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EBAY AND THE TOY INDUSTRY Skylanders brand owner


Activision is not best pleased about its figures being sold on eBay. Some rare versions have been known to sell for hundreds of pounds online, even those with RRPs of less than £10.


“It’s something we don’t


control or encourage,” comments Activision’s European VP and general manager Michael


Sportouch. “It’s something we can’t prevent when there’s a scarcity. That’s the nature of a new business with such incredible success.” Paul Jackson, MD for The In Thing, which distributes Skylanders to indie toy retailers, adds: “The morality of whether retailers decide to sell highly sought after products for higher than the normal RRP on eBay is always a decision to be made by the retailer themselves.” Helen Gourley from indie


Toy Hub says: “It can be particularly bothersome when you are waiting on waves of toys to be released in the UK, like Ninjini, which has been


available in the US for several weeks. “This means eBay has been flooded with Ninjinis, while those of us in the toy industry here are still waiting.”


It’s not all controversial.


eBay helps collectors grab hard-to-find toys and some suppliers enjoy the profile boost this brings to their brands, like Flair’s Trash Pack products.


cash in or build the ultimate collection.”


CRAZY COLLECTABLES Then there’s the charity aid. eBay can be used by companies to sell one-off products and experiences, like The Toy Trust Money Can’t Buy Auction, which raised £4,300 late last year to support children’s charities at home and overseas.


“True collectors like to think they have something that only themselves or very few people have, and so it is an obvious mechanic that manufacturers use to increase the collectability of a brand,” says Flair’s boys marketing manager Anne Marie Noon. “For this reason the


swapping and selling of rare figures on eBay is not an issue for us. “It’s totally up to the collector if they want to


BREAKING THE BANK


Here’s a trio of some recent high-priced toys sold on eBay:


£827


Six Skylanders figures, including Gold Chop Chop


Jadlam Racing Models opened its first eBay shop in 2005. It began selling Scalextric


sets redesigned into custom kits before going on to stock Hornby, Meccano, Playmobil and more. In 2006 it won eBay’s ‘Fastest Growing UK Business’ award. By 2009 it had reached the number one status on eBay for ‘Toys and Games’ sold. Jadlam manager Russell


Rowe says: “eBay enabled us www.toynews-online.biz $1,296


Grimy Gold Trash Pack figure


£1,850


One Direction Pez dispensers


ROLE MODELS: WHY TOY RETAILERS SHOULDN’T IGNORE EBAY MARKETPLACES


to turn our hobby into a successful business within a matter of a few months. We grew from strength to strength, however the boom of smartphones and tablets quickly changed buyer habits. Luckily eBay’s mobile advances have meant we can offer our catalogue of supplies to this new breed of consumers with no extra hassle. “Whilst we also trade


through other


marketplaces, our front door and www.jadlamracingmodels. com, our eBay marketplace store remains an integral part of the business. “I believe toy retailers need to continue to embrace and adopt the challenges marketplace selling brings to them. “When managed


correctly, eBay is a unique sales channel which cannot be ignored.”


May 27


A lot of my suppliers don’t want us to sell on Amazon or eBay, as this crazy discounting is damaging their brand. Amanda Alexander, Giddy Goat Toys A unique One Direction


Pez dispenser also sold for £1,850 in March, with all proceeds going to Red Nose Day. Some Toymaster members trade on eBay and other marketplaces, as does The Entertainer, proving the usefulness of the website. With more pocket money collectables entering the toy market, the relevance of eBay will only increase in years to come.


THE SKYLANDERS COLLECTOR’S VIEW


Skylanders collector and Official Nintendo Magazinecontributing writer Marti Bennett tells ToyNews: “eBay is an important and great resource for collectors of all kinds. “Even if you use Google


and go on the seller’s website directly, you don’t have the piece of mind you get from feedback scores and other buyers comments. I’ve taken up interest in collectable dolls and purchased a replacement body from Hong Kong recently. “This probably wouldn’t


have been possible without eBay. “When it comes to collecting certain toys, however, eBay has brought out the worst in the hobby. Rare variants, store exclusives and promotional Skylanders have had their prices cranked right up on eBay. There are some people, known as ‘scalpers’ by many, that are willing to buy a shop’s whole stock


of certain Skylanders figures and put them for sale on eBay. “Some die-hard collectors will pay over the odds to have them in their collections. Personally, I morally will not pay ridiculous prices for something that cost the seller $4. Activision really needs to sort out releasing store exclusives worldwide at the same time to avoid loyal collectors being ripped off.”


Follow Bennett on Twitter @MartiBennett


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