Why is prices going up ?

[Pomse2001]

Why is prices going up and up on the vintage star wars ?

I was also thinking, that we still find childhood lots so there should be more and more star wars on the market. But still prices is going up and up.

Maybe the people who are discovering all these childhood lots are just hoarding them and calling them variants? :lol: :lol:

Just having fun of course but it's true to say that at least in your case, none of the amazing loft finds you've made in recent years have ever made their way to the market because they are all in your collection

:lol: I only keep about ½ or less of the items I find in childhood lots so I give some to the market, I have sold and traded 2 AT-AT walkers with box and some figures not long ago But still not all figures are easy to sell I still have 20+ anakin figures for sale £10 each I have only sold 1 the last 12 months and the funny thing is I see other members selling them for more money on the forum :lol: Joe I can help you with some Anakin figures, I am pretty sure this will be your new focus :wink: They are all from tri-logo cards, your favorite cards

 

[maxf]

People don't generally want the played with stuff - they want mint unused items, so for each childhood collection found there are maybe one or two items which fit that bill - so the demand still isnt filled. IMO.

 

[Pomse2001]

People don't generally want the played with stuff - they want mint unused items, so for each childhood collection found there are maybe one or two items which fit that bill - so the demand still isnt filled. IMO.

But we see damaged figures and uncomplete figures sell for crazy money :shock: Last night I saw luke jedi missing the cloak sell for £65 and he had a damaged nose :shock: it was just a normal kenner figure :shock: and a luke farmboy with yellow arms and a broken saber sell for £20 on ebay :shock:

I can also confirm sometimes there is many beautiful figures in childhood lots with stiff arms and legs, but I agree there is also always damaged figures in a lot.

 

[maxf]

But we see damaged figures and uncomplete figures sell for crazy money .

I have no idea what's going on there - just impatience I'd guess, but really dont know.

 

[SOJ]

I think it all comes down to supply and demand, prices were on starting to get on the heavy side before TFA but as 2016 progressed prices escalated until now. But what is telling is the number of people selling up. Cases in point pop-up R2. Recent sales of this figure going for £300 to £400 has led to more people selling theirs. The amount is too tempting for them. What worrying is they are all selling.

How many times have we seen people "I've been out of collecting for a while and can't believe the price of things now" ,you've never heard them say "wow haven't prices fallen". Even before TFA. We all need to accept prices have increased. Networking and doing favours and deals, scouring eBay and attending events like FF are the way to go if you want reasonably priced items. Facebook is mainly for those who want it handed to them on a plate and have plenty of funds.

 

[CaptainAntilles]

another thing iv noticed is the wild fluctuations of prices

iv been trying to get an A-wing pilot and was watching/bidding on 7 or 8 the last few days . 1 complete went for £150 a few without weapons were hitting £65-£70 some in poor condition and a couple at £50-£60 . in the end i won 1 in decent condition no weapon for £31

its crazy

 

[Pomse2001]

But we see damaged figures and uncomplete figures sell for crazy money .

I have no idea what's going on there - just impatience I'd guess, but really dont know.

I also do not know what is going on, but maybe as some say, there is many more buyers today that I will pay big cash for not mint figures :shock:
Or maybe it is because there is more variant collectors as me :? or maybe some is buying to make a profit :?

 

[Pomse2001]

another thing iv noticed is the wild fluctuations of prices

iv been trying to get an A-wing pilot and was watching/bidding on 7 or 8 the last few days . 1 complete went for £150 a few without weapons were hitting £65-£70 some in poor condition and a couple at £50-£60 . in the end i won 1 in decent condition no weapon for £31

its crazy

That is a lot of money some are paying for those pilots, I am glad you were lucky to find one for a much better price.

 

[Pomse2001]

I think it all comes down to supply and demand, prices were on starting to get on the heavy side before TFA but as 2016 progressed prices escalated until now. But what is telling is the number of people selling up. Cases in point pop-up R2. Recent sales of this figure going for £300 to £400 has led to more people selling theirs. The amount is too tempting for them. What worrying is they are all selling.

How many times have we seen people "I've been out of collecting for a while and can't believe the price of things now" ,you've never heard them say "wow haven't prices fallen". Even before TFA. We all need to accept prices have increased. Networking and doing favours and deals, scouring eBay and attending events like FF are the way to go if you want reasonably priced items. Facebook is mainly for those who want it handed to them on a plate and have plenty of funds.

I am beginning to think are we beginning to be see that there is not the big difference in prices between some variants of the same figure today :?
Maybe some PBP, Lili Ledy, POCH or meccano figures cost today the same as a kenner figure :? I agree prices have only been going up since TFA, but I remember yak face was going up and came down a little bit again

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

Has Disney taking over the Star Wars Franchise had any effect on price rises?

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

I'm seeing average/beater lots going for monumental amounts recently. Stuff that 2 years ago you couldn't give away are now being fouhgt over tooth and nail.

