Pictured: Various vintage Littlest Pet Shop sets with one piece of hair unknowingly pictured
If you're a new collector, we're only a few steps away (and they say it's easier to follow someone who is only a few steps ahead of you). I decided to write about amateur vintage collecting tips because I've learned so much from this past year that I wish I knew at the beginning which would have saved me peace of mind and yep, money!
I started my vintage collecting just this March (2021) and I went FULL STEAM AHEAD. When you're as passionate as me about vintage collecting, you can make some big noob mistakes costing you time, money, and headaches — so for all of my fellow amateurs, here are my amateur vintage collecting tips.
DO YOUR RESEARCH/BE PATIENT
When you first start collecting, you tend to have that "OMG, this is rare, I must have it NOW!" attitude. The truth is, you will find that some items are not so rare at all. You can simply type the full item name (more on this later) on your search bar to compare pricing/find the market price of an item. There are also sites such as Worthpoint that provide history of how much certain items are being sold for or have been sold for in the past. The most common sites you can search for vintage items are eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, etc. For sites like Mercari, you can even search the "sold" listings to get an idea how much items have sold for as well, it's very helpful (more on Mercari later).
Pictured: Vintage Kenner Littlest Pet Shop Twinkling sledding Party
One of my very first purchases was one of the vintage (1st generation) Kenner Littlest Pet Shop Twinkling Sledding Party set. This particular set was one filled with wonderful memories of my mom who had bought this for me one Christmas when I was a child. Of course, I just HAD TO HAVE IT. And because I didn't do my research, I ended up spending $130 (including shipping) on a set that I QUICKLY found was not that rare, but also had a market price of about $50! I couldn't believe it. I kid you not, that same day I found the two Sparkling Pond series sets for $110! Yep, I sure was an amateur. Doing your research is my top most important of my amateur vintage collecting tips! That brings me to my next point.
KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS IN CHECK
This may be a hard one considering that I am the nostalgia collector — and if you're like me, the need to bring those childhood memories back tend to trump all reason. LIKE ALL OF IT. As wonderful as that may be, don't forget to be reasonable in terms of pricing, condition, seller performance (look at those ratings!), research, etc.
SAVE YOUR SEARCH
What I've found very helpful is saving my searches so that I can snatch up items I've been looking for before anyone else does. A word of caution — this ease of searching can consume all of your time (I know it did/does mine). Onto the next tip that helps you on your saved searches:
BE SPECIFIC WITH YOUR SEARCH TERMS
The more specific you are, the easier you'll find what you're looking for. This will require, yep — research. I would suggest finding a blog or forum dedicated to the collection you want to find out specific details such as:
Date it was released
There may be particular editions that you're interested in
Brand/Manufacturer
Some brands have been bought by other companies throughout time and may be manufactured under a different name so this is very important to know. For example the Littlest Pet Shop brand was once Kenner until it was acquired by Tonka — and the most current generation is now Hasbro.
Material
Particular collections could vary in material.
Series/Collection
Collections are often released in different series and this may help to filter out what you're looking for
Minor/Major Details
This could be anything like "rosy cheeks", "checkered seat", "glow in the dark" or "alternative art" (such as Pokemon V/VMAX cards)
There are other details but you get it.
One example of a carefully tailored search term would be "1999 Hallmark Romper Reindeer with bell." But keep in mind that longer and more detailed phrases may filter out listings that have less detail. Usually, more experienced sellers are excellent with their listed names but there are noobs (just like us) that can also be very vague. One instance is my search for "Vintage Kenner Littlest Pet Shop." This is my most common search term because it's mildly specific so it also allows other listings to pop up on my saved searches. I've found treasures from less detailed searches!
In the end, most often vintage items are found in garage sales, storage/estate sales, or even someone's basement and some sellers are just trying to clean out their closets. So there will be sellers who know little about the items they sell and will list accordingly.
SET A REALISTIC BUDGET
If you're a young collector like me, I would think that there are still a lot of things you'd like to accomplish financially if you haven't yet. I spent about $300/month of vintage collecting since I started. At the beginning I set budgets that were too unrealistic so once I went over, I thought, oh why the heck not? For example, if you're a vintage Kenner Littlest Pet Shop collector such as myself, $20 is not realistic at all. Wherever you are in life, don't let vintage collecting keep you from paying bills and reaching your dreams — and the best way to do that is setting a monthly budget.
PRIORITIZE WHAT VINTAGE COLLECTIONS/PIECES YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON
Similarly to setting a budget, it's important to decide what collections you want to focus on. Imagine you've been wanting a very rare piece that you've never seen for sale and you finally find it after you spent your budget on other things! Also, staying within a certain collection helps to keep your pieces organized.
KEEP IN MIND SHIPPING, TAXES, AND OTHER FEES
Sometimes those shipping fees are killer! Don't be fooled by an item that's "so cheap" and it turns out you're paying an arm and a leg just to get it to you. This is where some of the above tips come in handy. Buying with emotion makes you blind to shipping fees.
Another thing I do is try to search through sellers' inventory if I can buy multiple listings to save on shipping. In the end, I'd rather pay more for something with better condition.
