[Smurfysmurf]

Another question about the DSK.....

the writer listed prices next to the smurfs ( and I understand this is for new smurfs), Are those prices, he listed, only for the German market??

I have noticed that most are sold much cheaper on ebay (and yes, I know those are mostly used smurfs and it's a buyer's market)... however, there are quite a few that are sold for much much more than is listed in the DSK... i.e. the piano smurf has been sold for a lot of money lately,...... and I don't even mention the one time it was sold for $100, but it also was sold for $60.00 or $40.00 a few times. I do believe the buyer was always the same in those cases though, so I am not sure what's up with that....

and there are others, too, like the smurf in the bathtub, I have seen this one being sold for over $20.00 (I think)

Then of course the baseball pitcher is listed for EUR 100, when it usually is sold on ebay for around $30.00...

[attombomb7]

hi! I would think the prices are a bit out of date

its a guide I would think for some.. but as you probably see on EBAY

alot of smurfs sell for lot more $, the odd time for less if your lucky

also there are some errors in the guide and many smurfs are missing or

not listed... I always wondered if it was more based on the Guides

creators own collection, which is why many variations and rare smurfs

are missing.. and its already several years old. things have changed

alot.

personally I find it very helpful! and off course if you use the guide

and check on people's websites for the missing ones it helps.

so far not many of us put a price on our items.. but that would be

good one day.. especially for rare smurfs.

[Syd Smurf]

Hi Maureen

The prices are indeed based from a German point of view. This is really obvious for me when I see things like 20150 Australian Footballer with blue shirt that is listed for 100 euro. This was only sold in Australia originally (as far as I know) and you can find them every week on Aust ebay selling for about 10 euro max.....I have bought a couple of them for $2 Aus at collector's fairs so the prices are not accurate for all markets and as Attom says the guide is already over 3 years old now so things have changed a lot since then. I think next year would be a good time for an update but I haven't heard anything concrete yet besides that there may not be anymore editions.....although in my opinion I am pretty sure there is one being worked on at the moment to some degree by this author even if the date isn't finalised yet.

I like that you are asking questions about the DSK and it is a really great guide all in all. I do not pay that much attention to the prices although they can be used as a rough guide as to which ones are rarer or more expensive than others which can be very helpful.

Dyar

[Guest]

Hi Maureen, the prices should only be taken as a rough guide for pieces in mint condition. You will find some later smurfs like the marching band, Snowboarder Smurfette, etc. have gone up in price because they are now becoming scarcer. Cyber Smurf was only produced for 1 year I think so he is another one whose value will shoot up.

With the German prices, they will set the rarer pieces from the US at higher prices because stock is not so readily available over there. So Hong Kong variations may be priced more than what their true value is over in the US.

I think the main thing is to set the DSK as your top price to pay and be careful about going over that. You can get some real bargains on eBay at the moment, when you are starting out and not too worried about condition of smurfs then eBay is the best place to start, because you are more likely to get more smurfs you don't have in a job lot. When you have a larger collection and only need certain smurfs then you just have to watch that you're not paying for a job lot only to get one smurf, and paying hefty postage on it as well. Sometimes I see people paying more for one smurf than I charge for it in my shop. I guess the thing with eBay is don't always assume it will be cheaper because like as you have noticed, people bid up silly amounts sometimes on a fairly common smurf.

Some of the items in the DSK are way over-priced and a few are too cheap. I only use it as a guide and tend to price based on what I pay for smurfs.

[Rachel]

Hi Maureen, yes the prices aren't that accurate with some being over-valued and some being under-valued.

Bearing in mind, the katalogs have been around for longer than Ebay, I think it was probably much easier to judge values then. These days because of the nature of auctions and the fact that the internet has made global smurf collecting so much easier, the whole area of valuing smurfs is now much more difficult.

I am going to paste a question & answer that I have on Blue Imps as I think it points out some of the issues that have to be considered (and because I love this statement! )

How much are my smurfs worth?
This is actually quite a difficult question to answer because there are so many factors involved. Firstly, there is a wide range in value between different figures because some smurfs were produced over a long period of time and have also had later reproductions, while there are other smurfs that were only produced for one year and only in certain regions. Smurfs of earlier productions and licenses will inevitably be worth more because they are harder to find than later reproductions. Condition of the smurf is also a big factor, a mint condition figure holds a far greater value than a figure that has been played with and has rubs, marks and discolouring present, also whether the original box or packaging is inlcuded will effect the price. Paint variations and promotional smurfs again vary in value due to the limited number of smurfs produced in often a single production and availability to the public at the time of release. With the huge increase in internet availabilty over the last few years with internet auctions and online selling, it is now increasingly difficult to definitely say how much a particular figure is exactly worth. The nature of auctions means that a smurf is worth how much someone else is willing to pay for it (or sell it for) at that particular moment in time - we have seen auctions finish for absolutely bargain prices and also auctions finish way above what we would consider a reasonable value for that figure. Online smurf shops and guides often mean guaranteed mint figures so prices do tend to be higher (this isn't always so) but availabilty isn't always great with certain rarer smurfs very difficult to find. There are a number of smurf catalogues and price guides available, again these prices don't always reflect the ever changing values that are being seen on Ebay and the online guides. You must remember most of these book catalogues are produced by smurf dealers, they are not done just for information purposes. Basically, check out the figure in question on Ebay, in on-line smurf shops and guides or in a catalogue, check to see what markings and paint variation it is, consider its condition and then try and work out roughly how much someone else would pay for it!

