Dust off the toy box, because Australian houses are hiding hidden treasures.
Research has shown that people are willing to shell out as much as $ 1,000 to get their hands on retro toys.
And the most requested items have been revealed.
âWe are really seeing old school collectibles and toys gain a bit of popularity,â Gumtree’s Eleni Gavalas told 7NEWS.
âTrends come and go, but they keep coming back.
“So we’ve definitely seen toys from the 1990s and 2000s (becoming popular), especially with younger people like Gen Z and Millennials.”
According to Gumtree, searches for arcade machines increased 99% in July of this year, compared to early 2021.
Searches for Nintendo 64 consoles increased by 47% over the same period, while surveys of Tamagotchis (9%) and Barbie dolls (8%) also increased.
Gavalas said a Barbie doll is valued at $ 400.
âWe have seen that there has definitely been an increase in searches for Barbies,â she said.


“We know it’s a favorite and brings back a lot of great memories for the right people.”
She believes the renewed interest in retro toys could be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
âResearch shows that nostalgia can fight loneliness, boredom and anxiety,â Gavalas said.
She advised people looking to sell such items to do their due diligence and research potential prices thoroughly.
Most Wanted Items
Collectibles
- Pokémon / Pokémon Cards
- Coins
- Pinball
- Pop Vinyl
- Hot Toys (brand of action figures)
- Stamps
- Yu Gi Oh !
- Reborn dolls
- Warhammer (a miniature war game)
- Basketball cards

Toys
- Lego and lego star wars
- Monster High (dolls)
- Lego duplo
- Bratz
- Barbie
- LEGO technique
- Hot wheels
- The smallest pet store
- Schleich (toy brand)
- Transformers
Wholesale items
- Ancient Pokémon Cards: Listed up to $ 1600
- Tamagotchis: listed up to $ 900
- Children’s beanie: up to $ 1,000
- Lego: listed up to $ 750
- Vintage barbie: listed up to $ 400
- Nintendo Gameboy: Listed up to $ 500