Finding Out the Value of Your Action Figures: What are they Worth?

If you have 300 action figures or just two, you'll eventually want to know what they're worth. There are only a couple of reliable ways to determine the value of your pieces. The first way, and least expensive is by evaluating the market.

There are dozens of websites devoted to action figures. You could spend an entire weekend sifting through some of them to discover the value of your items. Auction websites are probably the best route to go for valuation. Nothing beats the open market for determining the value of an object. EBay, Yahoo! Auctions and Amazon.com are three excellent auction sites that can help you determine what your action figures are worth. Searching through completed and current auctions will give you a very close approximation of what your figures are worth. They'll also help you determine a good time to sell them. You can also browse the Internet for online stores that sell the same item you have. You can judge the value of yours by the amount they are charging.

The second way to determine the value of your collectible figures is through buying guides. A quick search through a few bookstores will reveal a number of reputable books that can help you find the worth of your pieces. There are a couple of drawbacks to this process, however. The first is cost. You'll have to purchase these books in order to really dig through them. The more books you buy, the more cross-referencing you'll be able to do. This, in turn, will give you a closer approximation of value. The second problem is an owner's tendency to either over-value or under-value their collection. Using a fair and critical eye is of vital importance when using guidebooks to determine value. There are some excellent price guides that can help you, including Tomart's Encyclopedia & Price Guide to Action Figure Collectibles, Vols. 1 and 2, Tomart's Encyclopedia of Action Figures: The 1001 Most Popular Collectibles of All Time and, Warman's Action Figures Field Guide: Values And Identification.

Lastly, you can take your figures to a collector for appraisal. The biggest benefit is that a trained eye will be evaluating the worth of your goods. You'll also be able to sell your pieces immediately, should you choose. Unfortunately, there are plenty of downsides to this idea. Gathering your collection and safety transporting it can be a real pain. Most collectors will also charge a fee for appraising your collection; the larger the collection, the larger the fee will be. Not all collectors are scrupulous, either. Some may try to undervalue your collection then offer to buy it from you at a fraction of its true worth. I would not recommend this route unless you absolutely trust the collector in question.