PlaymoFriends
General => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: bonniebeth on September 26, 2012, 15:09:36
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Sooner or later, it seems that every collector reaches a point where the collection begins to overwhelm them in some way, maybe because of running out of space, financial concerns, etc. It's interesting to observe that different people come up with different solutions when they reach this point in their collecting. So the question is, what solution have you come up with to this problem as you reached a crisis point? Please choose answers that reflect what you would really do or have done, not what wish you could do (like buy a bigger house :lol:)
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I've rearranged the house, bought containers and reorganized how I was storing the collection, stopped buying for a period to get financials under control, and have also sold some things to both make room and to free up funds to buy other Playmobil. I have some sets stored upstairs that I rarely use or look at as well. If I could afford a bigger house I would get one of those too.
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I have in the past rearranged to make room for more, and bought containers to organize. I'm now getting ready to sell some stuff though. I'm finally ready to part with a few things. I have some themes I have just a little of, not enough to really do anything with, so I must decide between buying a lot more of that theme or just selling what I have. So I'm going to just sell what I have of a few themes.
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Bonnie, this is so timely for me, as I have two unfinished 5300/5301 mansion customization projects that stare me in the face each day! I really don't have the room to leave them out and don't have the incentive to finish either of them. I took a picture of one, disassembled it and put the parts in large plastic zip lock bags and then place them into a bin. I think I will do the same with the other until the spirit moves me to work on it again.
I have recently been buying the medieval steck and want to do something with that. I am a mess. :-[
Joe
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I am after reorganising and storing everything away myself. No point of having everything around me if you don't feel they are usuful or adequatley displayed... When the time is right again, they will come out of the box :love:
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While I didn't buy a "bigger house" technically (we were in an apartment and bought a house) I did get one with a barn that we will be finishing for the express purpose of Playmobil storage and display... (it is fully wired for electric and just needs a concrete floor poured and some insulation and I can move the playmobil in, hopefully this spring/summer)... in the meantime there has been a lot of rearranging furniture and rooms to conceal the mounds and mounds or Playmobil that would engulf the house if I didn't have most of it completely unorganized in enormous plastic tubs... hence also the reorganization project... :-[ Might have a tad much... at least until I do get that barn finished (two stories 36'x24', though the top floor is only 36'x16' useable) :lol:
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:love:
First step was to get containers and organize the collection. (didn't work)
Then I got rid of useless empty boxes (didn't work)
Im in a middle of a full appartment renovation (I turned it upside down to be honest) right now to add more storage room and better display space. (hope it works)
I would get a bigger house if I could (that would work..... for some time, until the next crisis) :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Well, I did run out of space.... Then stepped away for a few years (MORONIC), cause I didn't know where to put them, and I found the whole thing depressing...
Then I'm trying to organize everything, cutting down.. Don't know if it's working that well though.
(of course, Euromillions would just solve everything.. buy a HUMONGOUS place, so I could have the medieval wing, the prehistoric wing.... well, one can dream.)
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I hope it never has to come to the point where I have to sell some PM in order to solve a crisis! :prays:
Currently, my Playmobil collection is undergoing a large reorganization project as I have many loose parts sitting around on my display table and klickies, buildings and vehicles strewn about the attic. I am pondering whether or not to keep my empty boxes, although I think my best bet would be to simply flatten them as they take lots of valuable space. In any case, I hope to sort out my Playmo soon because I have a large number of photo-stories waiting to be finished! ::)
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I dont have that much but pretty much decided to stop buying for this year aside from maybe some specials or figures. Theres not that much room so I am selective about what I buy, everything must be usefull.
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I don't have a huge collection, but I have very little space and too many hobbies.
Until I move to a bigger place, I'm keeping most of it in boxes, and just bringing out what I want to work with right now. Otherwise, I'd be stepping on klickies trying to move around.
When I buy lots to get certain items, I always sell what I don't plan on using. This keeps the spatial/financial impact to a minimum.
I'd like to get small uniform plastic containers to store everything in, but I'm not sure it would help.
