Ziploc bags for your toys

I export some ponies from my personal My Little Pony collection to overseas collectors and the Ziploc bag has become a must-have packing material.  Although it adds to my costs but it gives the recipient a better impression.  I am sure every toy collector, regardless of what toy they collect, is very familiar with the use of the Ziploc bag in their hobby that it almost becomes ‘invisible’ to them.  

Since the beginning of my toy collecting hobby many years ago, I had observed the widespread use of Ziploc bags to pack in loose collectible toys like action figures, My Little Pony etc.  I do not know which genius came up with this great idea, whether it was thought up by a local or an overseas collector.  Nevertheless, I believe that the existence of the Ziploc bag sort of ‘revolutionalized’ the toy collecting hobby.

Most ‘outsiders’ would view Ziploc bags as a method of storing food like sandwiches that were brought out on picnics; or to store fresh vegetables etc., to keep in the refrigerator.  As far as I can recall, Ziploc initially marketed its bags with this image on the TV commercials.  Of course, they did suggest other uses for it like to pack in non-food items but it was still originally meant to pack food for ‘cold storage’.

I first noticed the idea of using Ziploc bags to pack in toys at the local flea market almost a decade ago.  No one knows if it was started by a seller as a convenient way to pack his action figures together with their accessories for easy display; or was it an idea that a collector brought to the local flea market because he or she imported a toy back then, and it happened to be packed in a Ziploc bag by the overseas sender.  No matter who came up with this wonderful use for the Ziploc bag, it certainly brings in added business and an unexpected niche market for the brand.  

It did not take long to find that every toy seller gradually used the Ziploc bag as a convenient way of ensuring all the respective loose accessories were packed properly with the correct main toy or action figure.  The Ziploc bag is transparent for easy viewing of its contents, and you could easily pack the bags into a box, plastic bag or your even backpack for convenient transporting.  Many of my loose My Little Pony toys were packed into Ziploc bags when displayed on the sellers’ table.  Sometimes I even rejected the use of plastic bags after buying the ponies as the Ziploc bags worked fine.

Then when I started buying, selling and trading My Little Pony toys online, I observed that Ziploc bags were being used to pack the ponies before putting them into the parcels or padded envelopes.  I do not remember if I started using Ziploc bags as part of the packing materials first, or an overseas sender did.  In the very early days, my loosed imported ponies were sometimes wrapped in paper, bubble wrap, or in plastic bags. 

I still recall that an Ebay seller from Europe wrapped my precious German Starshine pony in newspaper!  When I unwrapped the pony, the ink smudged onto and stained the entire WHITE body of the pony and I thought that it was a lost cause!  My money was gone, I thought.  Fortunately my local pony collector pal had a solution for that (which I will leave for another post)!

For me, I use mainly 2 sizes of Ziploc; the smallest size (approx 6 x 6 inches, 50 bags per box) that fits 1 adult My Little Pony, and the larger size (approx 11 x 11 inches, 20 bags per box) that fits 4 adult My Little Ponies.  I find that these are most suitable and versatile sizes to use.  They also work well on my She-Ra dolls and their horses.  All my loose X-Men action figures are also packed 2 to a small Ziploc bag, together with their accessories. 

I know I sound like I am promoting for Ziploc but I really appreciate the existence of this great product that I took for granted all these years.  It is just that lately when I did a bit more packing of parcels and packages, that it dawned on me.  I must say to the inventor of the Ziploc bag; Thank you very much for contributing to the convenience of toy collecting!