PlaymoFriends
General => Brainstorming For Playmobil => Topic started by: Timotheos on November 11, 2007, 18:56:46
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Richard estimated in another thread that PM's steck mold library might be valued at US $3 million.
Probably too expensive to buy...
But, I was wondering, does PM have a price range at which it agrees to produce a certain figure or set? Do you think we could negotiate a "steck collectors set"? At 10,000 Euro (say) for the whole run, we would only need 20 people to pledge 500 Euro.
But, something tells me Playmobil would want 100,000 Euro or more, especially for many pieces. I guess it would be hard to get a good deal with enough pieces to make it worth the cost (I'm thinking a unit cost of 10-20 Euro per out of circulation piece...
I guess, at 20 Euro per piece, I could get a better deal even by overpaying on ebay (but of course the disadvantage of ebay is you still can't order at any quantity--one piece here, one piece there, maybe even damaged).
Didn't a museum commission the Madgeburger (spelling?) Knight?
-Tim
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The most common commissions are the ones you see for the chains such as Target in the USA and Vedes and Kauhof (have spelt that right?) in Germany. The deciding factor may be quantity of output rather than value.
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Just to back up a little bit (and on a tangent) - does anyone know how much Geobra recognizes and support adult playmobil fans (not just in Germany - and how is there btw)? iirc there was an article just a while back where it was stated that Lego sales(?) were 3x (in $) that of Playmobil - something that I though would be much higher. From Lego pov (since it's another of my interest), they definitely recognize the adult fan and do cater to their needs:
- parts order (okay, Playmo has this)
- a friend tells me they (Lego) work closely with Lego Train clubs
- creating sets that go back to their original design roots, as alot of fans were bemoaning the increasing use of large speciality pieces.
- allowing online cataloging and distribution of past set instructions (which iirc Geobra is dead set against)
- creating a 'fan club' of sorts (well, this one's for kids and adults alike ...)
At any rate, I was wondering if Geobra might be moved to re-release a line of 'classic' sets (for knights anyways ;)) much like their doing on a couple a vehicles a year. Anyone want to start a petition? :D
On the other hand ... I just got a MIB 5738 (one of the last steck castles?), and compare that with MIB 3888 the fit of the pieces seems much tighter and a little off at times - the moulds might be wearing done (wild speculation on my part), and on the other hand I'm sure the System-X moulds still have some way to go for Geobra.
My 2cent's worth of ramblin'
-peter-
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I worked in a factory which made plastic boxes for expensive designer pens and such and i have seen what kind of work is involved to just make one piece.
Therefore i find it very unlikely that any company would get involved with making a "special set" for collectors.
Nevertheless the idea is fantastic and i would be more than happy to lay down 500 bucks for such a set!!!!
So a petition might be the way to go, that is if we get all collectors on board.
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in some what of a way i am sad i stared collecting in the 2000's and missed so many older sets . but then i wonder if a company would start rereleasing older sets how it would affect the nostalgia of the old sets . I so enjoy buying a miscellaneous lot for somebody to find that one little jem in the pile . Now if in a few years that figure or set got rereleased it would take some of the fun out of collecting. I also have a few classic cars and if the company who made them rereleased it, well its not so classic any more and people would not appreciate it on the streets as much due to the fact of so many being around. As a collector i would become quite skeptical paying premiums for older sets due to the uncertainty of that model being run again. There is a lot of fun in the hunt of that one special old piece. In my opinion i think the way the company is doing it is fine . make new sets look old and keep modern set for the new collector. Also i do think Playmobil caters to the collector, how many children do you know asking for christmas the blue and red old house or the weapons stand ?
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In my opinion i think the way the company is doing it is fine . make new sets look old and keep modern set for the new collector. Also i do think Playmobil caters to the collector, how many children do you know asking for christmas the blue and red old house or the weapons stand ?
I agree with you in principal, Rasputin.
I just don't think PM should permanently retire sets for no reason other than to fuel a second hand "black market". Geobra doesn't benefit from the second-hand collector's market (and may even be hurt by them if you consider the fan funnels money into the re-sale industry that could have gone to Geobra).
