Selling 80s nostalgia on eBay can bring in big bucks, especially in regards to toys. I fortunately still have almost all of my toys from the 80s... well, some readers might not see that as a fortunate thing, but I see it is a time capsule. I am slowly but surely going through my childhood toys, selling them here & there. I love sifting through eBay and see toys that I had or still have bringing in money.
Why do the 80s sell on eBay? I believe, and the same could be said for other times, that people want for what they no longer have. Girls that are my age that are having children want the original version of their toys that have long been tossed out by their parents or lost in the move from home to their own place. Why have the new, cheap versions when the originals are out there and ready for the bidding?
Being a child of the 80s, you get to know what could and will be considered collector or money makers on eBay. In the male realm, GI Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Star Wars are hot items. For females, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and Care Bears are big largely because the newer versions do not hold a handle to the originals.
So, I am always on the lookout for any original character toys, clothes, or other items from the 80s. At one of my usual thrift store haunts, I walked to the back of the store and decided to take a look at the toy section. Often times I skip the toys at this particular thrift store, if only because they usually aren't in the best condition and I rarely find anything of good quality. Skimming the bottom rack, my eyes fell upon a bag of... could it be... yes, it was! A bag of vintage 1980s Care Bear figures!
I picked up the bag and recognized them as the early 1980s poseable Care Bear figures. I had these as a child and still have a couple of which my little cousin now call her own. Looking through the bag, I counted around 20 or so, all in good condition with only needing a little wash to clean up some smudges of dirt. Finding a bag of vintage Care Bears was lucky and my luck continued as the colored sticker on the bag was today's color for 40% off. I ended up paying a little over $7 for the entire bag.
I headed home with my find and started the search on eBay. I had to decide whether I wanted to sell all 20some of them in a lot or if piecing them out would make more profits. Searching through current and sold listings, it became obvious that the Care Bear Cousins needed to be sold separately. Care Bear Cousins were an extension of the Care Bears, including animals that were not strictly bears.
Lotsa Heart Elephant was listed as an individual listing. Others had sold in the range of $15 to $25, so I knew I could get a decent amount by selling him separately. The winning bid for this little elephant? $18.50 with free shipping. Cozy Heart
Penguin was also listed individually. She brought in $15.66, also with
free shipping. With the selling of just two of the figures, I had
already gotten back the $7 that I spent. 
I had listed Swift Heart Rabbit individually as well, but had no bids. So, I decided to list the last three of the Care Bear cousins together. Gentle Heart Lamb, Bright Heart Raccoon, and Swift Heart Rabbit were sold as a lot. The winning bid brought in $20.50.
After selling the 5 Care Bear Cousins, I had 20 Care Bear figures left. I went back to eBay to begin searching to get an estimation of what I could sell the remaining bears for. Could I have pieced them out and sold them in lots of 3 and 4? Most likely, but I didn't feel like going through the extent of taking pictures and doing multiple listings. So, I found current auctions that were asking for over $200 and other auctions in the $70 range. I chose $100 and free shipping, thinking that this was never going to get any bidders. Wrong. On the last day of the sale, pretty much in the last 30minutes of the sale, someone bought the bears for $100 with free shipping. I was so excited!
In the end, after taking out fees and shipping, I made around $100 on a $7 investment. At times I question as to how much more money I could have gotten if I listed all 25 together... maybe I could have sold them $200... or what if I had waited until Christmas to sell? Maybe I could have brought in even more money. But, you can't second guess everything that you sell on eBay. I made a great profit on a nice item and I was happy.
80s are great eBay money makers. Something as simple as Care Bear figures are wanted items and when they are in good condition, make great sales. So, be on the look out for those nostalgic pieces, do your research, and enjoy bringing back memories! Care Bear Stare!
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