Toy economics is what I see as keeping track of what’s going on currently in the world and how it could impact toys, specifically toy cars.
Keep an eye on how real cars are selling in places such as Mecum Auto Auction or Barrett Jackson. If a certain type of car is consistently going for large sums of money most likely its toy replica will follow.
eBay is where I spend most of my time buying but also a lot of time looking. NSX cars are going for lots of money. A 1990s Honda/Acura NSX easily can fetch $100,000. If you are talking about a new car it will cost you around $200,000. You’ll see toy NSX slot cars in the $70 range because of it. A slot car seller can ask anything they want because these toy cars aren’t being manufactured anymore. Like anything, the bigger question is whether someone is buying them.
What’s interesting is usually however cars start the year, they will stay that way. There are no daily ups and downs like the stock market. They will continue at a steady pace in price the entire time.
Shockingly talking about toy economics, cars like the Audi R8 slot car haven’t exploded in either real or toy. It seems like the followers of these types of cars are somewhat limited. You can walk away with one of these cars for a decent price right now.
On the flip side, the cars that will hurt your pocket are Indy and Formula 1. Right now, these cars are pretty expensive and it doesn’t matter if it’s HO or 1/32 slot cars. They’ve been steady at ridiculous prices for about two years now.
