The Chinese (collectors) have landed!

[PMatt]

That's a stunning find! I am also into Star Wars collecting, and there are plenty of Hasbro knock-offs available on eBay. I've heard from multiple people that the best quality ones (which, I have to say, are indistinguishable from the original product if not for the suspiciously low price) are produced under the counter in the very same factories which make Hasbro products.

Since, if I'm not mistaken, Playmobil did produce some sets in China, does anyone more knowledgeable about the topic think it possible the same is happening here?

[tahra]

Since, if I'm not mistaken, Playmobil did produce some sets in China, does anyone more knowledgeable about the topic think it possible the same is happening here?

Unfortunately, those sets (for the american market, I believe).. tell..

There's the chicken dragon whose wings fall off if you look hard at them.. And the vehicles. I only have the school bus - lousy quality and it shows... When I was trying to open/close the door.. it was hard.. THEN I remembered.. flipped it upside down.. BEHOLD... "made in china"...

So, hope they stop that. Gives them a bad name.

[Oliver]

I think they stopped producing in China - partly because of problems around quality control, and partly because making Playmobil isn't very labour intensive to make so it wasn't worth it.

Looking further into it, both Taopals and Aliexpress have Playmobil for sale at pretty high prices, and lots of them are rare

[Hadoque]

I think this is an example of what George found;

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Custom-Playmobil-Plastic-Action-Figure-Anime_60568020107.html

Text says the figures shown are just for example, minimum orders are for 2000 pieces. There is also an add where minimum-order quantity is 1000 figures. Size is said as being 28 cm, but I assume that is a mistake (or something lost in translation).

[playmofire]

Since, if I'm not mistaken, Playmobil did produce some sets in China, does anyone more knowledgeable about the topic think it possible the same is happening here?

They did and the quality was poor so I would have thought that it was once bitten, twice shy.