Timing is everything in selling collectibles
TORONTO — When Mark Wlodarski started collecting bobbleheads about a decade ago, dollar signs were far from his mind. The Toronto Blue Jays, whose bobbleheads he coveted most, Wlodarski says were “just horrid” and their merchandise was hardly desirable.
That changed around 2015. The Jays shot up in the standings, bolstered by newcomers Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, who came with bobbleheads that attracted droves of collectors. The shift taught Wlodarski — the owner of about 650 bobbleheads at his collecting peak, who insists his love of the figurines is about passion not profit — plenty about how to master the collectibles market. The market can be fraught with high price tags and even higher emotions, but experts say there are tens of thousands of dollars to be to made, if you’re willing to part with highvalue items like baseball cards, comics, coins, stamps and vintage film posters. They say maximizing what can be made or nabbing an item for as little as possible can be tough because it takes a mix of timing and luck.
The trick to making money off collectibles, Wlodarski said, is learning how to assess a market. “You have to know when it’s time to get into any hobby, and get out of any hobby,” he said.
To do that, Wlodarski keeps an eye on how teams are performing and how popular characters and other celebrities are. If a team is headed for the playoffs or a television show, movie or character are really taking off, collectibles tied to them are worth more and it’s a good time to sell, but a terrible time to buy. When that popularity is waning, there are generally better deals to be found, but if you’re selling, less money to be made. Bobbleheads given away recently at sports games or events will be plentiful and won’t command much cash, but ones from older seasons, when few were made, can be worth a pretty penny, he said.
If there’s an item you’re keen on nabbing, Wlodarski said it’s imperative to have a budget “or else you could go broke obtaining it.”