Are you looking for information on how to sell your Star Wars toys, but do not know where to go? There are many options out there that offer the opportunity to turn your old toys into cash. However, making the wrong choice will cost you valuable time and even money!
If you came across this page, you will be very happy to find that turning your old Star Wars figurines into cash is easier than you may think! Here at Wheeljack’s Lab, we are here to walk you through the entire process of selling your old Star Wars action figures! For over 20 years now we have been buying and refurbishing Star Wars, GI Joe, He-Man, and every other action figure you could imagine; so, we know a thing or two about how it has done!
Before you jump into selling your Star Wars Toys
Before you can exchange your old toys for cash, there are a few steps that are vital in squeezing out as much value as you can. We said this was a straightforward process, not a short one!
Who owned the toys?
Understanding the owner’s history of the figurines can help you to verify the legitimacy of the toy and will also make organizing the collection a breeze. We understand that with larger collections, this becomes quite the challenge, and if you are having difficulties then feel free to send us an email so we can help you out!
Identify and Organize your collection.
At this point, you must be very careful when handling your Star Wars toys, as you may not know which one is the hidden golden nugget with huge value! Looks can very well be deceiving if you are unaccustomed to valuing old figurines as some smaller and lower quality figurines may well be more valuable than a larger more famous toy. Our recommendation is to organize the figures by their brand and alphabetical model (e.g., Boba Fett, C3PO, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, etc.) just to make life that little bit easier.
Evaluating your Star Wars collections’ value
The next question is, how are you going to price your figurines? The best time-tested method is to review the earlier auction history of the same item and gauge an average for the price sold. We have found eBay is an effortless way to do this as it allows for deep filtering for a fair price comparison; do make sure to look at sold listings as they show a good representation of what people pay for such items, as active listings only show what people want for their figurines, which often is shooting way above its value.
Do not just tunnel vision and search for the highest selling price, try to understand why some figurines sold for $10 – $15, and why some fetched over $50; it is most likely due to the condition of the toy, which we will get onto in the next section. Just like almost everything in life, people will pay marginally higher for a better-quality product; and this is no different. Does your toy show wear signs? Are all of the parts present? Does it still have its original box? What is the quality of the original box? Has it faded? These are all the questions you should be asking yourself about your Star Wars figurine before you can conclude with an accurate price for each toy.
How clean is your collection?
Unfortunately, some collections age better than others. Collections of toys that all sorts of rodents and bugs have infested are not exactly the collections that people are looking for; so be sure to clean it all up as best you can!
Has your collection been collecting dust above a high heat storage area, where they may be prone to a bit of heat warping or even made the toys brittle? Even low humidity conditions can cause some problems with the toys, so take all of this into consideration. If there is discoloration and or discoloration in your toy that may take some value from your toy, but do not worry, check out our article here on how to remove fading and discoloration! (Thank us later!)
How to sell your Star Wars Vintage Toys
Now, this is the part you have been waiting for, and if you skipped ahead, it is worth your time to read the whole guide! The market for your Star Wars vintage figurines is larger than you may think, however you will still have to be patient with selling your toys to ensure you get full value.
There are plenty of ways to sell your Star Wars toys, and we laid out some options including the pros and cons:
Local Auction Service
Pros:
These are readily available locations to sell your toys at since they are local. All that you need to do is drive to the auction house and fill out the paperwork to create an auction for your collection.
Cons:
Unfortunately, these locations often have very slow turnaround times, so you will not receive your cash soon. Furthermore, they will charge you exorbitant fees for the use of their services, which will cut into your profits. Since your sale depends on the whimsy of the buyers who see your auction, you will never know how much you will make from your sale. So, you are just as likely to walk away with a fortune as to leave with little cash in hand.
Finally, your best bet at receiving the best value from a local auction house will come if you work with a toy specialist. Unfortunately, these specialists are few and far between. So, it is unlikely that you will find one. Furthermore, you will get better results with a larger collection.
Pawnshop
Pros:
These local shops are easy to use and commute to. All that you need to do is show up with your Star Wars toys and speak to the clerk. Once you agree on a price, your sale is complete.
Cons:
These locations will never offer the full value of the Star Wars toy when buying them from you. Instead, they will only offer a percentage of the price that they expect that they will be able to sell the toy at. Worse still, many clerks at Pawnshops are not experts on toys, or barely know anything about them at all. So, they will toss out a number that they feel is in their favor, which will often be lowballed. So, it is difficult to make a fair price when you sell your Star Wars toys here.
These locations know that those that walk through their doors want cash fast. They also know that you are unlikely to drive away without making a sale. So, they will treat you like a captive audience. They will pressure you to complete the sale and take the price that they offer you.
Local Toy Dealer
Pros:
Local toy dealers know about toys, so they will minimize the time that you spend figuring out the price of your Star Wars toys. Like Pawnshops, these dealers will offer your payment quickly, completing the sale all in the same visit. So, all that you need to do is drive up to them with your toys in hand and speak to the clerk.
If you have any concerns about the dealer in your area, you can perform a background check with the Better Business Bureau.
