Author Topic: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies  (Read 978 times)

Offline Alex4420

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2024, 18:17:51 »
I have a barn, about 4 full 30’ gutted 5th wheel campers, a 2 car garage, and now a very large attic at the mountain house

I'm sorry, I mistook you for a collector. You, sir, are a bonafide hoarder  :lol:

Offline Klickteryx

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #11 on: February 18, 2024, 01:14:56 »
One I discovered early on is that any picture that has parts not fully in the frame likely means those parts are damaged in some way.
Boxes that have some water damage will likely mean that any stickers or instructions inside will be water damaged too - generally fused together in places. This can also happen with books stored in a damp location.

A description referring to the contents of a set being present that says things like 'I think it's all there', 'one or two small pieces missing' will often be missing bits hard to find, check the price before buying.

For instance with the 3666 large castle the pieces usually missing are the yellow feather in the herald's cap and his green cuffs.

Sometimes sellers will replace parts of a set with other bits, knowingly or not, so watch out for that.

Offline Pynedor

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2024, 15:28:30 »
It is quite true that plastic storage tubs can transfer unpleasant odors to plastic toys - I switched to cardboard file boxes with attached lids and bankers boxes for most of my storage needs as they don't have any glue or tape on them.

That's a good idea, as long as you have no humidity concerns! :)

I have used active charcoal bags to eliminate odors on items that are not easily cleaned with soap and water.

I haven't tried that before, but that seems like an interesting idea! Besides thorough washing, I've tried temporarily storing items in containers with newspaper or baking soda with some limited success.

Yeah, that book is no longer in my collection; it wasn't even old. Books are my larger collection, so I've definitely run into issues buying them online.

It's never fun when you finally find something to add to your collection but avoid doing so (or ultimately end up removing it from the collection) because of poor condition. :(

On this topic, another thing to watch out for when collecting and trying to preserve collectibles is excessive exposure to light (particularly light from the Sun or from artificial light sources like fluorescent lamps that emit ultraviolet light). Ultraviolet degradation can easily cause fading or changing of colours, which I think many of us have seen with white Playmobil parts turning yellowish (but it can happen to parts of other colours too). Plastic parts exposed to ultraviolet light over a long period of time can also become brittle. The colour fading also applies to printed materials as well, such as Playmobil boxes (and books since we've mentioned those several times in this thread ;)).
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Offline Oliver

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2024, 08:47:37 »

A description referring to the contents of a set being present that says things like 'I think it's all there', 'one or two small pieces missing' will often be missing bits hard to find, check the price before buying.


I'm not desperately picky about everything being there - but I will say that often this simply comes from ignorance, and can work in your favour - a highlight for me being a listing of the castle 3666 on Gumtree (that was already ludicrously cheap) and in the box was most of 3654 and 3659.

My actual biggest tip is to keep a close eye on Gumtree/Facebook marketplace - you're way more likely to pick up a bargain than eBay.

Offline GrahamB

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2024, 10:31:40 »
My actual biggest tip is to keep a close eye on Gumtree/Facebook marketplace - you're way more likely to pick up a bargain than eBay.

I suspect you are right and that eBay has had its day. Vinted seems to be growing its market share too. Perhaps eBay should review its fees!
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Offline Oliver

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2024, 13:38:06 »
I suspect you are right and that eBay has had its day. Vinted seems to be growing its market share too. Perhaps eBay should review its fees!

I actually hadn't thought of that - it's just you tend to get bargains because there is less competition (since it's rare that people offer postage), and because it's normal people getting rid of stuff instead of being full of professional sellers

Offline Alex4420

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #16 on: February 19, 2024, 14:50:49 »
I suspect you are right and that eBay has had its day. Vinted seems to be growing its market share too. Perhaps eBay should review its fees!

One thing I have noticed is ebay sellers who are non-Playmobil collectors (e.g., someone who inherits toys or finds them in a storage unit) are willing to do off-ebay transactions in order to avoid the higher selling fees. Technically ebay prohibits this, but with a million communications between sellers every day, ebay can't catch everything -- or perhaps they don't even try anymore.

Offline Rasputin

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #17 on: February 19, 2024, 15:19:19 »
EBay in the past was the all out winner for bargains.

Then Craigslist came in with local deals of parents not wanting to throw things away

Then for a short time it was offered up

Now it seems to be Marketplace for great deals

Every site has its 5 minutes of “the best deals”

Theses are our local sales sites in US California

You still can find a deal on every site, it’s just rare and usually due to bad pictures, poor description, mislabeled, miscalculated shipping fees
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Offline Indianna

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #18 on: February 19, 2024, 17:15:01 »
It is quite true that plastic storage tubs can transfer unpleasant odors to plastic toys - I switched to cardboard file boxes with attached lids and bankers boxes for most of my storage needs as they don't have any glue or tape on them.

That's a good idea, as long as you have no humidity concerns! :)

Excellent point, Pynedor!  Most of my cardboard box storage is in my attic or main house where humidity is not a concern.  Local climate is also a factor - here in New England my attic is always dry but my basement can be humid in the summer.

Washable toys can be deodorized by washing.  I have used active charcoal bags to eliminate odors on items that are not easily cleaned with soap and water. 

I haven't tried that before, but that seems like an interesting idea! Besides thorough washing, I've tried temporarily storing items in containers with newspaper or baking soda with some limited success.

I highly recommend the active charcoal bags - the ones I use have been quite effective at absorbing odors and can be "recharged" by placing them in direct sunlight for a few hours.   :)
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Offline Pynedor

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Re: Playmobil Collecting Lessons for Newbies
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2024, 21:04:51 »
I highly recommend the active charcoal bags - the ones I use have been quite effective at absorbing odors and can be "recharged" by placing them in direct sunlight for a few hours.   :)

I will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks! :)
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