buy-online sites crashdown??

[Amd]

Many of us will agree that playmobil.com is rather expensive in comparison with other choices we used to have...

in my personal history i only have bough DS service from playmobil, the rest i used to search in different sites... ridgeroadstation, stewarttoys, and toymine, and most of the times in the last one, the prices where almost a third of playmobil.com, there is where i get my 200 Romans and auxilia at $6.25 the set of 3, my medieval markets for $17, and many more figures and sets, they even offer me a discount if i expend $500. from the other sites was cheaper than playmobil, but not all the items... suddenly one of the sites (i reserve the name) took off playmobil products (this was like a year ago) when i ask they said playmobil told them to put their stock at the same price that playmobil.com otherwise they wouldn't sell them anymore... and the other sites just adjust the prices...

Now a few days ago looking on toymine I realize they closed the site, and stewarttoys have in clearance most of playmobil items...

I wonder what is this!!!!!

is this a manifetation of the economical crisis or is a result of the monopolist position of playmobil.com

[Gepetto]

I think this is probably a combination of both, I have noticed at least 3 other sites have closed down also. When the sites have to sell at Playmobil's prices there is no reason not to buy from Playmobil, especially since they can discount their items. The only way other sites can compete is to offer free shipping so you don't need to meet the $150 minimum of Playmobil.

I am also noticing a decided lack of Playmobil at Target these days, after being moved to the baby toy aisle they have only blisters and remnants.



Gepetto

[core]

stewarttoys have in clearance most of playmobil items...

fyi Stewart Toys is closing for good 

[Martin Milner]

Alas Playmobil UK is NOT the most expensive place to buy Playmobil in Britain, and very few stores even carry the newest sets at any price. If you want something the moment it is released, buying direct from Playmobil is the only way to go.

Unless Stewart Toys and others relied on Playmobil as their sole or main product line, then anything Playmobil alone do should not tip them into bankruptcy. More likely it's the poor economic climate, with parents spending less on toys generally, and the smaller (or in some cases less financially efficient) companies are going under.

Nobody can predict when this worldwide recession/depression will end, though I'm expecting it to last at least 2 more years. I think we'll all be facing a very different world when things pick up again.

[Bill Blackhurst]

I miss the days when RRS had their discounted prices with free shipping  ! I bought more there than anywhere else I can remember, I can say in the thousands of $'s ! Now their prices are the MDRP instead of MSRP with discounted prices. I feel RRS also got angry @ Playmobil for making their merchandise available @ Kmart, TRU, Target, etc., because they were not considered an exclusive anymore. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but RRS is not stocking near as much Playmobil as they used to as in the past. Playmobil can be very demanding when it comes to franchise violation. Although it seems unfair that a manufacturer can offer their items on line at a set price, & make their dealers sell at the same prices with no way to make it competitive to be profitable. RRS offered the same quality items @ a fair price with free shipping, which made RRS extremely popular with the Playmobil purchasing community, & for that peer businesses became critical, & Playmobil began enforcing the everybody sells @ the same price rule. RRS was profitable even with the deep discounts, sold large volumes of Playmobil, & made many people happy, so why did they get into trouble?

[Justindo]

I bought almost all of my Roman items from Ridge Road Station and Toy Mine because their prices were less than on Playmobil's website.  When Playmobil changed their pricing policy with their vendors, the incentive to buy from these places went away and I'm sure the vendors lost a lot of business.  Although I think the economy is the main reason Toy Mine has gone out of business, I'm guessing their Playmobil pricing is a very significant factor too.  I'm also guessing Ridge Road Station's sales have been greatly affected because of both of these reasons. 

Lately I've been buying a lot less Playmobil (I've got everything I want and am waiting on the Egyptians) and splitting my orders between Ridge Road Station (for items they have in stock) and Playmobil (for items Ridge Road Station doesn't have in stock).

[Knight Train]

I miss the days when RRS had their discounted prices with free shipping  ! I bought more there than anywhere else I can remember, I can say in the thousands of $'s

If you're going to make a LARGE order for playmobil, you should put it together and call / email RRS and see if they will give you a discount.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

[Bill Blackhurst]

If you're going to make a LARGE order for playmobil, you should put it together and call / email RRS and see if they will give you a discount.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

I'm afraid the days of putting in large Playmobil orders are done for me! If I do place what I consider a large order it would be around only $100.00 instead of the normal $500.00 like in the old days! In the old days at RRS, the discounts were across the board no matter what the amount of money the order was, & the selection was fantastic  , oh, those were the days  !

[Little Jo]

Typically in Germany (or at least where I live) it doesn't matter where to buy, because prices are mostly the same as at Playobil. Online when new sets are introduces some markets introduce them to special prices being quite several Euros less than on Playmobil.de ... and for sure when the stores want to get rid of the old sets, then they are sold also for special prices.

Interesting is, that some stores sell Playmobil even for higher prices than listed on Playmobil.de.

[Amd]

as a friend said, is not fair that in the country where the capital and the competence is everything this sort of things happens...

i just lift my shoulders with no answer...

If you're going to make a LARGE order for playmobil, you should put it together and call / email RRS and see if they will give you a discount.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

get back you evil!!!!   

... do you have any experience on this matter??? i mean have anyone tried to get a better price for a big buy at on-line store or even in playmobil.Usa??

my roman collection stopped because of this...