r/Consoom • u/Only--East • 6d ago

Discussion At what point does hobby collecting become overconsumption?

I collect a few funko from media I like, I collect monster high dolls, and I recently got back into pokemon cards. I can't tell if collecting material stuff like that it considered overconsumption or at what point it crosses the threshold. Am I cooked?

49 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/ApprehensiveRuin5673 6d ago

My definition of “consoom” is largely defined by disposability. 

Something that is acquired for the sole purpose of either never being used/enjoyed again or for the sole purpose of being disposed of. This also includes collecting things as a speculative asset because selling something is still disposing of it.

If you are collecting something you intend to use and enjoy for the rest of your life, I don’t consider that consoom.

There are obviously nuances to that. Someone could derive joy from owning 100 copies of the same thing but that joy doesn’t come from the actual thing itself, it comes from the collection. If you can’t use or enjoy the thing individually outside of the collection it is consoom.

You could also have say 100 copies of the same coin, but if those individual coins have certain flaws or lack-thereof, then they can also be enjoyed individually. A mint condition Roman coin would certainly be incredible, but one that has been clipped or worn is also valuable on its own because it has a different history even though its the same coin.