So, I think Geobra has an interest in teasing us now and again with re-releases, provided they can break even or profit off it. If the toy sold once, it ought to be able to sell again. The average kid probably plays with PM for five to seven years, so they can even bring back stuff to a completely fresh audience. Granted, maybe they want to keep moving forward. But any set over 10 years discontinued has never been seen by most PM kids (they weren't born yet!).
-Tim
-Tim
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"black market" is a little over kill in terms. these are imported legally. If the company went after every last avenue to get its fingers into every transaction it would give them a quite greedy image. To my knowledge no company benefits from the secondhand except from the DS orders to restore them . the other problem is most companies have a limiting production capability due to machines, storage, shipments, personnel etc. so the more old rerelease's they make, the less new sets can be made. Lets say just for example the western sets were still being made . This large production might have not left a sufficient amount of production capital for say the roman line..
and some how i do not think they permanently retire sets . If this was the policy they would destroy the mold, and this still could be remade. I think from a business perspective they may just wait around till that line shows new potential for marketability . and that does not come from a handfull of toy nuts.
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The really high prices for old Playmobil tends to be a US eBay phenomenon. Similar items in the UK tend to go much more cheaply, and in Germany cheaper still.
Geobra is a company aiming for the mass market, and that means children of today and the re-issues are done with older fans in mind - nostalgia really - but the company cannot tie itself too closely to this market as it is small and very fickle.
Over the last few years, Playmobil has greatly increased its range. At one time, say 10 years ago, the Playmobil had about 250 items in the range and this was the norm. As new items were introduced, old ones were retired so that the range remained at about 250 items. Nowadays, the range is much bigger than this, but it probably does mean that items, especially if they are slow sellers, have a shorter live.
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I noticed how the prices in the states seem to run wild as well. When i was looking for a express train mid car it sold for the same price as a complete train with track and the mid car in the UK ??? I once thought it was supply and demand but now i think it might be uninformed shoppers. I watch a lot of ebay auctions go way over what the toy sold for new even if it is still available .
Did the product range increase soon after the new high tech warehouse was built?
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I once thought it was supply and demand but now i think it might be uninformed shoppers. I watch a lot of ebay auctions go way over what the toy sold for new even if it is still available .
I shouldn't try to analyze ebay shoppers like Sigmund Freud. But, sometimes I think a combination of American aggressiveness/obsessiveness and recklessness with cash leads bidders here to take auctions personally.
People battle to the death ("I gotta have it" / "I won't let nu2ebay234 beat me!"). The high prices in turn fuel the opportunists who hope to re-sell. Half the time I bid on auctions I suspect I'm competing with re-sellers (though, if this was the case, rational re-sellers would avoid over-priced auctions, so I'm probably wrong).
I agree calling the playmobil re-sale market "Black Market" is technically incorrect. Just, there is so much dodgey dealing, calling it "Black Market" feels good... :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
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Did the product range increase soon after the new high tech warehouse was built?
I don't know when the new high tech warehouse was built, but I suspect it was after I was told about the range being limited to about 250 items.
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sometimes I think a combination of American aggressiveness/obsessiveness and recklessness with cash leads bidders here to take auctions personally.
People battle to the death ("I gotta have it" / "I won't let nu2ebay234 beat me!"). The high prices in turn fuel the opportunists who hope to re-sell.
seems like there is a lot of that going on even off of ebay, around these parts at least.
It is some times quite tempting to go to target buy a $4.99 set and re sell it for $9.99 + $6.50 shipping , as a way to fuel my obsession. As i contemplate this i start to feel the innocence of the toy would be lost and i would also become the dealer who dips into his own supply.
I would like to ask a question that is back to the original . Here in the states it happened in McDonalds and in Germany or ? it happened in a store with the old timer truck. Instead of approaching playmobil what about approaching a large store? I can not think of any ( i just woke up ) but one large enough to attract some attention.
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Just to back up a little bit (and on a tangent) - does anyone know how much Geobra recognizes and support adult playmobil fans no adult fan support not even in germany (not just in Germany - and how is there btw)
From Lego pov (since it's another of my interest), they definitely recognize the adult fan and do cater to their needs:Playmobil geobora doesnot follow those politics
- parts order (okay, Playmo has this)
- a friend tells me they (Lego) work closely with Lego Train clubs
- creating sets that go back to their original design roots, as alot of fans were bemoaning the increasing use of large speciality pieces.
