Introduction to toy collecting

Toy collecting is a fun past-time you can enjoy with your kids. Now keep in mind collecting is not for everyone as the whole idea behind collecting toys is build a collection of value. Toys are only worth money if they are kept in pristine condition basically not played with. Not every child wants to watch their toys collect dust on a shelf. it takes a guiding hand to show an appreciation in value as the collection grows.

Now that you’ve made the choice to collect toys there are a few things you must consider as you spend your hard earned money on toys.

1) Collecting toys is more often than not related to action figures. I suggest you and your child sit down and talk about what shows they like and what types of figures they are interested in. Some popular toys falling into this category are Star Wars, Movie Figures by McFarlane, and Transformers. Both Transformers and Star Wars have been around for decades and offer several options in the way of collecting. There are some other toys that aren’t action figures that people collect such as PEZ and stuffed animals.

2) Next you need to understand the amount of investment your going to make and what the potential return on investment is. Why collect toys that are going to be worth nothing in five years? Check and see how many figures there are in a collection and create a checklist. Then go on ebay and search under the major name such as Star Wars or Transformers. This will give you a good idea how much these figures are fetching currently.

3) You may notice a trend while looking for some of these figures, some figures are fetching much higher prices than others. Something you should know before you begin your collection is that companies rarely produce exact numbers of figures across the board. Toy companies need to sell surplus and can’t have inventory just sitting around. This leads the companies to produce quantities that represent how much the figure should sell based on popularity. This causes a shortage for those figures and drives up the prices on the secondary market (ebay). Welcome to collecting. You will also notice that there are variations of the same figure and these too fetch much higher prices based on production numbers.

4) Use the Internet to locate a few good toy stores that are local to you. These will most likely be the primary places you purchase from. If you are serious about collecting then start asking questions like when new toys are arriving how many boxes they are getting. If you want a complete collection you are going to have to work for it.

5) Finally you have to take good care of your collection. Find some unique way to display your figures out of sunlight and away from potential water damage. Or you can be boring and stow them away in plastic bins safe from all kinds of hazards. In my opinion it is no fun to collect and not to show your collection off.

Now you are armed with your checklist and stores located near you. This is where the fun begins. It’s best to think of this as a large scale scavenger hunt because some figures will be near impossible to find. Collecting toys definitely is challenging but can be a rewarding experience to have with your children as you purchase that rare Luke Skywalker in his Xwing outfit that you just happen to run into at Wal-Mart.