One lot I saw on eaby last night ended up selling for an eye watering amount - 6 months ago it would have been £300 max, it sold for nearly £700.

I think we're likely to see this more and more but like the property market a few years ago, this kind of madness is unsustainable.

Comic books have continued to go up and up over the years, a high grade Action Comics 1 (origin of Superman) is over a million and still rising so why can't Star Wars collectibles do the same. A 30 Back Fett or Palitoy VCJ (plus many other figures) are much rarer than a Action Comics 1 so what is stopping them from continue to rise especialy with more potential collectors coming from both the established and emerging economies. The high publicised sales (loose Vlix £9500, 30 Back Fett £18000) will attract new collector/investor types as it has done with Art, Cars, Comics.

An important point to remember is that collecting is usually done with disposable income so it is somewhat different to the property market, chances are the people that will be buying Star Wars items and potentialy pushing the prices up will probably not be worrying too much if the price of thier house drops by 20%. If new collectors are emerging on a regular basis and thereby increasing demand and supply is capped then it would be suprising if the current prices seen will suddenly drop.

If you want an example of unsustainable madness look at the property or rental prices in W1 or SW7 those post codes (plus many others) continued to rise by an average of 15% through the recession.

 

[Lee Gregory]

Been collecting approximately 15 years and prices have consistently risen, don't think I can remember a time they have fallen.....

 

[Jez]

I've only been in the business since 2009, but I can definitely remember a time when there was a particular ebay seller from Runcorn who had a shed load of loose figures. Back in the day my ebay watch thread was full. Sunday afternoon would come along and it was bid, bid, bid! Rarely did a complete figure (non last 17) go over £4, on several occasions i was the sole bidder at 99P! Yes some were more expensive but you could get complete figures for a quid if you were lucky. All weapons checked out. Different times. The last 2 years have been absolutely crazy.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

I've only been in the business since 2009, but I can definitely remember a time when there was a particular ebay seller from Runcorn who had a shed load of loose figures. Back in the day my ebay watch thread was full. Sunday afternoon would come along and it was bid, bid, bid! Rarely did a complete figure (non last 17) go over £4, on several occasions i was the sole bidder at 99P! Yes some were more expensive but you could get complete figures for a quid if you were lucky. All weapons checked out. Different times. The last 2 years have been absolutely crazy.

Do you think it is Disney taking over or the success of the last two films or both?

 

[spoons]

We're now heading into peak demand for vintage Star Wars. Generally men in their 40s with disposable income recapturing their childhood.

The rebirth of Star Wars by Disney has been a big factor in bringing in a load more of these nostalgia seekers. I think the big test will be in 15-20 years or so as people near retirement, and pensions may not be quite what we hope.

I'd expect a mass sell off then and I don't think the younger collectors will collect on the same scale as us, so prices will drop for the common stuff. There will still be demand purely for the SW logo but not on the scale we see today.

Action Man is 10 years older than Star Wars and there has definitely been a drop in prices over the last few years. How much this is due to an influx of reproductions or down to an ageing collector market is hard to tell. Probably a bit of both.

 

[tobedesu]

I've only been in the business since 2009, but I can definitely remember a time when there was a particular ebay seller from Runcorn who had a shed load of loose figures. Back in the day my ebay watch thread was full. Sunday afternoon would come along and it was bid, bid, bid! Rarely did a complete figure (non last 17) go over £4, on several occasions i was the sole bidder at 99P! Yes some were more expensive but you could get complete figures for a quid if you were lucky. All weapons checked out. Different times. The last 2 years have been absolutely crazy.

Do you think it is Disney taking over or the success of the last two films or both?

Likely the success of the films and how much Star Wars is back in the spotlight.
My generation, 40's, possibly go shopping with the kids who may be into TFA and strikes a chord with the dads. Brings back the memories and they're straight round their parents to fish around the loft, and the nostalgia kicks in.
It has similarly happened to a couple of my mates.

I think misinformed articles like what was published in The Sun has also got folks excited.
All this brings in a lot of casual collectors/newbies who aren't familiar with price guides but just have to get in on the action.

There was some interesting action down at the NEC toy fair a few weeks back:
Looking around, I found a cut bubble Leia poncho complete for £40. Still on the card, cut down one side. Held off.
Had a look around and found some bag fresh Leia ponchos no weapon from another seller for £15. I bought one.
These were going elsewhere for £20-30. Decided to have another look at the carded figure about an hour later and seller had priced it up to £60.
I remember when these were going for £12-15 about 6 months ago, without blaster.
Princess Leia figure has gone up considerably. Without a doubt Carrie's death had an impact on Leia prices.

 

[palitoyjunky]

Yeh since I got in the game in the mid 90s prices have steadily risen from then to now. The birth of professional grading companies have certainly been the catalyst for the ridiculous increase of loose item prices :!:
I rem years ago I had a stunning Kenner 41 back Hammerhead that I picked up for £50. It had one flaw, an absolute tiny bit of ink on the card that really didn't change the piece-but of course stopped it being eligible for grading. A dealer wanted to rip it from my hands for around £100 because he wanted to get the figure U graded as he had sold a U90 previously for £225 :!: :?

