "standard" pairs just feel like a pair of glasses. They are great and really stand out compared to other brands, but if you compare it to other Oakley's there's nothing special about them.

So collecting has become harder to me as I chase unique pieces. But makes the excitement way bigger once I get one that I have been looking for for years. Of course you could get each pair you want easily if you can pay whatever price they are asking. But that also takes away the fun and excitement.

So really chase the things that you're after and be patient.

Sometimes I wonder if it's better to be an "occasional" collector vs. a hardcore collection.

Hardcore collectors tend to go for pretty much everything, not realizing that quite a number of the items they seek may not be all that great (taking into account differing opinions and tastes, of course). On the other hand, occasional collectors can't/won't go for everything and only pick either the coolest or most interesting pieces. This approach hits close to home since I'm an occasional collector on several hobbies, and I find that I will cherry pick the best to have and discard interest in any others (even if it is in high demand by the major collectors).

I find that taking a step back in this manner really does make for a more enjoyable hobby. It's too late for me to be any less of a hardcore collector in this Oakley collecting hobby, but it's food for thought.

Absolutely,

As i said in another thread - Frogskins and that style dont really do it for me, doubly so as they are essentially a Rayban clone. So the truly exhaustive options available for Frog/Holbrook etc collectors is wasted on me as I will never go there. That being said I have two pairs as I liked the 24k's for my other half which she promptly stuck her nose up at and the MotoGP ones as thats something Im really into - in fact I just bought some MotoGP Fuel Cells ten minutes ago, despite the fact that frame doesnt sit well on my head.

I would quite like some of the older Blades and Zeros as thats what I remember when growing up and always wanting a "Thermonuclear protection" T-shirt !!! But I was too busy collecting Ocean Pacific as a kid so I couldnt afford both.

J.

I would only offer 2 bits of specific advice:

- Take your time.
- Snap up bargains when you see them, even if it isn't something you're looking for. Trade bait is good!

Indeed,

Deffo snap up the bargains, even if they are slightly damaged, then you could come here and sell them for 500 dollars without bothering to take part in the forum in any way !!

I must build a better fence, my poor little goat has gotten out again !!!

lol

Another piece of advice is do your homework! Research not only items but also sellers. There are a lot of scammers out there, and some of them are long-time respected collectors with large collections whom you don't expect to be knowingly peddling fakes. Business is business, so trust no one and protect yourself first.

long-time respected collectors with large collections whom you don't expect to be knowingly peddling fakes

These words are probably worth their weight in gold.

As I've become a selective collector I still live by the words that many established collectors in the spotlight have said, get what you want and enjoy rather than what you think you like just because others do.

When I first joined the review and saw everyone's collections I then embarked on a mission to get the biggest collection thinking this is what I wanted and what others would respect me for

After two years I approached burn out and had lots of things I didn't really like or questioned why I had them.
Since I've been here I've had two big collection trim downs and for a while have focused on a smaller qualitative collection where every pair I enjoy and want.
I now try to source missing pairs or unique items and take whatever time it takes to do that. Collecting for me has been a luck and patience game and I enjoy it more.

Recently I've added some unique pairs which others like over the fact I have a huge collection and the fact it's mainly hard to get vintage makes it more appealing.

The other aspect I'd strongly endorse is help others out as that time will come when you need a pair or want to work a trade. Bring selfish never works and I can thank alot of members here for not being selfish. I hope others can say I've been the same.
Collecting is a marathon not a sprint so don't burn out!

LESS IS MORE! Especially for display cases and doubly so when you have to move it!

I fear moving and I don't even have all that much. It's the Omnibus books I dread the most actually.

Yeah, books are a huge pain as well.

I moved my omnibii and big books into storage today. What a hassle.

UGH, Oak. I hope it's just temporary for the move.

Best advice, if you have to keep using your credit card and go into debt,you really can’t afford it . 99% of the pieces can be found later on! If you will never wear it, what’s the point of having it.. I had 4 Ott’s that looked cool but I couldn’t wear them.. I know some will disagree on the wearing it part lol. The main thing enjoy this as A hobby, wether buying, trading or selling . Not all consuming nothing esle matters obsession lol. Unless its Xmetals, then all bets are off.. joking lol or am I?

Best advice, if you have to keep using your credit card it and go into debt you really can’t afford it . - Dingoatemybaby

Well said, I agree with this when it comes to hobbies. Everyone has their own philosophy but I would never advise going into debt for any hobby.

Be patient.
Get connected with other people.
If you like the new stuff, resist paying MSRP for it.
Take breaks every now and then. It gets frustrating when you are ALWAYS on the hunt and your wallet is empty.
Keep some money on hand. Stuff pop up when you least expect it.