I'm writing this review because I see far too many listings with no photos, no colors listed, and mint as the condition. Plasticville is a brand name of Bachmann industries. Plasticville has its beginnings in the early 1950's and is still made today. "Kits" today are really not kits but built-up buildings. The last true kits were issued in the 1990's into early 2000's and came in blue or green boxes. Late production was done in China. Plasticville is a nice, fun, inexpensive, yet challenging collectable. Most collectors stick with the vintage items made in the 1950's, 1960's and early 1970's before Bachmann stopped making Plasticville for a short while. Demand for vintage kits was high so Bachmann decided to re-enter the market, and began reissuing many of the vintage kits, but in different colors. This killed the values of the vintage kits as the market was saturated. They also introduced a small handfull of newly designed kits. There are several do's and don'ts when it comes to buying and selling Plasticville, be that on E-Bay or in any other venue.

Selling: If you are going to sell a Plasticville item, here are a few hints to help make the sale. First, when selling any of the vintage kits, always lay the parts out and a take a clear photo of them. The most important things for a buyers are Completeness, Color Variations, and Condition. Kits with missing parts, damaged parts, and/or missing boxes are going to be very very low in value. Only complete, original kits in the correct box bring the bidders. A word on condition. Just because a vintage Plasticville kit is unassembled, does not mean its Mint. Mint means never used, as it came from the factory. Mint Plasticville kits will almost always have at least the smaller parts and trim sealed in a celophane bag, or all of the kit parts will be sealed in a clear poly bag. Some later kits will have the entire kit box shrink wrapped. One exception was the Cape Cod house, and another would be the small churches. These are very early kits. Small vintage items like Birds, or Shrubs cannot be mint unless they are sealed in a celophane bag. Other items like Street Lights came two to a cardboard card, or Railroad Block Signals came two to a blister pack. Unless those cards or blister packs are present and intact, the items are NOT mint. Please also show a crisp photo of the box and note in your listing what color is noted on the box so buyers can determine if the box is correct. Know what your selling, and start low. One thing that turns off buyers is to see a common kit like a Supermarket with a starting bid of $65.99. There are only a small handfull of Plasticville kits that are worth more than a few dollars. Bids from knowledgeable collectors will drive your final price up to where it should be.

Buying: If you are thinking of buying Plasticville, do yourself a favor and buy a book listing the color variations, and a brief list of often missing parts. There are several out on the market, some were originally price guides, but with todays volitale market, those prices are seriously out of date, especially the more recent guides. It is essential to make sure the kit is complete. If the seller does not show all of the parts laid out in a photo, pass on the item. Make sure the kit is a genuine item, and that it has all original parts. There are many small parts that are reproductions, and are placed into a kit and passed off as original. Some people have been known to mix kit parts to create illigitimate variations. Make sure the kit has no damaged parts. Pins for roof overhangs and porch floors are often broken off. Kits that are glued or have glue residue are good for the train layout for a few bucks only. Beware of kits advertised as Mint. As mentioned above, in most cases, if the smaller parts, or in some later kits, all of the parts are not sealed in a bag, its not mint. Patience. I've been collecting Plasticville for 18 years. There is no variation thats not going to ever show up for any of the kits. Are some tougber than others, yes, but thats not an excuse to over pay for any item. The box, to be a real collectable, the kit must have its original box or packaging. More important, the color is usually marked on the box, so make sure you have the correct box. Research in a Plasticville guide will teach you how to determine the correct color marking.