Joined a Toy Auction and Won

This week, while perusing online for which Sylvanian Families house might be best for me to buy especially when I don't intend to collect all of them, I finally found it.  It's big but definitely not among their biggest.  And it would be the first Sylvanian house I'm buying.  And possibly the last.  That's why I made sure it's the best possible one that I can afford so I don't have to keep buying their home lines as it's unnecessary and I don't want to clutter my place even more.  If I have to get one, then it had better be the one I like best and that I can afford.

At the beginning I almost chose the starter home but after I came across this house, I think this is a better starter home even though it's not marketed as a full Sylvanian home/house.

*image from the internet

*image from the internet

I like it better than the starter home 'cause it has not one but three outdoor spaces, and the 2nd floor is divided into two rooms with a door. Lol.  So you can combine it with not just interior Sylvanian Families furniture stuff but also non-interior sets in one house (i.e. garden, stores, etc).  Kill two birds with one stone.  Best value methinks, especially when I don't intend to buy another Sylvanian Families home.  Plus I like the color theme they chose.  The walls aren't dark and the roof is light blue.  Light and happy colors.  Looks cleaner.  I love it.

*image from the internet

Cute eh?  But apparently this house was released way back in 2008 and major or toy retailers no longer sell this model, not even new on the big online auction site, not these days anyway.  Too bad.

So in the end, when I found at least one to three used ones available on the auction site, I bid for one of them.  Since these are used items, only some of the accessories in the pics above come with the house.  And also comes with other Sylvanian Families set/furniture/figures that the seller is including in the auction for the house.

The auction duration for this item is like a week, and it feels too long when you're the bidder, 'cause you won't know if you won 'til after the auction time has finally ended, about a few days later (depends at which point during the auction time you first chanced upon it).  Lol!!

For at least the two days before the auction end time, no one else was outbidding me.  It was quiet.  But on the last day, wow, I knew that's when some would start outbidding my bid.  I had to fend off at least two bidders with auto-bids, the latter of whom was really determined.  The latter also bid on the other available one at that auction site and lost so I guess that's why that bidder was particularly determined that they even tried to outbid me again about 1 minute before auction-end time. Last minute.  Can't believe it.

I actually made use of the auction site's auto-bid settings twice or thrice during the whole process since my first bid for it.  Auto bid is like the site's system will do the subsequent bids for you if you provide them your max bid now and the system will then outbid for you any new bids coming in, up to the maximum amount you entered (since you can't be around all the time to monitor the auction).  The last auto-bid I did was for the determined other bidder 'cause I notice they were really going for it and I might not get this item after waiting several days for it.  I don't wanna wait and look again.  It's tiring.  Lol! And I bid for it before they did for some days already.

So I did some deductive calculations then come up with my auto-bid/max bid each time I had to fend off the new outbidders.  Hehe!  I'm glad it worked as the other bidder tried again to outbid me at the last minute and my auto-bid/max bid calculation efforts paid off.  I hadn't expected the last minute outbidding at all as that bidder got quiet for about 2 hours before bid end time then they did the last minute thing.

Anyway, long story short, I won the auction.  Lol!  By about 2 bucks vs the determined bidder and 2 bucks less than my final max bid.  I think the other bidder ran out of time since they tried to outbid again only last minute, but my max bid was rather higher/rounded off instead of an exact match to the other same models also currently at auction at the time.  Whew!  Lol!  This auction thing, especially when another keeps outbidding you, was kinda stressful and made my heart pound. haha!  So thank goodness that's over. I don't want another auction experience to be like this.

This order should arrive before end of July.  Can't wait.  I might place it at the corner of the kitchen countertop where I can always see it while doing dishes, and get rid of the mess that's currently occupying that corner.  That corner is actually not easy to reach too and also gets stuffed by messy items that aren't always being used so I think that might be the best spot for this Sylvanian Families house.

I have another Sylvanian Families item that I'm bidding for and it's not a house.  And no other bidder for it yet either.  'Cause I think the seller labeled the item name wrong so it probably doesn't come up when people search for it at the auction site.  Shhh!!  Lol!  Hopefully that works out and then I've all the big Sylvanian Families stuff that I find interesting purchased and done and won't have to buy a big Sylvanian Families item again.

