What do we need prices for?
To make a collectors market work, some kind of unit to express the value of certain items is needed.
The first step usually looks something like this: "I'll give you three of the red ones for one of the yellow ones!" Obviously, the yellow one must be rarer and therefore more expensive than the red one. But how does a collector who doesn't have a red one get hold of a yellow one that he's still missing? He pays for it! If the amount he is willing to pay matches the amount the other collector would be willing to let the yellow one go for, a price has been established.
"But that's not fun anymore!" grumble some collectors, they fear they will no longer be able to find real bargains at the flea markets if everybody knows the figurines values. Actually, quite often now, the fear of selling a rare Smurf for less than its value has caused almost "worthless" figurines to be offered at prices way too high. Besides, catalog prices for "flea market Smurfs" very rarely pass the 3 Euro mark, which seems to have quite a sobering effect to most dealers.
It is our opinion that fair trade is only possible if both parties have the same level of information available.
By putting prices on Smurfs, some of the rare Smurfs that have been "forgotten" in basements and attics, will suddenly resurface and be offered for sale. This way collectors will be able to get hold of Smurfs which they had been "hunting" for at flea markets for years, and they won't mind if that "object of desire" cuts into their budget a little more.
How are prices set?
Since the "Smurf collectors scene" is still a growing community, prices are most likely to fluctuate strongly over the next few years. Some Smurfs will show up in larger quantities that there are today. Other Smurfs will increase in value due to the rising demand caused by a growing number of collectors.
It became obvious with other collectibles like Swatches or Kinder Surprise toys or perfume miniatures that collectors who completed their collection at the beginning of the "collecting-boom" always did best (and often made huge profits).
The rule for setting the prices in this catalog is the following: The more difficult to find the Smurf is, the more expensive he is.
- Smurfs that were only available for sale for a short time
- Smurfs that were produced in small quantities
- Smurfs that were only distributed in other countries
- Smurfs that didn't meet safety regulations and were therefore only available for a short time
- Rare variations of Smurfs (Promotional Smurfs, old molds, Jubilee (anniversary) Smurfs, Bundesliga Smurfs, etc.) are more expensive.
- Smurfs that were sold in large quantities over the years and can easily be found at every flea market are cheap.
- The 50 Smurfs of Schleich's current production can be purchased at many toy stores for 3 Euro each.
The prices in the catalog only apply to mint, like new figurines. Only 1 out of 10 Smurfs offered to a collector can be considered mint, like fresh from the store. All other figurines show minor to major flaws: they are missing paint, are dirty, smaller parts have been chewed on, have cracks or are bent. These figurines are considered "used" or "played with." Prices for "used" figurines are set at a fraction of the price of a new one, since collectors who spend more than 3 Euros on a Smurf are always striving to find one in the best possible condition.
Smurfs that were originally sold with a box (e.g Super Smurfs) are only considered mint if still accompanied by that box. A missing box drops the value of that Smurf 25% to 30% below the catalog price. Smurfs in very bad condition (missing parts, extremely dirty, etc.) are basically considered worthless to collectors.
The Schleich Company has not re-issued any older Smurfs since 1999 and to the best of our knowledge, hasn't planned to do so either in the near future.
Each year about 8 to 10 new Smurfs are being issued and the same amount of Smurfs are being pulled out of production.
The Market
Unlike most other fields of collectibles, "Smurf collecting" is truly international. More and more Smurf fans from New Zealand to Finland communicate with each other, share information and buy and sell these cute blue goblins. This compensates regional differences. This means that the market prices no longer just relate to the German market, but evolve by international demands.
By this, larger numbers of Smurfs (e.g. green St. Patrick) and super Smurfs appeared from old store stock. Those figurines were sold relatively cheap. The market seems to have recovered already, the prices have bounced back and are pretty close to the catalog prices again. Being that word has spread about their popularity, it is highly unlikely that more large lots of old store stock Smurfs are lurking around somewhere. On the other hand, many Smurfs (e.g. Angry, Sprinter, Easter Smurfs) are quite common in Germany, but very sought after in other countries.
Due to the steadily increasing number of collectors, some of the unnoticed Smurfs are now harder and harder to find (e.g. Gold, sunbather, tracker).
On top of that, more collectors have nearly completed their collections and are now focusing on color and mold variations, which are already showing an increase in price. Also, the possibility of growing your collection with raw Smurfs and Smurf-a-grams has become more attractive.
Promo Smurfs are still the hot item among collectors. A continuous increase is certain, due mostly to the very small editions of only 200 to 500 pieces, in comparison to the number of collectors who want to have those "treasures."
