When Should I Sell My 80’s Toys?
07.23.07 By Deanna Dahlsad
On Sunday I posted Nostalgia Often Drives The Collectibles Market, to which dinocollector posted the following comment:
But my question is will generations of collectibles continue to increase in value or will they peak at some point? Obviously they will peak and decline when people of that generation start dying, but will they peak well before that? I still have most of my toys from the 1980s and I plan to sell them eventually, but when should I sell them? Most children of the 80s have jobs now so they can afford to buy back their toys. Should I continue to hold on to them or will there be a point when all of the 80s kids who want nostalgic toys acquire them so the demand goes down?
While I don’t pretend to know the precise answers (and I would be very skeptical of any who declared they held the answer), I have a few thoughts on the subject.
(Most of this is true of any area in collectible, so if you’ve been wondering when to sell off your collection to make a killing, read on and see just some of what the factors in the collectible market are.)
Not everyone who had these 80’s toys will want them ‘back’ — or at least not yet. Those 80’s kids are not even 30 years old yet, and, speaking as someone who has been-there-done-that, pre-30’s means you may not have the desire to once-again pick-up your old childish things, and, even if you do, you may not have the place to put them. If you’re still in college, just starting your career or a family, you may not have the money to spend on collectibles either.
Another factor in considering when it will be a hot time to sell retro 80’s toys is the matter of money. Most collectors do not have unlimited wealth; adding to collections is based upon the available discretionary income. So it’s not only the matter of the age of the collector as it pertains to employment status and career wages, but the economy as well. When times are tough, the purse-strings can tighten on collectibles purchases.
The appeal of these toys is not just limited to just those who were kids in the 80’s. For example, those who were too old to play with action figures but were fans of the films may covet Star Wars items. And there are also those too young to have seen the films when they were first released, but who deem the series to be a favorite. Or they assign other reasons to their collections. Each of these groups also has the same considerations noted above as well.
Guessing just who wants the toys from the 80’s, when they’ll want them, and when the income they’re making allows them to go hog-wild buying back their childhood, well, it’s just that — a guess. Sure, some marketing folks somewhere are busy trying to figure out these demographics, running the numbers on the percentages and comparing them to other market trends, but even if that’s a science, there’s more.
Other factors in the appeal of 80’s toys include, but are not limited to, changes in the life of the category.
Some things which will increase the value of 80’s toys are:
As most 80’s toys were media tie-ins, new films or works being released will revive interest in the older items too.
Losses in terms of deaths of creators, actors, writers, etc. as well as catastrophic losses such as fire destroying original items being stored.
The creation and success of related works, such as when new science fiction films are released which are credited to or inspired by the genius of Star Wars, Star Wars items will increase in popularity.
Some things which will decrease the interest in this category are:
The popularity of any other pop culture phenomenon (people spending their money on tech gadgets, for example).
The rise in popularity of other collectible categories. How many of those children who grew up in the 80’s are busy collecting Harry Potter items with their own kids rather than buying back the toys from the 80’s? Or maybe you’ve grown from Cabbage Patch kids to Marie Osmond dolls — and are headed to antique dolls?
Remaking or remarketing classic 80’s toys to new generations can both increase and decrease the interest in toys — they receive mixed reactions.
Many in the world of collecting have discussed the changes in collecting brought on by the Internet and online selling venues like eBay.
With the ability to sell online & the ensuing press coverage given to stories of the wealth hidden in your closet, many people are not disposing of the junk in their closets like they once used to do. Those boxes which mom and dad have saved for you and told you to come pick up now that you have your first home (or your own place has more storage than theirs does), are less likely to be picked-up and driven directly to the local thrift shop as a donation. With all the extra toys saved, and many of them listed for sale, the number of toys available keeps the prices lower.
Ahh, but then the questions become… How long will ‘everybody’ hold onto this stuff before they decide to clear out the clutter before a move? How long until part-time sellers tire of this and dump the stuff?
Eventually there will be a point when the price peaks, at least in your lifetime. It’s sad to admit, but true, that many collectibles are tied to generations and so when their incomes become fixed or they pass away, the interest in these collectibles wanes and the prices drop.
But in nearly every case, the interest will likely become reborn as younger folks remember ‘the classics’ or re-discover the genre again for some reason or another. Again, it could be a new film which sets-off a whole cultural reaction, or it could be individuals who remember those toys from old photos of grandpa, or a love of your childhood cars leads to a lifelong love of Matchbox collecting. It could even be that those lowered prices which ignites new interest. Who can tell?
Which just goes to prove that collecting is a lot like gambling. It’s not just about the money, it’s about loving the game.
The collectibles industry is huge and that will likely never change. But what drives the industry is buyers, and while their passions may change as far as what they’re collecting, they’ll likely always be collecting something.
Pinning down what they’ll buy and when? Well, that’s a guessing game.
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Article Tags: buyers, nostalgia, retro 80's, Star Wars, toys================
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July 23rd, 2007 at 8:26 am
Another super article! Whenever we go to an antique shop, usually when we check out, we ask “what is hot in this area - what are the trends - what is selling?” Most of the time, the folks behind the counter are mature adults, 60+. They look at each other and kind of shake their heads, almost in unison. They’d like to be helpful, but just do not know. Sometimes it is items with ‘local interest’, or a certain group of glassware that has been selling. But rarely is there a concensus or a time-frame given. It is a ‘crap-shoot’, that’s for sure. But you are right, almost everyone collects something and kids are starting younger. They need expendable income and a place to display the collection. I you can figure out what will be ‘the thing’ for the next generation, you have some kind of magic. We continue to hunt for it. Thanks, Dee.
July 23rd, 2007 at 10:49 am
As one of those 80’s nostalgia kids, and being only 25, I fall directly into the retro-collectibles demographic. THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT ME! And I’m a sucker for it - for reasons that I’ll detail on Wednesday! I can tell you that it goes beyond the superficial pull of material nostalgia, though that’s always a part of it.
July 23rd, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Wow - thank you for devoting your blog to answering my question! I found your answer very helpful - I think I will hold on to my toys a little longer before I try to sell them.
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Thanks for all the comments!
Collin, I suspected you’d have something to add
I did include a few links to your past posts (as related) — but not all of them lol I do want you to notice that in this post (and the one on Sunday), I noted that nostalgia is *part* of the call to collect, not all of it. And even if we are called initially from some sense of nostalgia, we won’t necessarily stay with the collection for that reason. We’ll only find more reasons to love it. And, as I said, we may start with our ‘own stuff’ but branch out from those toys or items to a broader collection. (I suspect this is due in no small part to our need to never, ever, be finished lol)
Dinocollector, as noted, Collin’s to do a post too (which I suspect will vary from my point of view at least a bit lol. I do think too that the category “80’s toys” isn’t realy fair in a way… I mean Transformers are more popular now with the film, but that doesn’t necessarily mean HeMan stuff will also increase in popularity (or price). So truthfully you’ll need to watch & monitor each type of toy.
Val, if I had such vision, I’d have retired on my profits — and spend all my days hunting for more stuff
July 23rd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
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