Hey all! Was reading the thread about how much your Oakley collection would be worth if you were to sell it, and reading some of the responses got me thinking. What is the fate for new collectors and their aspirations for wanting rarer items? A lot of you have been collecting Oakley for a VERY long time. When I see when this website was started and how some of you just started collecting at that time and now have such amazing collections, it makes me wonder if there is any hope for newer collectors. Some of you guys starting collecting around the time where you could still buy a Medusa for fairly cheap and they were not so hard to come by. Or when collecting the entire zero series would not be considered impossible.

I have been wearing Oakley for about 6 years now, but only recently got into serious collecting. While I like wearing my collection, I envy those who own items that are ridiculously impossible to come by. Is it even possible for newer collectors to get all the items they want? Or do we just have to realize that if we are this late in the game that we have to just accept that there are some items we just will not ever possess, even if we want them? Curious to hear thoughts.

Is it even possible for newer collectors to get all the items they want? - oakleyglider

I don't think it's even possible for veteran collectors to get everything they want! LOL. Newer collectors will have chances at getting the rare and good stuff as well, since items are always coming onto the market for one reason or another; they might just have to pay a lot more for it. But isn't that the way for all hobbies if you're not on the ground floor? One of my hobbies is comic books. I've been collecting them for at least 25 years and reading them for even longer. I have amassed a larger and more valuable collection than some collectors that have been at it for 40+ years because I'm willing to put more money into it. Conversely, I know of some collectors that have been in the hobby for just over 10 years and have created million dollar collections, exceeding mine by a large margin. Again, it's because they are wiling to spend more.

So your collection (vintage-wise, that is) may depend on what your budget is. Perhaps you won't get deals like $400 Medusa w/goggles like you could 8 years ago, but if you flash $2k around, chances are you'll have a Medusa set shortly afterwards. That said and while deals and steals are getting more scarce as I've said, they are still out there. Keeps your eyes open and you may get a crazy deal we'll all be jealous of.

Newer collectors can create great vintage collections, but it's all what you want to spend. That said, the disclaimer is: create a collection that you will enjoy and not what others will. Buy within your means and not go into debt. That's just my approach and advice; take it with a grain of salt.

Ultimately, there will always be new releases that will be collectible down the road. You may have missed some of the older items, but you can take advantage of the new ones now that you're here.

Enough of my tired, late night rumblings. Good luck and happy collecting.

I think years ago the number of serious collectors was a lot smaller than today. A few more people jumped on the o-train now. So there is a lot more money in the market and it is challenging between the collectors. So rare items are getting more and more expensive due the amount of people who want them. Years ago you might have been called a scalper when you asked 1k for a Medusa. Today 2k is a settled market price where no one is screaming about.
It deals with the politics of cheap money as well. Today it is not attractive to save money due the low interests. It seems to be better to consume or invest you money. Some guys here nearly doubled the worth of their investments from years ago, if you look at todays prices. But that is and was never the reason for collecting, in my opinion.
Don't fix your focus on money, fix it on the items you really want. Take yourself time to find what you want and someday there comes a deal across you can't resist. I'm in the game since 1994 now and I still don't have all the things I want to have but I'm not sad about that. I just wait (with focused eyes.) ;)

Personally I have only been what I would call a serious Oakley collector for a couple years now although a fan of the brand for 7-8. Just because you are new to it doesnt mean you cant get some cool stuff. A lot of times for me it isnt even about spending big bucks either. Its about spending the time doing research, making connections, following up on leads etc. I have landed some rare items that didnt cost an arm and a leg. I just recently picked up some nice older items from a guy I had done a trade with over a year ago. Just called me up out of the blue wanting to sell his collection. So I bought it at a reasonable price and it had quite a few gems in it. There will always be someone with a bigger better collection so buy what you like and can afford, that is what I say.

I definitely think I have cool stuff. And am happy with my current collection. Out of curiosity, what is this so called "market"? Is it just eBay, or is there another place to purchase more vintage Oakley items that I am probably unaware of?

I personally only buy what I want to wear, and am not really into display items. The reason I started this thread is because of how much difficulty I am having in getting a Ruby Mars and really just the whole line of Mars in general.

I try not to judge my own success off of the success of others, but sometimes it is a little disheartening to know that there are some things I just may never have. I am not sad about it though, just discouraged but using this thread as a pick me up!

And oak, while you are right in the fact that I can take advantage of the newer items while I am here, they do not intrigue me as much as the older ones do. Not because they are not rare or sought after, but because they are made by an Oakley that does not have the same standards that I once followed. While I am new to "serious" collecting, I have been a fan. I can relate to wearing outrageous things, even though they weren't Oakley. It just so happens that those older items are the ones that EVERYONE wants, haha.

The Mars is one of those items that are in crazy demand nowadays, as you know well yourself. To me, finding them isn't an issue. There are a ton of them floating around amongst the collector community and by auction. It's just finding them at a price I'm willing to pay. I've bought a few Mars since the start of the year (via local collectors) and they were reasonably priced, but not the crazy low prices of yesteryear. In cases like the Mars, Greg is right that you need to get in contact with your fellow collectors and see if a reasonable deal could be reached rather than hit eBay.

Oh yeah, and move to California. All the good stuff floats from out there, it seems.

I think there's a couple problems for new collectors. One, prices of course have gone way way up. Second, the amount of truly mint vintage items out there decreases over time as things get passed through multiple people, worn, get dusty on display, get shipped when dirty etc.

So back in the day not only were the items cheaper, the average condition was also better as early 90's stuff was only 10 years old instead of 20, and the late 90's stuff only a few years old. Chances of finding something complete with box were also higher.

The problem of items getting dusty might not be that much of a problem I think. You can securely clean it and keep everything in good condition...

Also, if you keep your eyes open, you will definitely be able to find your holy grail at a good price. Just have the patience and take the time to search for it.

Yea, I should just say improperly cleaned and improperly stored, either way, lots of variables that make the search that much harder now (at least for the mint shelf-whore chasing guys, for the wearing guys it's not as bad).

Yeah, while I agree with you all in the fact that I know I have to wait and keep looking for the right deals, which I do not mind, the pieces I want may rarely come up. I could be totally wrong in saying this, but I feel that a majority of serious collectors have a monopoly on rare items in general, and are unwilling to relinquish them for fear of them being unable to be replaced. Someone even said that in another thread I read. So while keeping my eyes open will help a lot, and while money is not a HUGE issue, the hardest part is actually finding the items I want. I can live with a little use, it just seems so hard to even find the items. But I will take all of the advice and just be patient, hoping that something will come along!

Finding what you want is the hard part
Finding what you want In the condition you want is the next
Finding what you want at the right price is next

Then the circle starts again

It still amazes me how the vintage and hard to get stuff still pops up out if no where, but as there are alot if people it seems who have done the research, they are all after similar things which raises competition & prices.

Vintage stuff with marks & defects are fetching higher prices than NOS items even five yrs ago!

The following and want of vintage is higher than ever now but if your wallets deep enough you can get it, I think collectors are being more selective now.

This hobby has always fallen down to connections. Seasoned collectors like to know their collections have a good home. Sometimes in the hands of another well respected person, items are almost like they're still in yours just not physically. So I would certainly only trade or sell a nominal cost to another who would do the same. Therefore the costs actually do stay low, and relatively unchanged by time. As pairs are released into the wild, they will naturally inflate, and then getting them back into the fold might be tricky, but also explains why so few are openly on the 'market' whatever that may be.

I share your sentiment Dann, I have been treated well by my collector "niche" where I find that they would offer a more reasonable price to me as they know it's going to a collector who shares the same passion as they do as opposed to someone who would not value the item as much. As far as for new collectors, Observe, observe, observe. Join in to as many resources as you can, (facebook, forums, etc) and camp out for pieces that you want, I personally over paid for a lot of items but also came across steals. how do you determine it's a steal? my 2cents, i see what they have sold for in the past, establish an average. for example: Romeo 1 selling $300-$600 over 3 months. so average at $450. if you find a top end romeo (mint, complete with matching serial box, freebies etc.) it should be priced above average and closer to $600. if you get it for $450 or less, that would be a steal. If you really want it, $600 would be fair, since you are not only applying an economic value to your scale but also quenching a personal need that in itself is priceless.