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Post by RoboFestivus on May 18, 2015 16:16:57 GMT -5
I decided to create this thread so that all the experienced collectors here can share some of their ideas on how to protect a collection from burglary. I'm not talking about having the proper renters or home insurance. That's after the fact. I am talking about how to prevent the burglary in the first place.
Do you use a PO box instead of your home address when buying online?
Do you hide your identity and location online as much as possible? What are some good tips?
Do you cover up or hide your collection if you ever have a repair man or contractor over to do repairs or improvements in your home?
I knew a guy who collected toy trains. He showed me his collection and it was very impressive, several rooms with walls covered floor to ceiling and a room with a whole miniature town with several trains on it. I told him he should contact one of the local news channels and see if they would be interested in interviewing him and showing off part of his collection on TV. He told me that wouldn't be very wise as it would invite burglars into his home to clean out his collection. See? I didn't think about that then. Ideas and tips like this is what I'm looking for here.
Anyone?
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Post by TheMazingerZ on May 18, 2015 16:41:41 GMT -5
LOL... I do all of the above!  }D |
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Post by Mr. Ginrai on May 18, 2015 21:49:37 GMT -5
I mainly buy from areas far away from me, but yes, I have been thinking of going the PO box route.
While I am extremely active and visible online and at some local events, most people only know the city I am from and only two of my closest local friends have ever seen my collection in person.
A few very good friends from here get pics of new purchases every so often but that's it.
Like the guy you met said, you want to keep your ass off the news. Trust me when I tell you that most of the biggest collectors or those that are the most well heeled financially, you will never come across them on a message board, except for a few guys here and there. Most of them are in it for themselves and no one else because that's what they enjoy.
Always keep a low profile and just be nice. That's my best advice.
My collection is in a private area in the place I live, but the serious stuff is protected off site, and my stock/inventory of trade items/things to sell/things I haven't completed yet is in a normal area, but that is being downsized to hide it for the rare occasion a maintenance guy does need to come to the house. Always be cautious.
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Post by xtrlowz75 on May 18, 2015 23:31:00 GMT -5
Dogs that may bite, a home alarm attached to my iphone and a beautiful shotgun do the trick for me. Oh and I work closely with all of our local law enforcement who respond to my house or calls within minutes. I don't show people my collection either out side of Mr. Ginrai and a few other close friends.
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Post by Lejam on May 19, 2015 1:10:10 GMT -5
Admin on :
Please do not refer to the use of weapons.
Thanks.
Admin off.
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Post by tetsuryu on May 19, 2015 3:30:05 GMT -5
I guess one of the benefits of living in a country with practically no toy collector scene is that no one is gonna steal my toys  Burglary is pretty uncommon around here anyway, and when it does happen, they're after stuff they can flip for cash, ie. mainly electronics, and cash. |
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Post by ricecake on May 19, 2015 10:50:45 GMT -5
One thing to keep in mind is that when you take pictures of your collection, make sure to turn off any geo-tagging features so that your location information isn't embedded in the metadata of the picture.
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Post by ancer on May 19, 2015 18:22:50 GMT -5
Check with your insurance company, they may offer a plan for collectibles.