Just Bought - Sylvanian Families Rustic Kitchen + Halloween Dress Up

I've been looking for this Sylvanian Rustic Kitchen set for some time and always find it's discontinued or sold out.  Until last night..

*image from the internet

I like that this set comes in light colors and looks really cute, and comes with the table and benches that can double as outdoor or patio furniture.  It looks rustic but at least updated.  So it seems more appealing than many of the other Sylvanian Families kitchen sets.


So I found a site that sells this set new last night as I can't find one on eBay even, used or new.  And I went ahead today to get one along with this Halloween Dress Up set, which I also haven't seen on eBay.

*image from the internet

And yes it comes with the stickers.  I love that it comes with a pumpkin and a witch costume/broom. Classic!  hehe! And the little rabbit looks really adorable in his orange costume.

*image from the internet

I decided to get the two in one shipping as it only adds 1 unit more to the cost of shipping, vs getting each at different times separately.  Hopefully I don't get taxed by customs when it gets here in.  Lol!

Miniatures - Koeda-Chan Treehouses

Since I've started collecting miniature dollhouses, I've also thought to get the miniature version of Takara's Koeda-Chan treehouse.

I found two sets and promptly bought them.

While the other one is this.

*image from the internet

*image from the internet

Sylvanian Families and Miniature Dollhouses

Since last May I came across and bought some Epoch Sylvanian Families items and was inspired by someone's miniature dollhouse collection.

Since some items from the latter two that I'm interested in are harder to find than the Re-ment collections, I've paused from purchasing Re-ment collections/sets for now and prioritized my purchases to the non-Re-ment toys I'm interested in.  They're mostly also ideal for dioramas with the Re-ments too or my other toys anyway so they're worth collecting, too I think.

I remember a few years back I saw my niece's Calico Critters playset with ferris wheel.  (Sylvanian Families are marketed as Calico Critters in North America).  That was quite awesome.

Then a few years later, in 2012 or later, while at a local Toys R' Us, I saw a Calico Critters camper/caravan but didn't really buy it as I wasn't really a toy collector back then, just into kawaii Sanrio/Little Twin Stars stuff.  I really liked that camper van toy idea though.

So now.. while perusing online for Re-ment/miniature items to purchase, I saw several different kinds of Sylvanian Families items, including that Sylvanian Families camper/caravan I saw some years back.  And thought how cute is that with my Re-ment stuff and Cu-poche doll Anne?  Lol!  It comes with its accessories too.  Here's my entry of when it was delivered to me.

*image from the internet

The other line of toys I now also collect are miniature dollhouses (not figurines).  I think they're cute and since I don't have enough space either to get all the normal sized Sylvanian Families dollhouses I might be interested in, I think the miniature ones are more interesting.  They usually come with their own corresponding little furniture sets too, at least the Sylvanian miniature sets I'm interested in plus ones from Takara Tomy or Kabaya or Yujin.  Kinda like gashapon/capsule toys stuff.

Long story short, thus began me buying toys other than Re-ment and Sanrio playsets and figures.  Hehe!

So aside from the brand new camper/caravan purchase (which came with the red saloon car), I also bought the Sylvanian Families Toy Shop.  The set was from 2008 and came with several little miniature dollhouses which is what attracted me to it very much.

*image from the internet

I bought used and it didn't come with the stickers for the interiors of the little houses though (which is okay as long as the houses are complete).  Here's a video I found online that describes it.  The set is now sitting on the edge of the my kitchen counter, behind and to the side of the sink.  Hehe!

I also bought the Sylvanian Families Washing Machine brand new.  But I've yet to receive it and I hope it's not affected by postal delays.  I love how cute this looks and call me strange but I enjoy doing the laundry (but not the folding once dry, and putting back to closets thing) and so when I saw this cute thing I just had to get one, too.  Lol!

*image from the internet

And also bought the Sylvanian Families Street Market used.  The Crepe House small shop was first released in 2002, while the Toy Wagon small shop in 2006.  I selected it mainly because I love the little toys included in the toy cart, especially the train, and who doesn't like crepes... Lol!  There was a vendor selling brand new but they don't ship to my country.  Oh well.

