It’s no secret that selling your child’s toys once they’ve stopped playing with them can be a fantastic money maker for you. Rather than have them lying around your house, you can sell them to other parents in your neighborhood or earn money at a used toy shop. But for many, this isn’t a very profitable thing to do as the toys are often still available in retail stores which gives a high level of supply in the market and decreases the sales prices (and profits) which you could otherwise enjoy.
But here’s a little secret – instead of selling your child’s toys, why not get up into your attic, dust off those old cardboard boxes and sell some of your own toys for a profit!
Now I know you must be thinking “Why would anyone want those toys? No child wants toys from 30 years ago!” and you’re half right. The trick is not to sell them as toys to be played with by children, but as valuable collector items to be enjoyed by adults who are reconnecting with their youth and amassing large collections of toys by buying the toys that they couldn’t afford as a child.
For an example of this market, consider the wonderful market for Doctor Who toys which is experiencing a resurgence in popularity at the moment. Doctor Who is a British TV series that first started way back in 1963 and the initial production of shows ran until 1989. More recently, the modern series started on the BBC in 2005 and is still in production. With over 40 years of shows, the series has built an immense global fan base and toys and products from the earlier days of the show can fetch massive prices online.
What makes Doctor Who an extremely attractive market at the moment is that due to the new series of shows, there is a new group of fans who are starting collections and trying to get all the toys produced. This obviously increases demand for the older toys and drives prices up! Toys and products from the early days of the show are extremely rare these days and if you have any of these in your possession, you can almost name your own price and sell these products to new fans of the show for a handsome profit.
One of the most valuable Doctor Who toys sold recently was a TARDIS toy from the 1983 series of Doctor Who which sold for a massive $860 in an online auction. Imagine the price it would have fetched if it was from the 1963 series of Doctor Who!
But Doctor Who toys aren’t the only valuable market at the moment. There are many other long running television series, like The Simpsons, where the toys are increasing in value over time. Similarly, toys and products from old movies are increasing in value as remakes of the movies are made and new fans seek to fill their collection with “original movie” toys and products (The new Star Wars movies are the obvious example here!).
Once you’ve found these toys from your childhood, they’re incredibly easy to sell. Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to advertise in specialist magazines or seek out fan clubs as you can sell them easily on eBay or other auction sites. This is particularly true for the globally popular TV shows and movies and can be evidenced by the fact that there is a special ‘Doctor Who’ category on many auction sites which allow sellers to meet up with fans and potential buyers. There may just be a special category for your favorite childhood toy!
So what are you waiting for? Look under your bed, search your attic and raid your parent’s homes for those toys from your childhood which may be worth a fortune!
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