The important thing to keep in mind, when starting to collect anything, is to only buy what you love.

There’s nothing wrong with turning around and selling what you buy as soon as you get a decent markup  but there are other guides for that.

If you collect because you have to, because you love something so much you want parts of it — only, you know, less “stalker” sounding — then buy only those things you want to keep for yourself.

It also helps to specialize. It’s much easier to collect posters, or autographs, or trading cards. They’re finite, you don’t have to read the entire Internet to keep track.

Plan your budget before you buy. Know how much you can spend, and don’t dip into your grocery or gas money. There are exceptions, of course, but they should be rare and well worth it. Never buy because you were pressured. If you’re not sure about the deal and the buyer is pushing too hard, walk away. There’ll be more cool stuff along, honest.

Take care of what you buy. Dust it, frame it, put it in something protective, whatever, just protect your investment, even if that investment is purely emotional. There’s nothing worse than stumbling across a treasured keepsake all bent up and soiled in a drawer.

Share it. Display it in your home, or stick pictures on your website. We want to see your cool stuff, too! Don’t buy it and stick it in storage. What fun is that? And if you got a great deal and there’s more, tell the rest of us about it on forums and fan sites (and, ahem, here).