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darkSpyro - Spyro and Skylanders Forum > Skylanders Toys and Merchandise > Will the toys be worth something in 3-10 years?
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Will the toys be worth something in 3-10 years? [CLOSED]
yokey25 Yellow Sparx Gems: 1298
#1 Posted: 22:18:27 07/09/2013 | Topic Creator
I know their are a lot of toy collectors at this site and I one to know if they will be worth something in at least 10 years.
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UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#2 Posted: 22:37:18 07/09/2013
For the most part, very unlikely.
BahamutBreaker Yellow Sparx Gems: 1191
#3 Posted: 22:44:31 07/09/2013
Quote: yokey25
I know their are a lot of toy collectors at this site and I one to know if they will be worth something in at least 10 years.



A good question, and the answer is completely unpredictable over the time-frame of 10 years into the future.
However, the most likely answer to your question is flatly "no".
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"Who was harmed here---some six year olds who went to bed crying because there's no Enchanted Trap Shadow?"
bionicle2809 Diamond Sparx Gems: 8438
#4 Posted: 22:47:25 07/09/2013
Yeah, probably unlikely. Even if Skylanders was still going on in 10 years time, they'd probably have introduced so many new features that made the old toys redundant. Wow-pow's already made S2 characters better than S1. If the series ended before then, then that puts them at worthless too. Literally all their value comes from the RFID chip, and the chips won't last forever. Failing that, they're cheap, static, plastic figures.
DarkBigDog Blue Sparx Gems: 785
#5 Posted: 22:48:17 07/09/2013
NOPE. They arent worth much from whatever price you paid. When you invest in mass produced toys, you always get scrapped.
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shelly9871 Yellow Sparx Gems: 1246
#6 Posted: 22:52:45 07/09/2013
The only accurate answer is that nobody knows. I wouldn't buy them as an investment.
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cbunny84 Yellow Sparx Gems: 1403
#7 Posted: 23:01:43 07/09/2013
*in a Budda pose* an object only has value if someone is willing to buy it. If no one buys it, it has no money value.
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new edition: smilie smilie smilie smilie smilie smilie smilie smilie smilie smilie
Phoenix_Lord Gold Sparx Gems: 2061
#8 Posted: 23:43:35 07/09/2013
I also agree...in 10 years...no, they won't. 10 years is to short of a time line. One never knows what something will be worth in the future, if we all knew that we all would be rich. smilie Look at the Star Wars figures for example(the little 2.5 to 3 inch ones)they where made back in the early 1980's...some are worth a but load now...and some arn't.
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Matteomax Platinum Sparx Gems: 5378
#9 Posted: 23:56:19 07/09/2013
The variants are the ones set in stone. Those are gonna fly up in price.
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GhostRoaster Yellow Sparx Gems: 1803
#10 Posted: 00:00:56 08/09/2013
Quote: Matteomax
The variants are the ones set in stone. Those are gonna fly up in price.


Only if demand warrants it. I wouldn't assume their price will keep either.

Quote: BahamutBreaker
A good question, and the answer is completely unpredictable over the time-frame of 10 years into the future. However, the most likely answer to your question is flatly "no".


So, I shouldn't depend on these for my child's education smilie
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Edited 1 time - Last edited at 00:01:58 08/09/2013 by GhostRoaster
BahamutBreaker Yellow Sparx Gems: 1191
#11 Posted: 01:52:46 08/09/2013
^ LoL, no, you shouldn't, GhostRoaster. But of course you already knew that :-P

@Matteomax -- I agree that the variants are the Skylanders that are most likely to appreciate in value over the next year or two, presuming that Skylanders stays relevant and highly popular. However, the most likely scenario is that even the rarest of rare Skylanders will at some point in the relatively near future (almost certainly before 2020) reach a peak value before starting to decline, possibly rapidly.