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I put down bought a bigger house :lol: :lol: :lol:, as we bought our summer holiday home this year in May
one of the key reasons i bought this place was that as agreed with my wife one of its rooms is dedicated purely to my playmobil ( space collection there, pirate to follow next summer there and maybe romans/egyptians )
I also put down the option ' keep on buying' or something as it was called as space never stopped me from buying playmos , you should see my room when i was a student at uni :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: of course my then medieval collection took priority, my desk was always full of playmos ( will never forget my first 3666 that was set there along with other sets for all the time ) and so was my bookcase , styding was done in the bed as floor was full of playmos too and the books were stored under the bed as playmos and playmo boxes were in the bookcase . Towards my final exams when i had to do some proper study/work i moved for a few weeks to another room as i couldnt bring myself to store away my playmos and besides as i used to tell everyone my 3666 and medieval collection was my lucky charm for the exams :loco: :loco: :loco:
Some student friends even today do mention about my playmos that were everywhere ( incl my car back then but stored away not to get stolen ) , a fact that makes me very proud of my philoshophy in life about how important is playmobil to me and how my private space is occupied by them :loco: :loco: :loco:
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I voted for buying containers and re-organizing. I haven't really encountered my own Playmobil "crisis" but I could see space becoming a problem.
Personally, I have no intention of parting with any of my Playmobil, as I don't buy things I don't want. Not buying sets for a while might work too, but one might miss out on some great stuff and purchasing it later could be expensive. Perhaps being more selective in what one purchases is the best solution. For some, putting it away until one's back in the mood might be helpful too. Selling one's entire collection seems drastic, and remodeling and/or buying a larger house may not be possible for many.
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what crisis :P I see no problem but do not ask my wife and in-laws :lol:
Seriously I would just put it away for a while and regroup you thoughts on the situation. Out of sight out of mind. Once its out of your hair you will be-able to make a more stress free decision. Asking a bunch of nutty addicted collectors what to do with ones collection, well I think you see where I am going ;) Its like going to the bar/pub to stop drinking so much :lol:
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:lol: Yeah, this wouldn't be the place to ask for advice! I was just curious what other people have done. I'm getting ready to sell a few things right now.
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I have kept all my collection in storage boxes, no space and time unfortunatly this period for my playmos :(
PS: I have a long time to buy something too, it must be a great deal for me to buy.
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Uuuh, Bonnie, that´s a wounded point, you are touching here. :'(
That´s exactly the situation I am in at the moment.
Last year, when I was doing a few picture stories, I realized, it´s difficult to find all the small parts and know, whether I have more than one of them to paint or change them for the stories. So I decided, I must reorganize my collection.
Until then, I have packed all in theme boxes. And I must confess, after collecting more than 20 years now, I have 3 attics and some rooms full of playmobil and I suppose, it will be more than 200/300 BIG boxes full of Playmobil. I never counted them.
AND I am colleting other things, too!
So I start sorting out all small parts, all figures, all animals, all green stuff, all building parts...
And after a few weeks, I lived in a complete mess, with parts of my collection sorted new, parts still waiting and a big room full of boxes in sorting process. 8} ??? >:(
That was the collaps! The moment, I decided to part from EVERYTHING, called Playmobil.
Don´t worry, I didn´t! ;)
I really wanted to throw everything in the bin. I couldn´t move between the boxes any longer. I couldn´t hear the word Playmobil any longer. I was knocked out! And I HATED the complete collection! :hmm:
But I know overkills like that from former times.
Hard to find a solution.
I really don´t want to give parts of my Playmobil away. Have already done with all the stuff I don´t need.
I´ve already big boxes and they are all full.
We already have a bigger house and storage possibility.
And I still want to buy more, because the coming news are wonderful again.
And my husband is a collector, too.
And we need a small part to live, too.
So I am at the end point now, where there is no possibility left.
I don´t think of Playmobil at the moment. (That´s why you don´t read much of me the past month) I am waiting and hoping to come down with my feelings again and then I will go on sorting and collecting and loving my Playmobil.
I don´t know, where to store the more of it, but I believe in magic.
I MUST!
I am afraid, I am not of much help for you, but let me say, it can´t be so bad as my Playmobil situation at the moment. And be sure, you don´t want to see pictures! :o
Wish me luck for the future! :-\
Daniela
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The first response to overcrowding was to pack stuff away and put it in the attic, to make more room in my limited space.
I then had the good fortune to be able to more to a bigger country, where I had a bigger dedicated Playmoroom as Tiermann can attest. Unfortunately I do not keep it as organised as I should, and need to spend some hours putting stuff away and reorganising. This will be a labor of love when I can find the time.
I'm now on a much more limited budget, so I'm not adding new stuff at nearly the same rate as the last few years. Fortunately this has coincided with a reduction in Playmobil production of series that interest me. I get the Fi?gures (thanks Tim!), but there's very little else in the pipeline that I can't live without.
