Collector joy as Aussies cash in on retro collectibles

Isabella Galimberti has a toy collection that could rival most Australian kids.

The 23-year-old from Brisbane has over 2000 individual toys ranging from Care Bears, My Little Ponies, Strawberry Shortcake dolls and Barbies.

Her colourful collection boasts three hundred My Little Ponies and more than one hundred Care Bears alone.

She sources her toys from eBay and Facebook Marketplace as well as trading directly with other collectors.

"Toy collection is almost like a full-time job, especially if you are after the rare ones," she said.

"Living in Australia makes it incredibly difficult to collect as finding retro toys is incredibly difficult, almost a rarity. So as a result most of my toy collection is actually imported from the US."

It seems Isabella is not alone.

Amid continued cost-of-living pressures, new eBay data shows Aussies may have valuable vintage treasures hidden at home with iconic retro collectible items surging on the online marketplace.

Vintage film cameras are up 208 per cent, Nintendo 64 consoles are up 63 per cent and vintage stamps are up 51 per cent.

eBay spokesperson Emma Lowde said there had been an "impressive sales uplift" across iconic retro collectible items.

"As cost-of-living pressures continue, Aussies are looking for new ways to make some extra cash to fuel their hobbies," she said.

"Collectibles have been at the core of eBay since we arrived in Australia nearly 25 years ago and our data reveals that they're just as important to Aussies now as they were on day one."

For the best results Ms Lowde advises potential sellers to make sure listing titles are clear, to provide accurate descriptions of the item including its condition and to use high-quality images to advertise toys.

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