BAnswer: If you want your figures to significantly increase in value, then you should keep them in the original packaging. Otherwise, it is completely up to you.

Action Figures In Their Original Packaging Are Worth More

For the most part, whether you open your action figures or keep them in their packaging is completely up to you. Its all about how you like to display them, and whether it makes you happier to have them in their boxes or not. On the other hand, if you are looking at your collection as an investment, then opening your figures is not a good idea. As soon as that packaging is open and the figure is taken out, its value severely diminishes and you won’t be able to make nearly the profit on it that you would if it were not opened.

In-box sold listings vs loose

Going to eBay and looking at the sold listings is probably the best way to see what I’m talking about. Look up a few action figures from 10+ years ago and notice the price difference between the ones that sold unopened and the ones that where opened. Even if the seller includes the box with the opened figure, the value has still severely decreased simply because the figure was opened.

On a side note, if you are looking at your collection as an investment, you should consider that fact that, even unopened, a large percentage of your collection will probably not see a significant increase in value unless you are going to wait 20+ years to sell them (and sometimes even then the increase is insignificant). Special editions, variants, exclusives, rare figures, and homages are likely to see significant increases in value within five years or less; however, your run-of-the-mill action figures released from wave to wave probably won’t see the price increase you’re hoping to see. If you’re interested in reading more about action figures as an investment, click here.

NOTE: I’m talking about the value of action figures specifically here, NOT figurines. So, keep that in mind. When it comes to price increases and value, figurine’s deserve a post of their own.

Buying Doubles

If you simply can’t decide whether or not to open your figures, you could just buy two of each figure—one that remains in the box and one that you take out to have fun with. This is a pricey option and finding the space for all of them is going to get difficult over time, but if you really can’t decide whether to open a figure or not, perhaps buying two is the only option.

Many of the figures in your collection are likely not going to see a big increase in value over time, especially figures made post-2000. For the most part whether your collecting Transformers, Star Wars, Marvel/DC, etc.; an experienced collector is going to know which figures to buy unopened doubles of—buying doubles of every single one of them probably is not a smart investment, but, if that’s what you want to do, ultimately its your decision.

Displaying Figures In-Box vs Out-Of-Box

There are a number of different ways you can display figures that have been opened. You can line them all up in single file and standing at attention or you can add some personality to it and give them all their own unique poses. You could even display them as if they are in the middle of an action sequence. You can have the Avengers fighting Thanos, or your Autobots engaged in battle with the Decepticons.

If the majority of your figures are unopened, your options for displaying them tend to be more limited, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an impressive display. Boxes can be nicely displayed on tables shelves and if you can hang them, using tacks to hang them on your walls can make for a very impressive display of your collection as well as save you some shelf space.

Unopened Figures Will Impress You Friends

When showing off your collection to friends and family, there is a certain amount of pride you feel while showing off figures that have never been opened. Even if your friends think you’re nuts for buying all of these “toys”, they will always be curious about how much the ones that are still in their packaging are worth. People who don’t collect action figures commonly think that if it is old and has never been opened, it’s probably worth some ridiculous amount of money. As collectors, we know that, unfortunately, that is not always the case, but your friends don’t need to know that.

Storing Your Figures

Boxed figures take up more space, and you need a good deal of space to store a large number of them. I have collected Transformers for many years and have acquired quite a few over time. I estimate that I can fit around 30 to 40 Transformers action figures in a plastic tub that would only store about ten or less figures in their packaging.

Hanging boxes on your walls can reduce the amount of space your boxes are taking up significantly, but depending on the amount of wall space you have, that may not be an option.

I have put together a simple guide to storing your action figures. Feel free to check it out here.

Upkeep and Maintenance Of Opened Vs Unopened Figures

Dusting and cleaning packaging is definitely easier than cleaning the actual figures. Dust that has settled on your action figure can take lots of time and care to clean, especially with Transformers or Lego sets since the dust tends to settle in the cracks and crevices of the figures. Boxes on the other hand are relatively easy to clean even when the dust has settled and has become caked on to the surface. Going over it a few times with a towel or a rag is usually enough to get the dust off.

On the flip-side, if you happen to spill your coffee on some of you unopened figures. The damage may be irreversible. Spilling something on your opened figures is going to be a pain to clean, but the figure isn’t necessarily devalued by it.

I will likely make an entire post expanding on this in the future.

Action Figure Box Deterioration Over Time

Anyone who keeps their figures in the original packaging should be aware of something: these boxes/packages were not meant to last 20+ years. They’re made with the assumption that they are going to be opened and discarded shortly after being purchased. Carded packaging can warp over time and get bent and damaged if its isn’t stored with care. The plastic bubble that houses carded action figure may turn yellow just due to chemical reactions between chemicals in the air and the plastic. Colors on the packaging will fade due to light (especially sunlight). Water damage to the casing is likely going to be irreversible if it occurs. Speaking of which, humidity could also be a culprit in devaluing the packaging.

There are some who may have a degree of admiration for an obviously aging action figure box. The signs of natural deterioration highlight just how old the figure inside is, and how long it has remained in there—untouched. Though, I would imagine, for most collectors, they would prefer the figure’s casing to remain in pristine condition.

What To Do About Corroding Batteries In Unopened Action Figures

Batteries present a bit of a dilemma if you want to keep the figures in the original packaging because batteries have a nasty habit of corroding. You might run into some problems if you plan on selling a figure with batteries corroding inside.

If you’re careful, you can remove the figure from the box, take out the batteries, and then secure the figure back in the packaging. Now you can look at that boxed figure sitting on your shelf without constantly being reminded that there are batteries possibly corroding in there. If you do plan on selling that figure one day, then the value will be decreased because it was opened; however, in the item’s description you could included something about the reason the figure was opened. A potential buyer may appreciate the fact that the figure they’re going to buy does not come with corroding batteries inside.

Conclusion

Unless you want to sell your figures one day, its completely up to you whether or not your decide to open your action figures or leave them in their boxes, or if you decide to buy doubles. I will share my preference for what its worth. Generally, I open all of my figures unless I am buying one with the sole purpose of selling it. Displaying and posing them is just too much fun to keep them in a box. Now, that being said, it is cool to hang a few packaged figures on the walls, and there is an amount of pride that you feel knowing that you have never opened certain figures. For me, personally, I like most of figures to be open so I can have fun posing and displaying them.

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