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Well the thing is, buying new playmobil is not needed to keep enjoying playmobil. Can always focus more on what you have and work with that for a while. :)
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I am afraid, I am not of much help for you, but let me say, it can´t be so bad as my Playmobil situation at the moment. And be sure, you don´t want to see pictures! :o
Actually, please post them. I find it hard to believe there's a bigger mess than mine... :-[
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Wow Daniela, sounds like you do have quite a situation on your hands. That's the point I hope I never reach, where there just is NO solution to the problem anymore and I end up hating my beloved toys. I'm shooting for the goal of keeping my purchases low enough that I don't anytime soon have more playmobil than can be enjoyed in one large bedroom. If I get past that point, I think I will start feeling choked. So I'm making some difficult choices right now, about themes I am not going to collect anymore, or not going to start on. It's really not easy, though. I love almost everything playmobil produces. And my real problem is, I don't have one large bedroom for my playmobil yet. :lol: So I have some displayed in our bedroom, and I have a closet devoted to storing it, but the collection has already outgrown the closet.
Anyhow Daniela, I think you are probably doing the best thing, just taking a break for a while. One day the mood will probably strike you once again to start organizing and enjoying your wonderful collection again!
Well the thing is, buying new playmobil is not needed to keep enjoying playmobil. Can always focus more on what you have and work with that for a while. :)
Yes, and sometimes you must do that for a while. But in general a minimalist approach may work for what you like to do with your playmobil, making stories and all, but it doesn't apply to everyone depending on their purpose in collecting. For me, what I love to do with playmobil is build dioramas, as realistic as possible. That's what I really get pleasure from and is the whole reason I started collecting. My main theme is the zoo of course, and I'm sorry but it wouldn't be much of a zoo with only five or six species of animals. So to make it worth having any of it in the first place, takes a lot of animals, lots of fencing, scenery, plants, zookeepers, visitors, etc. To me if I don't make a realistic zoo, I might as well not even make one. So having just a few klickys and a couple of buildings, isn't going to work for me.
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Actually, please post them. I find it hard to believe there's a bigger mess than mine... :-[
Okay, you wanted it! I would suggest, to sit down first, to be safe! ;D
Here you go!
And believe me, it´s only a PART of the mess!!! :'(
I should have never start a new system of organizing my collection. Should have kept it the way it is.
Nevertheless, I don´t loose hope, because I am really good in sorting. So I will end this someday, at the one way or the other. :lol:
But I need room for breathing first!
Daniela
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Watching the pictures, I feel really ashamed. :-[
Please believe me, that´s NOT my normal way of living!!!
I HATE situations like that!!!
But when you started it, you also have to end it.
And in the middle of the way, sometimes desperation is overwhelming. :(
Daniela
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halleluja!!
That is some playmobil :o
Hope you will get it all organised! I allready have some problems with that, and I have your collection : 1000!
:lol:
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Watching the pictures, I feel really ashamed. :-[
Please believe me, that´s NOT my normal way of living!!!
I HATE situations like that!!!
But when you started it, you also have to end it.
And in the middle of the way, sometimes desperation is overwhelming. :(
Daniela
It looks fairly well organized to me. :yup: (Reminds me of my pit.) :lol: I'll bet you can put your hands on anything you need though, am I right?
Joe
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I agree that I one point we will all feel over whealmed or 'go off' collecting.
I voted for reorganisation (I love organising :eh?:), selling some sets (I sell off a few sets each year that I don't really like or need) and stop buying for a while-I find taking breaks from eBay quite relaxing. It gives me time to enjoy what I have and I'm not tempted to spend more money on even more sets.
This time next year however, I'll be going to university and I have decided to pack up my collection and it probably won't be unpacked again for quite a number of years. My collection has been taking up a whole room in our house for too long now and its only fair for it to be used for something else. I'm hoping that when it is unpacked maybe when I'm in my own house ( 8} ) I'll appreciate it even more after the period of absence.
Don't let your collection weigh you down, it's meant to be something you enjoy. ;) Just don't do anything you'll regret in the future.
Verity
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I voted reorganisation, stop buying and selling some, too. It hasn't come as far as a real crisis yet, but since I don't have a house myself it is hard to just keep the playmobil in the limited space I have (one rather small closet, a few boxes in the salvage and under my bed), especially now I need some (or pretty much lots of) extra stuff so I can finally set up my zoo. :-\
It would be great to have a whole room or attic just for playmobil, it would make things so much easier...
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I can't add very much to this conversation, as my collection fits into four small containers. This is probably because I have mostly figures and not many big set pieces. I do find that organising them into containers is very helpful, especially to avoid dust accumulation. As for the boxes, I fit smaller ones inside of the bigger ones, so they don't take up all that much room either.
