Whenever you begin to collect Care Bears (or any sort of item for that matter) it is important that you know where you are headed with your collection. You don't want to end up wasting all of your money on items you will not want in the future. Remember, not all items will yield the same amount of money that you paid. Choosing a direction now will help you in the long run.
Find What Attracts You
You will notice that certain items attract you the most. Maybe these were items you had as a child, or items you wanted as a child. Perhaps they are just items you think are the best of their kind. Whatever the reason is, it is important that you browse around to see what those items are before you consider buying. For me, poseable Care Bears just popped out at me. I had refused to sacrifice them to the local yard sale god year after year. When I became an adult I knew they were the most beloved of all my past childhood toys. I did have plush bears as a child but they mainly gathered dust on my pet net. I love the plastic bears the most. I know plenty of people who enjoy plush bears only, and some who collect porcelain.
"If you collect what you like, then regardless of your budget, you will always have a collection that you appreciate. Part of the fun of collecting is the joy we get viewing our collections and sharing them with others."
One beginning care bear collector mistake is to browse ebay, buying up everything with the Care Bear logo on it. These people end up broke and with a lot of odds and ends that neither display well, nor hold any sentimental value to them whatsoever. Often collections end with the collector giving up because somewhere amid all the clutter they got lost and couldn't find their way out.
Decide which Care Bear era you will be collecting in as well. Care Bears were produced in the 80's, 90's, and 2000's.
Also it is important to decide if you will be collecting MIB (or, Mint In Box) items. Some toy lovers like to hold and arrange their toys just like when they were children. Others appreciate the MIB look because it reminds them of Christmas morning, just before the gifts were torn open. Remember, MIB collecting is the most difficult because a. MIB items are more difficult to find b. boxes in nice shape are even more difficult to find, and c. storing and maintaining MIB items is much more difficult.
Look For Quality Not Quantity
A limited collectors budget is faced with an imperial decision right from the get-go. You will easily see that you will be able to buy many more low quality items for the same price as one 'mint' or perfect item. Certainly it is more materially satisfying to buy quantity instead of quality, but in the long run you will regret this decision. I have had to buy the same item sometimes five times before I am satisfied with the quality because I did not know this in the beginning. Having a collection full of chipped, smelly, stained, overly loved items will very soon give the collector an overall discouraging, "gross" feeling. This is why I suggest buying mint items first , instead of wasting time and money on huge lots of junky items. You must also remember that mint items have a high resale value, whereas corrupted items may yield far less then even you paid for them.
When looking over the condition of a piece in a local thrift shop or antiques store consider the following:
- Does it have any missing parts?
- Does it have any non-working mechanical parts?
- Does it have any large stains or tares?
- Is it dirty?
- Are there any scratches on the plastic?
- Is the fur of your plush worn or frayed
- Is the tag, paint, or lettering worn or frayed?
- Does the item have a smoky, musty or dusty smell?
- Does it have the original factory shine?
- If it is a MIB item, do the corners look shelf worn? Is the box water damaged? Does it look to have been opened and then resealed?
All of these factors will determine the outcome of the resale value. It is important that if buying online, and confronted only with a picture that you e-mail these questions to your seller. Even if the seller states that the item is 'mint', they may overlook some of the factors above, or not know exactly what mint means.
Where To Buy? How To Buy?
There are many places to gather your collectables. I will list them below for your reference:
EBAY - This is the ultimate site for buying. Every few days there are hundreds of new Care Bear auctions. You will be able to find most anything you want here. When buying on ebay you must remember that most sellers are not seasoned toy dealers or collectors and may not understand exactly what 'mint' means. This is why you must ask the seller to provide more details if needed. If the seller does not provide more intricate details I would not buy from them. Also, beware of blurry pictures. Ask the seller to take a better picture and e-mail it to you if you are not satisfied. I would not bid on an auction from a seller with very low feedback, or lots of negative feedbacks. Also, be wary of bidding on an item that has no photo or a stock photo you have seen somewhere else, the seller may not have the item.
Do not get overly excited with low priced 'buy it now' auctions. Make sure you carefully read the auction details before going through with the buy. It is also important to note the shipping costs on any auctions. If it does not state them up front then ask the seller. If the seller gives you a vague or nonexistent answer do not bid. I have been charged more than 50% of the items cost just in shipping. This is called 'gouging' and it is very rampant on ebay.
THRIFT STORES & GARAGE SALES - These places can be an ideal place to find your collectables but keep in mind that you can not expect to find something 'Care Bear' every time you go out hunting. In fact, in my years of hunting through both places on a daily basis (I visit over 30 thrift stores and/or garage sales per week) I rarely find anything vintage. When I do find vintage items they are usually in poor shape. So if you are the kind of person who enjoys browsing around go ahead and try to make a 'find' for your collection, but if you do not have the patience for it go for ebay.
ANTIQUE STORES & SHOWS - You can have pretty good luck in these places! Every time I go to antique junctions I find SOMETHING Care Bear related. However, the dealers often have a poor idea of what price to charge for their items. They often go off of an extremely out-of-date collectors book (Guide To Care Bears Collectables) and so their prices can be too low (which is good for you!) or insanely too high (which, of course, is bad for you). I have been to antique places that are charging $15 for a common $3 poseable. So keep that in mind. The other downside is that their items are not cycled through often. It may take more than six months to a year for them to get anything new.
REGULAR STORES - You can of course find new items at regular stores. Here are a few tips when buying at regular stores:
- Do not buy them the moment the come out! You item will most likely come on sale periodically, and at the end of the season it will reach it's rock bottom price. Ebay often has new items that have been out for six months or so at super cheap closeout prices. If you can wait, defiantly do! You will be better off financially in the long run. Example: I bought the Care Bear Castle for $40 the week it came out. Four months later I observed it for sale for $12.99!
- Pick the best looking item. You often have a choice in the stores between several of the same item. Look at each one closely to determine which is the best looking.
- I you pick up new items and plan to open them, you may wish to save the packaging, or consider not opening them. Value on new items after opened plummets to only a few dollars and it will be years and years before it climbs back to it's current in-store value, and then years more before it gains more value than the purchase price. A good example of this is vintage CB miniatures from the 80's. They were sold in stores for about $3. After 25 years they are still only worth about $3 when out of packaging.
- Buy at discount toy stores such as KB Toys, Wal Mart, and liquidation stores such as Big! Lots.
When To Buy? When to sell?
For this information feel free to consult my Values page!
Keeping High Value Items
In every genera of items there is the Holy Grail of collectables. These are prototypes, unreleased items, mavericks, or limited quantity items. These items go for bucko bucks on auction. Many times their value can rocket hundreds of dollars depending on who is bidding. If you have your heart set on some super rare items keep these factors in mind:
- Most rare items will show up again. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is the last item in the whole world and end up paying far too much! I know people who have scored $1,000 items for a few dollars. Just keep your eye out for a good bargain! The first plush Loyal Heart dog went for $1,400 on ebay in 1997! It is currently worth under $200.
- Rare items will likely keep their value through the years, whereas normal items values may go up and down randomly. This makes high value items excellent to collect.
- Prototypes are in limited quantity. There are usually only a few. Get these if you can. Do not wait if you can help it.
- If possible, try not to bid on highly publicized auctions. The more people who know about it, the more people will bid.
- If bidding on an auction, try to place your absolute highest bid at the last possible moment. This is the best way to win an auction. Absolutely DO NOT bid until the last few minuets. Someone will outbid you and a 'bidding war' will begin. The price of the item will go up very quickly.
Never collect toys as a way to make money. With the time and space this hobby will take up you will find a very low return when you decide to resale (even if you plan to resell decades in the future). Collect Care Bears because you love them! Some pieces end up being more valuable than others but there is no formula or guide for which pieces are worth the most. Often it is dependent on demand and finding the right buyer. That’s not to say that your pieces will be worthless but if you are counting on your collection to fill your retirement fund, you might want to consider some other options! Ten dollars invested in a collectable may only yield a slight sum, but money invested in stocks or bonds will pay off in a more significant way.
Other People's Opinion
Lastly, every toy collector will have to deal with other people's opinions. You will find yourself the butt of many jokes. Expect to be teased for your love of toys. Expect even some hostility from people who think you need to "grow up". Just remember that no matter what they say, toy collecting is as serious a hobby as skiing, golfing, or painting. According to Toy Magazine there are more than five million toy collectors in the USA. So you are not alone, there are a lot of us out there, and toy collecting is serious, fun and worthwhile!
Enjoy your collecting and have fun!