[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmacq1

The greatest myth of the collector community: That there's a "largely untapped market" of adult collectors out there that are just WAITING to start buying toys even though they haven't been doing so/haven't shown any inclination to do so since they were preteens.

The adult collector market isn't "largely untapped." Precisely the opposite - It's almost tapped out. That's why you're seeing less collector-oriented product on mainstream retail shelves (in favor of cheaper kid-oriented product), and more things shifting to niche-market venues like Kickstarter.

I can guarantee that this hobby is losing more collectors year by year than it's gaining, and probably by a wide margin.

You may be right. However, there definitely seems to be a market on eBay (which sustains high prices based on demand) with popular items selling routinely. The interest that drives the very kick-starters you brought up is apparently out there, highlighting that there are adults willing to spend considerable money to buy toys (some willing to secure entire lines in one purchase). Not to mention the toy-centric websites like this one (and numerous others) that support a multitude (collectively, who knows what the numbers are or could be) of adult supporters. What you perceive as a lack of substantive proof that the market exists may simply represent an inability to package/deliver the product to the "community" at the right vectors/venues. It's also possible that the retail model of mass production might not be the best method of production. A little more "outside of the box" thinking might be in order....