I know, well more like know of, at least 3 collectors who are not on any boards. I've met them in passing, and when talking with them, they say they aren't on any boards because they just aren't interested in online stuff. They use the internet to find things, and may read something on a board, but they never sign up on any. It just doesn't interest them.
I don't know how large their collections are, as I only ever run into them in the Joe aisle, but they seem to be avid collectors.

Man, that seems so alien to me. To each their own, I suppose, but part of the fun is reading message boards and discussing things with like-minded people.

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And Conforming. You forgot conforming. There's nothing like a good hive mentality.

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I kind of agree with you, but I'm also a TF collector, and I don't participate on a single TF board. I'll read them occasionally, but I just don't feel the draw to post on any. And honestly (and without becoming a board v. board thing), if this place didn't exist, I'd probably not be on any sites. This is the only Joe board I post on, and of the 5 or 6 I read, there's only one I'd even consider joining, just because the signal-to-noise ratio on some is just too wonky, while others never seem to have updates. This one just seems like the right fit for me, what with all the good people it has (then again, it does have Chief and Kilcarr, too)...

Another thing to consider is that even with the limited run, this year's boxed con set didn't sell out. That suggests, even considering that there were some that got past years' sets substituted and some that got multiples (during room to room I saw one guy that had purchased NINE sets), that not even nearly a thousand collectors were at the con.

I'd like to think so... Maybe I am just lucky but there seems to be two dozen serious collector/customizers in PA alone... Many of whom arent online at all.

Steve

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I've ran into several people in my area that's either into G.I.Joe or some other toyline. Working at KB I'd see at least 5 - 8 people a week that were straight out collectors, then the same 5 scalpers. Beyond Ebay, none of them were people that went online to post on any groups. I even gave some of them various websites to go to, but so far I haven't seen anyone that lives in my area.

People that I've bumped into in the toy aisle all seem to just be into whatever they are into and do not care to go online. They might go online to find something, but not to talk to other people. They just did their thing and that was it.

So taking into the idea of all the places across the country or even around the world that probably just do not go online and add in the people that are online, I'd say the first few numbers thrown around would be correct. Just in the couple of thousands wouldn't work. The He-Man group is within that range. People have pretty well done a process of elimination there and determined the fanbase to be roughly in the 4 - 6 thousand range that are online. Or that's a number commonly thrown around. G.I.Joe fans would have to be above that, and for Hasbro to be taking collectors serious enough to be directing stuff at us, it wouldn't be low thousands for sure.

Toy collecting is pretty much where comics used to be. I wouldn't really know an accurate number to say, but above 10,000 seems like a good bet. That's including the "quiet" people. Those that either don't go online at all or do but do not post.

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Well, I also participate on Joe forums in Malaysia and Singapore and estimate about ten or less on the Malaysian forums and about 20 or so on the Singapore forums, the numbers tend to fluctuate as some got into it when the 25th anniversary line came out then burned out and I expect similar with the ROC movie and toys. There's also a number who are not online or participate as figures seem to move in quantities more than indicated by the online fans in both countries. Think the Philippines has the strongest active international contingent thanks to the guys at Toy Soldier 1:18, Chrysophylax, who I believe is the founder can probably give you the breakdown of how many fans are there but I think there's about 50 collectors. Interesting enough, it seems a lot of the international fans in South-East Asia mostly stay on their local forums rather than participate on the US ones though I do know most of them read GeneralsJoes (some because I point them to it on the local forums when they ask for info), interestingly also in Malaysia and Singapore is that a number do not realize the existance of Yojoe.com as had to direct ppl there when questions are asked for a reference site.

I would say Canada probably has the largest contingent of Joe collectors on the international scene.

Last year's Canadian Joe Con attendance was pretty darn close to this year's Master Collector Con attendance.

Just better organized

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My bad, as I tend to think international as being out of the North American Continent so excluded Canada, apologies to all Canadians on the board.

*obligatory* Over 9000.

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Well speaking of GI Joe vs Star Wars I'm kind of interested in seeing how much of a leap the GI Joe costuming will take at things like Dragon Con this year. Jedi and Storm Troopers have always out numbered us but the blue shirts and Joes have been growing in number even without a movie. Now that we have a movie out maybe it will grow even more.

It might not be collecting toys but anyone that puts that much work into a costume counts as hard core fan in my book.

yeah considering you can buy a bathrobe or storm trooper costume (and really, the stormtrooper ones look cooler anyway )

i think you'll see more scarlett/baroness costumes this year though.

anyway back on topic:

I think there's more than 10,000 joe collectors, but they're not on boards for whatever reason (this is one i've thought about...joes were cooler than star wars and people who collect/ pick up a few here & there might not want to think of it as being geeky or are antisocial...if that makes sense. just in atlanta i've run into a handful of guys who collect but don't want to be on boards). not to mention guys in service/on base who can't get online..or at least don't have time for it.

but every toyline has people like that.

but Hasbro probably has a broad view of the term "collector" which probably branches out to the adult toy buyer & scalpers in a sense. including those more casual fans might bring it up to well over 100,000 in the US alone. oh, and we forgot Joe fans who don't buy the toys

so what's hurt Hasbro? for so many years they neglected the brand.

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