Back to Basics - Your 2026 Toy Investing Checklist
Happy (Almost) New Year friends!
What better time than to revisit some key principles than the beginning of the year?
Today I want to do a bit of a ‘reset’, and go back to reminding myself and others the sort of “detective work” we should be doing when buying toys.
Below you will find a series of questions you should be asking yourself anytime you make a purchase. It may seem overwhelming, but this will become second nature and you can zoom through them once you have the hang of it. Some of these are excerpts from my ‘Before You Buy Questionnaire’, but I’m updating as needed.
With that being said, I’d like to kick off the article with a non-toy-specific question you should be asking yourself every time you purchase an item, regardless of category:
Is it safe?
This is hands down the most important question you should be asking every single time you make a purchase, toy or not. It’s more important than what a lot of people think is the most important question (“is it profitable?”).
Why?
Because it doesn’t matter if it’s profitable if it isn’t safe!
Making money on Amazon is easy. Finding products is easy. The hard part is longevity. And more often than not these days, I see people making silly sourcing decisions because they are blinded by profit and are willing to risk their entire business with amateur decisions.
When it comes to Amazon and Walmart, for an item to be “safe”, quite a few things need to be considered.
Are you un-gated / able to apply for un-gate? (If you’re gated or restricted it doesn’t matter anyway since you can’t sell it, unless you plan to un-gate)
Is the brand correct? (More frequently than ever, sellers are being punished for the brand being incorrect. Some listings can be fine for years before Amazon finally picks up on it, and then BAM! Section 3 or unbeatable infringement)
Is the UPC a match? (Both platforms are cracking down on UPC mismatches / not having a UPC that is tied to the brand. Again, many listings exist that are getting away with this for now, but there is no telling when a big wave of infringements can occur.)
Is the brand selling on the listing themselves? (This can be a red flag, especially if the seller count is very low. Check Keepa for sudden seller count drops and if still unsure, ask in some Facebook or Discord groups if anyone has had issues with the brand. But keep in mind, a brand can change their mind about third party sellers at any time).
Are the photos correct? (I see this a few times a year - product scans, profit looks great, but photo is something similar but not the correct product. Don’t risk it!)
Will you be able to provide CPC docs if necessary? (We are still uncertain what the next few months brings for CPC, so be aware of this)
Is my invoice/receipt “good” enough? (Yes, arbitrage is allowed. That’s not the issue. The issue is, will Amazon approve the type of receipt or invoice I’m being provided? Remember, the person reviewing your documents if you get an infringement is likely out-sourced to a foreign country with strict parameters to follow. If your receipt is from some liquidation store with no indication of who made the purchase, such as the last four digits of your credit card, you are running a very high risk of not being able to beat any infringements.)
And keep in mind this super important tip: When checking Keepa, if you notice Amazon has never sold the item before, you need to double check all of the above questions.
If Amazon hasn’t carried the product, there’s a high chance the listing was made by another third party seller and carries a higher risk of having something wrong with it. This is your biggest clue! Don’t ignore it.
Okay, let’s move onto actual toy investing questions.
