PlaymoFriends
Getting Started => Welcome! => Topic started by: reylocann on August 19, 2009, 11:28:43
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Hi all! I am excited to be among such devoted Playmobil fans. I recently began the daunting task of sorting through the chaos of Playmobil left behind by my hurricane daughter Isabel. Her first piece was a fire engine, I believe, and that would have been around 1995. Amazingly, it appears as if I have all the klickys, orange cones, hats, masks, and tools that came in that first set. Needless to say, I am an obsessively compulsive Playmobil pack-rat. To further illustrate my tendencies, I can, with all honesty, say that we have EVERY piece to every advent calendar issued from 1997 (I) up until 2005 (VIII). I think I was unusual because I actually packed the calendars back up each year. By 2005 my daughter was complaining she had "too many to open each day" and "did we really have to put them all out?"
From 2000 to 2005 I owned a specialty toy store which, you guessed it, stocked Playmobil. I can boast that I had the highest sales volume/square footage ratio in the United States. My store only had about 800 sq. ft. of retail space and I sold between $50-60K wholesale each year. I had a lot of other toys and collectibles in the store as well. Brands such as Steiff, Ravensburger, Lego, Britains and Madame Alexander were also fully stocked. On top of all that, I sold hobby suppplies and models. Of course no proper toy store is complete without trains - Marklin and Lionel were my best sellers. But, alas, all things being the way they are, I could not compete with the Black Hole called Wal-Mart.
Prior to closing the doors on the shop, I began putting Playmobil sets aside. I have a nice collection of Victorian pieces and a number of my original display pieces "in stock." Three rooms of my house are now littered with pieces and parts in boxes and cups, tubs and Ziploc. Tables and trays are covered with cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, families and orphans, knights and pirates, flora and fowl, walls and furniture, hats and cuffs, tools and weapons. Klickys are around every corner watching and waiting to see if they too, will end up on the auction block.
Yes, it is time to downsize. However, as I embarked on this mission, I had no idea how much fun I would have and how very difficult it is to part with some of the older sets.
There were a couple of postings in the "looking for" thread which caught my eye and I am happy to share pieces parts. I think that through sharing and trading, not just selling, I am coming to terms with lightening my load. That being said, I am glad to be here and look forward to sharing with the group. You can find me in the Playmoboard group as well under the moniker "giwedorann."
P.S. I am on a mac so pictures will be posted to Photobucket as needed.
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Welcome Reylocann!
Very interesting to hear about your retail store, and sorry to hear you had to close, which State are you in?
I'm in the process of relocating to Eugene in Oregon, from London UK, and Eugene boasts two small specialist toy/hobby stores, but of course they can't compete with price against Walmart, Target and Toys'R'Us, let alone Playmobil's own website. Most of my UK purchasing is direct from Playmobil's website, or the cheaper stores like John Lewis, who beat Hamley's in Regent Street for price every time. One of the Eugene specialist stores still has some Victorian sets, but they were very pricey and I refrained from purchasing.
I have bought some advent calenders, but only for the parts, and the actual boxes I have thrown away!
cheers, Martin
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Hello, from the South Eastern USA, reylocann! I've been collecting since 1998, & it's been an up, & down journey of selling, & collecting over the years! All I can do is recommend that you search your soul thoroughly before letting anything go away, because you will eventually look back, & say, "gosh, I wish I'd kept that for my grandchildren!" Take it from someone who says that on a normal basis! It can be an interesting, & rewarding hobby by doing photo stories, & sharing ideas, & pictures of your collection! The Victorian theme is a timeless bunch of treasures that are continually sought after by new, & old collectors alike, so if you have any sets, hold on to them for dear life, because they are an exquisite collection!
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Hello and welcome from North Yorkshire in England. :wave: Thanks for the detailed introduction. About 1995 there are three possible fire engines your daughter coudl have owned - the 3781, orange ladder truck, the 3880 pumper No. 26, or the 3879 ladder truck, No. 52. All three are great Playmobil, the 3781 and 3880 classics in my view.
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Howdy, :wave: and welcome from sunny Arizona!
Best regards,
Jimbo
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So you reside in Ohio, huh?
Welcome to Playmofriends from a cloudy Cincinnati!
- Ben
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Hello there!
Er ... Wow! I'm sorry you had to close the shop :'( it seems you liked to work with it.
Uhm, welcome to Playmofriends! I hope you enjoy it here :)
(I'm Gustavo, live in Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, to be more specific.)
See you around!
Gus
:blackhair:
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Welcome, reylocann! :wave: :*)
I completely understand your obsessiveness with regards to packing away your daughter's sets and trying to make certain nothing was lost over the years. I am just the same. Sometimes I wish I could be more relaxed and not worry about pieces going missing, but it's a very hard habit to break. :-[
Looking forward to seeing some pics of your stuff. :camera:
Have fun here at PlaymoFriends! :)9
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Welcome reylocann! :wave:
It sounds like you collect all themes. I like ancient civilizations (especially Romans and Egyptians).
Sorry to hear about your store. I support small businesses as much as I can.
I live in Northern California.
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Be welcome from the South of Germany :wave:
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A warm welcome from Windsor UK :wave:!!!
Have fun !!!
Karim ;)
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Hi and welcome from Cheshire :wave:
I'm sure you'll have fun with this bunch and theres nothing wrong with being obsessive. Thats how many of us can still enjoy things that were discontinued years ago.
Have fun here and I hope your move goes well.
Emma.
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Thanks all for the warm welcome! I feel as if I am home!
Annie
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Hello, Annie ... :wave:
And, a BIG welcome from the United States Virgin Islands.
Until last month, I would have asked you to please open a Playmobil store on the island of St.Thomas. I could have told you that you wouldn't have any competition at all. However, last month Kmart began carrying Playmobil here. Albeit they only had three sets. That's not three different sets with multiples. It was just three sets. I bought one and my daughter bought one for my birthday present. Someone else must have bought the third set, because our Kmart no longer has any Playmobil for sale.
So, unless our Kmart gets another shipment, you would have no competition ... ;o)
Annie, thanks for joining us here at PlaymoFriends and I'm looking forward to seeing photos of your collection.
All the best,
Richard
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Greetings Annie from the Great Pacific Northwest! Glad to have you joining us here in our little corner of the world.
Gepetto
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Great to see you on here. I'd love to see pictures of a house stacked to the roof with Playmobil :)
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Great to see you on here. I'd love to see pictures of a house stacked to the roof with Playmobil :)
Richard is the man you need to talk to then! :yup:
Gepetto