A house full of toys that nobody is playing with? Reclaim your space and make a bit of cash by selling them on to other families.
Which toys are worth selling?
Parents will eagerly snap up the most desirable toys on reselling sites and local social media. The most wanted list is:
1. Solid wood toys
These are robust so they can take a lot of play; and they can be pricy to buy new. Wooden toys are commonly enjoyed by younger children, and can come through the toddler years relatively unscathed. They do well on selling sites like Vinted or eBay.
2. Magnetic building tiles
Magna-Tiles and Connetix are another robust toy. They have good play value for primary-school aged children, and are fascinatingly fidgety. Families love to expand their magnetic tile stash, and buying loose sets second-hand is an easy, guilt-free way of doing this.
3. Imaginary play small world sets
Playmobil and Sylvanian Families do well second-hand. With their multitude of small parts, it’s common to see incomplete sets on the market, and buyers are fairly forgiving of this as long as you’re honest about it.
4. High-end figures
The big name in high-end play figures is Schleich, and there’s a ready market for the hand-painted plastic animal and fantasy figures in this brand. Bundles of figures do well – it’s very enticing to buy an entire farm or dinosaur park in one go, and it saves you, the seller, the hassle of listing each item individually.
Selling toys online
Vinted and eBay have busy toy sections. Bundles do well on seller sites. Stock up on recycled packaging and sell in batches to minimise your admin burden.
There is a brisk market for second-hand toys and games in local neighbourhood online groups, and it can be a fun way of shifting your outgrown items and engaging with your community. We have an article about selling toys on social media with plenty of tips.
Selling toys in person
Toys do well at yard sales and boot fairs. Let friends know that you are selling and offer them first dibs on the best toys. Be prepared for a bit of bargaining, though. It’s worth offering a few toys at pocket-money prices so that children can pick their own. This can be a good way of shifting smaller individual toys and novelties.
Maximising the value of the toys you sell
Make sure the toys you’re selling are clean and in good playable condition. Be honest about the condition and completeness. Most people won’t mind about original packaging, but instructions and safety information are often welcome.
A sustainable practice
Selling toys is a sustainable practice because it reduces the amount of toy waste. Toys, which are often made of mixed materials are notoriously difficult to recycle at end of life; and manufacturing them consumes resources and energy.
Learn more about the impact of toy waste in Toys4Life’s Earth Day 2025 report.
Old friends: toys that you can’t bear to part with
Many families give house space to toys that no one can bear to part with. If your children are determined to keep all of their toys, encourage them to put a few into storage. Sometimes, a holiday out of sight will make it easier to declutter, or it might just make the toys new and interesting again. Anyway, if the ultimate decision is to hang on to their old friends, then you know that they are safely boxed up for future generations.
Toys in storage are covered by your self-storage insurance policy with Store and Insure. Get a quote from us to make sure you’re not overpaying for self-storage insurance.
