If you have old toys laying around, you might ask: How much money can I make from selling my vintage toys? Are my vintage toys worth anything? Just how valuable are my vintage toys? We hope to clear up these questions through this blog. We will fill you in on how to know how much money you can make from your old toys. Many vintage toys are worth a lot more money than their original retail price. Of course, there are a few things that factor into which toys have high value and which toys do not. When looking at how much vintage toys are, you might want to follow along through our blog to find out. We will go through the toy’s condition, if they are graded or not, market demand, and who you sell to.
The Toy’s Condition
The first thing, when looking at how much vintage toys are, is to inspect the toy’s condition. The better condition the toy is in, the higher it’s value will be. If the toy is in mint condition, then the vintage toy buyer/ collector will see that and will most likely pay top dollar for the item. There are a few factors that play into whether or not the item will be worth more based on it’s condition. Some of these include any broken or missing pieces, fading color or chipped paint, yellowing of plastic, and if the toy is opened or still in its original packaging.
Because these toys are vintage, over time many toys show wear and damage. Although the toy loses some value with harm to it’s condition, many vintage toy buyers still pay hefty amounts of money for these toys. Continue following along to see how much vintage toys are based on these factors.
Missing and Broken Parts
When finding out how much vintage toys are, you should look and see if your toys have any missing or broken parts. If the toy has all its pieces, it will be worth more. Many toys over time are prone to fall apart or have tiny pieces that often get lost. Because of this, the toys that are still in nice condition with all original parts hold much higher values. Toys with broken pieces may still be worth more than those with the pieces missing, however, vintage toy buyers mostly look for complete toys in the best possible condition to add to their collection.
Fading Color and Chipped Paint
The toy’s paint and fading of color also holds an impact on how much vintage toys are worth. When selling your vintage toys, you will want to look at your toy’s paint and coloring. Is the paint chipped? Does the cardboard show any faded colors? Did my toys used to look more vibrant? These all play a factor into how much money you will make from selling your vintage toys. The fading of color and chipped paint show normal signs of usage or aging of the toys. This is why vintage toy buyers look for toys in pristine condition.
Plastic Yellowing
Another thing to consider when looking to see how much vintage toys are, is to look at the plastic. Especially on bubble packaging, the plastic can turn yellow over time due to sunlight or heat. This means that even if your toys remain in their original packaging, the yellowing of the plastic brings down the toy’s value. This also brings down the amount of money you can make from selling your vintage toys. However, if your toy still has the original packaging, it may still be worth more than if there were parts missing, even if the plastic shows some wear with yellowing.
Opened Packaging
Lastly, a factor you should look at when seeing how much you will make from your toys is the packaging. If your toy still remains in it’s original packaging with all parts and instructions, it will hold more value. The second you purchase your toy from a retail store, it looses some value. Once the seal on the toy breaks open, it loses even more value. Market demand and rarity then brings value back up on certain items which we will mention later. Toys mint in box with all original parts in it’s original sealed packaging hold incredible value. Vintage toy buyers often pay top dollar for toys in mint condition, as close to the factory production appearance as possible.
Graded Toys
Although grading toys does not necessarily mean they will be worth more, it can increase the value of those in mint condition. If your toy remains in it’s original packaging with all parts and without damage, it may be worth it to send to a grading company. Along with this, already owning a graded vintage toy comes with benefits when the time comes to sell it again. Grades on toys from companies such as CGA and CAS show vintage toy buyers the exact condition of the toy from experts. Although it can be risky to send your vintage toys to a grading company, the money you may receive back after selling your graded toys will show to be profitable.
These grading companies will first inspect the condition of your toy. They will then determine the specific grade based off the toy’s condition. After the grading process, these companies seal your toy into an acrylic case. This preserves the toy best in it’s current condition rather than simply leaving it without that extra layer of protection. Along with this, the official grading company sticker gets placed inside the acrylic. This shows the owner of the toy the official grade and helps show certification of the graded toy. All of these benefits from grading your vintage toys add value and help you earn the most amount of money from selling. See our blog, The Value in Grading Your Vintage Toys, to learn more.
Market Demand
Another huge factor to look at when wondering how much vintage toys are is the market demand. As mentioned previously, toys lose value first when purchased from the store and then through wear or damage. However, these toys’ value go back up when toy buyers want the items. This can be due to some factors such as the toy’s rarity, date released, nostalgia, and pop culture influence. Because of this, vintage toy buyers pay more for items they really want in their collection.
