Toy Collector’s Market is Open for Business! Toy Collector’s eBay-killing online marketplace for collectable toys and models is now fully operational, with all site users able to buy and sell.
News-Antique.com - Sep 09,2011 - Having launched in Beta mode in June, with access provided by invitation, the market is now fully-operational and open to the public. Initially, the focus is on vintage Dinky and Corgi Toys, with the intention of rolling out to cover other brands and areas of the toy, model and hobby market, catering for both antique and modern items, accessories and supplies. As of launch, several hundred items are already listed for sale, with more going up continuously.
Richard Hewis, trading as The Retro Trader has been part of the Beta launch and says: “I love the way the catalogue makes selling really easy and also how simple and straight-forward the rules are and predict that this will become my main channel!”
The Toy Collector Market is intended to create the ultimate buying and selling platform and environment for collectors and hobbyists. The group behind the site are collectors and web professionals who embarked on the venture out of frustration with certain aspects of eBay’s treatment of the collectable toy and model market, and those who buy and sell within it. As such, the new platform has been specially tailored to the collectables market, will ultimately cater to both antique and modern items and offer a host of features designed to benefit both buyers and sellers in this popular arena, including the following:
1. Fast and Easy Listing
Items are listed through ToyPedia, the site’s online database of collectable toys. Sellers simply browse to the item and click the “Sell” button, conveniently located on every item page. This will pre-categorise and pre-populate an item listing with information such as item reference number and years in production. There are also quick-and-simple dropdown selectors for condition of item and, if appropriate condition of a box or card (including categories for restored, customised and repro boxes), in addition to description boxes for sellers to add their own description text.
Where one is available, sellers will also have the option of using the item’s standard ToyPedia photo, in addition to being able to upload their own images, a feature that’s particularly useful for anyone listing brand-new-in-box items.
The Toy Collector team estimate that a mint vintage item or perfect brand new item can be listed in around 20 seconds from clicking the Sell This Item button on ToyPedia. The system has also been designed to be as easy-to-use as possible for both experienced sellers who are expert in their fields, and anyone who has never listed a vintage toy for sale in their entire life!
2. Multiple Free Images
Sellers will be able to upload up to ten images, completely free of charge.
3. Sophisticated Search System
The site’s search system allows buyers to search listings by using the ToyPedia browser to select brands or browse directly to all listings for individual series or models, while the filtering system allows for quick and easy keyword search to further refine listings. Going forward, it is intended that buyers will be able to create custom searches on
