Finding the best stores that buy GI Joe toys is not as simple as it once was. Now that the internet has become a mainstay for selling and buying toys, your choices have expanded. Not only can you go to your local pawn shop, but you may also post about the GI Joe toys that you want to sell. However, getting the best value for your time and toys is not as simple as it may seem.
On your own, you can lose out on valuable time and money as you try out the many ways to sell your GI Joe toys. Instead of gambling with your chances, you can turn to an expert in the field for advice on where to sell your toys.
Here at Wheeljack’s Lab, we have been buying vintage toys and action figures for over 20 years. Whether you have got GI Joe, Transformers, He-Man, or any other classic toys, we are the experts who can help you with a sale. Read on to learn how to evaluate your toys and decide where to sell your vintage toys.
Before you look for the stores that buy GI Joe toys
Before you are ready to check out the stores that will buy your GI Joe toys, there are a few steps you should take to make sure you can get a decent price for your collection.
Are You the Original Owner?
If you are the original owner of your collection, it will be easy to follow the steps below to organize and evaluate your collection. However, if you have acquired these toys and are less familiar with them, it might be more difficult to assess accurately.
If you have an enormous collection and no idea how to start identifying them, get in touch with us and we can help.
Organize your GI Joe toy collection
Some toys are worth more than others, and to get the best value out of your collection, you will want to organize it and identify the individual toys. Start by sorting your GI Joe toys by brand, and then by the specific line. If you are the original owner of your collection, you should not have much difficulty with this step.
Estimate the value of your GI Joe toys
While you cannot put a price on childhood, you can put one on these classic toys. Selling a collection to a store that buys old toys can make you a tidy sum, but you will want to know what to expect before going in to make sure you are getting a fair value.
The easiest way to assess your collection is to search for similar toys on eBay. If you have been able to identify the brands and lines of your toys, it should be simple to find listings for those toys. When you do this, be sure to only look at sold listings. The prices shown on active listings do not represent what people are willing to pay.
Keep in mind as well that a given toy’s sale price will depend on its condition. You will find listings for the same toy that range in price, so consider this as you are determining how much your GI Joe toys are worth.
Several factors determine how much an individual toy is worth. If a toy has a lot of wear and tear from heavy play, it will not sell for as much as one that is new in an unopened box. It can be hard to judge the exact condition of the toys in your collection and match that to the prices you see online, but you can get a general idea of the range for a given model.
More about toy condition
Since the condition of your toys is a huge factor in their value, let us take a closer look at what can affect them. When animals, like insects, rodents, or pets cause major damage to your toys, your collection will lose value to the point of being unsellable.
Likewise, poor storage conditions cause less dramatic damage. If toys were in open boxes, they are going to be quite dusty and dirty. If they suffered exposure to a smoking environment, the cigarette smoke may have yellowed the plastic. Exposure to direct sunlight will also cause the plastic to become discolored and damaged. High heat can also affect plastics, making them sticky or brittle.
Luckily, you can treat fading and yellowing. So, if you would like to try to improve the condition of your toys, check out our useful guide here.
Understanding the stores that buy GI Joe toys
There are several stores that will buy your old and used GI Joe toys. Whether you want to go to a store that buys or sells used toys online, you have options. Your ultimate choice will depend on how large your collection is, how much time and effort you are willing to put in to get the best value.
Here are some places and stores that buy old GI Joe toys, and what you can expect from them.
Local Auction Service
A local auction service makes it easy to offload your collection—all you must do is drop them off, with no worries about packing or shipping.
On the downside, the turnaround time can be very slow, and the sales price is uncertain. Unless you have a very big collection and are working with an expert, you will see a lower price than you could elsewhere, and you will pay some high fees on top of that.
Pawnshop
Another in-person option for selling your toys is a pawnshop. Again, all you must do is bring them in. The benefit here is that you will get cash up front.
However, since you are a captive audience, and they are not experts in the toy market, you will get a lower price because they need to make sure they can turn them around profitably.
Local Toy Dealer
Going to a local toy dealer can be a good option if you want to stick with a local business. Here you will not pay any fees, and people who are familiar with the market will evaluate your toys.
Still, you are dealing with a reseller that must consider overhead costs, so you will not get the toys’ full value.
Online Auctions like eBay
Your other option is selling online, and the first place that comes to mind is eBay. The major benefit of an online auction site is that you have access to a much larger client base, and you can get competitive prices by selling to collectors directly.
Of course, when you are selling online, you are doing all the work yourself, and this can be very time-consuming if you have a vast collection. You cannot be sure how the bidding will go, and you will have to pay fees on every sale. You will also have to handle packing and shipping on your own and be willing to accept returns.
Online Swap Pages like Facebook and Craigslist
Another online option is going with a site like Craigslist or Facebook, where you handle the sales process yourself. This gives you the same benefits of a large online audience, and you will not have major fees to worry about.
However, you do not get the same protections that you do with eBay either, so you will have to be aware of the potential for fraud and privacy concerns. You will still have to deal with either shipping or meeting up in person with buyers, and in-person meetings can end up being a timewaster.
Online Toy Dealer
Finally, you can go with an online toy dealer. Like working with an in-person toy dealer, you get the benefit of working with experts, but unlike a brick-and-mortar shop, online dealers can often offer you better prices because they have less overhead to worry about. You can send all your toys in at once, and you will even get your shipping costs covered. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the dealer, you may look them up at the Better Business Bureau.
Unfortunately, online toy dealers, while providing a great service, will not pay retail prices for your toys. So, if you aim to get the highest available price, they are not for you.
Wheeljack’s Lab is the best of the stores that buy GI Joe toys
Now that you have a firm grasp on the stores that buy GI Joe toys, you will want to pick the store with the best available options to help you.
If you are trying to sell an enormous collection, you may feel overwhelmed by the process as you organize your toys. Well, we are here to help. As a store that buys old toys, we are well-equipped to handle a collection of any size. So, if you want fast payment for your old GI Joe toys, get in touch with us through email or call us at 888-946-2895 to start selling your toys.
We have been in the business of buying and selling all kinds of vintage toys for more than 20 years. Since we are a family business and we have been in the area for three generations, we are not going anywhere. We pride ourselves on offering fast quotes and payments, prepaid shipping, and the best customer service. We want to find a great new home for your old toys. Get in touch today!
Do you have old and used GI Joe 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 GI Joe 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!