Toys to Retirement Weekly Wrap-Up #17
Quite a week for pop culture!
Hello friends,
I hope everyone is having a lovely start to their February.
I’m hearing a lot of doom and gloom lately about Amazon on social media. Maybe it’s the recent API switch. Maybe it’s the inbound placement fees being more visible in inventoryLab while packing a shipment. Maybe it’s the restrictions that don’t seem to fade away.
Whatever it is, all I can say is just keep putting your head down and working hard.
I network with quite a handful of sellers and even though social media seems to think the end of Amazon is nigh, I know plenty of sellers (some much larger than me) whose margins are significantly up. I’m extremely happy with my January. I’m very happy with how February is pacing. So are many others. This is a reminder that just because a lot of people are upset with their personal performances right now does not mean you need to be panicking. There’s tons of money to be made.
In fact, if you implemented some of the tips and tricks I’ve shared over the last few weeks in various Toys to Retirement articles, you would have found yourself with lots of profitable leads to chase. I don’t hide my sourcing strategies, I share them, and I’ve found several thousands of dollars of profit in the last two weeks alone by doing the exact strategies I’ve talked about.
If you aren’t sure what tips and tricks I’m talking about, I encourage you to go back and sift through the last few weeks of articles (paid and unpaid) and put them into action.
Anyways, let’s wrap up the week:
First Appearances vs. Character Saturation
Earlier this week I dropped an article about first appearances and character saturation. It’s a light read, and dives into two extremely important data points you always need to consider when investing in collectibles. Check it out here:
Some LEGO updates
First of all, major bummer. Two of the sets I was very excited to stack this year have had their retirement dates pushed to 2026. I unfortunately already started buying them, so into the back of the storage unit they go. I updated my “First Retiring LEGO 2025 Overview” with large text at the top so you can see which sets I’m talking about. Alongside those two sets, a few others have had their dates shifted. Some are now retiring earlier, and others later.
This is a good reminder to keep an eye on the retirement list monthly for changes.
Other LEGO news, an exciting new GWP drops tonight:
The threshold is $150, quite large, but this is a really good looking set that allegedly will be part of a new diorama series. I would imagine people will want all of them, so it may be worth buying some LEGO now to get these. I’m a bit peeved because two of the sets I was happy to buy early are no longer retiring, but whatever. I’ll still find a way to hit that $150.
Jurassic World: Rebirth and Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer debuts!
If you are interested in the toy world, then I hope you’ve seen these already! Two absolutely massive movies releasing just a few weeks apart this summer, and this is our first look! Don’t forget the DC universe will be rebooting with Superman sandwiched in between these films.
Lots to unpack with these trailers, and I know you aren’t here for my film critiques, so let’s just get to the point — how are we thinking the merch will do?
Well, Jurassic definitely seems to be leaning towards more kaiju-type dinosaurs rather than actual animals in this trailer. Which I get, it makes sense. None of the dinosaurs in Jurassic were actual dinosaurs, they were all man-made creations. It makes sense that there were defective, mutant ones. That makes me very hopeful for the merch that we’ll be getting unique, never before seen designs that kids will love. A two-headed raptor? That monkey-esque giant mutant dino? Sure, why not? When it comes to toys, a cool character design is more important than a good plot. A good plot definitely adds to the hype, but cool character designs sell toys. That’s why Godzilla merch does so well.
Now I’m not saying go rush out and pre-order a bunch of Jurassic stuff. Mattel is known for wayyy over-producing movie merch, but long term it’s worth keeping an eye on. Also, Spinosaurus has been a beloved dino for decades. This marks his return, but with a more scientifically up to date (theoretically) design. Good timing with that ‘first appearance’ article eh?
As for Fantastic Four, my gut says this movie is actually going to be a hit. Originally I had my doubts, but it seems like it has a unique ‘vibe’ to it that will be kickstarting the next chapter of the MCU. With that being said, a good movie doesn’t necessarily mean great toy sales. You have to ask yourself — are kids really going to be into these characters? Realistically, you’ve got three human characters and The Thing. Human-looking figures don’t tend to do as well as characters in an all-out superhero design.
Think Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Wolverine, and Deadpool vs. Reed Richards…
You see what I’m saying? The first four are awesome looking. Pedro Pascal in a blue suit just doesn’t seem like it has the same potential, no matter how good the movie is.
The previous Fantastic Four retro figures have started to pick up in price, they’re climbing to respectable numbers now a few years after release — especially the Thing at $50. I just don’t know if this upcoming inevitable wave of toys will reach that point for quite some time. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how they look, but I’m not expecting Deadpool and Wolverine performance out of the toys.
Tip of the Week #14
A simple one today that doesn’t necessarily have quantifiable benefits, but one that I apply to my business regardless.
Quantity limits on items that you have a lot of stock on.
If I have a lot of a toy, I’ll limit the amount that customers can purchase to 3.
This does two things:
Stops bad actors from sabotaging your inventory
Hides the quantity from competitors
Why would we want to hide the quantity from competitors? Because if they see you have 500 of something, they may be inclined to liquidate and lower their price. If your inventory always shows ‘3’, they may move on and forget about it, thinking you’ll sell out soon.
Nothing fancy here, but something that I like to think has had some kind of positive impact on my business while also protecting me from slimy sellers. This is especially applicable to toys where lots of fakes are prevalent. If a toy is more inclined to have counterfeits from China, then I definitely have quantity limits to protect myself from the sellers who are more likely to want to attack my business.
Alright friends, gonna wrap things up here. Have a great weekend and keep putting in the reps, the results will come!
