The post-pandemic boom in nostalgia-based purchases and activities extends to collectibles, which are memories you can hold in your hand. One of the most popular places to buy those mementos is on eBay, where more than 25 percent of users who bought something on the site in 2023 bought at least one collectible item.
On eBay, global listings for vintage toys were up about 10 percent this year, compared to the same period in 2022. Searches for vintage Star Wars toys were up 20 percent. And some rarities can go for big bucks. In May 2023, a one-of-a-kind “Tyler The Great Warrior” Yu-Gi-Oh! card sold on eBay for $311,211, making it the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! card sale on eBay to date.
“Nostalgia is a powerful driver of collecting, and we’ve seen strong interest in nostalgic items in our marketplace,” Gene Cook, VP of Global Collectibles at eBay, tells Mashable. “Whether it’s driven by films like Barbie, trends on social platforms, or people wanting to tangibly connect with toys and items that brought them joy in their childhood. Collecting isn’t just about acquiring items but being part of a community, and that is true for all generations.”
We broke down some of eBay’s 2023 trends data to find out what people were searching for on the site this year.
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Snoopy, Sonny Angel, and Miffy
Sonny Angel dolls, all in a row.
Credit: Edmond So/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
Cute collectibles have had quite a year, with fictional Dutch bunny Miffy, sweet Sonny Angels, and Snoopy taking center stage on TikTok and Instagram. On eBay, users searched Miffy 5,000 times per month, and searches for Sonny Angel increased more than 250 percent globally compared to the same time last year. This year, eBay users searched for “Snoopy” over 18,000 times per day, globally, and the most expensive Snoopy item sold on eBay was an unworn Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Snoopy Anniversary Series that went for $38,500. People especially love the Peanuts during the holidays; eBay says the number of ‘Snoopy’ and ‘Peanuts’ collectibles sold on the site increased double digits from October to November 2023.
WAG game day glam
Taylor Swift at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium on October 22, 2023, watching the Kansas City Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Credit: David Eulitt/Getty Images
eBay says quarterbacks Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) and Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) were the two most-searched football players in global sports trading cards on eBay, but it was the players’ girlfriends that made an impact this year. Travis Kelce jersey sales increased 340 percent the day after girlfriend Taylor Swift cheered him on at a game (a trend also reflected on shopping app LTK), while searches for Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios skyrocketed over 4,300 percent in the US and Canada the day after his girlfriend and TikTok superstar Alix Earle posted a video customizing her beau’s jersey.
It’s impossible to attribute those search spikes directly to Swift and Earle, but there’s no denying the duo’s influence on style trends across the internet.
Taylor Swift (and popcorn buckets)
A Taylor Swift commemorative popcorn tub.
Credit: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
Speaking of Swift, the pop star was the top search across all entertainment memorabilia on eBay between July and October 2023. And with the debut of Swift’s Eras Tour Film, eBay says Swifties searched for movie merch, from popcorn buckets to posters.
In general, popcorn bucket collectibles were a hot commodity this year. In April, after the March 31 release of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, searches for “dungeons and dragons popcorn bucket,” an AMC exclusive, increased nearly 200 percent on eBay.
VHS Tapes
Credit: Anya Semenoff/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Climb up into the attic and poke around for any VHS tapes because they may be collecting more than dust. In an October appearance on The Tonight Show, Pete Davidson recounted his plan to resell sealed VHS tapes at a premium. Based on the sale prices for the format on eBay this year, Davidson may be onto something: a 1984 sealed copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark sold for $10,050. The site says vintage horror movies from the late 70s and 80s — think The Goonies, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street — are especially popular purchases.
Sports memorabilia
Olga Carmona celebrates with the trophy during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.
Credit: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Some of the most expensive sports memorabilia items purchased on eBay in 2023 were true archival pieces (a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie card was the priciest purchase in April and one is currently listed on the site for $253,500). But modern sports drive huge traffic spikes on the site.
For example, following Tom Brady’s (second) retirement announcement on Feb. 1, sales of his rookie cards increased more than 500 percent on eBay, and searches for his memorabilia jumped around 230 percent in the US. On June 6, global searches for “Lionel Messi” collectibles on eBay increased by over 75 percent when the soccer star announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain. When he made his MLS debut in July, searches for his trading cards increased over 130 percent on eBay compared to May 2023.
And after Spain’s Olga Carmona scored the singular goal against England to secure her team’s first-ever Women’s World Cup on Aug. 19, global searches for her collectibles had ballooned by 5,400 percent by Aug. 20.
Barbie (#JusticeforAllan)
There’s just one Allan!
Credit: Mashable composite; Mattel, Inc.
Barbie was one of the best movies of the year and, it seems, on eBay. Users searched for “Barbie” over 14,000 times per hour, globally, in the week before and immediately after the release of the film (July 14 to 29). And Barbie shared the eBay spotlight with an unlikely pal: Allan, the discontinued friend-of-Ken depicted by Michael Cera in the blockbuster movie. Searches for “Allan doll” increased by over 1300 percent on eBay between July 14 and July 21, the day the film opened.
