Just wondering how you go about starting to collect these sorts of stuffs? Is there a guide or something?

It helps to have an idea of what you would want to collect in general.
You can choose to collect certain types of items, items from particular productions, or things relating to a favorite actor.
Bear in mind that screen used items can be very expensive.

You might want to visit Movieprop.com's Prop collecting pages for a general list of terminology, dealers, and a guide to what things have sold for in the past.
You can view the prop collecting pages at http://movieprop.com/propmain.htm or by clicking the link to prop and costume collecting thats at the top of every forum page.

If you start a message board thread about things that might interest you like you did with the star trek phaser thread earlier you might get some help from some of our forum members.

Its easy to collect anything. You can buy almost anything now adays it seems.
I will give you a step by step guide

Step One: Work Really Hard

Step Two: Save Up Some Dough

Step Three: Let People Know You Gots the Dough to Blow

Step Four: Someone Offers You Something Real Expensive

Step Three: Get Crazy and Blow it

These rules apply for almost anything. Like my pappy used to tell me, Theres a sucker born every minute.

CostumeDude now try to be constructive in your posts. Not everyone in this world who buys "expensive" things is crazy or wasting their money. There is such a thing as finding something you want paying what its worth and being happy with your purchase.

CostumeDude, I thought we went over this ;-) spending your money on a screen-used movie prop is no different than investing it in coins, stock, antiques, or art. As long as there is a MARKET for an item, there is the potential to make money. even if your goal isn't to make money, the love for the item is what counts. But since it seems "crazy" to put this kind of money into something like this, let me reiterate this: I made $25,000 in one week buying and selling props. I also took 4 items at $1500 and sold them for $2500 in a matter of 3-4 days. Sometimes, you get a deal and when you do, the potential to make money is very high. so, the money is there. But if money is not your goal, then the love of the item should be. And that is still an honorable incentive.

You seem almost bitter towards this. Could it be that you'd love some of these screen-used props but can't afford them? I'm throwing that in the wind but it at least seems like this may be a possibility. Because here you are, on a movie prop board but really being negative towards this. I know we can turn you around. You just need to keep an open mind and lose the negativity ;-)

-HorrorPropKing

Now you boys play nice
Costumedude at least has the same some dough part right. Without money its hard to get things.

Nobody said this hobby was cheap. Nothing wrong with what he said there. But his line "There's a sucker born everyday" leaves little to be desired.

You can start simple and for not as much money as you would think. With only a couple hundred dollars, you can start obtaining some really nice pieces. The best place to get started for this kind of money is ebay and auction houses. My first piece was a Freddy glove from Nightmare on Elm Street 5. I bought it when I was a junior in highschool. I saved up every week until I had enough. $1200 at the time. This was a lot of money. But now the glove has skyrocketed in value up to $5000 or more. It was a good investment whereas at the time, I was told I was crazy. I've never lost a dime in this buisness and in fact, I've definitley made more than I've spent. I hope that helps

HPK

While the hobby is not cheap you have to admit a few of the "screen used" type items that have appeared for sale over the years do have a little of the sucker mentality behind them. A few years back there were tons of the little vials of water from the Melrose Place pool for sale. And now we have Startifacts cutting up costume pieces to sell along with many other dealers. And of course you have the costume pieces sold via trading cards in tiny squares too.

But ulitmately an item is worth what someone wishes to pay naturally. This mantra explains why some prefer licensed replicas to beat up screen used stunt pieces in some instances. Its just what someone happens to want and put money behind to get.

I can't argue there. There are definitely some groups and individuals out there who are trying to pull one over on us with items like that. I avoid them. I guess it's easy to fall victim to them if you don't know what you are looking for. Fortunately, this hobby is growing and I think there will always be a market for these types of items. Well, we can only hope :-)

HPK

Let me modify CostumeDude's step by step guide a little:

Step One: Work Really Hard (for some money to spend on screen used collectibles

Step Two: Save Up Some Dough

Step Three: Let People Know what you want to buy but not how much you have to spend. Meanwhile do your homework on potential sources: established professional prop sellers, auctions, other collectors, etc.

