Can Someone Tell Me

Posted on April 2, 2013 by admin

Can someone tell why person would pay $35.00 for three hard plastic trees.  In a recent Ebay auction a collector paid that amount for the three trees. The winning bidder is not a newbie as he has 12,000 plus  positives.  Take a look.

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15 Responses to Can Someone Tell Me

  1. Don Perkins says:
    April 2, 2013 at 6:59 PM

    No, I can’t tell you why someone would pay that much. I have about 40 of them (the standard Marx oak tree, shaped like a triangle with the base on the bottom), which I acquired mainly when they were available at shows for a dollar a piece. I think they look neat when there’s a bunch of them arranged in a big forest in Civil War or Revolutionary War set-ups. I bought a few more when the price went to $2.00 per tree, and then stopped buying when they went higher. Prices at shows seem to have now moderated, and I think you can find plenty of them available at $2 – $3 each.

    Reply
  2. Mark Hegeman says:
    April 2, 2013 at 7:43 PM

    It would appear they are one of each type and all in hard plastic which are much harder to find intact. Still, I would probably only value them at $5 each at most.
    So we can only assume he REALLY wanted them or just did not want to lose to the other bidder as the lead in bidding changed several times.

    Reply
    • admin says:
      April 2, 2013 at 11:48 PM

      Chris
      I doubt these are the same trees. The winning bidder and the seller’s you placed the link to positives are very different. I just get amaze on the prices some people try to get then I get compliants my prices are too high on the same item.

      Reply
  4. Bill Nevins says:
    April 3, 2013 at 12:18 AM

    Paul I have to disagree with you. I believe those are exactly the same tress. The original buyer is probably a picker for the seller who has them listed now (MYTOYS).
    If you look at the MYTOYS store it is loaded with common ordinary Marx pieces selling for silly prices. Examples are common 6 inch Cowboys, Indians and Astronauts starting at 24 to 26.99 each.

    I have no idea who MYTOYS is, but it appears he has gone to the Jamie Delson school of business.

    Reply
    • admin says:
      April 3, 2013 at 9:55 AM

      Bill
      You may be right, I have no direct connection from the sale of the Marx trees to the dealer that has been mentioned, so I will have to stand with my original comment until proof is shown . On the prices of this dealer this is the old chestnut, what do you go for maxium of dollars or turn over. This dealer goes with the first option, in the last 15 days he has sold 43 items. Using the words “Marx trees” there are 46 listings not all trees. The only hard plastic Marx tree lots are his. If a collector needs a hard plastic tree bad they will pay the price. I like these dealers as I can under cut them and get my item sold while they are still trying to sell their’s.

      Reply
    • Bill Lango says:
      April 3, 2013 at 9:02 PM

      “I have no idea who MYTOYS is, but it appears he has gone to the Jamie Delson school of business.” LOL! Bill

      Reply
  5. Brian Johnson says:
    April 3, 2013 at 2:57 AM

    Yeah that “Mytoys” dealer always has some neat stuff but his prices are just dulally,I really don’t know how he stays in business unless he sells a lot to more cash than brains Saudi putzes.Like PT said “There’s one born every minute.”

    Reply
  6. Mike Goins says:
    April 3, 2013 at 1:38 PM

    Paul,
    One reason I enjoy so much reading of your adventures searching shows and flea markets is that it is so different from the vacuum I have collected in for so many years. It seems that the east coast and especially the northeast are good areas for hunting toys as well as railroadiana and all types of collectables. I live in Texas and rarely find single vintage figures at estate or garage sales, never actual playsets. Occasionally I will see partial sets overpriced in malls. The one show I know of each year is in San Antonio and never could get off work to go to it. I have learned much of what I know by over paying or getting fleeced condition wise on Ebay. I think it is the frustration that gets you more than anything, and you buy things that hindsight shows to be for insane prices. That and ignorance of the market. This can be overcome with time but the cost of it all (knowledge) is high. I have bid against mytoys (and lost) and have bought reissue space helmets from them as I could find no other vendor at the time. Their prices have gone up a good bit from where they were but they were nice people to deal with. For me collecting vintage Marx figures was a nostalgic sideline and a costly one but working nights, sending kids to college, and collecting railroad keys as a long time chief interest kept me from putting the time and focus on toys that others have. Some people undoubtedly have unlimited means and pay outlandish prices to get what they want. Most I would suspect fall more into where I find myself, confused and impulsive at times.

    Reply
    • admin says:
      April 3, 2013 at 7:50 PM

      Hi Mike
      Your comments bring up many interesting points. The east coast have been a hotbed for collectibles because the people were hoarders and had places to store their items. Also the population was here in the high point of 50’s and 60’s for Marx toys. We do have a lot of shows here to go over in a year compare to your area. Hopefully you will get a chance to get to San Antonio.
      The only way to learn a hobby is by making mistakes. You learn what prices should be. I was luck as I was at the beginning of the hobby so I have seen the prices on playsets go from less than hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. I still make mistakes but I am very careful so the loss is not great. For my personal collection I will not pay more than $25.00 for an item. There has been exceptions which I then justify will dollar cost averaging. I have built a very nice and interesting collection.
      Mytoys has made the space helmets, Forbidden Planet Figures and the Falling horse and rider. They are the only source for the space helmets and have to be bought from them. When I get an original space helmet it is pair with figure to sell at $10.00.
      In all hobbies there collectors with unlimited money and honestly I would rather help the collector like you than them. Mike. you had obligations and you took care of those first and I admire you for that. When you buy try to be cool, relax and enjoy it.

      Reply
  7. chris says:
    April 4, 2013 at 1:37 AM

    I might have been clearer , my meaning was same trees as those sold , not the very same trees . And after looking around a bit on ebay , seems quite a few sellers have them for much the same price , but I have not looked at completed sales to see if this is the norm

    Reply
    • admin says:
      April 5, 2013 at 1:51 PM

      Chris
      We appreciate your response and I realized that they were very unlikely the same trees. It is interesting what people are charging for items and may be getting for them. For a collector that does not have access to shows and other resources, if they need this or a similar iitem they will have to paid the price unless another party comes in with a cheaper price. It is an interesting aspect of collecting.

      Reply
  8. Ed Borris says:
    April 5, 2013 at 2:55 PM

    E-bay has always amazed me, people seem to have no problem paying outrageous prices for items I think are junk and sometimes a real quality item will garner little or no interest. It really is a crap shoot. Maybe the way I value items are off base or maybe the people really are crazy. Probably a little of both.

    Reply
  9. Kevin Lawler says:
    April 10, 2013 at 8:03 PM

    I suspect the real name of the buyer was actually “Kilmer”….and he just HAD to have them.
    Just proves there’s nothing quite “as lovely as a tree”.

    Reply
  10. Don perkins says:
    May 6, 2013 at 11:58 AM

    NEWS FLASH: If you will check James Delson’s (Toy Soldier Co.) website, he has a hard plastic Marx Oak Tree listed at “regularly $16.00”, but now (for the month of May 2013) “at 30% off” for a current sale price (through the end of May) of $11.20.

    So maybe the internet seller wasn’t so far off in his pricing after all. In fact, his asking price, which many of us thought was excessive, was LOWER than Mr. Delson’s SALES price!

    Reply

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