Avatar Items: Quirky Fun Or Waste Of Money?

What are you thoughts on Avatar items?

I was perusing XboxLive today and was surprised just how much there is available to buy - from games, to clothing manufacturers, not just stuff for the avatar to wear, but all manner of robots, monsters and props for the video-game you to monkey about with.

Do you consider those items frivolous, with money better saved and spent on games?

Perhaps if there's a bit of money left in your MS/PSN account you can be swayed towards something cool, or else to show off how much your love a certain title?

Maybe you just plain love them and wouldn't think twice about forking out for an item that would make your avatar look fabulous.

What have you bought and what tempted the spend?

Are you happy with the current system of buying, or would you rather see them earned with trophies as well, say for completing a NG+ or Legendary run?

Your thoughts?