Todd From Sweden Says Hi – And Best Wishes to His Son
“ToddPTruck” from Sweden wanted to use some photos from T5 so I thought this would be a good way for all of us to say hi (and wish his son well) – My comments in bold and red.
Greetings from Stockholm, Sweden! KC asked me to write a few lines about my blog and how collecting cars works in Sweden. So here it is.
I started my blog ”Collecting Cars” almost immediately after I started to buy cars. At first it was just a good way to display and keep orders of my cars, since I hide them in a closed locker in the garage so my two sons (2 and 4 years old) didn’t see them.
The madness in that. But I guess some people reading Take Five A Day could relate?
(And the kids got their own collection. Rather small ones, but hey, they’re not making money yet for themselves yet!)
But why start to collect childrens toys just to hide them from children? The answer was, as my collection expanded, suddenly clear to me. It was a way to create a part of my life where I still had control.
Me and my wife had some issues with our second son V. We were quite worried about several things and after almost a year we did a magnetic brain scan. It turned out he lacks myelin in his brain. Whiter matter. It means that his brain works much slower than normal brains do and it effects his development over all.
This was of course very bad news and it made med feel sad and distressed. But my new hobby gave my a chance to forget and breathe.
Now my blog is in English, I see that I have some readers outside Sweden and most of the collectors are in the US and I want you to be able to read my thoughts. I’ve also decided to go public with my life and thoughts, being a dad to a son with a brain disease.
It’s in many ways a different life, but at the same time, it´s all the same. And the collection of cars is getting larger and larger for every month.
But it’s harder and more expensive in Sweden, I got some photos for you Americans, just to show you how lucky you are!
This is how an average toy store in Stockholm display cars. We have more or less monopoly in Sweden, there´s two major toy stores (BR and Toy´s R US) but they have the same owners so this is how almost every toy store in Sweden looks like.
BTW, 100 Swedish Krona is about $14.75 with today’s conversation rate.
As you could see we have a huge surplus of Petrov Trunkov over here. Go visit Sweden this summer and buy your own Petrov – a vacation you’ll never forget!
This is a bargain. A two-pack for 100 Swedish crowns. Something like 14 USD. That’s what we nomrally pay for ONE car.
This 4-pack costs 379 SEK – 53 USD. But I got ´em already …
(Er, no one tell him the discount price on Black Friday …).
I buy most of my cars on the internet. We have a Wwedish version of E-bay
called Tradera.com and there I use to pay like 75 SEK – 10,50 USD for a
Rubber Tire Cars2 racer, including shipping.
But recently a new thing – yes it´s really quite a new thing – happened. In a subway station close to my job a flower shop (!) started to sell cars.
A perfect mix. Flowers to my wife – cars to me!
(Franchise opportunity for the US!)
The store has all kinds of cars, even the ones from the early series of Cars 1.
So I guess it´s not entirely true that this 4 pack is only available at Walmart? (A store that doesn´t exist in Sweden, of course)
Just look at the beauty of this picture. Jay in a perfect surrounding of orchids. Nothing strange at all about it.
You can check out Todd’s blog here. Best wishes to you and your family and good luck with your CARS collecting!
(I’m not sure if shipping is feasible but in case you want to trade or sell – PM ToddPTruck in our forum – thanks!)
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22 January 2012
18 Comments
Todd, I love this blog. I will be checking back all the time!
What is sales tax on top of those prices?
That Tunerz 4 pack at your florist from Walmart is a good score also. It would be a deal at 500 crowns.
I like the Cars at the florist idea. That way you can please the little lady with flowers and not get in trouble for buying the Cars.
Forgive me, but I’m not sure what sales tax means. Is it the same as VAT? All prices are including tax so 100 kronor is 100 kronor from me to the shop. Hope that my answer was to some help.
Yes, that’s the answer. Everywhere in the world (if I’m correct) but except USA, the tax is included in the price.
I’ve always told myself that someday I will own a store where everything is priced to come out rounded to the next $0.25 AFTER tax. I hate it when places advertise something for $0.99 and you wind up have to dig for change or get a bunch of it back. In my store, it would be $0.93 — or simply $1.00 after taxes.
Yep, that’s what I had to get used to when I came to this country, prices are not always what you see!
It’s really amazing what a global brand this is.
Buy that Tractor Tippin’ set! Good find.
I collect one of all the models, and I´ve already got those three but in a different series. Should I buy this one as well beacuse it´s a expensive one or?
The same in Italy..
19 euros for a launcher
14,50 euros for a quick changers…
Crazy..
W Ibrahimovic!!!
Hi Luca! Forza Zlatan (In Sweden we all just call him by his first name, he is THE Zlatan)
We have to move to The Promised Land of Cars! 🙂
That’s an interisting post. Not sure what the averange salary is in Sweden but those prices are insane!!
Cool pictures by the way! 🙂
Hi! The average sallary is something like 3900 USD/month. We also have a tax rate à bit higher than in the US, between 25-33 percent. So after I’ve paid mortage, water, electricity, cable TV (99 channels on nothin’ on Cars) and food for my family, I’m lucky if I can afford at least a pitty… 🙂
Wow, thanks for sharing this extraordinary story! You are courageous to go public as a parent of a child with physical challenges. The flower shop is incredible – there is probably no store in the US where you could see Cars 2 diecasts shelved next to the old Tractor Tippin set, and of course the flowers – wow!
Thanks for your kind words! I’m going go stop by in the flowershop today again. They had The No Stall Team-pack (Chief, racer and pitty) for 100 SEK last week. If it’s still there I’m going to make a move! 🙂
Looking at the carpet, I am also curious what their mascot is.
An angry troll?
I think it is a soldier, like the ones with large hats guarding the English Queen.
nice.
but those prices.. yikes.