Toys to Retirement Weekly Wrap-Up #40
Hello friends,
We are less than 50 days from Q4! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starting to see a lot of toys mature ahead of schedule.
I’m not quite sure what’s driving it — lowered production? Less competition due to gatings? Retailers having less supply? A combination of everything and more? All I know is I’ve been able to let a lot of toys go in the last month that I was expecting to take a lot longer to hit my ideal sale prices.
On top of that, we’re seeing a lot of retailers pushing the last of their “first half 2025” inventory to clearance, as they make way for the fall and winter releases.
Walmart clearance (in-store and online). Funko sales. Gamestop double pro week. Best Buy deal of the day. Target in-store clearance.
There has been a ton of buying opportunities in the last thirty days. Tons of toys that people are likely passing over because they aren’t profitable now. But in three months? Let the profits roll in baby.
I kind of touch on that in the video article I did this week, some live sourcing where I dive into two toy lines I’m really interested in. Some stuff has sold out, but there may still be some opportunities.
Check it out here:
![[VIDEO ANALYSIS] Sourcing Some Potential Investments](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qa-J!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f14619-d69f-444b-8a70-5b0d7015f436_500x500.png)
A Great LEGO GWP Returns
A reasonable threshold of $150 lands you the good ol’ up-scaled baby astronaut. I’ve already sold several at $40, so it’s not a bad discount in combination with VIP points, cash back etc. Also, LEGO brought back the awesome Micro NINJAGO 4-pack in the rewards section to stack on top of your order.
Various Marvel Legends Retro-carded Figures Getting Re-Runs!
Whether it’s the Fan-Channel/Amazon exclusive re-release of Dr. Doom and Ghost Rider, or the Walmart exclusive re-runs of Rhino, Jonah Jameson, Sandman, and Cyborg Spider-Man — it seems Hasbro is not shying away from reprinting some old figures. At least they’re kind enough to let the third party market collect some profits before re-running these guys, but still worrisome how nonchalant they have been about reprints. This definitely will always make me second-guess how long I want to hold Marvel Legends figures for.
Either way, on a long enough scale these are all winners. Expect them to tank for quite some time, but by Q4 2026 they should be decently profitable again — especially with upcoming big screen appearances for most of them.
Amazon Important Dates
The big thing here is Amazon is telling us to make sure our Black Friday/Cyber Monday inventory is checked in by October 30.
If that’s your exit strategy, go for it.
But over the last few years I always kick myself for having way too much stuff in stock too early. Remember, the goal is not to sell out of your inventory on Black Friday. It’s to let others sell out, and then you can command a higher price point.
If we do our job properly, going into Q4 our inventory should already be discontinued, Amazon out of stock, and competitor supply low. We use the holiday to run them out of stock, and then we capitalize.
So what’s the harm in sending stuff in by the recommended dates you ask?
Well, storage fees. They hurt during Q4. And ideally, we can unleash most of our inventory in December, the two weeks leading up to Christmas. So while I will send some of my inventory in for Black Friday, it definitely won’t be my heavy hitters. I’ll probably start shipping that stuff in mid-late November, so it’s checked in by early December.
I also am not nervous about my toys needing to sell before Christmas. If some stuff gets delayed, so be it. I focus on discontinued toys and supply will drop dramatically going into January, and then I can reap the rewards of all the gift card users.
This will be my sixth Q4 and I have not seen Amazon fail to check my stuff in during Q4 at record speeds. We’ll see if that remains true this year.