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Post by RoboFestivus on May 20, 2015 9:31:44 GMT -5
Check with your insurance company, they may offer a plan for collectibles. Thank you ancer, but I was looking for tips, tricks and ideas to prevent the burglary in the first place, or avoid accidentally inviting the burglars into your home and to your collection. Material possessions are lost all the time to many things such as theft, fire, wear and tear, and other reasons, but it doesn't hurt to do everything in our power to prevent these. Having the proper insurance is a given, and it's the wise thing to do for anyone who keeps valuables at home. However, all insurance can do is reimburse you for your loss, which is much better than nothing. But there are things money can't buy, like the time spent hunting for and waiting for that bargain collectible that is no longer so easy to find, the months or years spent building up your collection, or the emotional attachment a collector might have to a particular item or group of items. My collection is tiny(recently started) and not worth much at the moment, but I've been thinking about this more as my collection grows. Thank you all for the responses and ideas! Keep them coming. |
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Post by Yumcha on May 20, 2015 10:54:45 GMT -5
Well, a home security system is a must-have regardless if I have a collection or not. But, that's the first thing. The second thing is, while I am very hardcore collector of anything gokin and etc., I generally do not post too many images of what I own and as well, try to keep my online persona more or less private. And of course, make sure you change your online passwords regularly with something strong and hard to crack. That way, your personal information such as where you live and etc. cannot be readily accessed. And no, "password" is not a good password. I can't help you if you're one of those who is on Facebook and posts and shares every detail of your life. |
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Post by Philo Beddoe on May 20, 2015 12:42:33 GMT -5
I checked with my insurance company last year about insuring my collection and they gave me some crazy requirement of all the items need to have been purchased within the past 5 years and needing receipts. I didn't proceed with my inquiry any further after hearing that but it sounded like much more work than I was willing to put forth. Perhaps that was their intention.
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Post by RoboFestivus on May 20, 2015 12:49:43 GMT -5
I checked with my insurance company last year about insuring my collection and they gave me some crazy requirement of all the items need to have been purchased within the past 5 years and needing receipts. I didn't proceed with my inquiry any further after hearing that but it sounded like much more work than I was willing to put forth. Perhaps that was their intention. I've always heard and read that at the very least you should keep an inventory of all your stuff that you have in your house, especially valuables. You are supposed to keep receipts of the most valuable stuff, along with photos, and some people go as far as making a video of all the stuff they own. This serves as both, a reminder of everything you have in case you lose it all, as well as a way to prove to your insurance that you actually had that stuff in order for them to reimburse you. Depending on your policy, they will reimburse the current value of your stuff(Good), or they will reimburse the original value of your stuff(Not so good). |
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Post by S_Gokin on May 20, 2015 12:59:46 GMT -5
nice idea man honestly this hobby is still not that famous in here so i think no one will care about my collection but to be safe i do the P.O box thing in matter of fact i have alot of P.O boxes around the world and non of them are leading to me or where i live, i need to go and pick up my items by my self its more secure and more exiting, i hate waiting tho  and no one of my friends saw my collection in person only a very few family members and i keep my collection in my own room so they will be under my eyes most of the time and away from others as for hiding my identity i don't use Google chrome browser at all ton of ads and its not as secure as fire fox when you install some very effective extensions i also cover up the my display stand so when a repair man come in he wont notice any thing but its a rare thing when some one come in to fix things (that gave me an idea about a stealth display stand which look normal i will start building one soon hopefully) my advice for you bro avoid talking to much about your hobby to stranger keep it low profile when you try to buy something online try to buy it from a far place from your home so no one can track you try to pick up your stuff from your local post office by your self its even more effective to hide your location and when you take photos try to make it indoors without any thing in the background will lead to you if you want to take an outdoor photo try to make it in a far public place |
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Post by Yumcha on May 20, 2015 13:55:01 GMT -5
Most home insurance plans allow for a replacement of valuables up to a certain amount...that amount can be increased. I had inquired about taking out a separate plan for my collection but at the end, the incidental replacement value I can claim isn't bad...so, I just upped it by a bit more and go from there.
And per what others have suggested, an actual inventory of your collection is pretty important...I maintain one and it's a worthwhile exercise if you haven't yet.
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Post by Mechanical Flesh on May 20, 2015 15:49:46 GMT -5
I have begun collecting recently too, so it's nice to read some good advice and tips on how to keep your collection safe from people with bad intentions. Thanks for starting this post, RoboFestivus.
As for me, I never post anything collection-related on Facebook or other social networks. Heck, I barely post anything on Facebook, that place sucks more and more everyday. I only post new purchases here in RJ, and I may even start limiting myself in that regard, since I'm aware of the risks now..