Rarity
One thing that can factor into vintage toy buyers wanting a specific toy might be the toy’s rarity. Some companies only release a small portion of toys. This can be from the toys not selling at the time or from a flop in the company. Some toys also don’t hit initial popularity but later come to be loved by many after rediscovering them. Also due to the rarity of toys, their value goes up simply because there aren’t a lot of them. These toys can be a gold mine, especially if they remain in good condition. Also, since vintage toy buyers look for these rare toys to add to their collection, the value of them goes up when multiple buyers look for the same item.
Release Date
The date of release also plays a factor in how much vintage toys are. When looking at how much money you can make from selling your vintage toys, you may want to look at how old they are. Many older toys hold high value especially if they remain in good condition. An older toy without damage looks appealing to a lot of vintage toy buyers. Because toys age easily, especially with play, they tend to lose a lot of value fast. Also, older toys still in their original packaging hold high values. Vintage toy buyers see these older toys in good condition and recognize the rarity of them, making the value increase.
Nostalgia
Some vintage toy buyers also pay more for items that have nostalgia for them. This is important to note for when you start looking at who to sell to. Some buyers want certain toys that remind them of their childhood and ones they played with growing up. Recognizing the era certain toys are from and then knowing the target audience will help with selling your toys for the most possible amount of money. For instance, G.I. Joe hit popularity in the 1960s, Star wars in the 1970s, and Transformers in the 1980s. From knowing some of these dates, you can begin to see certain nostalgia from those of these decades.
Pop Culture
Along with the nostalgia factor, pop culture influence makes some toys increase in value. When you look at how much vintage toys are, one big factor to look at is their popularity through pop culture. If the toy appeared on a television show, movie, or in video games, they might have a higher chance of selling for top dollar. For instance, Star Wars, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and many others hit popularity through both their appearances on screen as well as the toys. These pop culture influences make toys more nostalgic for people all over the world and throughout many decades.
Who You Sell To
Another thing to consider when looking at how much vintage toys are, is who you sell your toys to. This plays a big role in how much you will make from selling your toys. There are many different options when looking at who to sell to. There are both in person and online options. Some big ones to note are: vintage toy buyers and collectors as well as online marketplaces. These places have their pros and cons, but which one is the best? See our blog, What is the Easiest Way for Me to Sell My Vintage Toys, to learn more.
Toy Collectors
One option of who to sell your vintage toys to are toy collectors and vintage toy buyers. These are a great option as they often know exactly what to look for. These vintage toy buyers hold a lot of knowledge on how much items are worth as well as what they specifically look for. These buyers are often able to price items with certainty and help ensure the confidence of the person selling the toys. Also, with vintage toy buyers, they often have both online and in person selling options. For local sellers, the individual is able to go meet them personally and ask any specific questions. This also helps the seller know just who they are selling to.
With technology advancing, many online options become available as well. Vintage toy buyers and collectors are able to hold more sales online which allows people to sell vintage toys without the hassle of driving far. Although there are risks to consider when selling your toys online and having to ship them, a lot of buyers make the process very easy and hassle free.
Online Marketplaces
Another option to consider when selling your vintage toys are the other online options such as online marketplaces. There are many popular online marketplace websites. Some of these include eBay, Etsy, and Facebook. One advantage with selling through these websites is that you expand the amount of customers. Especially with companies such as eBay, people are able to put up items as an auction which can help you make more money from your toys.
Although you are able to keep track of everything from home, there are some disadvantages to selling through an online marketplace. One of these disadvantages is that you will be doing it all yourself. You can lose some money this way if you don’t know how to get the most value from your toys. The benefit to selling to someone with a background of vintage toys is that they have a lot of knowledge on them. Online marketplaces can be a good option if you already know how much your toys are worth.
Final Thoughts
There are many things that factor into how much money you can make from selling your vintage toys. It is important to do research prior to selling to find like items. It is also important to note that your toy’s condition, market demand, and who you sell to all have an impact in how much money you make.
Do You Have Old And Used Toys?
If you have a collection of old and used toys, you can turn those toys into cash. Don’t let those old toys collect dust. Contact us today to sell your vintage toy collection.
Made in Collaboration with:
Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab Pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!