The short story is that most Skylanders are a safe bet to retain/hold value over the next year, up to roughly 3 years, and that a select few Skylanders will gain significant value during that time-frame due to scarcity and/or popularity, but eventually the value of most (or all) Skylanders toys will diminish. I know this is a "tough sell" in a room full of addicts & collectors, but one must remember that the PRIMARY market for Skylanders toys is children, and children are notoriously flighty when it comes to their main interests. In general, if you're not LEGO, Hot Wheels, Playmobil, Barbie, NERF, or TMNT, your time on the shelves in toy stores is transient, and one could make the argument that Skylanders has already defied the odds and exceeded its "stay". Could Skylanders reach a point where it's permanently entrenched as a staple of kids' playthings? Maybe ... it has a better chance than most ... but it's still a long-shot.
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SlayerX11 Emerald Sparx Gems: 3488
#12 Posted: 03:49:17 08/09/2013
Honestly as long as skylanders is around and as long as the figure works with the portal I see them at least holding a value of what they are worth sealed. I dont think 10yrs from now they will be around thou ppl said that about pokemon. now 20yrs from now you "might" see the kids of today buying there childhood back and skylanders "might" be part of that. TMNT and power rangers are re-releasing or releasing updated versions of classic items. However two things to note: Skylanders are toys but the bigger part is being able to play them in the game, if skylanders the game dies these figures are only worth something as display pieces or ppl who have the game still. The 2nd thing is also not every thing from say 20yrs ago is worth anything today or going to still be around. Ghostbusters (thou movie 3 may happen and there was that small new busters series) and a ton of different 80's shows are long gone and haven't been revived, unlike power rangers (yes i know 90's) and TMNT (late 80's/early 90's).

So it comes down to this, will kids as adults want these toys and will anyone want these in 20-30yrs. Guess we will find out then.
MegaDozer Yellow Sparx Gems: 1887
#13 Posted: 18:47:43 08/09/2013
they might not be worth anything who knows how many times data can be stored on them.
GhostRoaster Yellow Sparx Gems: 1803
#14 Posted: 19:19:35 08/09/2013
Quote: SlayerX11
So it comes down to this, will kids as adults want these toys and will anyone want these in 20-30yrs. Guess we will find out then.


Yep. From a "collector's" standpoint...that's where any "real" return might be netted. But when you look at the amount of figures in the wild already the most money will be netted for those wanting collectable quality merchandise. I would say it's analogous to the sealed video game market.

In my mind, most people will be at the shallow end of the pool where they can buy these things used for 20% of a new figure price--very few will be on the "mint/collector in box" side spending 10x the original cost of the figure.

I've seen crazier things happen before, but given the quantity I feel pretty self-assured this is what's going to happen. Also add to the fact that collectables tend to do better when there's fewer around...the market hasn't supported this concept since the 70s. There's simply too much quantities produced for something to be truly "rare" outside of chase variants.
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SlayerX11 Emerald Sparx Gems: 3488
#15 Posted: 22:14:23 08/09/2013
Quote: GhostRoaster
Quote: SlayerX11
So it comes down to this, will kids as adults want these toys and will anyone want these in 20-30yrs. Guess we will find out then.


Yep. From a "collector's" standpoint...that's where any "real" return might be netted. But when you look at the amount of figures in the wild already the most money will be netted for those wanting collectable quality merchandise. I would say it's analogous to the sealed video game market.

In my mind, most people will be at the shallow end of the pool where they can buy these things used for 20% of a new figure price--very few will be on the "mint/collector in box" side spending 10x the original cost of the figure.

I've seen crazier things happen before, but given the quantity I feel pretty self-assured this is what's going to happen. Also add to the fact that collectables tend to do better when there's fewer around...the market hasn't supported this concept since the 70s. There's simply too much quantities produced for something to be truly "rare" outside of chase variants.


I could see figures that work/save costing more then ones not. If these chips are having issues working in 20yrs time because of wear and tear maybe the mint might be worth more but that's about it.
GhostRoaster Yellow Sparx Gems: 1803
#16 Posted: 22:21:19 08/09/2013
Quote: SlayerX11
Quote: GhostRoaster
Quote: SlayerX11
So it comes down to this, will kids as adults want these toys and will anyone want these in 20-30yrs. Guess we will find out then.


Yep. From a "collector's" standpoint...that's where any "real" return might be netted. But when you look at the amount of figures in the wild already the most money will be netted for those wanting collectable quality merchandise. I would say it's analogous to the sealed video game market.

In my mind, most people will be at the shallow end of the pool where they can buy these things used for 20% of a new figure price--very few will be on the "mint/collector in box" side spending 10x the original cost of the figure.