*image from the internet

The next Sylvanian set I'm eyeing is also an old set, the Watermill Bakery.  I'm waiting/finding a vendor who has the complete set (new or used) and ships to my country.

While the Bluebell/Riverside Cottage also looks to have potential... I haven't added it to my basket yet since it's a big dollhouse and there are many vendors selling it right now so it's no hurry to get one.

*image from the internet

So those are my main Sylvanian Families buys for the moment, and the ones I'm interested in.  I hope I receive them all (the ones not here yet).  The miniature dollhouses I've bought will be another blog entry/entries. =)

Pausing My Re-ment Online Orders

I'm actually also pausing from getting any Re-ment collections yet this month and possibly next month.  I have other non-Rement toys that I've bought for my playset/miniature/dollhouse collections.  Such as these..:

• Sylvanian Families Camper + Saloon
• Takara Miniature Japanese Dollhouse (Showa period) 
• Sylvanian Families Toy Shop (on its way)

and some other Sanrio items.  I also have some more Sanrio and Sylvanian Family items on my next purchase list.

This is because the toys I've been buying like the above are sort of harder to find than the Re-ment sets.  They're actually releases from years back, not found in stores here, no longer for sale at big box stores.  Whereas the small Sanrio items, well, there really aren't many good Sanrio stores here or at least ones with better selections.  And once again, the ones in the list are also limited releases.  Gah.

Anyhow, when I think of it, it's kind of a welcome thing too to pause.  I mean these Re-ment stuff I have, I'd love to have a playset to set them up in and the Sylvanian Families stuff and some Sanrio stuff that I've bought and am eyeing looks to address this.  The better to play with and photograph my Re-ments.  Lol!  Especially when these playsets are not as common as the Re-ments.  So I had to prioritize my purchases now, not to mention the issue with postal delivery + Customs delays.  Get the rarer items first... The Re-ment collections that are in my shopping list aren't going out of stock anytime soon yet, except possibly for two.

So I'll only break this policy if the Rement collection I'm eyeing has only 1 or 2 quantities left in the vendor's stock.  Plus I'll probably also have to get myself some Re-ment display/storage solutions too this summer.  Once I've got the latter two covered plus if the postal delivery issue is resolved, then I'll probably go back to ordering Re-ment collections regularly again.  hehe!

Some Storage Ideas for My Re-ment Collection

I'm currently researching on the best way for me to organize or store my Re-ment collections, particularly with a view towards easier access to the Re-ment items.

For this reason, I'm looking for storage/orgazining solutions that are drawer-type rather than boxes or boxes with dividers.  'Cause it's going to be annoying trying to pull out a box from a stack but also worrying about keeping the other boxes in the stack in place once one or more boxes are being pulled out.  So drawer-type solutions I think is the best for me.

With that out of the way, the other main requirement is:

• My collections are mostly character collections so I'm organizing by Re-ment collection per drawer.  Therefore a drawer must fit the big box the collection came in with, not just the sets in the collection.  This means one drawer must store the following:
• the carton the Re-ment collection came in with, flattened to fit in the drawer
• one small carton from the collection, also flattened to store in the drawer
• each of the sets in the collection in their individual zip lock bag, with the paper description the set came in with also stored in the corresponding zip lock bag, to help label the set and also so I won't forget exactly what's in the set

The box will be stored flat as I'll be folding it flat and keeping it with the 8 sets it came in with in zip lock bags with the paper descriptions in each zip lock bag, in one drawer. I'll also keep one of the smaller boxes, to be stored flat also, in the drawer.  I loathe throwing away these cartons as they're also cute and helps in the organization/labelling.

In the beginning I thought Ikea's Kupol drawers system was the best solution for me.  There's no frame or cabinet that goes around the drawers so that's an optimal use of space.  Almost minimalist. Plus the Kupols aren't opaque plastic.  They're almost see-through so that's good too.  And it's from Ikea so it won't be as expensive as acrylic storage sold by the likes of The Container Store.  These are just gonna store plastic toys after all.  The toys are more important than the storage so I don't want to spend more on the storage solution than I have to.  I just want a fairly inexpensive storage system that is of the clear or almost clear drawer type (not stacking boxes type) to resolve the easier access requirement.  See this Flickr page for a Re-ment collector's use of the Kupol system for her Re-ments.  Here's another one.  Ain't it awesome?  However, Kupol is now discontinued in Ikea.  Geez.

