Stopped collecting a few times, yes. I think like most people here... I stared collecting as a kid. For me that was in 1990. Somewhere in the late 90s (I'm going to say 1998, but not exactly sure) I stopped. Didn't get rid of anything, but wasn't buying new stuff.
What got me back into it, was a well targeted eBay add in the early 00s (can't remember the year). Saw an auction for a Bill Ranford Moncton Golden Flames card. I signed up for eBay, bought it.
At that point, I re-started my Bill Ranford collection, but wasn't breaking much wax. The odd box here or there. I had always chased getting every Ranford card... but the internet suddenly made finding those rarer parallels much easier than simply going to my LCS or Shows.
I took another break in 2006-07. Again, didn't sell anything off... but stopped buying anything.
I think it was 2008 I got active again. I was chasing all the Ranford stuff still, but also doing UD 1/2 sets.
By the early 2010s, I was collecting Ranford, all-time Oilers (RCs, Autos, GU), HOFers (RC, Autos, GU), and doing the annual UD S1/2 sets... while also working on all the prior years. Had a few other sets on the go too. Busted close to two cases of 2013 Edmonton Oilers collection, was working on that set as well.
Mid 2016, I decided it was time to refocus. No fire sales though. I dropped the HOF stuff, and sold off much it. Sold off all of my UD1/2 sets (90-91 through 15-16). Gave up on a few smaller projects too, including my slow build towards a master set of 2013 Oilers Collection.
Any time I've sold off stuff, I've never rushed it. I don't think I necessarily maxed out every dollar I could have made selling (I know I didn't. I'm sure I left money on the table if I'd just broken up those UD sets..... but that would have taken months to do properly, and I got a very fair deal selling the whole lot in one shot).
Anytime I've stopped collecting, I've never had the mindset "everything must go". There was nothing wrong with boxing it up, and not looking at it for a couple of years.
Of course I enjoy collecting too much, enjoy the chase. I'm sure the time will come that I'll want to refocus things again, and move some stuff out. Cards that I consider big parts of my collection today. That's okay. I'll probably never lose the collecting bug though.
