[Rail-Rider]

I'm not sure how the law applies to people doing business 'on the side', but it is generally illegal for bona fide retailers not to clearly mark the price of their goods. HOW they do that is a greyer area. There are many ways of doing it, but it would seem that all of them have snags - for some pernickety person or other.

I would suggest that if a speculator values the condition of the packaging so dearly, it would pay him to personally make the effort of removing offending labels without damage. Ironically, this introduces yet another eccentricity into the weird and wonderful world of speculator/collectors. It occurs to me that the presence of certain original price tags/labels could actually enhance the value of the item in some people's eyes. There's nowt so queer as folk!

I am extremely reluctant to do business with an organisation that doesn't make its prices clear and up front. But I've enjoyed many a happy hour of free entertainment hauling super market managers over the coals for their failure to do so.

 

[Rail-Rider]

Yes, almost without exception, Euro N-Gauge manufacturers have eliminated several problems with their neatly stackable, almost standardised plastic cases.

I would only ask that the plastic were a little less brittle - some of them crack too easily.

The more I re-read this topic, the more hilarious I find it, really

On one hand . . .
I have some empathy with the view that a flimsy cardboard box should not be so clumsily labelled as to obscures the contents, illustrations or descriptions etc. Also, that horribly incompetent label removal by intermediate dealers could damage flimsy packaging to an unacceptable degree. Such carelessness is unprofessional and downright stupid because it could be counter-productive to his business.

But on the other hand . . .
I find it quite incredible that someone who seeks to exploit the rarity value of an item should have the *chutzpah to castigate mass-market toy manufacturers for failing to anticipate his exploitation of their product in the future!
Rolls on floor laughing!

If someone wishes to exploit rarity for profit, then the idle ******* should not expect others to facilitate his acquisitiveness, but put in at least the minimal necessary work himself!

* chutzpah: depends where you look it up, but I favour "unmitigated gall"!