I've seen crazier things happen before, but given the quantity I feel pretty self-assured this is what's going to happen. Also add to the fact that collectables tend to do better when there's fewer around...the market hasn't supported this concept since the 70s. There's simply too much quantities produced for something to be truly "rare" outside of chase variants.


I could see figures that work/save costing more then ones not. If these chips are having issues working in 20yrs time because of wear and tear maybe the mint might be worth more but that's about it.


True, but I don't think these chips will be a problem working in 20 years--I just don't think there's evidence to suggest the lifespan is strictly a certain timeframe or not. It's like CDs lasting 100 years...kinda hard to prove at this point. Bigger problem is having a working system to play the game. Emulators are not going to fly, probably.

It does make me wonder after the game has died off, will Activision release a separate re-release of the game that will allow you to play with all characters without having them. It would make the characters purely interesting only from a historical or collectors perspective, not from a player's vantage point. It would make sense they could make money from this after the toy "cash grab" has run its course.
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RIP GhostRoaster. He's reanimated as TakeYourLemons but occasionally is resurrected from the beyond when needed.
Edited 3 times - Last edited at 22:25:12 08/09/2013 by GhostRoaster
Friendzie Blue Sparx Gems: 611
#17 Posted: 02:33:25 09/09/2013
I think they will be, but it depends on how complete the collection is. Like if you have them in the original packaging they're sure to be valuable to someone. I'm actually keeping all my original Skylanders boxes and cards and stuff so that if I ever did want to sell them I could slip them back in the original packaging. Yeah the packaging is a little ripped, but I open them VERY carefully, making sure they look pretty good.

To support my opinion, just look at how much money boxed and complete Super Nintendo and Nintendo games go for now.
Edited 1 time - Last edited at 02:34:33 09/09/2013 by Friendzie
IWHBYD Yellow Sparx Gems: 1274
#18 Posted: 03:05:07 09/09/2013
Quote: Friendzie
I think they will be, but it depends on how complete the collection is. Like if you have them in the original packaging they're sure to be valuable to someone. I'm actually keeping all my original Skylanders boxes and cards and stuff so that if I ever did want to sell them I could slip them back in the original packaging. Yeah the packaging is a little ripped, but I open them VERY carefully, making sure they look pretty good.

To support my opinion, just look at how much money boxed and complete Super Nintendo and Nintendo games go for now.



Comparing games to toys isn't the best comparison you can make. Also NES games are 20 - 25 years old and Super Nintendo games are 15 - 20 years old, this topic is asking about value in just 3 - 10 years which is really no time at all. Also there are a lot more people collecting things now then there used to be. Back in the NES / SNES days nearly everybody threw away the boxes. The regular figures will slowly go up in value to a certain point, they will never be big money items, there are far to many of them produced and to many collectors have them in new condition. The chase variants are the ones that could become incredibly valuable, especially if Skylanders becomes a permanent fixture like Mario and Pokemon. But again it depends on what people are willing to pay, the Silver Skylanders have climbed to about $300, it's hard to say what they will plateau at.
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GhostRoaster Yellow Sparx Gems: 1803
#19 Posted: 03:13:07 09/09/2013
^Yeah, I agree. It's a data point...but to say there will be correlation between this and that is a bit premature.

Best thing to do---box em up and forget about it. If they don't become valuable you'll still have a piece of video gaming history.

I always "collect what you like" and let the rest fall into place. If you're trying to make money there's a million better ways to do it.
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RIP GhostRoaster. He's reanimated as TakeYourLemons but occasionally is resurrected from the beyond when needed.
Edited 3 times - Last edited at 03:14:45 09/09/2013 by GhostRoaster
Friendzie Blue Sparx Gems: 611
#20 Posted: 11:06:40 09/09/2013
I could be wrong, but I think that weird gaming stuff tends to keep good value. The figures are tied to the game's functionality, therefore some people who get obsessed with collecting games will still want to collect the figures. Some kid who's 5 years old now will grow up and remember his Skylanders and wish to acquire them all, etc, etc. I've seen it with Rob the robot for the NES, and that thing was a hunk of junk. If you got a nice perfect condition ROB it's worth a fortune. At the time those things were new, as I sadly remember (I'm old), nobody was going out collecting ROBs thinking they'd be worth anything. Kids who grew up in the 80s, though, look back on it and want to relive their childhood. It's the way things go. In 20 years if you have a complete boxed set of Skylanders, I guarantee someone will still pay a pretty penny for them. I mean, the games are so wildly popular, and even now we can see how few people actually keep the boxes. Compare loose Skylanders to boxed on eBay. There are way more loose. Half of the ones on eBay are already missing the cards.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#21 Posted: 12:30:31 09/09/2013
Something to think about for those who think these should be compared to video games instead of toys - very few NES/SNES games are worth the $50+ that they originally sold for. Most games can be purchased for pennies on the dollar.

