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šŸ¦˜Top Tips to Grow Your Oakley Collection

cacatman

No one knows 'cacat' like cacatman!!
Staff member
Premium Member
Lifetime Member
Updated 6th June, 2018 by cacatman

If you've got a top tip, criticism or snide remark, feel free to leave a comment!!

Introduction
We all want to have a great collection we can be proud of. But how? Here are some tips to help keep costs down for you and to keep your collection growing!

Top Tips
  1. Be satisfied with what you've got already! There's nothing worse for your life than constantly envying what you don't have. It will "eat you up" inside. Admire stuff, but don't covet (hard sometimes, I know)! Keep your priorities straight e.g. God, family, friends, country. Oakleys should rightfully be way way way down your list.
  2. Have fun with it. If it becomes a chore more than a hobby then you're not going to enjoy it and you'll only buy stuff because you think you have to (@Jmgarcia)
  3. Be Patient - If stuff isn't too rare, just wait. Try not to impulse buy at a high price. If you are patient enough, stuff will usually dip in price! Disclaimer - But if stuff is super rare, and you really really want it, then sometimes you may have to pay more than you think it is really worth because you know it won't surface again for a long time!!
  4. Set limits for yourself. I know at least one member here who won't buy anything unless he's got money from sales of stuff he's sold. Some keep a separate PayPal account so they can keep track. One guy I know has his whole collection paid for by stuff he buys and sells!
  5. In life, I think it's a good goal to try to not take yourself too seriously, to have a "thick skin" (ie. don't take things too personally) and try to be friendly and helpful to your fellow man (including O.F. members!!). A side benefit is that if people like you, they may prefer to sell to you their stuff and may give you better prices.
  6. Get an Oakley mentor(s) who can help advise you with deals you are contemplating and give you more helpful tips/advice/share their knowledge/contacts. Most of the people here don't mind fielding a question to help a fellow member that is sincere about learning something.
  7. Find and "hang around" people you can trust. "Follow" them on O.F. Here's a great list to start with.
  8. If you aren't sure what you should be paying for something, check on the value thread here or ASK an expert here!
  9. Try and trade stuff that you bought a good prices. It's a more "cost effective" way of getting stuff than just buying outright with money. It will grow your collection much more quickly. c.f. master traders like @dingo ate my baby.
  10. You won't make money out of custom stuff (generally speaking). Some stuff may make money e.g. certain copper customs or tastefully restored items. But most people here prefer "original" Oakley factory made stuff. Keep that in mind when you're buying custom stuff. I buy custom stuff because I like a style that is offered, made by friends I've made here. It's also truly bespoke. But don't expect to make a killing when you resell.
  11. Stay focussed on what you want to add to your collection. If you're like me, you may have started just collecting tons of cheap (and trashed) Oakleys. If I had my time again, I'd work out what I want and focus on just those items instead of spending in a "scattergun" fashion
  12. Oakley Forum is a great place to buy stuff but it's not a great place to sell stuff (if you want to make a bit extra for your next purchase). But it's awesome if you can "give back" to this community as well. Everyone has their own internal "balance" for doing that.
  13. Search for deals on other forums e.g. FB seller sites, Craig's List, Carousell, Gumtree, OfferUp, eBay, retail online stores etc. The wider the net, the better the chance of finding a better deal!
  14. If you have spare cash, look for good "bulk buys" even if you don't want/need the stuff being sold, you may be able to trade stuff easily for stuff you want.
  15. Always keep the boxes for the new stuff you buy! Take care of your glasses so that when you resell them, they are in as close to mint condition as possible!
  16. Itā€™s YOUR collection and your collection only (unless you have a "sugar daddy" that buys you stuff) so avoiding making it a competition. If someone has something you like, stick around and you might get lucky and get to pick it up. There are lots of ā€œretirement saleā€ that go on and they sell some pretty good stuff (@Jmgarcia)
 
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You forgot the most important one, help other forum members out! If not for keeping O community healthy, then other benefits may occur too. For example, there will come a time that they will have what you are looking for and are less likely to price gouge you. Heck, they may even cut you a deal lower than FMV.

NVM, I can't read...that's rule #10.
 
You forgot the most important one, help other forum members out! If not for keeping O community healthy, then other benefits may occur too. For example, there will come a time that they will have what you are looking for and are less likely to price gouge you. Heck, they may even cut you a deal lower than FMV.
It's in #11. I tried to couch it with the focus not being so much on "doing stuff in order to get something". Getting a financial advantage/good deal is more of a side benefit to the internal benefits of being helpful/pleasant to others.
 
It's in #11. I tried to couch it with the focus not being so much on "doing stuff in order to get something". Getting a financial advantage/good deal is more of a side benefit to the internal benefits of being helpful/pleasant to others.

Haha, yea, you quoted me before I got a chance to edit my post. I actually edited my post to describe exactly what you were saying as well, as the last thing someone wants is help and then being expected to return the favor. It should come out of kindness and if you get the favor returned later, it's a bonus.
 
Thanks Cacatman, appreciate you writing this up and you definitely have some great tips. It is definitely tough to not covet as I browse through the collections and the WOAYWTD threads. I do have a spreadsheet of wants that I try to stick to but need to establish a budget and start sticking to the true wants as I'm definitely guilty of the "I can buy 6 O-Matter pairs for the price of an R1".
 
Thanks Cacatman, appreciate you writing this up and you definitely have some great tips. It is definitely tough to not covet as I browse through the collections and the WOAYWTD threads. I do have a spreadsheet of wants that I try to stick to but need to establish a budget and start sticking to the true wants as I'm definitely guilty of the "I can buy 6 O-Matter pairs for the price of an R1".
HA HA HA!! Yeah, I know what you mean!!
Disclaimer - We all struggle. Just because I share tips, doesn't mean I take my own advice!!!!!
 
Great write up!
#2 is a big one. When I got back into Oakley's I was ready to just throw money at it but being patient is the key. Saved TONS waiting for flash sales and ebay finds that way.

EDIT:
#10 is also great, solid, avice. When I joined the forum I had Radars and Triggermans etc all scattered about. Looked at the stuff I had and realized what I wanted to focus on. Sadly, I have somewhat expensive tastes/goals and ended up collecting Pit Boss' and Carbon Primes. Oh well lol.
 
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Good stuff here @cacatman wish I had read this when I first started, or had this information available.

My lessons learned so far are:
1. Itā€™s your collection and your collection only (unless you have a sugar daddy that buys you stuff) so avoiding making it a competition. If someone has something you like/need, stick around and you might get lucky and get to pick it up. There are lots of ā€œretirement saleā€ that go on and they sell some pretty good stuff.
2. Have fun with it, if it becomes a chore more than a hobby then your not going to enjoy it and will only buy stuff because you think you have to.
 
Awesome stuff here again! I may hire you to do my coaching manuals....lol.

Good stuff here @cacatman wish I had read this when I first started, or had this information available.

My lessons learned so far are:
1. Itā€™s your collection and your collection only (unless you have a sugar daddy that buys you stuff) so avoiding making it a competition. If someone has something you like/need, stick around and you might get lucky and get to pick it up. There are lots of ā€œretirement saleā€ that go on and they sell some pretty good stuff.
2. Have fun with it, if it becomes a chore more than a hobby then your not going to enjoy it and will only buy stuff because you think you have to.

We need a #13: If you are able to, find a sugar daddy/mamma to grow your collection!
 

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