Congratulations to this week's iTaggit Member of the Week, Sammy Alvanipour  (member name: salvanipour)!  Sammy is  a dedicated and talented employee of iTaggit.com and has been a member of our site for over three years!  He collects electronics, movies, music and car parts and is a big fan of the popular online auction website eBay.com.  To learn more about Sammy and check out his awesome collections, CLICK HERE!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Where are you from and what are you interested in outside of collecting?

I am the project manager here at iTaggit and have been working on the site now for over three years. I originally graduated from UT here in Austin and had the pleasure of working with iTaggit shortly after. I have been living in Austin now for 13 years and moved around the south before that. Outside of collecting and working on the site I am interested in computers, technology, anything audio related, cars, and cycling. I also enjoy traveling and photography, but I don’t get out nearly enough to enjoy these hobbies.

How long have you been collecting electronics, movies, music and car parts?

I have been collecting all of these for quite some time. I have always been into computers and started originally in grade school. After I got my first part-time job my computer hobby exploded. Once I got my driver’s license I began dabbling in cars and other electronics, then got into audio and cycling more recently. My new favorite hobby is cycling and I have been doing that since the beginning of the summer. Austin weather lets me enjoy this for more of the year than other parts of the country

Why do you collect electronics, movies, music and car parts?

I collect computers and electronics parts because it is a healthy hobby that keeps my mind sharp. It is actually a lot of fun buying and selling parts and shooting for the next level of performance. My job is also computer-related, so having good parts and changing things up regularly is a necessity. I enjoy working on cars and my bicycle because it gives me a more hands-on outlet for my mind. I love working with computers, but it isn’t a very mechanical field. It is really fun being able to swap out parts on a car or bike and physically feeling the actual change in performance.

What is your favorite item that you have posted on iTaggit?

Wow, this is a hard one! This is a constantly revolving answer for me, but if I had to pick one item it would probably be my Nikon Digital SLR. I have constantly updated the price of that item with our valuation tools and always make sure to keep every field filled out on it. It is also my most viewed item and the first time I didn’t go cheap on a purchase.

How and where did you obtain it?

I bought this at Best Buy around Christmas time as a gift to myself. I had grown tired of the performance of my point-and-shoot camera and really wanted something that would take great photos of my car. Since then I have been taking good care of it and bought a few lenses/accessories for it.

Do you collect anything not posted on iTaggit? If so, what?

I honestly try to post EVERYTHING I have or purchase on iTaggit. I do have a few items I haven’t posted to iTaggit, such as old newspapers chronicling big moments in history, old lunchbox/thermos combos, and vintage toys. Most of these items my mom made me purchase new when I was a child. I was not aware of the value in doing this until later on in my life, but I think it’s great that I have many things you just can’t buy anymore. One of these days I’ll get the time to post them on iTaggit and share them with everyone.

How long have you been a member of iTaggit?

I have been a member of iTaggit for more than three years. I have been using the site since before it was released on the internet and have been enjoying it ever since.

Why did you choose iTaggit to manage your collection?

Initially I used the site because it was part of my job, but that reason didn’t last very long. I have been using the site because I love being able to know everything I own right away. I like that I can create a collection each month for the things that I own so that I can go back later and see how much I spent each month for the year. I also love using the wishlist feature and haven’t received a gift I didn’t want for three years now. It is definitely time well spent.

What is your favorite feature on the iTaggit website?

I would have to say that this feature is the wishlist. My wife loves using it because she knows exactly what to buy me for my birthday, holidays, etc., and she knows where to buy it as well. I love using it myself because it gives me a list of things that I’d like to own one day and I can work towards buying those things over time.

What other websites do you frequent and why?

I frequent a lot of forums/discussion boards because there are plenty of like-minded people who have tons of information to share about the hobbies I’m interested in. Some of these forums include bikeforums.net, driveaccord.net, head-fi.org, and hardforum.com. I also like checking out Slickdeals.net and eBay, as it is extremely addicting to NOT pay retail price for really nice things

If you had one piece of advice to share with other collectors and iTaggit members, what would it be?

I have tons of advice I could give for other members! If I had to pick one piece of advice I would say to use the site for whatever YOU like to do. iTaggit is a lot of things on its own, but you can make it whatever you want it to be. No one would guess it be a place to manage your finances, but I use iTaggit to break down my purchases month-by-month and control my spending according to that. You can use iTaggit as a price guide, a wishlist, an asset management system, a store-front, and tons of other things. Explore the site and see what works best for you—you definitely won’t be disappointed.

Think you have what it takes to be the next iTaggit Member of the Week?  Shoot me an email at sbrown@itaggit.com!