So I bought the new collection in the cash shop, and once I got it in my inventory I tried to open it, and it took me three tries to open it. I then unlocked the male hair in the little whale shark item, and when I got back into my inventory the rest of my items are gone! This was a COLLECTION item, not a pick one item bundle, so I don't know where the rest of it is. I emptied my inventory of unnecessary items in case they were hidden, but none of them are there. Where did they go!?

You only get one item from the collection, not all of them. You bought the collection bag once, got one item - shark hair - from it, that's it.

Seriously? But all the items were in my inventory, and it said collection...that seems a bit unfair for it costing CSC...I guess that's why I've never bought one before...

they weren't in your inventory; that was the screen where you pick which item you want from it. the text should have said as much. that's how monthly collections have always been (except the early ones which were random), and if you're ever unsure of how an item works, i recommend looking it up on subetalodge before buying it (espeically if it's a cash shop item).

That's how the collections work. It's the month's collection/selection. Whichever one you clicked last is probably what you got.

The really old collections can give you all included in that collection NOW, but that was because back when the monthly collections were first introduced, they were also completely random and there was no user input on the choice. The current collections are one item per, user choice.

[edit]Edited for clarity and corrected some English because I'm studying Norwegian, thinking in Norwegian and sleep deprived, as usual.

Oh no, I'm sorry you misunderstood how this item works! I'm sure that was a frustrating surprise. These items are still worth the CSC (as long as you like the item!) since this is the only way you can get that particular item, and it's only available for one month each year!

In the future, it's always good to investigate items before purchasing (especially if they cost "special" currency). If you hover over the August 2024 Collection you can see that the item description reads "A nice bag full of even nicer things for you to choose from.".

When you opened the Collection, you would have been shown all the options to choose from. I believe this page has text explaining that you are choosing one of the items, but I could be wrong. Which you clicked would then end up in your inventory. Unless I am mistaken, there is a pop up that confirms your choice as well in case you clicked the wrong one.

Here's additional info from one of the helpful forums: Each monthly collection contains one of several items that are released for only that month, and you are able to choose which item you want.

NOTE: Prior to the monthly collections there were Donation Presents (i.e., December 2008 Donation Present). If you obtain a previous Donation Present be aware that you will NOT have the option select an item from it. You will randomly be given one of the several items that were released for that month.

If you're interested in seeing what items are in the older collections, this forum post is an excellent resource! Guide to Collection Items

Subetalodge also has a resource on this: Subetalodge List

Sorry the collection item didn't quite turn out as you had expected! Hopefully you enjoy the item you chose. And don't ever hesitate to post in the Help and Questions if you can't find information about something, users are pretty good at providing detailed answers to help one another out!