I used to really, really like Transformers. As a kid I watched the G1 cartoon and had some toys, but when Generation 2 hit in the early 90's is when I got the bulk of my childhood Transformers toys. Then Transforemrs kind of took a nosedive off a cliff and wasn't cool for a long time. Beast Wars was a great TV show, but the toys were absolutely putrid. The original Robots in Disguise was mediocre (but had OK toys). The Cybertron Trilogy was too different and I never got into it.
So from about 96 until 2006 I didn't think much about Transformers, to be honest. They were a fun childhood memory and nothing more. Then the Classics line of toys came out and suddenly I was hooked again. It also didn't hurt that I was an adult with a job and could actually buy anything I wanted. Then the movies started coming out, and new TV series like Transformers Animated, and, oh boy, we were back into the thick of it.
I was kind of picky with what Transformers I bought, but I still ended up spending a few thousand dollars on them and amassed a couple hundred toys. I mostly collected Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Shockwave, Soundwave, and Grimlock. I imported quite a few from Japan as well because, honestly, most of the good stuff didn't ever get released in the U.S.. I also managed to get pretty much every Botcon and SDCC and other convention exclusives as well.
About as quickly as the flame came back, however, it started fading away. The 2008 recession jacked up oil prices, which jacked up plastic prices, which jacked up Transformers prices. Deluxe class Transformers used to be something like $9, then they went to $15. Voyager class was $20, then $30. Leaders were $30, then $50. I couldn't justify paying those prices anymore. Even worse, the quality of toys generally took a nosedive as well, so it wasn't worth buying most of it anyway. And the prices never went down, either, even after oil went down.
It was about 2010 or 2011 that I pretty much stopped buying new Transformers. They just sat on my shelves or in boxes for the next 6-7 years until I started selling them on eBay. I have no regrets about either buying so many of them or for selling them. I got a lot of enjoyment out of them and then moved on to anime and Godzilla. And video games.
Fun side story - By the time About.com unexpected shit canned me I was kind of bored with video games and mostly played them for work and not really for fun. In the 4(!) years since then, I've had more fun playing video games than I probably ever had before. It wasn't a job anymore and I could play what I wanted and write whatever I wanted and it was (is) wonderful.
