I can get get where you are comming from as well, I was hoping this post would be an eye opener for anyone that might be heading in that direction. I didn’t mention any names and was just using their situations as an example of what could happen if you don’t have your priorities straight and let a hobby over take your life. I know I can’t change the world but maybe I have brought this matter to the attention to the right readers and a few of them had a “reality check” and realize that children and family are everything, and there will always be a chance to own a great mask later down the road when funds are more stable.
I think they were sob stories to hopefully score a lower price. Just man up and ask for a lower price! No one wants to hear about dudes giving up their baby’s food money for a mask!
In my experience the sob stories come two ways:
-setting up to ask for a lower price
or
-to get out paying after a deal is made…with ebay? shit…you dont know how many funerals of best friends and granny’s came up when guys had to pay for winning the auction I had posted!
exactly Evan. a mask before your family?! thats a no brainer. i dont know of any common working American citizens that would choose a mask over their family.
they were deffinitely just playing the pity card.
Damn I would never put a piece of latex in some shape in front of my family. I like the hobby but in the end wtf would you rather be walking around with a mask that is a replica rather than pay all your bills and keep your family happy?
I understand what you are saying in that putting latex before your family is wrong, but if you truely feel it is as wrong as it is, then why did you sell them the masks to begin with? I mean, if what they were doing was so wrong, then why didn’t you just say, “No way man. Your family needs to come first. I won’t accept the money, if it means you not having any money to support your family…” or something along those lines. It seems kind of hypocritical to accept the money and then turn around and post this thread criticizing people for going to the lengths they did and sacrificed the things they did to buy a mask from you.
I do understand where you are coming from though, Tony. It’s troubling to know that some people will put latex before their family’s needs, but on the other hand you did accept the money. Do you see what I mean?
I’m with Jon on this one. As abrasive as this sounds, it’s none of your business (I don’t really want to sound that harsh). If it wasn’t masks, it would be something else. As the old saying goes, never judge unless you have walked a mile in their shoes.
Yo Tony, while I agree w/ you… I think this is a private matter as well. You’d be better off just PMing or emailing those you are referring to.
I know you didn’t mention any names, but those guys may feel offended that you posted this in regards to them. We all make our own decisions in life, some good some bad.
Life is just a big learning lesson! For me it’s always my family over everything else. When times get rough, my masks are one of the first things to go.
agreed…tommy
If people don’t get the mask from you someone else will just sell it to them. I also would like to comment on not to many people you can trust anymore. I’m new to this hobby and have already had 2 mo stolen from me. No one here on this board but I would prefer to pay by check because if something happens you can stop payment on it and a lot of sellers don’t like checks. Anyone care to shed some light on why some hate to take checks.
Chad nailed my feelings on this perfectly.
I don’t agree at all with anyone ever putting a mask over family and I have often sold prized pieces in the past just because it was necessary to take care of the most important things first. Masks can be replaced.
With that said it is still a private decision and probably not the best idea to “call them out” in such a way. Perhaps a more generic version (not specific details) would have been better for the topic.
If these examples are true (meaning they wasn’t fabricated to get a better price) then I would say that those involved probably have a true addiction. Alcoholics, “pill-heads”, etc…they will spend every dime they have on a drink or a fix. I guess the same would be true with any addiction, mask collecting not excluded.
its actually quite upsetting that someone would do that, especially in the christmas season, his poor kids may go short of presents just because of a mask. i love masks so much but if i had to choose between helping a member of my family out or buy a mask, i would help my family member out! 
Just wanted to clear up one thing, the first event I mentioned in this post, I didn’t know the guy was in that type of fanincial state. The only reason I discovered that he had all of these problems going on was that I noticed him selling the mask so cheap and I emailed him and asked him why he was selling so cheaply. His email reply to me was what I posted previously in this post. He went into detailed info on how bad off he was when he purchased the mask from me and why he decided to sell at such a loss. Trust me, if I had known the situation, he would not have purchased the mask from me. Thanks Frankie, for taking time to read the post.
The same guy I am mentioning in this post emailed me a few hours ago. I was expecting to get blasted and really talked badly to. Believe it or not, but he actually told me that he wished I had posted this alot sooner. Seeing all the comments on this topic really got him to thinking real hard about how careless and selfish his decision was. Unfortunately he and his wife are no longer together and he says that his Myers obssession may have not been the only reason for the slit up, it was definately a deciding factor. He and his wife are talking about possibly getting back together in the near future and working things out. He has asked for my phone number and wants to talk and sorta vent and take his mind off things. This might be a friendship in the works, who knows. He gave me permission to post these events that I mentioned above and hopes this post really opens the eyes of a few people that maybe in the situation that he was in.
It really makes me feel good knowing this post provided useful to at least one person out there. I do want to thank everyone that has took the time to listen to my bitching and comment on the post , rather the comments were agreeing with me or telling me “it’s none of my buisness” , your thoughts and opinions were greatly appreciated. I did expect some pretty nasty replies to the post due to the nature of the post, but that didn’t happen.
Thanks again,
-Tony
I think this is a good post and one that I don’t think I have ever seen before. It is a good reminder of what really is important and to not get too carried away with this hobby. For years I thought some people lived beyond their means with these masks. They may have dozens of masks and thousands of dollars invested. Now I don’t know their personal finances but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I remember every now and then you would see a picture of a mask someone purchased for $500, $800, or over a $1,000. You look at the mask and can see the room that it was photographed in. There may be torn up curtains, a couch that is falling apart, old appliances. It makes you wonder why they didn’t use that money to improve those items. I am sure I am not the only one that has seen a photo like that and had the same questions.
But I do see the point that others make that this is a private matter. However, it was brought up that this is an addictive hobby for some people. What is worse is in recent years I have seen it become even a competitive hobby in terms of having to be the first one to have a mask or having one that is very limited. For some of those people you wonder how that $1,000+ could have been better spent. This can also be one of the reasons why masks have gotten so expensive and why some masks sell out before a picture of a finished copy has been shown.
One final thing, this observation is in regards to a small portion of the community. Most buyers and transactions don’t fall into the example of the original post on this topic. I thought the person who brought up this topic touched on a subject that has never been discussed.