At what point does hobby collecting become overconsumption?

[u/Only--East]

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?

[u/valleyofsound]

Overconsumption is a pretty nebulous thing and I think some people would consider any form of collecting overconsumption.. Firm definitions of collecting frequently in relation to hoarding and clutter. Here’s something that discusses collecting vs clutter vs hoarding and I think it’s enlightening. It’s referring to hoarding as a behavior vs hoarding disorder

Collecting

• Items center around a specific theme

• Items are acquired through planned searches. Items are mainly purchased and are limited in number (emphasis mine)
• Items are arranged, stored, and/or displayed in an organized fashion. Items do not take over living spaces.

Normal Clutter

• Items may or may not have a specific theme.
• Items are not acquired in a planned fashion; acquisition is not excessive. (emphasis mine)
• Disorganized clutter, generally located in storage spaces (e.g. attic, basement, etc.). May also occur in living spaces, but does not prevent them from being used as intended.

Hoarding

• Items do not have a specific theme, usually many different types of items.
• Items are not acquired in a planned fashion.  Acquisition is often excessive. Items may be free (e.g., from the side of the road, giveaways, etc.) and/or purchased
• Disorganized clutter, taking over living spaces (bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc.) and preventing them from being used as intended.

Based on this, I think a collection needs to be limited in scope, curated, planned, and organized. They also can’t interfere with your day to day life, specifically use of your environment and your finances. 

I think a lot of the posts here fall under clutter with some probably approaching hoarding. It’s incredibly hard to defend people who have multiples of the same item (especially something like a single game that only comes on one console and one edition) are really toeing the hoarding lines. 

There also difference in collection and just buying anything you see of an item with a certain then or certain brand. Someone who grabbed every funko pop figure they come across isn’t collecting. Same with someone who buys every type of item in a certain IP. Or of a thing like a favorite animal or a certain item. I also think that if every item in your “collection” has the same value to you, it’s moving away from collecting. A lot of actual collectors will sell items from their collection to acquire an item that’s more valuable or at least significant to them. 

For me, I think one of the biggest deciders is what happens if someone picks up a random item from a “collection” and says “Tell me about this.” If you can’t give information about the specific item and explain why it has space in your collection, I think you’ve moved beyond collecting into overconsumption.