"Small-Town" E-Tailer Aims For Collectors

A HREF="http://www.collectibletown.com">CollectibleTown.com, a new e-commerce startup aimed at collectors going online, has officially launched its "community-hub" Web site. Fort Collins, Co.-based CollectibleTown.com says it eventually plans to offer more than 10,000 products from more than 20 major collectible manufacturers, including Disney, Coca-Cola, Ertl, Mary Englebreit, Harley Davidson, Barbie, Anheuser-Busch, Christopher Radko, Hummel, Lenox and others.

Building on a "small-town" metaphor, CollectibleTown.com will provide forums where collectors can chat with one another and with artists, as well as get the latest news and information on events, products and trends. More than 36 million Americans are involved in collecting, the company claims, amounting to an $11 billion market for contemporary collectibles. It says that industry analysts predict that by the year 2004, the market for contemporary collectibles will be $16 billion, $2 billion of which will come through e-commerce.