Cons:
Also, like pawnshops, you will only receive a small percentage of the full value of your toys. These dealers are looking to make a profit from your Star Wars toys, so they will not offer you the full price. Also, they know that you do not want to walk out of their doors with your toys still in hand. So, they will treat you like a captive audience and pressure you into making the sale in their favor. This attitude will amplify if you show up with multiple boxes of Star Wars toys. Few want to unpack a car of boxes then pack them back up without making a sale.
Online Auctions like eBay
Pros:
If you are looking for a wide audience to sell your Star Wars toys to, online auction sites are the crème of the crop. With worldwide appeal, thousands may look at your auction and consider buying your toys. Since you are directly selling your toys through the service, you have a great chance at making a large profit from your toys.
Cons:
These websites do not offer quick turnarounds on their sales. Not only will you need to wait up to a week for an auction to finish, but you will also need to wait days for the cash to enter your bank. So, the entire sale is very time-consuming. Since you are solely responsible for the sale of your Star Wars toys, expect to communicate with potential buyers and address their questions and concerns.
While you have immense potential to make a profit from your old Star Wars toys at these sites, it is not a guarantee. While you can set buy-it-now prices to ensure some profit, you will never know the outcome of biddings. Worse yet, expect high fees from the sale of your toys. Sites like eBay will charge over ten percent of your final sale price in fees.
If you are not familiar with these websites, it may be difficult to set up your auction. This problem amplifies if you are not familiar with computers at all.
These sites require that you accept returns of your sales if the buyer is unsatisfied. Also, if you are selling an enormous collection piece by piece, expect to make daily trips to the post office.
Finally, with larger audiences comes fraud concerns. While these sites offer customer service to alleviate these issues, it is still discouraging to find that your buyer was illegitimate.
Online Swap Pages like Facebook and Craigslist
Pros:
Once again, these sites will offer you a large client base to sell your Star Wars toys too. While you once again will have a large client base, online swap pages and forums will not have as large of a pool. As your forum becomes more separated from the public space, the smaller your client base will become.
Since you are in complete control of the sale of your toys, you will receive the best price for your toys. These sites do not have regulations on their sales, so they will not charge added fees to use their services.
For the most part, these forums are easy to use. All you need to do is post up the information about your sale and then wait for a buyer to contact you.
Cons:
Often, selling your Star Wars toys on an online forum and swap page is slow. Even if the forum that you post on is popular, you should expect a slow turnaround. In some ways, a very active forum will be worse since you will need to bump up your post multiple times to receive notice.
Since you will be both bumping up your post and addressing all questions and concerns about your sale on your own, selling your Star Wars toys through these websites is very time-consuming. Even worse, these sites will offer no customer service for anything that sells through them. So, you will have to handle all returns, disputes, and issues on your own. There will even be people who will waste your time with questions, but they will never offer to buy your toys.
Unfortunately, fraud is a real possibility on online swap pages. As you offer the opportunity for people to come to your door, you open your personal information to these people. So, you must be careful concerning both your privacy and fraud.
If you live in a rural region, you will find limited chances of success on a swap page.
Online Toy Dealer
Pros:
Online toy dealers, like Wheeljack’s Lab, and experts in toys like Kenner’s Star Wars. They know that you want your cash fast and will minimize the time that you spend on your sale. These dealers offer quick turnaround times. For instance, we will complete the total sale and send you your money in less than a week.
You will not have to pay any fees to sell your toys to an online toy dealer. Even better, we will offer to pay for your shipping costs, leaving even more cash in your pockets.
If you have any concerns, you may perform a background check with the Better Business Bureau.
Cons:
These dealers will not offer the full price for your toys.
How to sell your Star Wars Action Figures for Cash to the Wheeljack’s Lab
We understand that if you have not done this process before, it may be extremely time-consuming, but if you have further collections to get through, it will only get faster! The cleaning, staging, naming, listing, and all the other steps may well be out of reach for someone with a busy life, which is why here at Wheeljack’s we are willing to take the responsibility out of your hands! If you have an old collection of Star Wars toys that you want to turn into cold hard cash, give us a call at 888-946-2895 or send us a message and we will take care of everything for you.
The Wheeljack’s lab is a reputable vintage toy buyer, and for 20 years we have been buying and selling such toys, and we will not be gone anytime soon. With over 3 generations of experience under our belts, we can guarantee fast communication, same-day toy quotes, immediate payment, and even prepaid shipping! And if the collection is especially exciting, we will come to pick it up ourselves!
We will make sure that your old toys will have new homes, with owners who will appreciate them just as much as you do!
Do you have old and used Star Wars toys?
If you have a collection of old and used toys, you can turn those toys into cash. There is no reason to let those old toys collect dust. Contact us today to sell your Star Wars toy collection.
Our professional, friendly, and expert staff have decades of experience as collectible toy buyers. If you are ready to sell your collection today, fill out the form below or call us at 888-946-2895.
About the author
Author: 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 own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!
Are you ready to sell your Star Wars Toys to the best place?
Wheeljack’s Lab provides the best service and best price for your old and used toys. When you sell your Star Wars toys to us, you are guaranteed the best service. If you are not convinced, just look at only a small sample of the toys that have been sold and bought through us:
