6 Tips For Making The Most Money When Selling Old Toys

Before you sell vintage toy collections, it's essential to know the value of what you're listing. At this point, you don't have to take any of your figures out of the closet.

If you know what condition your toys are in, you can easily research their value.

Although you can use eBay's Sold listings to appraise your collection, it's not necessarily the best way to determine a figure's true worth. Look for specialist collector websites that specialize in collectible games, toys, and figurines and can tell you how much you can get for your things.

2. Buy Missing Spares

Toys tend to find themselves slowly shrinking as accessories, and other little pieces get lost. The most susceptible tend to be LEGO bricks and Minifigure accessories, but your Optimus Prime sword might disappear too.

Incomplete action figures tend to sell for less money than complete toys in their original packaging. Sometimes buyers may only want the base figure, but if you don't want to sell incomplete toys, you'll want to use an auction site to find those missing pieces. The odds are good that someone is selling the sticker, accessory, or instructions you need.

3. Clean Your Collection

When your collection is complete, and it's time to say goodbye, take them out of the closet and get them clean -- especially if they've been on a shelf collecting dust the whole time. If you keep your toys in the original box, they're probably fine; the box itself will probably need some cleaning, though.

Dusty toys will require a little manual care. Using a toothbrush, Q-tips, paper towels, a small amount of water, and a clean paintbrush, take your time and gently scrub away the dust and grime. Older toys may have sticker residue, which will require an appropriate removal solution that doesn't harm the material.

4. Know Where to Sell

Collectible or otherwise, your vintage toys will sell both online and offline.

Online

If you want to sell online, start with the auctions: eBay's audience is too large to overlook. Likewise, Facebook Marketplace offers several opportunities, especially with all the groups dedicated to collectibles. However, you will likely have to complete your transaction in person if you sell through Facebook.

Offline

If you'd prefer to sell offline, you can try:

Local collectible shops: These locations buy and sell toys but usually won't pay for the item's full worth; they need to make a profit too.

Auction houses: Like eBay, an in-person auction house is an excellent way to sell to a broad audience. Selling a collection on the auction house requires paying a commission.

5. Write a Good Listing

If you're selling online, it's essential to include all the necessary information for potential buyers who can't see the toy in person. eBay offers automation tools to speed things along, but you should take the time to write a description yourself.

Consider sharing a personal memory about the figure, such as where and how long ago you bought it. Adding a story can make your listing memorable to a buyer who might relate to what you share, and standing out matters a lot with the competition.

Likewise, make sure to note if your vintage toy is a limited edition variant or has certification papers.

6. Promote Your Listing

It's one thing to put your toys up for auction and another to promote it. You might get lucky and find a buyer who happens to be looking for that exact item when you're selling it, but why take the risk?

Check out specialist websites dedicated to your kind of action figure where you can post about your auction. You might find someone who wants what you're selling and doesn't even know it yet. You can also share the auction on social media.