Toys to Retirement Weekly Wrap-Up #23
Years may have been shaved off of our retirement age this week...
Hello friends,
Hope everyone is enjoying the start to spring. This time of year is always a bit of a ‘lull’ for me. The Q4 high is over, no massive incentive for customers to spend their money until tax returns come in, and many sellers (myself included) liquidating the last of their bad buys to get cash. Really, just nothing that exciting going on when Q4 2025 is still so far away. I like to use this time to slow down and enjoy non-ecommerce life.
With that being said, some exciting stuff to digest this week. Let’s go!
My biggest financial loss ever?
Quite a tough pillow to swallow, but this week I decided to do an in-depth 40-minute video on what is shaping up to be my biggest financial loss ever. A $74,000 investment into a single speculation is unfortunately not panning out due to some un-controllables and I’m at a point where it’s probably best for me to cut some losses. Ultimately, it’s looking like it’ll be a 12-15k loss when all is said and done. You can get the full analysis and scenario down below, and I’ll probably do an update at the end of the year to see what the true loss ends up being. I promise transparency, so that’s what you get!
![[VIDEO LESSON] My Biggest Financial Loss Ever?](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F044c3ed1-c472-4109-be48-368c55523214_500x500.png)
Pokemon & LEGO Collab…
For the first time ever, the world’s most successful franchise will collaborate with the world’s most successful toy company. Wild it took this long, isn’t it?
While I am excited, and I do truly believe this collab can shave years off of our retirement, let’s think logically about this.
As mentioned above, these are the two titans of the toy world. So it is very possible this theme will be the most printed LEGO theme ever. No exaggeration. If done right, there is no reason for this theme not to surpass Star Wars, Speed Champions, everything.
So if these sets start releasing in 2026, truthfully we don’t even need to be thinking about this theme until mid to late 2027 (unless LEGO decides to do some exclusives right off the bat, or if they do short shelf lives).
So with that in mind, don’t be getting FOMO and rushing to buy these on day one unless there is a great GWP or you want it for your personal collection.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be money to be made though…
Because if LEGO is getting the Pokemon license… what does that mean for Mattel and their Pokemon MEGA line?
Believe it or not, even though the line isn’t as popular as LEGO, the line still is good. There are some real gems for Pokemon fans, especially the ‘motion’ sub-theme.
If Mattel fully loses the license — that’s where we can make our first profits.
Patiently wait for the MEGA Pokemon sets to go on clearance, and stack’em up!
If you remember the ‘very profitable’ homework assignment I posted for paid subscribers in January, then the next step should be obvious to you.
![[VIDEO LESSON] A Very Profitable Homework Assignment](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89e94733-516a-4198-aa6a-9b2920fb7f9f_500x500.png)
More LEGO news…
Some of you may find this infographic interesting:
To sum it up, LEGO is doing fine. Better than fine. Don’t let the shakiness of the current economy deter you from investing in their product. Also of note, LEGO’s US-based factory will open in 2027. I feel they are pretty protected from the tariff dilemma happening.
A nice phone call with Walmart…
Yesterday I had a pleasant phone call with my new toy/collectible-specific rep from Walmart. Despite the flooding of new sellers and worries of CPC documents, it still instilled a lot of confidence for me in the platform and the direction they’re going — especially when it comes to collectibles.
I pushed him to reach out to the director of the entire collectibles division that the collectibles category should play by different rules than other categories. For example, it doesn’t make sense to have discontinued products held to the same standard as general everyday products like cereal when it comes to buy box suppression, price competitiveness, eligibility for flash deals, etc. Collectibles can be sold for OVER MSRP and still be a good deal for the consumer. I really hope we can get feedback instilled in their collectibles team and our little niche can continue to be shaped in a way that other marketplaces aren’t mindful of.
The most interesting thing from the call however, was this:
https://brandportal.walmart.com/ipservices
I was not familiar with this link before, and if you’ve been dealing with sabotaged listings like myself you may find this useful.
Basically, we are encouraged to file reports if we are encountering certain brands being attacked by black hat competitors. If Walmart receives repeated reports of a brand being ‘under attack’, they are allegedly more inclined to take the reports seriously and investigate further.
For those that don’t know, I’ve been dealing with two Sonic the Hedgehog listings that were destroyed and removed by Chinese black hat sellers. It has been over a month with no resolution or response. This portal is supposed to be better for reaching those resolutions, so we’ll see.
Keep it in your back pocket if you find yourself dealing with this same issue.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
May 22, 2026. Just over a year until this movie blasts onto the big screen. Plenty of Mando and Grogu inventory out there to invest in if that tickles your fancy. Or maybe you’re still holding the infamous Brickheadz or Black Friday Grogu set. If that’s the case — what’s another year?
Gonna wrap it up there, hope everyone has a solid ending to Q1!
