A collectible is commonly defined as a manufactured item designed for people to collect, but they can also include natural objects, such as butterflies and items manufactured for purposes other than collecting, such as stamps. Sometimes objects designed for other purposes become so popular among collectors that they are marketed specifically to that audience. Star Wars action figures are an example of this phenomenon.

Back in the "old days" certain toys and action figures were put in with products and an incentive to buy that product. The longer these "incentive toys" are around the chance for a secondary market is available to sale these items. Whole series of things are created by a company just to raise the excitement among collectors and boost sales of their products because they know that real collectors will just about go to any means to collect a whole series of collectibles.

Usually the first series of a product that is made commands a higher price in the future. Depending on what the collectible is will tell whether it is a good financial investment or not. Paintings by famous painters dead or alive may be good money investments. Other items are made collectible only because there may have been so few of them made or maybe many were made but not very well taken care of so now there's not so many. Some items like these commands a phenomenal amount of money it all depends on how much a person is willing to pay for something.

Depending on who you ask collectible items mean different things to different people. Ask a non-collector what collecting something mean to them and they will probably give you a text-book answer. Ask a true collector what collection means to them you probably should not have to be anywhere anytime soon because collectors have been know to be long winded.

Collectibles usually have an emotional tie to the person collecting who collects something that is very special to them. Non-collectors probably feel that collecting anything is a waste of time and money. However, true collectors, most of them anyway have a soft spot for what they collect and probably have a special reason for collecting the things they do. No matter what collectors have a real soft spots for what and why they collect what they do and no amount of money on the planet can take that away from them.