Check out this auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Comple...=p2047675.l2557

721 SNES games ("complete collection") for $22,900. That's roughly $31/each. And that includes some really, really rare games. There's one in there that I just sold in a private transaction for $1,500. There's several other rare titles in there as well.

Regarding the idea that keeping them sealed will increase the value... well, it will - however, there are a *lot* of collectors that are doing there (whereas in the NES/SNES era, there wasn't a lot). This will create a market that has an increased supply of unopened figures. The higher the supply, the lower the prices.

Don't buy Skylanders as an investment.
Friendzie Blue Sparx Gems: 611
#22 Posted: 13:09:52 09/09/2013
I definitely don't think anyone should be making a serious investment in Skylanders. I just think that it's likely they'll be worth something for a very long time to come; in good condition and with original packaging I would be shocked if they don't at least retain their value. As for the eBay auction: the problem with a bulk sale like that is that most hardcore collectors already have many of the games. When you sell everything at once, you lose out on the full value of your stuff. A game that's very rare in this collection isn't going to get nearly the price it should because nobody will pay $22,000 just to get the one rare game. It's also hard to verify the exact condition of each game, something most collectors will get very uptight about. Regardless of what your Skylanders or games are worth in the future, never sell off your stuff in bulk if you want full value.
Zer0 Blue Sparx Gems: 996
#23 Posted: 15:48:26 09/09/2013
See: U.B. Funkeys
Portal Master 1 Blue Sparx Gems: 605
#24 Posted: 16:13:42 09/09/2013
My advice is collect and play with these figures for the fun of it alone and not the investment value. While very hot now, even chase figures wont have future value that they do now, esp since they are tied to a video game, when Skylanders is no longer a popular game years and years from now there wont be a demand for them. This applies to all collectibles, its a supply demand equation. Just enjoy this ride for now, if you can make a buck or two now fine, but only get into Skylanders if you enjoy playing them, that's what they are truly made for, just my 2 cents.
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bionicle2809 Diamond Sparx Gems: 8438
#25 Posted: 16:41:52 09/09/2013
Quote: Zer0


Wow... Look at all the bids they have... 1 is the most in any auction.
defpally Emerald Sparx Gems: 4158
#26 Posted: 16:46:05 09/09/2013
The answer is flatly no. Even variants. Maybe chase variants/show variants will have some premium, but it won't be absurd because eventually Skylanders will burn itself out (at least some) and the next big thing will come along.

The main problem is that there are a ton of figures being made and a ton of collectors right now which is giving the appearance of higher value. If so many people didn't have it set in their mind to "collect em all", then things like Boomer and Darklight Crypt wouldn't carry a premium. And given that Activision has proven willing to reprint older stuff (see Darklight Crypt), even uncommon things become more common. And figures are being made is large numbers. There will certainly be long term fans, but every time a new set of figures comes out, the number of collectors that grab them all will go down. It is one thing to collect the figures up to this point, but after a couple more years there will likely be 300+ figures out, that is far too many for most people to keep up with. And as those people fall away, they will sell their collections driving down the price.

And, remember what makes old action figures/collectibles valuable. Rarity. Action comics number 1 isn't valuable because it is a remarkable piece of literature. It is valuable because almost all of them got thrown in the trash by parents cleaning out leftover junk when the kids grew up. Just think of how many people out there are collecting packaged Skylanders. Having a mint figure isn't a holy grail because people are hanging on to them. And Skylanders aren't being thrown in the garbage when a kid grows up, they are being sold on EBay. You simply do not and will not have that X factor draining the supply of them. People recognize value in collectible toys these days. The things that become valuable tend to be the things that no one sees value in when they are available. Look at Boomer for a short term example. Or what the most valuable (one of) NES games is - not Super Mario 3 or Megaman 2 (two of the best games from then), it is Stadium Events. A crappy game no one wanted. I saw it when it was out at TRU and there is no way I would have even considered getting it - it was shovelware akin to some of the Wii crap these days. If you wanted a good Olympic game, you got Track and Field 2 which was vastly superior.

