vintage find in camden market

[mr_palitoy]

I was out in Camden Market on Saturday and found a stall selling vintage toys including star wars. It was all a bit sad really, the guy who owned the stall looked quite morose and after I got talking to him he said he was fed up as ebay had destroyed his business and was looking to sell up his business. That plus a lot of the stuff he had was not as collectable as it once was, coins and stamps for example.

His malaise with his business showed in his star wars vintage and it was mostly in very poor condition, he hadn't been looking after his MOC's properly. A 65 back palitoy Vader had about a quarter of the card eaten by a mouse, most bubbles were crushed and really dirty and were held up on the thumbtacks by the punch. Most of his stuff was very common Tri-Logo and Kenner and was very overpriced given the poor condition most of it was in. He high end pieces were and ESB 45 back offerless Boba Fett with a badly crushed two prong bubble at the bottom which may even have let the figure fall through and a 20 back Palitoy Power Droid with what looked like water damage round the bubble. Saying that the Power Droid also had a rip on the front leading to the bubble so it may be a reseal with glue that had gone bad.

Such a shame to see someone with such a loss of interest in a a field which once he had enthusiasim for.



Jason

 

[theguiltyone]

Hes had that Fett and Power Droid for over 3 years.
The first time i saw his stall i asked to see the Fett, he wouldnt let me handle it unless i was buying it!
I left it at that.

 

[spoons]

Hes had that Fett and Power Droid for over 3 years.
The first time i saw his stall i asked to see the Fett, he wouldnt let me handle it unless i was buying it!
I left it at that.

I used to got there failry regulalry, he had a yellowing TIE fighter I was after but he wouldn't go lower than Ã'£50. This was pre-ebay so it was probably a fair price.

 

[Darth Wensleydale]

Its surprising how such traders can keep going. Ebay has been great for collectors to a point but I do miss being able to poke around in a dusty shop for bits and pieces :roll:

Given that ebays fees are increasing all the time people might be driven back to stalls and small shops though :wink:

 

[tiefighterboy]

Yes ebay has ruined alot of the fun digging through markets and shops that used to exist. It still surpises me that the few people who still sell at markets and toy shows try to charge more for their items than you can get them on ebay for, they are putting themselves out of business.

 

[mr_palitoy]

Yes ebay has ruined alot of the fun digging through markets and shops that used to exist. It still surpises me that the few people who still sell at markets and toy shows try to charge more for their items than you can get them on ebay for, they are putting themselves out of business.

I didn't even get onto how high the guy's prices were compared to ebay as none of his stuff was in semi reasonable condition. Even the mention of ebay in the conversation got him on about how all the small toy sellers had been put out of business by it. The thing is, with all the overheads of having to rent a shop space, lug the stuff about and man the stall, it would have to be at a higher price than someone who just stuck it in the spare room and listed it. Plus, you don't get the daily wear and tear of having to put stuff up to display and taking it down again, thus further depreciating your stock. You also get such a small selection of stuff to look at and have to travel to see it. On the plus side, I guess you do get a hands on look at it though!

Jason

 

[edd_jedi]

That's just the sign of the times mate. I remember those days - antique dealers selling cardbacks with figures selloptaped to them, and MOC 12 backs with cracked bubbles and peeling cards for hundreds of pounds. 10-15 years ago you could justify it, but these days you can't.

 

[jabbawokkie]

there is a stall on barnsley market that has a few ships -fsalcon /b wing and hoth play set .he has had them ages as he is asking daft money and when you ask what condition there in he acks al daft .he would do well on ebay :lol: