Where Can I Sell Toys?
Welcome! If you have stumbled upon this little guide, you are probably wondering where and how you can sell your vintage toys. Well, that is our specialty. We have been in the industry for quite some time, and while you are definitely welcome to sell your toys to our company, we want to lay out your options in an informative way. We will go over the different methods you have for selling your old collection, how you should prepare the collection, and the pros and cons of each option you have at your disposal. So, where can I sell my vintage toys? Let’s dig right in.
Who Originally Owned Your Collection?
We will lay it out plain and simple: being the original owner will make it a lot easier to sell your old toys. In fact, this guide won’t even be of much use to you if you received your collection second-handed or at a flea market. Being the original owner gives you a rare insight into when and where each toy was purchased, what came with it, and what line each toy was from. Those are bits of information that greatly affect your selling price. If you aren’t the original owner, we recommend contacting us directly to let us help you out.
What Toys Do You Have?
First and foremost, when you are completing this step, take extra precautions to keep from damaging your toys. They have most likely been sitting around in storage for decades, and even if they are in top-notch condition, they can break from being handled improperly.
Now, start organizing your entire collection by toy line, size, and other general categories. This will help you with the next step and will organize and catalog that you actually have. Try to keep any pieces and accessories with the toys they belong to.
Research Toy Pricing
If you are wondering where can I sell my collectible toys, follow this premium advice: Before you can sell your toys, you need to know how much to sell them for. You can figure this out by looking up the EXACT SAME toy in the same condition on platforms like eBay. Look at the “sold” listings to see how much people were willing to pay.
Check the Condition of Your Toys!
Where can I sell my old toys? The main factor that determines how fruitful your return will be is the condition of each toy in your collection. You want to look for 4 key factors that will help you figure this out:
- Box: Is the box included? Even if it’s opened, the box greatly increases the price it will sell at.
- Parts: As we all know, toys tend to come with little parts and accessories. Determine if you have all of those parts with your toy.
- Sealed: This ties in with the box part. However, if your box is sealed and in factory condition, you will get the best return on your toy.
- Damage: Toys get broken, and even small breaks or signs of wear deteriorate the amount you can reasonably ask for. Take notes of all bits of damage and wear.
Those four factors are pretty broad, but they will give you an idea of what you should expect.
Cleanliness
Collectors are just like other shoppers. They do not want toys that are caked in dust, yellowed from cigarette smoke, or damaged from being left in sunlight for decades. However, you can clean most of the common problems. Simply dusting your old toys in a gentle manner will handle dust, and you can repair yellowing caused by cigarettes and sunlight if you follow a tutorial.
Animal and Pest Damage
If your next question is: how and where can I sell old toys? The answer is simple! We all remember having our favorite action figure or doll dragged off by our dog when we were kids, never to be the same again. Well, collectors usually don’t want toys that have taken that kind of damage. They are also turned off by pest damage such as bugs getting into the toys, rodents nibbling on them or covering them in droppings, stuff like that. You should discard toys from your collection if they show those signs of damage.
Where Can I Sell My Collectible Toys Overview?
First and foremost, you could sell them to us. However, selling your collection, nostalgia and all, is a personal decision, and you deserve to know what alternatives you have to consider. Here, we will list those alternatives, and then we will give you a complete list of pros and cons to help you make your decision. Whatever works for you is the best way to go about it.
Where Can I Sell My Toys For Cash?
Online Toy Shops / Wheeljack’s Lab
Pros:
- Sell your toys faster
- Save time researching and marketing
- The Better Business Bureau (BBB) lets you know if you can trust a certain store
- No fees for handling the transaction
- Some will pay for shipping (we do)
Cons:
- You won’t get the full value of your toys. You will get a large percentage, but shops have to make a profit too
Local Toy Shop
Pros:
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) background checks
- Instant transaction turnaround
- Local and in-person trading
- No fees
- Sell your toys faster
Cons:
- You’ll get a very low return on investment. Physical stores have to cover their overhead and make a profit.
Local Auction
Pros:
- Local and trustworthy
- Easy to manage
Cons:
- Extremely slow turnaround
- You don’t know how much you’ll make, and it usually isn’t very worthwhile
- High out of pocket fees
Pawnshop
Pros:
- No fees
- Easy
- Fast turnaround
Cons:
- Lowest possible return
eBay
Pros:
- Decent return
- Large audience
Cons:
- Unpredictable bidding
- Frauds
- Mandatory return acceptance
- Daily post office visits
- High fees
- Slow turnaround
Craigslist & Similar
Pros:
- No fees
- Large audience
- No returns
- Decent return on investment
Cons:
- Safety concerns of in-person meeting
- Lots of communication
- Not rural friendly
- Privacy risks online
- Time-consuming
- Frauds
Wheeljack’s Labs: Buying Your Vintage Toys with Cash
Have you ever sold your toys on a general platform like eBay? Maybe you’ve dropped them off at a pawnshop for pennies on the dollar? If you have, you know all about the time you have to waste to clean the toys, stage them for a proper photo-op, and then go through all the platform’s listing processes just to get your toys listed. Then, you have to handle shipping! Pawnshops aren’t much better. They are unlikely to pay you anything more than pennies on the dollar for your valuable vintage toys.
That’s what we are here for. Wheeljack’s has a long reputation as a legitimate toy buyer, and we can completely remove the stress from selling your old toy collection. Rather than messing around with all the online mumbo jumbo, you can simply call 888-946-2895 or send a message, and we will take over the toy buying process through email.
We have performed this service for more than 20 years, and have lasted that long due to our customer service. See, we don’t try to low-ball you. We provide you with a fair quote on the same day you call, and offer easy transportation of the toys upon sale. In some situations, when the toys are too large or otherwise shouldn’t be put through the mailing system, we will provide in-person pickup to make the transaction. Either way, you are paid immediately and transparently. You never have to wait and wonder about where your money is.
If you are looking to get rid of your old toy collection, call Wheeljack’s. We are a family-owned business with a reputation built on 20 years of excellent service. When it comes to parting with your most precious childhood memories, Wheeljack’s is the buyer you can trust for reliable, fair transactions.
Do you have old and used 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 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.
Author: Chris Ingledue
Bio: I’m the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year; scouring the internet – like we did the Sears Catalog of yesteryear – for the next great treasure, awaiting the arrival of the postman as if he was Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day is an absolute joy!