Why do people buy these things?
With that said they don't have many choices - 85 % of all the toys in DK are expensive junk.
Only Bruder, Siku, Playmobil and LEGO make products that are worth paying for (in my opinion).
I must admit that I've buyed a non Playmo Pirateset once (with ship island raft). I costed a lot less than Playmobil (wasn't a collector then) and now I'm sorry that I didn't opt for a more expensive or smaller Playmo set. As A lot of parts broke in a short time of play.
But I can imagine that when there isn't mutch choise you tent to go for the cheaper and easier obtainable stuff.
Luckily here in Holland we've got a lot of quality toys. Which doesn't mean that we've got a lot of junck as well.