All the stuff I acquired up until now, I've either bought it in a toy store, or through a middleman (he buys things from Japan and gives them to me in person). So, no worries for now. I'll have to think of that PO box once I start buying stuff online, though. Yup.
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Post by reVolVer on May 21, 2015 1:32:21 GMT -5
and when it does happen, they're after stuff they can flip for cash, ie. mainly electronics, and cash. hehehe.. its quite true. i heard some stories of theft wherein they didnt bother looting chogokins, probably thinking it aint worth that much and thought its just cheap kid's toys.. instead took lesser valuable items with them. Its really does happen.. unless the would be culprit is a fellow chogokin collector who knows the current market prices hehehe... |
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Post by tetsuryu on May 21, 2015 3:09:24 GMT -5
hehehe.. its quite true. i heard some stories of theft wherein they didnt bother looting chogokins, probably thinking it aint worth that much and thought its just cheap kid's toys.. instead took lesser valuable items with them. Its really does happen.. unless the would be culprit is a fellow chogokin collector who knows the current market prices hehehe... Reminds me of this story a guy running a computer shop told me once...the shop got broken into, and he had these two boxes lying around, one was filled with some Pentium III processors or something, which were the top of the line at the time...and the other was filled with old hard drives headed to the junk heap. Guess which one the thieves took. |
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Post by Yumcha on May 21, 2015 11:53:49 GMT -5
Generally speaking, I've been collecting pretty intensively since 1999...and with the network of other enthusiast friends I've kept (i.e. from TBDX and etc.), there has yet to be a horror story of theft. Maybe a parcel got lost in the mail but in all those instances, the vendor quickly took care of it.
The most sordid probably I know of was the ToyFreakz fiasco with the Dairrugger. But, again...not really a theft of someone's collection. So, generally, most of you should not sleep with your eyes open and holding a shotgun that some nutbar will come and steal your precious *in wife's voice* hoard of action figures and robotic "dolls".
The biggest thing you need to worry about are acts of God like fires, floods...those are scary. So, to prep for those, the advice most have given in here about an inventory and checking your home insurance policy is a must.
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Post by RoboFestivus on May 21, 2015 12:19:02 GMT -5
The biggest thing you need to worry about are acts of God like fires, floods...those are scary. Maybe we should invest in these to house our collection cabinets? Just kidding. - Erected on your concrete slab foundation.
- Constructed of 8” wide, structural steel “C” channels bolted into .22” thick angle iron frames with 1/2” grade 5 bolts.
- Engineer evaluated, debris impact tested and ATSA certified, our safe rooms are rated for EF-5 storms and are installed using numerous Hilti® 1/2" diameter building anchors.
   www.usstormshelters.com/safe_rooms_shelters.phpwww.usstormshelters.com/personal_safe_room.php |
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Post by Mechanical Flesh on May 21, 2015 14:06:25 GMT -5
The biggest thing you need to worry about are acts of God like fires, floods...those are scary. So, to prep for those, the advice most have given in here about an inventory and checking your home insurance policy is a must. Not to mention earthquakes  those pesky basterds may not be that frequent here in the north of Italy, but I know that in all of Europe I practically live in the state where they happen the most. I'll have to buy a nice, solid house in the future, one with anti-seismic foundations would be the best. I hope nothing bad happens in the meantime. Theft-wise, only a person who's into collecting could steal your figures "the right way". I mean, if they were to pick and throw every gokin they found in a box, they'd scratch the paint and break the plastic parts to the point where the figures would be almost worthless from the damage taken. If they wanted to do things right, they'd have to steal all of the toy boxes, too. Such a theft would probably take a lot of time, for large collections, and a lot of patience. I'm not saying it's impossible, or that it hasn't ever happened to anyone, but.. it's kind of unlikely, isn't it? |
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