On the other hand, there are some solutions that can be the wall-mounted sort, usually found in hardware stores.  See number 1 below.  And they have multiple drawers in one solution.  Problem is I don't think I quite like the look of them for my home or for the extra small space/room in my home where I think I might put these drawers.  They don't come with a white-framed cabinet holding those drawers together.  They're either gray or black.  And originally designed to store small hardware items.

So far I have narrowed my potential Re-ment storage solution down to two options:

1. Stack-On DS-18 18 Drawer Storage Cabinet

*images from the internet

Right now I have about 17 - 18 Re-ment collections so this cabinet is almost perfect (18 drawers, 1 for each of my collections as stored the way I plan to.  See description above), if not for the color of the cabinet.  And seems like the drawer dimensions described on amazon.ca will not fit the longest of the Re-ment collection boxes that I have when stored flat.

If the cabinet came in white maybe, I think it's game over and I wouldn't have to continue searching.  And so I looked for ones where the cabinet is white.. and I haven't come across the multi-drawer one like this in white.   Pfft..

So on to number 2...

2.  The ones in white that I might end up purchasing looks like your standard plastic storage drawer bin:

*images from the internet

 

The one in this pic is by Sterilite.  But I think there are also similar ones sold in many stores.  I'm selecting the 3-drawer ones as it would be nice if I'm also able to put them inside shelves if in case I end up getting a bookshelf cabinet to make the space where I'll put these look neater.  Lol!  See the idea here, here, and here. 

Sterilite is available in many big box stores.  And similar ones in dollar stores.  But I think I'll go to my local Daiso/Japanese store first to see if they have these in similar dimensions.  Storage like this usually costs less in the Japanese store than in the big box or online stores.

Also it's better to see in person first just how wide this is, before I get multiple ones, then only to find later that I should have gone for smaller widths (and not store the flatted Re-ment box with the collection in the drawer) to get more space for them in the den (knowing that my collection is still growing).  Sigh.  So I'll be checking the smaller-width ones too while at the Japanese store and see how it goes.  Will see about 5- and 3-drawer and the widths.

Just Ordered - Takara Miniature Dollhouse - Showa Japanese Family Home

This miniature dollhouse is quite hard to find.  It appears to have been released about 13 years ago now, in 2004.  The first time I came across it online was this year, via someone's post of her dollhouses on Flickr.com.  At the time I didn't think it was a miniature.  And I wasn't able to find anymore online seller for it.  Until about 2 nights ago.  What a find.  And the online vendor has two versions of it, one in pink, the other in blue.  And only this time I learned that it's a miniature.  It's supposed to measure about 6 in x 2.5 in. Wow.

But whether or not it was a miniature, I really like it but it's so rare.  So I am so glad to have stumbled across the sale.  Not that it was cheap.  It's about as expensive as some of the Re-ment Hello Kitty sets, but not as expensive as other vintage Re-ment collections one sees being sold on eBay that it virtually feels like you either wanna laugh or say it's a ripoff.  So I'd say this dollhouse manufactured back in 2004 by Takara is not that ridiculously expensive for a rare vintage miniature plastic item.  Although, it's about the cost of a good vacuum cleaner.  Ack.  Hehe.

The vendor has two versions of it.  One is blue, and the other is pink.  The blue set of 5 packs cost about $3-4 USD less than the pink one so I went ahead and chose the blue one.  Doesn't really matter which color and if it were a real life home, I'd rather it was in blue than in pink so yeah blue made sense.  Lol!

The blue version I bought is the last item in stock, so it's now out of stock at their online shop.

To see the differences between the two versions:  Here's someone's blue set, and here's another person's pink one.  As for the scale.. I'm not sure of the scale ratio.  Probably not 1:12 (?).  Might be small for a Re-ment collection.  Either way I look forward to testing it with my Re-ment Country Life collection, which also appears to be inspired by the Showa period in Japan as well.

This purchase is now on its way to me from Tokyo.  It should be in my mailbox by Friday June 9. Hopefully it doesn't get lost in the mail.