Now, they might be worth something, particularly really limited ones like Employee Prism Break, but even those were in a batch of a couple hundred, almost all of which are being kept in packaged mint condition. But you will not see it go for thousands of dollars, at least not in our lifetimes.
Zer0 Blue Sparx Gems: 996
#27 Posted: 17:27:12 09/09/2013
Quote: bionicle2809
Quote: Zer0


Wow... Look at all the bids they have... 1 is the most in any auction.

Those were yesterday's Skylanders.
Edited 2 times - Last edited at 21:29:15 09/09/2013 by Zer0
shelly9871 Yellow Sparx Gems: 1246
#28 Posted: 17:29:53 09/09/2013
The only thing that anybody can say, about the value of these figures, in the future is...nobody knows People can guess, and make educated guesses based on historical precedence. But the bottom line is nobody knows for sure. Because nobody knows they aren't something to collect for investment purposes. Collect them because you enjoy them--any monetary value would be an added bonus.
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UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#29 Posted: 18:24:35 09/09/2013
Quote: Friendzie
I definitely don't think anyone should be making a serious investment in Skylanders. I just think that it's likely they'll be worth something for a very long time to come; in good condition and with original packaging I would be shocked if they don't at least retain their value. As for the eBay auction: the problem with a bulk sale like that is that most hardcore collectors already have many of the games. When you sell everything at once, you lose out on the full value of your stuff. A game that's very rare in this collection isn't going to get nearly the price it should because nobody will pay $22,000 just to get the one rare game. It's also hard to verify the exact condition of each game, something most collectors will get very uptight about. Regardless of what your Skylanders or games are worth in the future, never sell off your stuff in bulk if you want full value.


What you say is true - however, the vast, vast majority of SNES titles that sell via eBay are far, far below that $31 average price.

Short of a few exceptions, I don't foresee there being a profit in Skylanders Futures.
defpally Emerald Sparx Gems: 4158
#30 Posted: 18:53:20 09/09/2013
Quote: UncleBob
What you say is true - however, the vast, vast majority of SNES titles that sell via eBay are far, far below that $31 average price.

Short of a few exceptions, I don't foresee there being a profit in Skylanders Futures.


Add in that SNES games started off at $49.99 for first party games and $59.99 for third party games. By the end of the generation, first party were $59.99 and third party $69.99. Street Fighter 2 (all three versions) were in the mid seventies. Final Fantasy 3 was upwards of $80 as I recall. An average of $31 per game is a huge loss unless you picked them up clearance (which ties into that "condition" issue).

Unless you have one of the Employee Prism Breaks or 100 years to wait, there are much better investments.
BahamutBreaker Yellow Sparx Gems: 1191
#31 Posted: 19:57:56 09/09/2013
Agreed. Purchasing Skylanders solely as a long-term investment is a laughable idea.

However, if you purchase them to use/play with them, and you are able to maintain them in working condition without cosmetic damage, I do believe Skylanders will "hold" value, at least in the short-term, when it comes to re-selling them used on the secondary market, even without the original retail box/packaging. One can't say that about most games, toys, and video games. Most often these things retain value about as well as a brand new car purchased off the dealer's lot ... the moment you "open it", it loses a huge chunk of its monetary value.

So, in summary, if you're looking to buy some toys for a young one, knowing that s/he will probably "outgrow" them in a short amount of time, then I would opine that Skylanders ARE a good investment in that context.
However, if you're stockpiling Skylanders with the hope of selling them after they sit in your attic for a decade ... I think you're wasting your time and money.
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Windumup Emerald Sparx Gems: 3217
#32 Posted: 20:59:39 09/09/2013
Ghost roaster and Boomer may be worth over 1k by that time (I dont think activision/toys for bob are going to reprint him for quite awhile)

Just saying they likely will but I wouldnt invest for that reason alone.
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Ugh I wish my body wasn't a mess
defpally Emerald Sparx Gems: 4158
#33 Posted: 21:26:37 09/09/2013
Quote: Windumup
Ghost roaster and Boomer may be worth over 1k by that time (I dont think activision/toys for bob are going to reprint him for quite awhile)

Just saying they likely will but I wouldnt invest for that reason alone.


