January is the time of year when many of us bemoan our bank balances after the festive spending spree, but it turns out you could have a mini goldmine sitting in your home, without even realising it.
Gumtree has teamed up with 21st Century collectables expert, Tracy Martin, to identify the top 10 unwanted items people are currently selling online that are set to go up as much as three times in value in as little as a few months.
Items such as boxed Lego, limited edition beauty sets and even cookbooks can gain value in a very short space of time according to supply and demand.
‘It is all about the item, its supply and demand and also nostalgia comes into it especially with toys, board games and even perfume bottles,’ Tracy explained.
If you have any of the items on the list, such as a limited edition Walking Dead Boxset or an unopened No7 Beauty advent calendar, you might want to think twice before giving them away as they could fetch you hundreds.
And if you don’t own any items on the list, you could consider making an investment purchase now before values shoot up.
| ITEM | NOW SELLING ONLINE FOR | FUTURE VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| No7 Beauty Advent Calendar | £57.99 | £200 |
| Marc Jacobs ‘The Night Owl’ cracker gift box | £24 | £75 |
| Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Limited Edition | £29.54 | £100+ |
| Super Mario Monopoly | £24.99 | £100+ |
| First edition Dan Brown, Origin (signed) | £23 | £200 |
| Butler & Wilson Christmas brooch | £38 | £100+ |
| Heston Blumenthal The Fat Duck Cookbook | £26.52 | £50 |
| Lego set with box and instructions | £28.98 | £300 |
| Limited edition Walking Dead boxset | £45.95 | £250 |
| Disney onesie | £41.99 | £57 |
| TOTAL | £1,432 |
1. Unopened Advent calendars
Watch out for…
No7 Beauty Advent Calendar. Current asking price: £57.99
Lego Star Wars. Current asking price: £17.49
You can earn hundreds from an advent calendar, such as the No7 Christmas 2017 offering, if they are still in their packaging.
Lego Star Wars and Playmobil advent calendars also increase in value doubling or trebling over a short period of time, fetching £60-£100.
An unopened No7 beauty advent calendar could increase in value to in excess of £200
2. Festive edition make-up
Watch out for…
Marc Jacobs ‘The Night Owl’ cracker gift box. Current asking price: £24
The Original Unicorn Brushes. Current asking price: £30.99
‘The Marc Jacobs cracker set for instance with original cardboard packing intact can double to triple in value and fetch £50 to £75 in the future,’ Tracy explained.
The Marc Jacobs ‘The Night Owl’ cracker gift box is set to triple in value to £75
3. Limited edition perfumes
Watch out for…
Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Limited Edition. Current asking price £29.54
Tom Ford Private Blend. Current asking price: £74.95
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Pure Illusion limited edition bottle: Current asking price £71
Depending on the designer and innovative bottle, perfumes can make in excess opf £100, according to Tracy
Any limited edition perfume is a good investment as it could fetch over £100 once it’s no longer on sale
4. Limited Edition Board Games
Watch out for…
Limited edition Monopoly. Current asking price: £34.99
Super Mario Monopoly. Current asking price: £24.99
Board games always increase in value as long as all pieces are still present.
Depending on the fame of the board game they can sell for over £100
Limited edition board games such as Monopoly can also sell for over £100 once stock has run out
5. First Edition Modern Books
Watch out for…
Signed copy of Dan Brown, Origin. Current asking price: £23
Signed copy of David Walliams, Bad Dad. Current asking price: £18
First edition books go for hundreds, especially if signed by author
A signed first edition can fetch hundreds, although you may have to wait a few years for it to gain value
6. Costume jewellery
Look out for…
Butler & Wilson Father Christmas Half Moon brooch. Current asking price: £38
Butler & Wilson is very desirable with collectors willing to pay over £100 for Christmas tree brooches.
Butler & Wilson’s limited edition Christmas brooches can fetch three times their original price
7. Cook Books
Watch out for…
Heston Blumenthal The Fat Duck Cookbook. Current asking price: £26.52
Vintage or low print run cookery books are also sought after and can fetch from £50 upwards
Vintage cookbooks or anything that has a low print run and is hard to come by can fetch in excess of £50
8. Licenced toys
Look out for…
Power Rangers, Lego and Lego Super Heroes. Current asking price: £28.98
‘Licensed toys always go up in value really quickly. For example, a Power Rangers Dino Charge Morpher retailed at £35 a couple of years ago and now, unboxed, can make £60 to £80,’ Tracy said.
‘All licensed toys have the potential to increase but more so for Power Rangers due to the recent movie and TV series.
‘Lego box sets get discontinued over time, such as Nexo Knights, and these then double or triple in price especially if the box and leaflet are intact. Some Lego sets can sell for over £250.’
If you have Lego in the box with the instructions, you could earn hundreds of pounds
9. Limited edition box sets
Look out for
Special edition Game of Thrones. Current asking price: £89
Walking Dead Box Sets. Current asking price: £45.95
‘With popular series such as Game of Thrones and Walking Dead collectors can fetch £250,’ said Tracy.
Fans of hit shows such as The Walking Dead could be willing to pay up to £250 for a limited edition boxset
10. Licenced Onesies
Look out for…
Disney, Pokémon, Superheroes and Star Wars characters. Current asking price: £41.99
‘The value of onesies is dependent on supply and demand and can change over time. Sometimes you can make up to £15 depending on the type,’ Tracy explained.
Even your faithful onesie can increase in value over time, depending on the popularity of the character