How do some of you afford.... (2 Viewers)

[BGinGA]

Some random Monday morning thoughts from an old chipper:

Buy only what you really like and can afford, and pass on those chips that you don't really like and can't really afford. And because your tastes and budget will change over time, you will find both of those to be moving targets. Enjoy the ride -- it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Buy from folks that don't want the chips as badly as you do. Sell to folks who want the chips more than you do. Rinse, repeat. Be civil to your fellow chippers.

Make friends along the way and do favors when appropriate if you can. Returned favors and chip karma are very real, if you fully buy into the chip community concept. If you are here to take advantage of others, expect the same in return.

One way to experience a lot of variety over time in this hobby is to consider yourself to be merely renting the high-end chips (for roughly the cost of shipping, eventually reselling them at cost).

Generally speaking, the less expensive the chips, the more they will cost you to own in the long-term -- high-end chips tend to hold value, while low-end chips do not (and tend to be viewed more as a disposible item/expense).

Spending $100 on various chip samples to get first-hand impressions is much wiser than spending $100 on a low-cost set based on just pictures and misleading hype. You will be able to recoup most (if not all) of your samples costs; not so with the cheap set purchase.

 

[ekricket]

. If you are here to take advantage of others, expect the same in return.

This should be a banner at the top of every page on this site.

There a few new members who are going to learn this the hard way. Buying stuff you don’t need or want out from under people who do need and want it just to resell it for profit back to those same people gets noticed pretty quick.

That’s a couple of new members doing this and building sets that are going to get max pain if they ever need my stuff.

 

[Machine]

I haven't seen Scrub Donkey posted yet, and I think its on par with this thread to some extent ...

 

[chippitydoodah]

When you are 65 and have no money to retire on get back to me. You don’t want to be thinking “damn, that $5000 I spent on poker chip when I was thirty would be almost $90K now! Instead it cost me 10K with interest payments on my maxed out CC ….Now I’m living on SS because I spend all money I didn’t have on needless stuff.

 

[Ben8257]

Some random Monday morning thoughts from an old chipper:

Buy only what you really like and can afford, and pass on those chips that you don't really like and can't really afford. And because your tastes and budget will change over time, you will find both of those to be moving targets. Enjoy the ride -- it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Buy from folks that don't want the chips as badly as you do. Sell to folks who want the chips more than you do. Rinse, repeat. Be civil to your fellow chippers.

Make friends along the way and do favors when appropriate if you can. Returned favors and chip karma are very real, if you fully buy into the chip community concept. If you are here to take advantage of others, expect the same in return.

One way to experience a lot of variety over time in this hobby is to consider yourself to be merely renting the high-end chips (for roughly the cost of shipping, eventually reselling them at cost).

Generally speaking, the less expensive the chips, the more they will cost you to own in the long-term -- high-end chips tend to hold value, while low-end chips do not (and tend to be viewed more as a disposible item/expense).

Spending $100 on various chip samples to get first-hand impressions is much wiser than spending $100 on a low-cost set based on just pictures and misleading hype. You will be able to recoup most (if not all) of your samples costs; not so with the cheap set purchase.

Probably should have begun with...

Coming to you live this morning from Dave's half bath under the second floor stairs, and whilst sitting upon my porcelain throne with less than ideal elbow space... a thought strikes me, but first a quick quote by Hedley Lemarr "Quiet Taggart! My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of though cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives!"

Just sharing as I also wish I had begun my Monday morning thoughts with this as well! Lol

Happy Monday Dave!!

 

[Rieguy]

but first a quick quote by Hedley Lemarr "Quiet Taggart! My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of though cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives!"

Looks like all the advice ever needed is already in this thread. I always stress patience above all, and don't be afraid to reach out to people with questions if you've exhausted yourself on the search function. You'll make better decisions if you let it breathe instead of being guided by hype/FOMO.

 

[CraigT78]

Two words.

Only fans.

You'd be surprised how many people will pay to watch a fat naked guy drink beer.

 

[chippitydoodah]

Just so you know, my gif is not making fun of you, its a reflection of the chill sent up my spine your story did to me. I see For Sale ads all the time where they're selling chips because of some unforseen expense and a lot of times they JUST BOUGHT THE CHIPS! Your post should be read by every new member as a cautionary tale and I'm glad you were honest enough with yourself and to share it.

 

[Willy Gee]

You are looking at this the wrong way. I don't "buy" chips; I "invest" in them.