[Gerda]

I have always used the dsk as a rough guide to pricing smurfs, I also find it handy to check on variations since i'm not one to rember every single variation and it does get confusing figuring out which one is the rarest one of them all.. BUT I have recently inventoried all my smurfy items for insurance purposes and have used the "book" value converted into dollars. It gives a very rough value that you can then go back to if any questions come up as to where I got the price from. Ebay is a strange place and even stranger when you want to price your smurfs on it. I think some of the odd bidding can be credited to people who don't know anything about smurfs and don't do research on them. Like someone saying oh I want a piano smurf so they search and find one auction with a piano smurf in it so they bid and bid and bid because they just have to have it. I have noticed the same bidding with bedsheets lately.. the same bidders are bidding old bed sheets up to really high amounts where as a few months ago you could not give them away.



gerda

[Rachel]

Like someone saying oh I want a piano smurf so they search and find one auction with a piano smurf in it so they bid and bid and bid because they just have to have it. I have noticed the same bidding with bedsheets lately.. the same bidders are bidding old bed sheets up to really high amounts where as a few months ago you could not give them away.

Tell me about it Gerda!

I have been trying to get smurf curtains for months and I keep getting outbid. Because we have large windows (at least tall) the ones that I had aren't big enough and every time I saw a pair they would go for huge amounts.

Luckily I did manage to get exactly what I wanted a few days ago but the mad thing was, the seller had 2 pairs available, not much difference in size or quality. I was so determined to get them I bid $72 for the first pair but was sniped. I then managed to get the second pair for $23 so I am of course happy but it does got to show just how much items can vary in the finish price!

[Smurfysmurf]

I guess, that's why ebay is so much fun.... you never know what you may end up getting really cheap or the surprise when you see a pretty normal smurf sell for such a high amount of money...

You have to admit, it is never boring

[Smurfysmurf]

Dyar wrote

I think next year would be a good time for an update but I haven't heard anything concrete yet besides that there may not be anymore editions

How about we volunteer Dyar and Syd to write the updated version of the DSK......?????

[attombomb7]

wonderful idea!

[Syd Smurf]

Well Syd's asking price and appearance fee on the cover of the catalogue surrounded by adoring Rollerskaters in skimpy outfits (which is a pre-requisite of course) is way too high.....but hey, I'm cheap....I'll do it

Dyar

[Gerda]

Dyar wrote

I think next year would be a good time for an update but I haven't heard anything concrete yet besides that there may not be anymore editions

How about we volunteer Dyar and Syd to write the updated version of the DSK......?????

I volunteer Dyar, but I prefer to keep syd out of it.. no one would ever be able to afford a rollerskater smurf again!!


gerda

[Syd Smurf]

That's true Gerda. Syd would say they are all worthless fakes and should be sent to his Cottage address for verification.....although that's not what I would call it.

I was talking to Mrs Dyar about working on a type of smurf book and she thinks I should as well...."it might recoup some of the money you've wasted on them" might of been closer to her reply....no seriously, she thinks I should as well and knows that I would put in the work for something like this.

I might have to seriously consider compiling a book of some sort.

Dyar

[eggie smurf]

Well, we would all buy a copy

[Smurfysmurf]

I'd say go for it...

You know you already have quite a few orders in......

[attombomb7]

hey Dyar!

I've always thought that would be a good idea, a superb book with

alot more stuff in it! and in English with all you knowledge, and collection alone you could make a big big book!

[Ritter_Schlumpfenherz]

To be honest,
I prefer buying smurfs at fleamarkets, since I only have to pay app. 1-2,50 euro per smurf and I might also get a lot cheaper if I talk to the seller.
(Most sellers here are not aware of rarities and variations so to say)

I often found great and rare smurfs in excellent condition. But not every fleamarket is worth visiting, therefore I only go to four certain places in my area.

[Gerda]

I think a new smurf book is an excellent idea. With all the knowledge that is on this forum it would make a great source!!


gerda

Ps.. I would only buy one if I could get it autographed by the author

[Syd Smurf]

OK...I will start something and see where it goes as I have thought about something like this over the last 16 or so months and do have some different ideas on how I could do it. It's never easy getting something off the ground in Australia witht he music quizz game being a classic example....but I think it's possible and I don't think I would have any problems waffling about smurfs as that comes quite naturally.....ok, you are starting to seriously talk me into this.

Guess I beter start learning my name again Gerda...I know my first and last name but the middle part is still a bit tricky...I think that's why I go for Dyar....it's simple and doesn't have too many letters in it so I can remember it each and every time.

Dire