buyer\'s remorse
As a long-term buyer, I can say that personal ups and downs (buying homes, etc.) have a bigger impact on purchasing than the economy. When conserving money for larger purchases, I tend to start collecting the unpainted minis instead, filling out the oop figures and collecting new armies.
But in general, I would say that it\'s become increasingly difficult to actually lay hands on the kind of quality miniatures that were more readily available in the past. Part may be due to more buyers, but I\'ve definitely felt the loss of many of the quality painters. Almost all of the regular top-end commission painters and ebay painters that I used to collect are either not painting for others or not painting at all. Jarett Lee, Eric Louchard, Jason Richards, Anne Foerster, Matt Verzani, Matt Gubser, Tammy Haye, Arjay and many others don\'t sell anymore. They\'re also not painting for competitions, and as a result, I\'ve definitely seen some (IMO) decline in the quality of North American GD entries. Occasionally you\'ll get someone posting golden demon entries, but rarely do you see the ones that attract a lot of interest. IMO the most prolific high quality painting seen on ebay is coming from Poland (with some exceptions, like the Wappels).
Overall I would say that there is more \"good\" painted miniatures now than ever before, both from private commissions and on ebay. The average quality of painting has improved, and/or better painted figures have become more affordable. There are several painting services that would actually meet my minimum criteria for collecting.
In some ways, I don\'t regret having to pay $100-200 per figure for a decent paint job. On the other hand, I wish I had the choice, because when I get the choice I inevitably make it.
And yes, the weak US dollar compared to the GBP hurts. I do find myself losing overseas auctions to buyers in the UK for what seems like outrageous prices (when you convert it to dollars).