 

[BPTDirector]

Do I want Tigers, hell yeah. Can I afford them, hell no. So I admire them in photos. Do I love all the NAGB chips, yes I do! Have I ever owned any, nope. So I admire them in others’ posts. I’m retired, have a decent retirement, house paid for, have other things I’ve bought and saved for, but still live within my means knowing that things are more important than chips, cars, boats, etc.

Use your head, enjoy what you have worked for and can AFFORD, and be happy. Really what other choice is there? Debt? No way!! That’s a prison you don’t want to be in. Do not let jealousy or envy ruin your existence. It was a billion to one shot that you are even alive, is that not good enough?

 

[ekricket]

It was a billion to one shot that you are even alive, is that not good enough?

lol, I thought about this the other day.

Even if you are one in a million, there are 8000 people just like you. Think about that next time you apply for a job

 

[Old State]

Just so you know, my gif is not making fun of you, its a reflection of the chill sent up my spine your story did to me. I see For Sale ads all the time where they're selling chips because of some unforseen expense and a lot of times they JUST BOUGHT THE CHIPS! Your post should be read by every new member as a cautionary tale and I'm glad you were honest enough with yourself and to share it.

If you are responding to me no worries. I was speaking hypothetically. I’m only 49, very fortunate to have a great career, and luckily have a lot saved for retirement.

That said I’m turning 50 this year and the reality of retirement is on my mind a LOT lately. I hate seeing younger people waste money not considering they will need to retire someday and what they want that day to look like financially.

When I was in my late 20s a manager of mine gave me two books- “The Automatic Millionaire” and the “Millionaire Next Door”. I’m forever indebted to him as those books changed my perspective on money, spending and savings. I was already a “cash only” type buyer then but these books demonstrated how people of even modest means can retire millionaires if they invest and cut unnecessary expenses.

I’m not cheap by any means and have a tendency to usually buy the best versions of the things I’m interested in…so I get it. But I’ve always tried to put off larger fun purchases until every other expense along with my savings were accounted for….and when I won’t notice the money gone. I also make sure I’m getting what ever it is for the cheapest price I can find.

 

[louBdub]

I see some sets selling or several thousand dollars. The price I understand due to the type of chips, quantity, etc...But how??? LOL.

How? A life with more good decisions versus bad decisions. I live on the edge of that ratio, but I’m currently in the green on good decisions. More to follow on that though, I’m only 39

Copy/paste another post I made:

PCF is in a vacuum.

We’re a bunch of wealthy people, selling to one another, causing our own inflation, raising our own prices, because it’s a drug.

Imagine a bunch of well off crackheads, buying more pure and more special crack rocks, only to sell them to the more needy crackhead, who needs a stronger high.

And if you don’t think you’re wealthy…. And buying this level of casino chips for shits and giggles…. I’ve got some news for you.

Sure, some more than others…. But all of you are doing well. We all are. So go buy your expensive toy circle discs……. I know I will.

 

[Thomacetti]

View attachment 1267539

you can see he's a reg....

 

[Taghkanic]

I’ve said this before on other threads, but will repeat here:

It’s rare to find a hobby or sport where the gear necessary retains most or all of its value (or even increases over time). And can be easily sold at any time to recoup your cost or even make a profit.

Buy an expensive set of golf clubs, or a motorboat, or really almost anything, and these lose a high percentage of their value the first time you use them. And even more over time.

At least that’s how I justify my habit…

 

[shorticus]

I’ve said this before on other threads, but will repeat here:

It’s rare to find a hobby or sport where the gear necessary retains most or all of its value (or even increases over time). And can be easily sold at any time to recoup your cost or even make a profit.

Buy an expensive set of golf clubs, or a motorboat, or really almost anything, and these lose a high percentage of their value the first time you use them. And even more over time.

At least that’s how I justify my habit…

Especially sports!!!!

Buy a brand new golf club or baseball bat and 2 years later it’s lost at least half its value!

 

[Lil Tuna]

How? A life with more good decisions versus bad decisions. I live on the edge of that ratio, but I’m currently in the green on good decisions.

 

[krafticus]

Especially sports!!!!

Buy a brand new golf club or baseball bat and 2 days later it’s lost at least half its value!

FYP

 

[wickedwonka121]

I had a ton of over time last year. I decided to spend on myself for a change. I would say I spent about 1/3 of it. But it was a lot. I was able to justify the purchases with the forum. They can always be sold and if they last long enough they are a bit of an investment. I currently have 11 sets. Only felted 4 of them. Next month will be my biggest game at about 20 people. If more show up I'll have to be creative to make itnwork. I have the set to cover 20 initial buyins right meow. Went from 500 paulsons to somewhere around 6000. The rest are tinas and some nexgens. I need to keep better inventory. I'll work on that this week. But my speed has greatly slowed down. I'm working on finishing my solid tourney and cash sets. Chips are in house. They need to be processed: cleaned, flattened, milled/stamped. One other set needs labels. The other sets are ready for play.

 

[SteveEH]

I drive a 1998 Toyota Camry base model.

 

[joeyshin]

I’ve spent over $100k in my 15+ years of chipping. After buying and selling I’ve made some money and lost some money but I’m probably break even over it all. I just love chips. I love building sets. I don’t even host a regular game. I just bring them other people’s games.

But I do like to take them out and just look at them. I shuffle them. Make stacks. Take photos. Splash pots. Etc. I’m a nut

 

[SavageLizard]

I had a ton of over time last year. I decided to spend on myself for a change. I would say I spent about 1/3 of it. But it was a lot. I was able to justify the purchases with the forum. They can always be sold and if they last long enough they are a bit of an investment. I currently have 11 sets. Only felted 4 of them. Next month will be my biggest game at about 20 people. If more show up I'll have to be creative to make itnwork. I have the set to cover 20 initial buyins right meow. Went from 500 paulsons to somewhere around 6000. The rest are tinas and some nexgens. I need to keep better inventory. I'll work on that this week. But my speed has greatly slowed down. I'm working on finishing my solid tourney and cash sets. Chips are in house. They need to be processed: cleaned, flattened, milled/stamped. One other set needs labels. The other sets are ready for play.

 

[johnnycnote]

View attachment 1267488

 

[Moxie Mike]

Those are chips from the Empress Casino. Oddly, the hard-to-get chips were the ones.

I heard they didn't have a poker room - reducing the need to have such a large inventory of $1 chips.

 

[Godzilla28]

Drugs, crypto or both.

 

[Moxie Mike]

I see some sets selling or several thousand dollars. The price I understand due to the type of chips, quantity, etc...But how??? LOL.

I'm not a chipper like some people here. I own about 5 playable sets all of which are put to use at least occasionally. I really don't have anything I don't use.

I built my sets by transacting frequently - buying, selling & trading as opportunities came along. If you're patient it can be done systematically and while you'll still have some cash out of pocket, it's better than buying a completed set outright if price is a concern.

 

[Labrat]

Some random Monday morning thoughts from an old chipper:

Buy only what you really like and can afford, and pass on those chips that you don't really like and can't really afford. And because your tastes and budget will change over time, you will find both of those to be moving targets. Enjoy the ride -- it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Buy from folks that don't want the chips as badly as you do. Sell to folks who want the chips more than you do. Rinse, repeat. Be civil to your fellow chippers.

Make friends along the way and do favors when appropriate if you can. Returned favors and chip karma are very real, if you fully buy into the chip community concept. If you are here to take advantage of others, expect the same in return.

One way to experience a lot of variety over time in this hobby is to consider yourself to be merely renting the high-end chips (for roughly the cost of shipping, eventually reselling them at cost).

Generally speaking, the less expensive the chips, the more they will cost you to own in the long-term -- high-end chips tend to hold value, while low-end chips do not (and tend to be viewed more as a disposible item/expense).

Spending $100 on various chip samples to get first-hand impressions is much wiser than spending $100 on a low-cost set based on just pictures and misleading hype. You will be able to recoup most (if not all) of your samples costs; not so with the cheap set purchase.

Best post yet.

I'm not a chipper, but I get chipping, truly. I just can't justify spending $2500+ on a set nowadays, especially with my group. That being said, I've bought the best that fits my group and right now we're playing with Tina Taj Mahals. I get compliments occasionally, but everybody is there for the game and the friendship, not the chips.

Relatively inexpensive? Yep.
Spinners? Yep.

Does anybody care? Nope.

Can I afford a used-casino set? Probably.
Do I want one? Not really. Would rather have a Beretta Silver Pigeon 12ga, to be honest.

Get what fits your group or you, not what fits everybody else.

Honestly, I get more compliments on the table my dad and I built together than the chips. He's since passed, and I will never replace it.

 

[legend672]

They have been a tremendous investment

 

[ekricket]

You get up early. I see these minutes after they were posted but passed because I’m at a place where I don’t need these. But this is what new chippers should be looking for

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/chips-ahoy.115471/

 

[ekricket]

Also, there is some wisdom here

Don’t think a man don’t care about one goat because he’s got a thousand of ’em,” Hosteen Nakai would say. “He’s got a thousand because he cares more about goats than he cares about his relatives.