Ghost Roaster is already being reprinted, most likely due to the Japan release of SSA. Darklight Crypt has been showing up again all over the country. It would not surprise me to see Boomer show up again soon, similar to how Wham Shell popped up all over last holiday.
Windumup Emerald Sparx Gems: 3217
#34 Posted: 21:40:03 09/09/2013
Quote: defpally
Quote: Windumup
Ghost roaster and Boomer may be worth over 1k by that time (I dont think activision/toys for bob are going to reprint him for quite awhile)

Just saying they likely will but I wouldnt invest for that reason alone.


Ghost Roaster is already being reprinted, most likely due to the Japan release of SSA. Darklight Crypt has been showing up again all over the country. It would not surprise me to see Boomer show up again soon, similar to how Wham Shell popped up all over last holiday.


I wouldnt call localization a repose

Who knows how long till s2 Ghost roaster comes out
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Ugh I wish my body wasn't a mess
IWHBYD Yellow Sparx Gems: 1274
#35 Posted: 22:04:19 09/09/2013
Quote: Windumup
Quote: defpally
Quote: Windumup
Ghost roaster and Boomer may be worth over 1k by that time (I dont think activision/toys for bob are going to reprint him for quite awhile)

Just saying they likely will but I wouldnt invest for that reason alone.


Ghost Roaster is already being reprinted, most likely due to the Japan release of SSA. Darklight Crypt has been showing up again all over the country. It would not surprise me to see Boomer show up again soon, similar to how Wham Shell popped up all over last holiday.


I wouldnt call localization a repose

Who knows how long till s2 Ghost roaster comes out



You misunderstand, Darklight Crypt has been appearing in many North American stores, it either got a reprint or they found a ton of them collecting dust in a warehouse somewhere. A regular Ghost Roaster or Boomer will never be worth anywhere near that much, there are countless thousands of them out there. Silver Boomer could one day reach that mark but it's impossible to know.
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Matteomax Platinum Sparx Gems: 5378
#36 Posted: 22:15:12 09/09/2013
Quote: bionicle2809
Quote: Zer0


Wow... Look at all the bids they have... 1 is the most in any auction.



It was part of an ill-fated computer game.
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Will still be checking the forums every now and then!
Friendzie Blue Sparx Gems: 611
#37 Posted: 00:58:35 10/09/2013
Quote: defpally
Quote: UncleBob
What you say is true - however, the vast, vast majority of SNES titles that sell via eBay are far, far below that $31 average price.

Short of a few exceptions, I don't foresee there being a profit in Skylanders Futures.


Add in that SNES games started off at $49.99 for first party games and $59.99 for third party games. By the end of the generation, first party were $59.99 and third party $69.99. Street Fighter 2 (all three versions) were in the mid seventies. Final Fantasy 3 was upwards of $80 as I recall. An average of $31 per game is a huge loss unless you picked them up clearance (which ties into that "condition" issue).

Unless you have one of the Employee Prism Breaks or 100 years to wait, there are much better investments.


When I referenced video games, I was talking about games which were kept in collector condition, and definitely not games that were super common. I made double what i spent on SNES role playing games because I kept them in perfect condition. Anyway, I am not totally disagreeing with people here, I'm just saying that Skylanders complete with card and especially in the packaging are highly likely to at least retain their value. In other words, I don't forsee someone in the future buying a full set of Skylanders complete in box for $50. They'll probably still be worth $10 each.

Also, one more thing to keep in mind is that the community here is exposed more to collectors as this seems to be the main gathering place for Skylanders fans. I don't think there are as many collectors as it seems based on visiting these messageboards. I think 90% of Skylanders sold are going to be given to a kid who's not going to take good care of them. Again, this doesn't mean I think Skylanders will be super amazingly valuable.
Edited 3 times - Last edited at 01:02:58 10/09/2013 by Friendzie
Pyrofer Gold Sparx Gems: 2495
#38 Posted: 08:49:52 10/09/2013
Compare them to Star Wars figures. Made in huge quantities, exceedingly popular, lots of collectors kept them sealed.
Yet years later (MANY) they suddenly had value.

