Many people know that Barbie dolls and Star Wars figures can be unexpectedly valuable. But they are far from alone in attracting collectors.
On Tradera, there is increased demand for toys from the 1980s and 1990s such as Transformers, He-Man and Turtles. For example, the average price of He-Man has gone from 232 kronor last year to 403 kronor this year.
Kattis Kurtanjek, who organizes the Retromania collector's fairs, confirms that there are many people looking for retro toys, and that the interest is much greater than just for the most common brands.
Barbie is almost worn out, but I know there are many who like Sindy. And then there is a doll called Jem who didn't have a huge career but is hot and sought after today.
Ugly and poorly made
Smurfs are always popular, she says, and also predicts increased demand for Toy Story items when a new movie comes out this summer.
Sometimes it's not even the original toys people are looking for.
So-called mock-ups, copies of the originals, are very popular. Or even faulty ones. There are those who collect faulty He-Man figures. They don't want the original, but ones that are ugly and made in the wrong factory.
Toys from the 2000s such as Littlest Pet Shop, Bratz and Funko Pop also attract many buyers, according to Tradera's statistics. Among soft toys, Jellycat stands out, while Squishmallows, which were big during the pandemic years, have lost popularity.
In parallel, a generation of collectibles has emerged with social media-driven phenomena such as Labubu, Skullpanda and other figures from the company Pop Mart.
Be well-read
How do you know if there's gold in the toy box? Just because you have a toy from a sought-after brand doesn't mean you're sitting on a treasure trove. There are many factors that come into play.
You can look at sales sites, but don't blindly stare at the prices there. They show what the seller wants - not what buyers are willing to pay.
You need to be a little educated. If something is in packaging, it is worth more. The year matters. If you have something with a Swedish price tag, it increases the value here in Sweden because it is so unusual.
Then I would like to say that the value varies with the buyer - what people are willing to pay.
Toys that almost always sell on Tradera are Lego, cars and car tracks from the movie "Cars", dollhouses and dollhouse accessories, train tracks and toy trains, and Plus Plus.
Women of all ages are primarily searching for Lego and Barbie. Labubu is also popular. Women over 50 also often search for Brio and Lundby.
Men are primarily searching for Lego and Lego Star Wars. Among men under 40, Hot Wheels is also popular, while Märklin is more popular among those over 40.
Source: Tradera
