I’m a fangirl. I think we’ve discussed this before but I am definitely a fangirl. I’m a nerd. I love fandoms.

And something that comes along with that is a desire to buy everything in sight from that fandom. I want all the Blu-rays, I want a kick ass cosplay outfit. I want phone covers, and posters, prop replicas and books, shirts and bags and stickers and toothbrushes and EVERYTHING.

But as years have gone by, as I’ve tried to collect everything in sight, I’ve realized something:

Being a fangirl is really expensive.

I mean, really expensive. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of money on my wand and my Ravenclaw sweater. I’ve held off on buying the blu-rays of Doctor Who because of how expensive they are. I’ve paid money for limited edition this and limited edition that because I just *had* to have it.

And I do it because I love fandoms. I want the limited edition of whatever you’re selling me. Most of the time, things just are so cool that I have to have. I HAVE to.

Even if it means dipping into my already small wallet. The average wand replica for Harry Potter runs about 30 to 40 dollars. An iphone case? 40 dollars. A sonic screwdriver, with accompanying noises? About 35 dollars. A replica Hogwarts sweater and robe? You’re looking at about 40 and 180 dollars. Things start adding up fast and next thing you know, you’re looking at your credit card bill, feeling a little letdown.

Why am I bringing this up?

Well, two reasons: a recent boxed set release from my Warner Bros. friend and a soon to be released boxed set. Both of them? Ridiculously over the top, insane expensive.

Last weekend, Warner Bros. released the long awaited 8 movie box set of the epic movie series, Harry Potter. Topping out at 350 dollars for 31 discs, it was a crazy release.

And to answer your question, no I did not buy this set.

Sure, this looks like a really aweome set. It literally has 31 discs! That’s crazy. There’s a DVD of each movie, a Blu-Ray of each movie and even the 3D version of the last two. There are 12 discs all for bonus features. It comes in this awesome box, with all these maps and even a replica Horcrux. And yes, I totally want it.

There are two things holding me back. One, it only has the extended editions of the first two movies (but that’s a whole ‘nother story). And two, did I mention the fact that it is 350 dollars? Its astronomical….especially for a college student who gets paid about that same amount in an entire month.

As for the other box set, damn, I want this one even more. It’s great. its the expanded version of the Harry Potter Wizardry Collection. This includes: five books that relate to the film making process of the Harry Potter films, a cloth-bound copy of Harry Potter: Page to Screen (I have the normal one…), AND a prop replica of the Monster Book of Monsters. This is pretty badass, I’m not going to lie. There are only going to be 3,000 copies worldwide which makes it super limited and they’re going to be numbered.

AS of right now, its only listed on Amazon UK, and its listed at 552 pounds…or about 880 U.S. Dollars. My eyes literally popped out of my head when I was that. I definitely don’t have the money for that. Who does have the money for something like that? It’s just insane, or as Harry Potter news gurus, Mugglenet, said, “Harry potter and the Astronomically Priced Box Set”. This is a nice thing to dream about but I highly doubt that owning this box set is in my future.

Things like this…it almost makes me feel like these companies are taking advantage of our love and devotion to these fandoms. I love Harry Potter, I love Star Wars and Doctor Who and so on and I want to keep them all alive for as long as I possibly can. I want to show my love and appreciate for them and for what they’ve done for me. But I don’t like being taken advantage of. Just because I am willing to buy everything Harry Potter in sight and wait in lines for releases doesn’t mean that I am willing to drop an insane amount of cash on something just because its limited edition. I’ve already spent a ton on movies, and I’m starting to buy TV seasons, I’ve spent money on clothes for cosplay, I’ve spent money on posters…I’ve spent money on tattoos! But sometimes, I have to draw the line.

What do you guys think? How much is too much? When is it an awesome new release and when is it just a release to make more money? How much have you emptied your wallet as a fan? As always, share in the comments.

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Update: at time of post, Amazon UK had this box set up on its website. As of now, it is no longer up there. Was the price so astronomical they had to take it down so they could really beef up the excitement for it? Or does this box set even exist? Time will only tell…