Are Hot Toys figures losing thier value on the secondary market?

[a-dev]

I'm in Ireland and everything I've sold has been an international transaction meaning a higher shipping cost. But why would someone in America pay my base asking price PLUS the full shipping cost from Ireland if they can get the same figure locally. So I've always had to ask and accept lower to match what they'd pay getting it local - hence, usually making a loss of some degree.

 

[Pixelpiper]

You guys need to move to Mexico or Canada.

 

[Megacolor]

someone was selling a Hot Toys scar predator 2.0 for $150 like new in box on CL. It was on there for months.

I pass on it because I already have him.

 

[sabin23]

I was finally able to track down a Michael Jackson: Billie Jean for a decent price, which from what I understand is somewhat rare.

I paid about double the original price from 2009(?) but not the ridiculous $1,000+ listing prices I remember seeing from even just a year ago. So yeah, I can attest to the fact Hot Toys might be coming down on certain figures.

 

[qualitymm]

before 2012 their after market value still there... now

 

[D'oh!]

The first Hot Toys I bought was The Godfather -- which is crazy high on eBay right now (at least asking price). Reeve Superman is quite the bargain at only $100 above what I paid.

I only buy stuff 'cause I like it. The value down the road doesn't really matter to me. But ask me again in 20 years if I have to sell my stuff in order to afford booze.

 

[lerath666]

Yup, the bubble, she's on the verge of burstin. I commented on this a ways back, and got told that i was crazy, that hot toys only had one direction to go in value, and that value was allways up.

rather nice to be vindicated. If you want to know where this is heading, go do some research on what happened to comic books in the 90's.

 

[jstep13]

Yup, the bubble, she's on the verge of burstin. I commented on this a ways back, and got told that i was crazy, that hot toys only had one direction to go in value, and that value was allways up.

rather nice to be vindicated. If you want to know where this is heading, go do some research on what happened to comic books in the 90's.

Also McFarlane, Starting Line Ups, Star Wars, Beanie Babies etc etc

 

[Ropen]

Toys now days are cheaper quality than the old stuff, materials like abs and pvc not holding their value. Over saturation of the market is not helping Hot Toys that much. When Mark VII came out, every one was fighting to get one at retail, and brand new people were spending like 450-500 bucks average, now they go for way less. Getting Iron Man figures at the time was super hard also, but now they are everywhere.

One figure I keep looking out for is Loki, I want to sell mine, but when I "wanted" to sell it, a MIB went for 500-600usd, now they are like 300-500 wayyy less. I figured these will take time to get rid of anyways, but I have to admit even walking down TRU and look at toys the only fun ones that haven't changed their formula is Lego and as you guys knows Lego are worth more investing than actual Gold right now.

 

[Aumakua]

Also McFarlane, Starting Line Ups, Star Wars, Beanie Babies etc etc

actually McFarlane is going up again because of them exiting NHL and MLB (and the Dragon imports figures having generic face sculpts), I have been scaling down my collection of sports figures and getting more than I thought on most figures.

 

[shells075]

Remember when the HT AVP Preds were going for £1000 or the original Iron Man MKI was selling for nearly a grand. I guess people are just waiting for HT to release updated versions of older figs, hence the steep price drop?
I knew I should of put my money in stocks & shares not action figs.

 

[xipotec]

I think there is a lot of just good old price excitement over some lines. Mostly that tends to wear off an the figures return to a more normal price range as the movie excitement wears thin.

Some will always hold value ( J Sparrow, Godfather, T2, Joker) but for many lines the initial price hikes of the first year are VASTLY inflated.

It takes about 1-2 years after release to see what a figure will actually bottom out for and what average selling price will be.

I finally got a Eric Draven recently on a great deal from a guy who "found" a case of them hidden in his back room..109 shipped. But with that anomaly aside, after a year of hunting Lows were in the 120's, highs in 230's.

I have yet to see a figure totally bottom out, most only take about a 20% hit off retail.

Now, if your dumb enough to buy a Chewie at 600 dollars for that single figure, and think it will hold that value long term, your lost.

 

[JustPassing]

Hot Toys certainly are losing their value. I've bought a few figures, my first being the two-pack Steve Rogers and Captain America. I didn't buy any figure with the intention of it being an investment, but rather, I didn't have room and thought I'd just keep them until I finally got a big enough place to have room to display them. Unfortunately, as time goes on, it just feels like I'm sort of becoming a hoarder, so I'm thinking about selling off all my figures.

I looked at the prices for new and used. I think I'd barely break even if I were to sell them off today. And that's if I get lucky. I don't have any seller profiles anywhere, so I'd either have to sell locally or sell at a reduced price as a new seller online.

I remember looking at the prices of figures around the time I bought (or rather, pre-ordered) my first figures. The popular figures were going at least 1.5 times their original price, if not twice or higher, for new figures. Even used were generally around or higher than the original price. Now, it seems I'd be lucky to break even selling my figures new. Granted, it's perhaps the figures I have that are not in high demand.

Either way, I'm torn about whether I should try to break even now or hold on to them for a few more years and hope their value goes back up.

 

[Marine Boy]

I wouldn't expect any recent HT figures to skyrocket in value. Their policy of releasing multiple iterations of essentially the same figure have put paid to that. Just be grateful you didn't buy any figures from the new SW trilogy. Consider yourself lucky if you manage to get back what you paid.

 

[highlander1]

These are not investments! Nor are the customs cant wait to watch all the pop collectors move on from the horrible fad and fill the landfills. If your buying to flip better keepem sealed and boxed whatever it is you do. Buy to enjoy and own forever or move on.

 

[Dollmanron]

I've been selling my Predator collection for weeks now and I've lost money (what I paid for them) on every one I've sold.

 

[jacerc130]

I've been selling my Predator collection for weeks now and I've lost money (what I paid for them) on every one I've sold.

Remember to account for your utility value. Let's say you sold your Hot Toys Berserker predator. You paid $220 for it in 2011. Now you sell it and only got $130 for it. Awe man, you lost $90!!! Or did you.....You had a figure which you enjoyed and displayed for 7 years and got back 60% of what you paid for it. Not such a bad deal when you look at it like that.

Ofcourse perfect world we would like the above mentioned scenario to play out where we sell it for $220 or maybe even $300 after our utility of having it for 7 years but I think that is a rare case that shouldn't be expected as the standard.

Bottom line is you didn't lose my friend.

 

[jacerc130]

I've been selling my Predator collection for weeks now and I've lost money (what I paid for them) on every one I've sold.

just curious, what predator figures are you selling?

 

[Sardo Numspa]

These are not investments! Nor are the customs cant wait to watch all the pop collectors move on from the horrible fad and fill the landfills. If your buying to flip better keepem sealed and boxed whatever it is you do. Buy to enjoy and own forever or move on.

Absolutely well said!!!
It's also about the character. Captain America figs are not going to retain value, if there is a new movie every couple of years, with a new outfit, and updated manufacturing/quality/sculpts. Characters that are unlikely to get an updated figure (eg. Blade, Christopher Reeve Superman, etc.) tend to hold their value better. Not necessarily making lots of money on them, but they'll hold some value. But again, anyone buying these as investments clearly doesn't understand the concept of investing...

 

[Dollmanron]

just curious, what predator figures are you selling?

Most of what I have left on Ebay are from P2 and Predators.

I never viewed them as investments, that's why all I've ever wanted was to get my money back out of them.