I think it is entirely probable that Skylanders could do the same, but it is not a "safe" investment.
Buy they, play with them. Toys are for kids and should be played with. It is that memory of fun and youth that will create demand for them in 30 years time. 10? Not likely.

Best option is to box them all up when your kids are done with them and keep them safe in the attic so when your kids are older they can look back and remember the good times, maybe even play it again with their kids.

btw, I sold all my Star Wars figures for peanuts as a teen thinking I was getting a good deal smilie I very much regret that now!
Having kids of my own it would have been amazing to hand them on for somebody else to play with them.
SaraAB87 Green Sparx Gems: 271
#39 Posted: 01:56:04 14/09/2013
I wouldn't invest in these, right now everyone knows they have value and a lot of people are collecting them in sealed packages so that will automatically make the value of sealed ones go down a lot. I would equate this to the fad of beanie babies at best, you can probably make some money short term but I doubt it long term.

But then again Tamagotchi's are increasing in value at rapid rates since bandai stopped making them in the USA in 2010, basically if you can get your hands on a rare skylander (truly rare, meaning not available in stores or through a mass mail in promotion) and don't mind hoarding it for the future to experiment go ahead but I wouldn't invest hundreds into it thinking it will pay for your kids college.

The UB funkeys are a problem since they only work on computers with Windows XP and they are tied to an online game where the servers are probably down and the game is probably taken down, just like that miuchiz toy that was popular a few years ago.

I don't think the kids of today will care about fads from their childhood as much as us adults do now, kids these days are all about things that are disposable, they won't care about playing with a first gen iPod in due time, or webkinz, in fact these fads will be largely inaccessable to them due to the online component and the fact that these games will likely be taken down so there will literately be no way to relive it unless they watch an online youtube video or something. iPod batteries die and the electronics age and they will become unusable to most of the public and the batteries will be discontinued even from 3rd party sources so there will be no way to even turn one on. It is a totally different mindset. In my generation toys were passed down from generation to generation and were used over and over again by several sets of children, so much so that the older ones would reminisce about their old toys and teach the younger ones how to play with them in the most fun and interesting ways (and even my parents would take their old toys and help me play with the toys to an extent and tell me stories about how the toys were handed down and how much fun they used to have with them as a kid), and the older kids would have fun with the younger kids. Nowdays its not like that in most families, all the kids are separate in their own rooms instead of playing together at least from what I see, and trust me they have no interest in daddy's or mommy's old toys. Their toys get thrown away by the parents who don't want a lot of clutter after 6 months to a year, or they are so destructive with their toys since they are not taught to care for them that the toys won't last a year or 6 months if that. As far as old toys they say its boring and uncool. So the fact that a child of now would like to reminisce about skylanders in 15-20 years if they are 6-10 years old now is quite unlikely. By the time the skylanders generation is 20-28 years old (aka old enough to reminisce about their childhood toys) they will have who knows what kind of technology available to them and they will be into that. Therefore I don't think they will hold too much value in the future marketplace.
Himewad Yellow Sparx Gems: 1819
#40 Posted: 13:08:23 14/09/2013
Quote: bionicle2809
Yeah, probably unlikely. Even if Skylanders was still going on in 10 years time, they'd probably have introduced so many new features that made the old toys redundant. Wow-pow's already made S2 characters better than S1. If the series ended before then, then that puts them at worthless too. Literally all their value comes from the RFID chip, and the chips won't last forever. Failing that, they're cheap, static, plastic figures.


Playability will not be a factor IMO. The figs won't be worth much unless Skylanders becomes mainstream somehow. Like GI Joe, or Barbie, or Star Wars, or super heroes. Almost everyone knows what those things are, because they became a part of our culture and were iconic. I don't see that happening with Skylanders. Not even close. I think the only way you come close to getting your money out of the figures in the future is if the figures are MIB. Even then, I think it's unlikely.
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Pyrofer Gold Sparx Gems: 2495
#41 Posted: 20:53:59 15/09/2013
Sadly, SaraAB87 hit the nail on the head.

