How to Get Started in Toy Collecting
Nostalgia is running high. With the popularity of shows like Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us-and its predecessor Toy Hunter on the Discovery Channel-people are looking to reconnect with the toys that defined their childhood playtime. It also helps that they're much more fun to collect than stamps or coins because you get to finally follow that childish dream of getting everything you want.
Choosing a Toy Line
How do you choose which toy will be the first in your collection? It may seem daunting, but a collection is ever-evolving and can truly be anything you desire. It can be a mashup of any era, any brand-there are no rules. You can search for the toys you had growing up or one’s your parents wouldn’t buy you, that Timmy down the block had an lorded over you.
The easiest way to get started to is to pick a toy line that's not excruciatingly rare, and which already has a collector community around it. Here are some popular toy lines of ages past that are particularly collectable: Star Wars, Star Trek, Barbie, Polly Pocket, G.I. Joe, Transformers, or He-Man and Masters of the Universe.
You might remember that, once upon a time, companies put out value guides like this Beanie Babies guide of yore. Days of purchasing a value guide are well past, but you can still purchase the books for identification purposes, though a lot of toy lines are catalogued online.
Learn the Lingo
Like anything else, toy collecting has its own language, which you’ll need to decode if you plan on buying toys online. The jargon is mainly in service of one overarching question: Do you want a toy that’s brand new, never been opened, or are you looking to actually play with it?
MOC stands for “Mint on Card,” meaning that the toy is packaged with a card behind it and a plastic bubble over it. MIP, or MIB, stands for “Mint in Package,” or “Mint in Box,” meaning a brand-new toy sealed in a non-carded packages. MOC and MIP/MIB are often used interchangeably. You might also see NIP or NIB for “New in Package” or “New in Box," depending on the packaging. In any event, always be sure to check photos and product description before committing to purchase so you can see for yourself what's actually going on.
Toys that are no longer in their original packaging are considered "loose toys." As for loose toys go, they can either be completely liberated and possibly played with, or “Loose in the Box,” LIB, which can be as simple as someone opening the box but never removing the actual toy. It all depends on your feelings about packaging, some collectors find it as important as the toy. If you do ever purchase a toy loose and would like to locate its original packaging, there's a decent chance you could find it on its own by wading through eBay.
In both categories of toys, you might see HTF alongside MOC or LIB. It means “Hard to Find” and is reserved for rare toys and figures. Obviously a buyer has an incentive of identifying their wares this way but some toys, like MOC Star Wars figures from Kenner, legitimately fall into this category, and cost you a pretty penny.
Time to Make Your First Purchase
Now you may want to buy everything you first lay your eyes on, but it's wise to restrain yourself. If you get too overzealous you might regret some of your purchases. The condition may not be what you thought at a glance or you might find the same item with free shipping from another seller.
The easiest place to start is eBay. There are many filters and parameters that can (hopefully) help you find what you’re looking for without too much strife and coin. The biggest thing besides what condition of toy you desire is if you’d like to enter into an auction or Buy It Now. Whichever route you choose all depends on how you would feel if you lost out on purchasing that specific item.
Sometimes you have no choice, but in the case of an auction you can bid on that also has a Buy It Now option, you'll be faced with the choice of trying to get a lower price at with the risk that someone less frugal may sweep in and take your prize from you. Once you start looking regularly, or even multiple times throughout the day, you’ll find the sellers who are selling exactly what you’re looking for and who you will come to trust.
A place you might not think to look: Etsy. It’s not only for makers, people who are more creative at earning a dollar can sell their “vintage” items on the site. The prices might seem a little higher at first glance than eBay, but the items for sale are of a different quality, too. If you’re into shopping in real life, you can beat the pavement and check out your local thrift shops, garage sales, estate sales, or flea markets. You never know what you might find, or might inspire you.
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