Step Four: Someone Offers You Something

Step Five: Decide what you think of their price. Counteroffer if you think the price is too high or go ahead and pay if the price seems fair.

Step Six: Either receive the item or continue negotiations

Step Seven: Don't be bullied into a price you think is too high - walk away (I bet this is where Costumedude gets stuck)

Step Eight: Buy at a fair price when the time and opportunity is right. I bought one of my most desired pieces at 80% off the price the item was originally offered because I waited 3 years and kept negotiating. When the negotiations for a private sale to me cratered and enough time passed, the seller finally auctioned off the piece, it was less popular, the economy wasn't as good as it was when I first saw the piece, and my competition was only other sellers looking to resell immediately at a huge profit when there was no general interest in the item.

Try not to buy when an item is hot -- ie when the whole world is thinking about and in love with the film/tv series/actor/actress/genre. Delayed gratification can be your best tool in acquiring -- an example: Debbie Reynolds sure got a lot of Planet Hollywoods best stuff on the cheap (cheaper than what PH paid) when they went bust and dumped their stuff in 2003. They spent millions, she spent only tens of thousands. Patience will serve you well -- if it's gathering dust on the dealer's shelf or your fellow fans are out of love with the film/tv series/actor/actress/genre but he/she/it still strikes your fancy, that's the time to buy!

Golden Rule: Buy what you are TOTALLY in love with, not what is cheap or resellable. In this hobby, you only go wrong if you commit youself to buying things you would easily part with.

I hate this kind of crap. It's bad enough to see people mutilate perfectly good magazines for 'trade ads' or 'clippings'. It's lousy to see autographs forged and photocopied and stills shot with a digital camera and printed out onto ordinary copier paper (not even photo paper). I sure don't like it when people sell movie poster reproductions as originals or burn CDs and DVDs and try to sell them as studio/record label originals. But the ultimate in sleazy IMHO is hacking up costumes and reselling them to uneducated newbie collectors. I beat Startifacts out on just such a costume piece in an auction a few years ago and sleep better at night knowing that dozens of potential newbie collectors won't be burned by this lameass attempt at 'manufacturing' a collectible. By doing this Startifacts will never get any of my collecting money -- how can I be sure that what they're selling me is in fact a complete authentic part while they're off hacking up other costumes into scraps?

Okay my rant is over -- I feel better now!

so0s often if there are few of a particular thing in existance and one person has it and another wants it then a better price can be had when the one person decides they really wish to sell it rather than paying the usual sky is the limit high asking price for something the seller really would rather not sell.
I agree with you there. Buying hot things like things from a recent movie whose ebay or new line cinema auction is being heavily advertised is often a very expensive way to get things I agree. I bet the Spiderman 2 items bought via auction will not resale for nearly the original selling price in the future.
Now when you buy something earlier like Planet Hollywood did in theory the items should be closer to the original seller and easier to verify. Once you buy from someone who bought form an original source who then resales the items when times get tough, its always going to be a slight question of if the item is the same or not as before.

Planet Hollywood does not catalog things as well as most people think. They have Star Wars weapons described wrongly for example. And if they make such common errors does one really think they can verify what is authentic for one thing, what they really have for another, and that they are really going to worry to much about what they sell the item as when they did?

Its like the Ellis prop auction, once you buy from someone who got an item from them its all too easy to just switch the item out if its common and from something like John Wayne and offer it via Profiles in History. Who would ever know?

On cut up collectibles, its hard to knwo if its not an item from some Hanes T shirt because the segments are so small for one thing. Now if its of identifiable things and segmented like Death Star Trench pieces have been I don't think its so bad. Also a lot of people in theory could then afford something from a particular movie. In reality the items when sold as licensed trading cards of cutup wardrobe pieces sell for incredible prices.

The regular ones put out by dealers like Startifacts, you basically are paying for a frame and a Certificate of Authenticity, the actual garment segment is not really what sells such things to the masses.