 

[SublevelStudios]

I think one thing to remember in all this is that SW is a global cultural phenomenon. We're in uncharted territory here, there's no other franchise like it or likely to be and now Disney have control it will be around for many, many years.

Some Star Wars items will have historical relevance and will certainly increase in value, stuff like the early posters, press and promotional material, props and cast/crew items.

With toys, I think as has already been said, top end items will always be desired, MOC's especially.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

We're now heading into peak demand for vintage Star Wars. Generally men in their 40s with disposable income recapturing their childhood.

The rebirth of Star Wars by Disney has been a big factor in bringing in a load more of these nostalgia seekers. I think the big test will be in 15-20 years or so as people near retirement, and pensions may not be quite what we hope.

I'd expect a mass sell off then and I don't think the younger collectors will collect on the same scale as us, so prices will drop for the common stuff. There will still be demand purely for the SW logo but not on the scale we see today.

Action Man is 10 years older than Star Wars and there has definitely been a drop in prices over the last few years. How much this is due to an influx of reproductions or down to an ageing collector market is hard to tell. Probably a bit of both.

I am not sure whether you can compare Star Wars collecting to Action Man collecting as I do not believe I have ever seen a Action Man film or not in the last 10-15 years so that particular toy franchise is doing nothing to reinvigorate itself that I know of so understandibly popularity in collecting reduces and eventually disapears altogether until they start making films or cartoons again.

Superman dates back to 1938 and Batman 1939 I dont see those particular Characters popularity dying off any time soon and the collecting of the comics is still hugely popular and prices continue to rise. I think the same will happen with Star Wars if Disney continue making popular films like TFA and Rouge One that will refresh the collector pool and some of those collectors will naturally be drawn to the past.

Another important point is not all purchases are made by collectors some are made by investors and as prices rise it may attract more investor types as it has done with comics.

 

[spoons]

We're now heading into peak demand for vintage Star Wars. Generally men in their 40s with disposable income recapturing their childhood.

The rebirth of Star Wars by Disney has been a big factor in bringing in a load more of these nostalgia seekers. I think the big test will be in 15-20 years or so as people near retirement, and pensions may not be quite what we hope.

I'd expect a mass sell off then and I don't think the younger collectors will collect on the same scale as us, so prices will drop for the common stuff. There will still be demand purely for the SW logo but not on the scale we see today.

Action Man is 10 years older than Star Wars and there has definitely been a drop in prices over the last few years. How much this is due to an influx of reproductions or down to an ageing collector market is hard to tell. Probably a bit of both.

I am not sure whether you can compare Star Wars collecting to Action Man collecting as I do not believe I have ever seen a Action Man film or not in the last 10-15 years so that particular toy franchise is doing nothing to reinvigorate itself that I know of so understandibly popularity in collecting reduces and eventually disapears altogether until they start making films or cartoons again.

Superman dates back to 1938 and Batman 1939 I dont see those particular Characters popularity dying off any time soon and the collecting of the comics is still hugely popular and prices continue to rise. I think the same will happen with Star Wars if Disney continue making popular films like TFA and Rouge One that will refresh the collector pool and some of those collectors will naturally be drawn to the past.

Another important point is not all purchases are made by collectors some are made by investors and as prices rise it may attract more investor types as it has done with comics.

A fair point on the global appeal of action man, but the bulk of 80s and 90s superheroes toys are worth next to nothing. Its only the iconic pieces that fetch big money. I've got a few 70s mego superheroes and would liken them very much to Action Man. Its only the rare and sealed ones that tend to fetch good money (i.e. removable cowl batman).

Higher end stuff includes things like sealed Mego Palitoy Hulks for £200-£300 and they are generally bought by 40 somethings too, but they are pretty iconic so I'd expect to hold their value. Loose Mego superheroes seemed to have dropped in price considering inflation.

The very early superhero toys are good investments much like mint first issue early comics and the first 12 SW figs. But there will be 1000s of pieces of Star Wars merchandise made between now and when the next gen get to 40 odd. Do you really think future generations are going to be paying silly money on ROTJ Jabba goons, I'd also be surprised if a 1980s Luke Skywalker with orange hair or a red bar R5 will be at all desirable in years to come? The kids of today will have their own Episode 15 rarities to collect I feel that we are essentially the next generation of train collectors and we'll be replaced by video game collectors or something else.

Iconic pieces will go up in price, but I'd be willing to bet money that the bulk of what we own will be worth less in real terms in the future. The potential longevity of Star Wars may actually lessen its appeal. Does anyone get excited when another Marvel film comes out anymore - who saw Antman at the cinema?

Its a long held mantra but collecting should be for the fun of it, as soon as you start collecting purely as an investment you could find things go downhill quickly.