Has This Forum Been Depleted Of Members?

[🪦 Chainsaw ●]

In my opinion it's just the ebb and flow of any community based around collecting high end pieces. The economy I think plays a bigger role then most realise, without the disposable income to buy new pieces, and then subsequently take pictures and post them, it reduces a large amount of the regular new topics. NIGHTOWL is a community that's more then just masks, but that is where the foundation is, decrease on the masks, decrease on the posting. I like seeing new Leatherface, Jason, Mike, Freddy stuff, but it can get to the point there's just not a whole lot more to say on the subject. Time of year is a BIG factor too, between money being spent on Christmas, and people not having the time to take pics, or even stop by to post. I'm with the guys that don't mind this drop off though, when you look at some of the topics that were being posted, to what's being posted now, quality FAR surpasses quantity.
I've been around this hobby for a pretty good stretch of time now, and it's just part and parcel, things slow down, and then pick up, like I said ebb and flow.

I also have to agree with Travis. I have also noticed a decline in activity in recent months which I've attributed to natural fluctuation in a potentially high dollar hobby. I've only been around for the past 5 1/2 years but I've seen this before. One major factor, in my opinion, is the cost of the hobby. I've seen a lot of members come and go and sometimes I'm left thinking that the cost may have driven some away.

Another potential factor is the age of collectors. It seems that a lot of the same guys that were around when I first joined the community have since moved on. Again, this left me thinking about the role that age and security plays in the collecting world. A lot of guys I met at first were young, and somewhat unestablished in careers providing stable sources of income. Being young and living at home makes it easy to spend a couple hundred dollars on a mask. But as years go by and the need to find some stability in life takes a front seat, mask purchases and the hobby may get left behind. I was 32 years when I started collecting masks, but I had been working in a professional environment for 7 years with decent income. Sure I've slowed down a lot since buying my house but I still manage to purchase a few nice pieces each year. This may be more difficult in your early 20's just 'starting out'. I don't see it as the older guys losing interest... I see more of the younger collectors 'moving on' to 'settle in'.

I know that not having the disposible income to purchase masks should affect a member's ability to post, but I think it can affect their perception. Example.... a buddy of mine doesn't have the cash at the moment to make purchases, so he purposely stays away from the forums as it's too tempting (I feel that!).
Many factors... many reasons... leading to the same conclusion... just part of the game! Enjoy it while we're here :thumbsup: