Well, we've been up and running for about a week now, so it seems like an excellent time to post our manifesto. We'd like to think The Clearance Bin is a little different than most of the toy review sites out there. This isn't to say there aren't some great ones - we'll direct you to our favorites from time to time. And this isn't to say we won't post reviews - in fact, the majority of what we post will most likely be reviews. But there's something that makes The Clearance Bin just a little bit special, something to differentiate us from the crowd:
We're broke.
Oh, we're not starving or anything, and we get by okay. But we aren't rich, and we've never been able to run out and buy anything we wanted just because we wanted it. And yet, we've managed to bury ourselves in action figures, replicas, spaceships, and toys of all sorts. How is this possible? Because we've learned to shop the sales. We've studied the system, and learned when to bide our time. We wait for toys to go on clearance and, from time to time, we've been known to buy toys used and clean them up. Some of the best pieces in our collection were picked up for a fraction of their original retail value. We have collectibles that were literally purchased at ten percent - or less - of their original retail price.
Most collectors we've met are a fairly devoted lot and won't shy away from spending the money their hobby requires. If there's something new, most will rush to the store on it's first day available or log onto eBay and pay top dollar. We want to be clear about something: we respect this. If we had the money to buy and space to store premium figures and statues, we'd own dozens - maybe hundreds. We don't resent collectors with the cash and inclination to pick up busts and statues.
But that's an option we didn't have. So instead we had to get creative. We've learned how to get the best toys possible for next to nothing. We've learned how to customize toys, turning discounted or broken figures into works that overshadow anything you'll find in a store at any price.
In the interest of full disclosure, we're not as frugal as we once were. We've gotten better jobs, and less space remaining. We've reached a point where we're buying a lower volume of toys, but we're willing to pay more for the ones we really want.
But make no mistake: we haven't forgotten how our collections were established. We've spent years collecting more than toys: we've got thousands of tricks and tips... and we're ready to share.