✩ things i wish somebody told me before i started collecting + ★ advices in general. this is mostly for kpop collectors, since this is my interest, but i hope it's useful for collectors in general.

ps. i might let my hatred towards rich people and capitalism a lot in here so beware <3 "then why do you collect if you hate capitalism so much" communism is about everyone being able to afford a collection thank you <3

• ✩ know your reason to collect.

say what you want about my sources but i'd recommend collecting article on wikipedia, since there's even a section about psychological aspects of collecting. this is a hobby that varies for all people, everyone has their reasons to, but i think it's of utmost importance that you know why you want that.

only after organizing my binder (9 months into collecting) that i could understand that it reminded me of my childhood. i grew up periodically flipping and reorganizing the albums we had at home, with baby photos of me and my cousins, or travels my mom and my uncles and aunties did around the country. not only that, but up to the 2000s (maybe until 2007), sending your photos to someone close to you with a small letter on the backside was a tradition. so having a binder, full of photos of people i admire/feel fond of, with pretty backsides (some even with notes!), which i can reorganize and revisit from time to time makes me nostalgic and i absolutely love that. i'd like to make emphasize that "receiving photos of your closed ones" as a bonus point because it feels like someone meant for me (or anyone else) to have their photo. if you are religious or have some level of spirituality, you would know that impriting your face on anything has a charged meaning. so i'd like to treasure it well.

my second reason to - this one i knew for a while, and i thought it was the main reason - is that i love photography. it's one of my favorite hobby, and i love having pretty photos with me. so, in a sense, i collect photos i like, for whatever reason i might judge that way. this is not to say that if i don't have a X photocard i think it's ugly, no, but maybe i don't like the photo as much as i like others. just like we might like some songs more than others in an album. it doesn't mean you hate them, but you'd rather hear something else if you have the chance.

• ✩ be prepared for a potential growth in your collection.

if you start thinking small and "oh i just want this one", this can lead to a rabbit hole and you might want more. which means, you must have a proper space to store your collection. whcih means keeping it clean, organized and prim!

• ★✩ don't compare yourself and your collection!!!!

it shouldn't matter that someone use the best materials to store and maintain their collection. if you can keep your collection with materials that won't damage your items and are just as useful as the pricey items other people use, IT'S ENOUGH. for kpop collectors, don't feel bad for not having a macaron binder, colored sleeves, holographic sleeves, whatever shit. as your collection grows and YOU grow, you can always restore your collection and buy the things you find suitable for enhancing the beauty of your collection. while you don't accomplish that, work with what you have. an important advice, which should apply to LIFE and not only for collections is looking for references within your reach. search for people that use the same products as you do, know that the world is not about rich people who buy new products and collectibles every single month. your collection is about your world.

• ✩ make a thorough research about the needs of your collectibles.

no one told me PVC is toxic for paper. and no one told me most toploaders are made of PVC and not even PVC-free sleeves can really secure cards - i said as i looked in dismay at the toploaders i bought and wondering what the FUCK i was going to do with them. and then i found out that they are useful for short term storage, selling and which toploaders to look into in the future. the same applies to those REALLY cute cardholders and 1pc per page binders, most are made of pvc.

in general, know how to maintain your collectibles. look at the composition of the materials you need to keep them because one single component can damage it.

• ✩★ don't look into pricey/rare items before regular ones.

this should be obvious, but we can get carried away. i felt less dumb when i found out quite a few people go through that too. as a kpop collector, my life was destroyed the day i found out about pobs. what do you mean an era that lasted about 3 months has ROUGHLY 470 PHOTOCARDS IN TOTAL? 58 PCS PER MEMBER? we definitely live in a society, i hate capitalism. unfortunately, the rare items sometimes end up as our priorities, but it's easier to complete the "cheap" part of your collection first before moving forward. which takes us to the next point:

• ★ if you are affording a collection while fending for yourself, DON'T GO IN DEBT.

eat! pay your bills! work! DON'T put your collection above your basic needs. which means, use your money carefully! if you receive some type of alimony, assistance aid, benefit, remember the reason you receive it, which is definitely not collecting. unless you are rich and can spend your money as you wish (i hope you go poor and the poor get rich btw <3), DON'T BE A DUMBASS AND SPEND MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE. as much as i hate to read "collection is a luxury" in exposed threads, it's unfortunately true. the world we live in doesn't allow all of us to afford dream collections so PLEASE let's have some class consciousness.

• ★ always check if the items you are purchasing are original or replicas.
• ★ beware of going outisde with your items.

i know people who don't take their collectibles outside in ANY situation. i don't want to be this extreme, but i try to be really careful with them. once i lost 5 lomocards and almost teared my skin off, imagine if it was something collectible in fact? if you don't trust yourself, i can't say much about that (i don't trust myself either) but try to take some items outside if you feel comfortable. be especially careful in places you know will have people interested in it too. (i'm never going to a kpop event with an official pc. EVER.)