Everything is quick fix, disposable and valueless.

Freemium games have ruined any value perceived on software or gaming. If games are free to download by the dozen, what kid is going to remember what they played yesterday let alone weeks or years ago.

current generations of kids expect nothing more than a constant stream of fresh entertainment. Anything older than "I just watched that" is gone and forgotten.

smilie What a world we have created.
MoonHorizons Gold Sparx Gems: 2826
#42 Posted: 21:29:24 15/09/2013
They'll probably have value in the next 50-200 years from what i'm seeing. I'll give it 80 years for the skylanders to have value.
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Edited 1 time - Last edited at 21:30:16 15/09/2013 by MoonHorizons
Matteomax Platinum Sparx Gems: 5378
#43 Posted: 21:34:17 15/09/2013
Sadly enough, I doubt even the variants have value anymore. Sure, they sell, but they aren't worth as much. Just look at Pearl Hex.
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Tel Prydain Blue Sparx Gems: 903
#44 Posted: 22:04:46 15/09/2013
Perhaps - but not a lot, and not for about 20 years. And it would be a mistake to look at them as an investment.
Basically, if they are worth money again it'll be when the kids who currently love them are my age (30ish), have disposable income and want to recapture their youth.
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Grishnaar Blue Sparx Gems: 722
#45 Posted: 04:20:01 16/09/2013
Quote: Pyrofer
Compare them to Star Wars figures. Made in huge quantities, exceedingly popular, lots of collectors kept them sealed.
Yet years later (MANY) they suddenly had value.

I think it is entirely probable that Skylanders could do the same, but it is not a "safe" investment.
Buy they, play with them. Toys are for kids and should be played with. It is that memory of fun and youth that will create demand for them in 30 years time. 10? Not likely.

Best option is to box them all up when your kids are done with them and keep them safe in the attic so when your kids are older they can look back and remember the good times, maybe even play it again with their kids.

btw, I sold all my Star Wars figures for peanuts as a teen thinking I was getting a good deal smilie I very much regret that now!
Having kids of my own it would have been amazing to hand them on for somebody else to play with them.



I think comparing these to Star Wars is a little aggressive. Mass production in 2013 makes mass production in 1977 look like a joke. You're also talking about the first 3-3/4" scale action figures to ever be brought to the mass market. Not to mention Star Wars shaped an entire generation of young minds and touched people of all ages. As popular or mainstream as Skylanders might become I don't think the same could be said for them.

-Grishnaar
Pyrofer Gold Sparx Gems: 2495
#46 Posted: 09:59:44 16/09/2013
All fair points!

I was just saying that being "Mass" production doesn't mean it won't become rare and collected later on.

Who would have predicted the Star Wars toys would be worth so much.

Like everybody has said, don't go using these as an investment but DO hang on to the ones you have in good condition.
Himewad Yellow Sparx Gems: 1819
#47 Posted: 02:52:57 17/09/2013
Quote: Pyrofer
All fair points!

I was just saying that being "Mass" production doesn't mean it won't become rare and collected later on.

Who would have predicted the Star Wars toys would be worth so much.

Like everybody has said, don't go using these as an investment but DO hang on to the ones you have in good condition.


Star Wars became a part of our culture. It is legendary in its scope and influence on society. My 9-year old son knows what Star Wars is ... The first movie came out 27 years before he was born! Skylanders will not have that kind of impact. Not a chance.
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GhostRoaster Yellow Sparx Gems: 1803
#48 Posted: 03:02:43 17/09/2013
^And then the prequels happened.... smilie
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Grishnaar Blue Sparx Gems: 722
#49 Posted: 03:53:56 17/09/2013
Quote: GhostRoaster
^And then the prequels happened.... smilie


True, but to be honest, I think the prequels made the originals that much more special.

-Grishnaar
Himewad Yellow Sparx Gems: 1819
#50 Posted: 11:03:23 17/09/2013
Quote: GhostRoaster
^And then the prequels happened.... smilie


Yeah, and the final prequel was released before my son turned one, so what's your point? My point is that Star Wars is so huge, even my son, who is too young to have seen any of the movies in the theater, knows about them. Personally, i still remember going to the theater with my dad to see the first Star Wars movie.
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