regional sets available worldwide for collectors

[cachalote]

while we wait (it's taking "forever") on the results of a possible collectors club and while we wait for the promissed "papers" produced by the pilot group i decided to create this thread.

for me, if a collectors club had only this goal, it would be enough - to make it available for its members all the sets playmobil produces exclusively for some "regional" markets. 

wouldn't it be great? 
wouldn't it be something simple that would surely make a difference? 

[tahra]

Agreed!

Some sets are hard to find outside their "region". It serves for some to make a killing on ebay, basically. Been on both sides of that (long ago), and I'm sure the balance would be a lot better if we could just buy them (and sell them) at normal prices..

[playmogal]

This sounds wonderful to me as well. That way we have access to sets everywhere without exorbitant costs. Let us know what we need to do.

I also wish we could get a date for a collectors' weekend at the FunPark at Zirndorf. Just setting a date would help us get together there once a year if we want. It would not have to be a big deal.

Maybe we need to select our own date and JUST DO IT as Nike says in its ads. No need for an exhibition the first time. How about considering these two dates:

1. Labor Day weekend Sept. 2-5 or

2. Thanksgiving weekend November 24-27.

These are holiday weekends most of us get in the US.

The Playmobil Inn is pretty expensive, so unless we all want to share a room, we probably will want to look elsewhere. Would be nice if PM would say we could give us a toy credit for everything we spend at the Inn! We usually stay at Marriotts on business, and found a Courtyard in Regensburg. And there have to be a lot of small inns closer by that are less expensive.

Any ideas folks?  Pgal

[tahra]

I also wish we could get a date for a collectors' weekend at the FunPark at Zirndorf. Just setting a date would help us get together there once a year if we want. It would not have to be a big deal.

Maybe we need to select our own date and JUST DO IT as Nike says in its ads. No need for an exhibition the first time. How about considering these two dates:

1. Labor Day weekend Sept. 2-5 or

2. Thanksgiving weekend November 24-27.

These are holiday weekends most of us get in the US.

The Playmobil Inn is pretty expensive, so unless we all want to share a room, we probably will want to look elsewhere. Would be nice if PM would say we could give us a toy credit for everything we spend at the Inn! We usually stay at Marriotts on business, and found a Courtyard in Regensburg. And there have to be a lot of small inns closer by that are less expensive.

Any ideas folks?  Pgal

I'd LOVE that idea. Was looking about and found there are no direct flights from Lisbon to Nuremberg (closest, I think). But both Frankfurt and Munich are about an hour away.

Found some 3 star hotels that weren't very expensive in Zirndorf, under 2 km from the funpark (or so they said)...

I WANT to go to the Funpark, but I don't wanna go alone.. With a downside - I don't speak German. A few words understood in the middle of a sentence are not enough, me thinks.

We don't get those american holidays, but for me, that's why we have vacation. If known in advance, it shouldn't be a problem.

I just think we might wanna go there in the late summer, or VERY early fall... At least me, I'll freeze...

[Dove]

I support Cachalote's idea at a thousand percent ! 

Why not a World-DS for collectors club members with all sets avalaible, no exclusive, no export/non export market delay ? Playmobil could do business instead of E-bay, that should convince them !

[bonniebeth]

Ye, that would be great, as a special privilege just for collectors.

[Rasputin]

Ye, that would be great, as a special privilege just for collectors.

Now wouldn't shipping charges for an individual buyer of say a few sets not make this as economical and green as possible.

Does anybody remember how often New Jersey get shipments of parts and sets from Germany?

What if a certain amount of sets was shipped bulk to N.J.'s distribution warehouse then the pallet could be broken down to ship it out from there to individual club members for $5 or free over $50. The initial amount shipped could be adjusted due to demand over the years and club exclusive restocking could happen with normal DS/set re-stocking shipments, provided they are often enough.

Club members could get the sets a year earlier and it would not cost just as much as the set was worth for shipping fees

[playmogal]

Gang,
This sounds like a fabulous solution to the delays we experience getting toys distributed only in other markets or later in the US.

Tahra,
I agree that late summer/early fall is a better time to visit Germany. Anyone else interested in this time frame, possibly during the first week of September?
Schools resume in mid-August to early-Sept. in the US, while in Europe they start in mid-Sept if I remember correctly. So European schoolkids should still be on holiday if we do something in early Sept.

We definitely would want to visit the Fun Park if we go to Germany.
Cheers, Pgal

[cowabounga]

Actually school starts on september 5th in France. I'd like to join with my wife and kids but am afraid it's not a good idea to travel back the day before school. Gotta see that with wifey…(who's not a PM fan, btw!)
Best,
Arnaud.

[playmogal]

Arnaud,
September is not looking good for us. Do you have any school holidays in May or June in France? It seems to me that school lets out in late June or early July there if I remember right. Also May first was a holiday as was much of early May in the 90's. Has this changed?
Cheers, Pgal