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Posted by Paul
on 11/4/2009, 7:35 am, in reply to "Re: Age is also a factor "
67.169.103.10
Yes, the majority of collectors are older, in part at least, a consequence of the high prices of the models, and in part a consequence of the declining interest in (naval) battles long since past. And these older collectors, especially those in their fifties, find it harder and harder to secure new jobs once they have lost their old ones. It is frightening to find themselves in that position: too old to start over and too young to retire. Plus a lot of those folks lost much of what they counted upon for their retirement in the recession last year. Also, it's not just collectors and producers that we face losing, but many of the most established dealers in the hobby are getting to, or beyond, retirement age as well.
So in a way, it is a "Perfect Storm" for the hobby; a combination of factors all of which militate against it: youth disinterest and high cost, older collectors losing their jobs and retirees dying off.
--Previous Message--
: The majority of collectors are also getting
: older and passing away. The rate of new
: younger ciollectors is not keeping up with
: our losses. Not a good situation for the
: future of our hobby.
:
: --Previous Message--
: I known many of our kindred have fallen upon
: hard times -- and there are also several ill
: collectors who will soon leave our table. So
: if a collector is young, he/she has fears
: about jobs, declining 401Ks, and all the
: other nasties that have curtailed spending.
: And with a high average age, nature takes an
: inevitable toll. As a consequence, money is
: tight and the market is flooded with ample
: used models. Sales are down and producers
: and dealers feel the pain. How well the
: hobby will endure this trial is unclear, but
: I suspect we have a long way to go. The
: thing is, the Fed's had little choice but to
: throw money at the problem, and although it
: spiked up GDP -- how much of that is
: "real"? I certainly do not see a
: real comeback in terms of sales, although we
: have enough to get by. We also have an
: over-abudance of inventory because we have
: striven to help our friends -- despite
: fairly poor sales. Well, we cannot continue
: that policy, and I fear what will happen to
: various concerns. We'll get through all
: this, but the frustration is working its way
: to the surface -- as the recent elections
: have shown. We'll lurch to the right -- then
: back to the left -- and so it will go.
: Radical solutions will arrise that are not
: solutions at all. Time will sort it all out,
: but some will fall by the way -- such as
: Carat, Bille, and several good friends who
: are already knocking on heaven's door. But
: we will endure, come what may, and strive to
: do the best we can. It is easier to give in
: to despair than to swim against the tide --
: but life requires a bit of tenacity at
: times. And so we stand, badly battered, but
: still upright.
:
: George
:
: --Previous Message--
: I don't usually comment about strings on the
: SteelNavy message board, but this one,
: "Massively OT..." is very
: interesting to read. It is depressing to
: see how many of the posters there are
: unemployed, having lost their jobs within
: the past year or so.
:
: I am aware of some 1200/1250 collectors in
: the same predicament, and some who have sold
: off their collections as a consequence.
: These are difficult times for many people.
:
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