CONSIDER CONDITION
This is where keeping your emotions in check is really handy. Imagine finally finding that one McDonald's toy that reminded you of your family but holy cow — it's so chipped and even dirty : \ BUT you've never seen it before and maybe you can clean it. Although this is true, you need to remember that condition with vintage collecting is EVERYTHING! The condition will ultimately determine the item's worth. Ask yourself if you really don't mind having something less than your expectations to either a) save money or b) because you don't think you'll find another like it. This is all up to you, after all — it is vintage. But as someone who has been collecting for only a few months, I'll tell you with my experience that you can find excellent vintage items — you just have to be patient.
Pictured: Vintage Littlest Pet Shop Water Garden Kitties from the Sparkling Pond Pets series with the wrong kitten
In addition to considering condition, I think it's also wise to do your research as to what a set comes with. I've bought a set at the beginning thinking that it was complete — to find out that it had come with a different figurine AND a different food plate. Another rookie mistake. Not only does this lessen the value, it also means that I need to purchase that missing figurine and pay additional shipping, fees, etc. just to obtain it. I ended up paying $18 for a single figurine and to this day I STILL don't have the right food bowl. Meh.
Pictured: Vintage Littlest Pet Shop Mommy Deer and Frisky Fawn set purchased on eBay
DON'T BE AFRAID TO MAKE OFFERS/BID
I've lost out on quite a few auctions on eBay because I thought there was no way that I would win it. Just be sure to set a budget on the item you want and stick to it. Additionally, if a seller choses to add an option to make an offer, don't be afraid to try. I sent an offer for this Mommy Deer and Frisky Fawn set and got it! I was such a happy camper.
With that said, be careful not to offer too low because you can get blocked. I sell used stuff on Mercari myself and don't appreciate low ballers. This might be a seller with really great items you're looking for in the future, so be mindful.
DON'T BID UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE ON AUCTIONS
I've found that this is called "sniping" and that some people look down on it. But quite frankly, it's an auction — if they didn't want to sell it for a particular price, they shouldn't set up an auction for their item. What "sniping" means is bidding at the last possible moment — even 5 seconds before. Here is why I prefer bidding this way rather than earlier on:
Bidding early will let other bidders know that there's competition, it makes the item seem hot and that they have to have it
Bidding early just raises the price, it's great for auctioneers but not that great for you. Again, if they wanted a particular price, they have every right to set a floor amount at the very beginning
Emotions run high and bidders may go over their budget because of the excitement. You can lose a bid even at 10 seconds to the end because a bidder decided they want the item so much that they don't mind spending an extra few dollars to win
SITES AND SELLERS MATTER
eBay is my favorite site to find vintage toys. Not only are most collectors/sellers on there since it is among the oldest (if not THE oldest) second-hand selling sites, but you have access to listings across the globe (unlike Mercari, Offer Up, etc.) I've gotten most of my vintage items from here. Additionally, the site is really great with search terms. For example, I don't care for the Hasbro Littlest Pet Shop at all but eBay makes it easy for me to filter through that. They know what they're doing.
Although I love eBay, I've found some of the best deals on Mercari! As I've mentioned earlier, some people are just clearing out their closets and some may not know (or even care to know) what their items' market value is and so you'll find some treasures that are unbelievably cheap. I also love that I don't have to bid and wait 6 days on an item.
eBay and Mercari are great for their own reasons, but the condition of the items were not consistent for me. One way to ensure consistency is dealing with the same seller. But due to sellers having a variety of inventory that they may also have acquired from auctions, garage sales, etc, they may have items that are not in great condition (but are accordingly priced and stated.)
Pictured: Vintage Littlest Pet Shop Lion Family from the Zoo Keep Me Safe Pets collection that I bought from an Etsy seller that consistently sells excellent condition items
The one site that I have always had consistently excellent condition was Etsy — and not because Etsy has good sellers in particular but because shops are usually focused on certain collections/items. For example, one seller I buy from is one of the top vintage Littlest Pet Shop sellers right now due to the fact that they only sell excellent condition sets. This is the benefit of finding sellers that specialize in what you're looking for. I've also found that they're reasonably priced unlike many listings on eBay that at times have me scratching my head.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW SELLER RATINGS
With that said, it's very important to look at sellers' ratings before committing to buying. I've bought many things (not just vintage toys but clothes, etc.) from these sites that have reeked with smoke, were dirty, not packaged appropriately that led to damage, etc.
These can be avoided simply by looking at ratings. Although I do acknowledge that some people can just be unreasonable, I trust that multiple sentiments of similar nature are true. And to me, I would rather not support a terrible seller with my hard-earned money if they have scammed or given terrible products or service to others.
IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT COLLECTING AND SELLING, DIVE DEEPER
I have also thought about reselling. How can you not when you see the huge profits people make selling vintage, amiryte? But where it gets complicated is follow through. I've told myself that I would eventually sell some of the pieces that I've gotten for really good deals or as part of bundles I don't plan to keep but I have only sold ONE set so far.
The most common dilemma is if I should hold onto it so that its value can increase. Another is, which piece do I keep — the better condition or the lesser so that I can get more out of it? Or will I get more if I sell this individually or as part of a set/ bundle? In addition, you have to think about your losses, taxes on profits, and so much more! If you don't have time or the desire to figure all that out right now, hold off on buying to sell and just have fun and collect!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Nostalgia is powerful and it fuels the vintage collecting hobby. Ultimately, collecting should be fun and that is the most important sentiment you should have! Just be patient and smart and you will build your collection in a strategic way. If you have additional tips, please feel free to share your amateur vintage collecting tips!
I'll leave you an amateur photo of my collection so far. Enjoy and stay tuned for more blogs and more photos!
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