I hope that you are all able to find solutions. :)
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Dearest Daniela, it is always the darkest before the dawn. You have taken on a big project, and at that midpoint where everything is all out in a mess before you can get it all put away again. One day soon it will look like the Deko department at Playmobil. :) Take a break, make a fun little project. Perhaps it's time to create a new stage set for an opera? Cover some of the piles with sheets, so they look like just one big thing instead of lots of little things, then work on just a small part at a time. Tell your husband it's time to take you on a vacation :)
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Okay, you wanted it! I would suggest, to sit down first, to be safe! ;D
Here you go!
And believe me, it´s only a PART of the mess!!! :'(
You think THAT's bad? Did you see this: The PROCESS (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=8205.0)
One example:
(http://www.playkingdoms.com/temp/playmoproc/playmomess1012i.jpg)
And as in your case this is part of the mess in one of the rooms! I just look at it all and have NO IDEA what to do. :-[
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Are those all opened already or new still, tahra? :o
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Are those all opened already or new still, tahra? :o
I would not be able to leave those unopened, that would be much too tempting!
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I would not be able to leave those unopened, that would be much too tempting!
Yes, that's what I was thinking! I could never leave anything boxed...
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Some are still boxed, cause we didn't get to them yet, and some we got ages ago to trade, but most are opened...
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I am sorry but Daniela and Tahra those pictures are just heavenly to me :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:
I know people are critical of their own situation but it really looks fine to me. :lol:
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I know people are critical of their own situation but it really looks fine to me. :lol:
Oh goody. At least I'm not crazy alone! 8} ;D :P
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Okay Tahra, give me FIVE! :high5:
I knew THE PROCESS.
We are on the same way. :loco:
:!:
Suggestion, shall we come together and mix it all up, yours and mine, and start again together? :lmao:
THAT would be THE TOP!!! :omg: :0
And Rasputin, you are invated to come and help, whenever you want! :P
Daniela
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Tim is right, Daniela, as soon as you start re-organizing something, it ends up looking a LOT worse before it looks better. But it will get better, once you feel ready to tackle it again. It will reach a point where it all starts to come together.
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Dear Tim and Bonnie,
thank you SO MUCH for your comforting words!!! :love:
I know, the time will come, it will become better, but at the moment it´s pure horror.
Nevertheless, I will NOT give up and I still love Playmobil.
And it´s so nice to have understanding friends, that are crazy ones like me and you!
GROUPHUG!!!!
Daniela
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Some are still boxed, cause we didn't get to them yet, and some we got ages ago to trade, but most are opened...
All of those Viking sets... I need to find one of those longships.
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GROUPHUG!!!!
That seems a good start! ;D
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OMG! I kinda feel better about MY situation now! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Well don't feel bad Daniela, Tahra, my appartment, was looking kinda yours, plus the paintors and the carpenters walking around, jumping over boxes! :lol: :lol: :lol: I decided to take part of it to my parent's until the remodel is done.
And of course I can't forget Luli, the cat, inspecting everything, stepping of fresh paint and living her paws all over and watching over every movement everyone made!!!!!!!!!
And on top of that, all my hair (I had plucked one by one so far, Im going nuts!) 8} 8} 8} 8} 8} 8}
So :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help:
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Since I moved last year, I only display my collection in my home office and in a bookshelf in the living room.
I display what I can and the rest is organized in plastic tubs. Bummed me out at first, but I soon realized that I could always have a rotation with the pieces that are on display. It keeps things moving and my display is renewed once in a while which makes me appreciated what I already have even more since it's not always in my face.
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What some may consider a overwhelming crisis, I see inspiration! I don't have your "problem" yet.. but I look forward to being able to have a playmobil problem. I hope you are able to reach a happy place while keeping a positive outlook towards out little plastic friends.
Jarred
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What some may consider a overwhelming crisis, I see inspiration! I don't have your "problem" yet.. but I look forward to being able to have a playmobil problem. I hope you are able to reach a happy place while keeping a positive outlook towards out little plastic friends.
Jarred
exactly, to me this is the kind of problems I like having :lol: its like having a problem of not knowing where to stack you piles of money :lol:
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its like having a problem of not knowing where to stack you piles of money :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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I need to buy more playmobil. Seeing those lovely pictures reminds me i am a long way from my collection goals. I think tis time to go into so pretty ' heavy buying' me reckons, i think i want to see all our houses full of playmo, totally full and no space anywhere !!! that would be so awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!! :yippee:
:loco: