What to Buy
People start collecting toys and models for lots of different reasons, some
like to collect what they had as a child and bring back happy memories, others
collect what they always wanted as a child but never had. Many collectors collect
to a theme that interests them like taxis, buses or spinning tops. Indeed if
you are thinking about starting a collection of your own it is best to have
a fairly clear idea in your mind as to what you are going to collect.
Space
Do you have enough space to store or display your collection? Collect pedal
cars and you are soon going to fill a large house, collect Dinky 28 series
vans and one display cabinet will do the job. Be careful, collecting is addictive
and collections often end up much larger than at first anticipated.
Theme
Careful consideration should be given to deciding on a collecting theme. Start
collecting buses without any parameters and you will soon discover that vast
numbers of bus models have been produced and only the most fanatical collector
with very deep pockets and an enormous storage capacity will be able to collect
them all. Better to limit your collection to a particular scale, model and
period.
Budget
Having a good idea of how much you are prepared to spend on your collecting
hobby can also give you some useful pointers as to what to collect. If for
instance you have a monthly budget of £100 and want to collect old toy cars
in mint condition on a weekly basis, you would be better off collecting "Matchbox
Superfast" toys than trying to collect "Dinky" toys.
Condition
When collecting old and obsolete toys there is always the question of condition.
Should you buy items in mint or playworn condition? Often collectors start
buying worn items and then upgrade later, this however is an expensive way
of going on. It is better to decide at the beginning if you are going to be
happy with only perfect items or not. Many people prefer playworn items as
they consider them to have a certain charm. Others will settle for nothing
less than perfection. It is certainly true that if in the future you want
sell your collection you stand a better chance of getting your money back
or making a profit with items in close to original condition.
Where to Buy
Various factors will determine where you buy your collectables
from but the main issues are time, distance and cost. Quite probably you will
not be able to source all the items you wish to collect locally, you will therefore
sooner or later find yourself purchasing via the internet or mail order.
Part of the fun of collecting is the search, finding that elusive item. The
internet by its very nature is also all about searching, put the two together
and you have a marriage made in heaven. Collectables like toys are perfectly
suited to internet trading, they are mostly small and light which keeps down
the cost of shipping enabling you to purchase items from anywhere in the world.
Another great advantage of collecting on the internet is that you can do it
from home.
Online Auction
There are now many online auction sites with the best known being eBay which
first started in 1995. Buying at auction is tremendously popular and can be
great fun, however it is possible to get carried away and pay too much.
Follow these three simple rules and you will not go far wrong:
1/ Always check the seller has a good reputation.
2/ Know the market value of the item.
3/ Set your price and stick to it.
Online Fixed Price
There are thousands of independent web sites and many large trading platforms
like eBay where you can buy collectables at a fixed price, these are of course
just shops, but online.
Follow these rules for trouble free collecting:
1/ Always check the seller has a good reputation.
2/ Know the market value of the item.
3/ Search the internet thoroughly for better deals.
Traditional Auctions
In the past one of the main sources of stock for toy dealers was the auction
house. Today some local auctions still have regular toy sales and many have
the occasional collection in amongst their other lots. It is a good idea to
keep an eye on these auctions as you never know what may turn up and bargains
can be had. There are some auctions that specialize in toys but these are
generally well represented online.
When buying from a local auction:
1/ Carefully inspect the lot before bidding
2/ Know the market value of the item/s.
3/ Set your price and stick to it.
4/ If you are the winner carefully inspect the lot before paying as the item
may have been damaged by other viewers after you last looked at it.
Toy Fairs
This is where it all started. Fairs or Swapmeets as they used to be known
are a great way to buy toys. You can inspect the merchandise before you buy,
chat to the dealers and other collectors and browse all the stalls loaded
with potential purchases for the future.
Toy Fair tips:
1/ Small fairs can be a disappointment, if possible stick to the larger ones.
2/ Know the market value of the item/s you wish to
buy.
3/ HAGGLE! A dealer will be surprised (and hiding a grin) if you don't.
How Much to Pay
You will have noticed a bit of repetition in the tips above with regards to
market value. If you don't have a good idea of the value of an item you will
not know if you are paying too much and just as important you will not know
a bargain when you see one.. Once you know the market value of an item it is
then up to you to decide if you want to pay a bit over the odds for that item
missing from your collection or you can bide your time as you know a better
deal will probably come along. See our valuing
page for some pointers.
Begin Your Search Here
Why not start by checking to see if any of the items you are looking for are listed on the ToyMart
database.
ToyMart item listings give you values for all conditions plus 4 different search results.
Not listed on ToyMart? Search eBay direct
from here and you will find both auction and fixed price items. Remember to check a sellers feedback before bidding or buying.
Get even more information by searching the
internet using Google. Look at independent retailers/dealers and compare their asking prices.
Half the fun of collecting is the thrill of the chase. Good luck!
Resources
In order to value an item you are going to need information, the more
information you have the more accurate and reliable your valuation
will be. The internet of course is a fantastic and mostly free resource
and much of what you require can be found online. However there is
also a vast selection of books, magazines and guides on the subject
of toy and model collecting. These publications tend to go into great
detail and often contain lots of high quality pictures.
