A Word from Wise, Philip Wise

Philip Wise, Star Wars afficianado (to say the least) is the Mastermind behind Star Wars news and collecting sites theforce.net and rebelscum.com. He has an amazing Star Wars collection. Philip long ago laid down a sort of mission statement in regards to Star Wars collecting called "Collect to Collect". This doctrine can be applied to any type of collecting, and is as follows:

- Buy only what you need and make sure others get one before you get many.

- Acquire pieces for your collection because you want them, not because you plan to profit from them.

- Help others achieve their collecting goals for the sake of the hobby, not profit.

- When you trade or sell available toys, do so at cost.

- When you trade or sell unavailable toys, do so keeping the golden rule in mind: you'll always win in the long run if you don't take advantage of people.

- Buy from scalpers as a very last resort. They exist because people buy from them and do not make collecting toys easier. Scalping only promotes decay within the hobby.

- Understand it is more important for a kid to have the toys than you; help them out whenever possible. You're likely to get another chance at the toy, he/she may not.

I posted the doctrine because I think it's a noble statement that a lot of people forget. It's sad to see these pirates on places like eBay selling stuff that they horded from the local Target or Toys 'R Us simply because they knew it was a hot item and could make mega bucks by hawking to poor saps on eBay. I pride myself on having a nose on what will be the next hot toy of the season. I told friends and family about Furby long before it was on the Today Show or wherever. But nothing frustrates me more than going to my local retailer to look for a specific item and find that is constantly sold out. Of course, one visit to eBay will reveal the location of all those toys, usually going for twice to 10 times the MSRP, sometimes even higher. Remember when you were a kid and collected baseball cards? Or Garbage Pail Kids, which recently celebrated their 20 year anniversary (God, I'm old). If you had two of a card, you traded it to a friend. You didn't try to hawk it to the highest bidder. I've found a community of collectors who still respect and follow this sacred mandate in the form of the Star Wars forums at rebelscum.com. I've made countless trades there with total strangers, I've sent money on blind faith that I'd get something in return. I have had no bad experiences with this group of dedicated fans (knock wood) and highly encourage anyone with even the slightest interest in Star Wars to pay them a visit. It's not just a site for collectors, but a place where you can pick up gossip, news, share stories and experiences or just lurk in the shadows and "observe" all the geeks. And you can check out Philip's crazy Star Wars Room. This is definitely something you'll want to see for yourself. I won't post a link here, you'll have to go to www.rebelscum.com and find it on your own. It won't be hard to find. You'll either be really impressed, or really scared.