- allowing online cataloging and distribution of past set instructions (which iirc Geobra is dead set against)
- creating a 'fan club' of sorts (well, this one's for kids and adults alike ...) only for kids
At any rate, I was wondering if Geobra might be moved to re-release a line of 'classic' sets (for knights anyways ;)) much like their doing on a couple a vehicles a year. Anyone want to start a petition? :D Playmobil does release classic sets since a few years , guess patience is the word here and a bit of luck
On the other hand ... I just got a MIB 5738 (one of the last steck castles?), and compare that with MIB 3888 the fit of the pieces seems much tighter and a little off at times - the moulds might be wearing done (wild speculation on my part), and on the other hand I'm sure the System-X moulds still have some way to go for Geobra.
they did re release the red and the blue frame house
My 2cent's worth of ramblin' Hope you got some answers , I know , probably not the ones you like
there are a few members on the german forum that have good connection with the Pr form zindorf , but that's more based on personal friendship than on fan promoting
-peter-
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playmobil is releasing special editions for companies etc. (see nordsee pirates, Karstadt T-trucks etc.)...
Especially when requesting vintage parts, they will have an open ear...
The problem for such a project is that they are NOT turning on a single maschine for not at least 1000-5000 pieces.. So depending on what you are ordering, you will have to get at least that number of it...
This might be possible for a single klicky but not for a whole set...
...as long as you are not getting Michael to customize half of the production line anyway... (see again the t-truck... :P )
best,
socrates
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The really high prices for old Playmobil tends to be a US eBay phenomenon. Similar items in the UK tend to go much more cheaply, and in Germany cheaper still.
Perhaps the high prices people in the US pay for old sets might be a sign to PM to re-release the older sets. If people are willing to pay more to get an old set, there could be a market for their re-release.
-- Donmobil
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Perhaps the high prices people in the US pay for old sets might be a sign to PM to re-release the older sets. If people are willing to pay more to get an old set, there could be a market for their re-release.
-- Donmobil
I wonder if anyone at Playmobil headquarters monitors the prices for Playmobil on eBay worldwide? There are usually around 2,000 items up for auction worldwide at any given time, so assuming they're all 10 day auctions, that's 200 lots a day, 8 every hour 24 hours a day.
However eBay makes life easy for you, if you search only completed listings worldwide. The 3448 Medieval Inn recently sold for $350.
Of course some style sof sets do keep comign back - the castles and the jousting sets, while not exact recreations of the original sets, have been released in many forms.
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But, as Donmobil says, the high prices for old Playmobil are on US eBay rather than world wide. The same sets can be bought on German eBay much cheaper when they appear. And, ironically, it tends to be US collectors who complain most about the price of current sets (including the DS re-issues), so Playmobil are sent mixed messages.
(A US collector once explained this last point to me as being because America was the land of the free and that was also the price they preferred! :lol:)
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This might be possible for a single klicky but not for a whole set...
...as long as you are not getting Michael to customize half of the production line anyway... (see again the t-truck... :P )
best,
socrates
Lol Thank you
To comment on the topic prices
I realised That playmobil is German ,so there is where you go
I have the luck I'm able to travel easely to Germany
and you have no idea wot you find on the road
I'm learning German as we speak
and it all started with little meetings , internet is great , But once you 've looked one in the eye ,it all becomes different
I realise we are on a worldwide forum here
and we in europe have shorther distances so it is easier to meet
but we also have different laguages 8}
and people allways will be people
I travel all countries by car or by internet
I think I'm a member of every forum :-\
We are not that many , active collecting
it's a very small world
I want to take the moment to thank Sylvia and Richard for creating us this space , and for their efforts to keep it clean and friendly
and very playmo FAN realated
As far as I'm concerned,you very well succeeded (and succeding)
and I'll try to keep suprising you with my customs
there are lot of members here who live in Germany who also like american sets
it's all bout balance
there's allways a way ;)
Hope made a bit sense :-[