How to Research a Toy Name!

Yard sale season is coming up and that’s the time of year that I love. Each Saturday, and sometimes Friday too, I get up early and head out. Toys are a great product to seek out because they are easy to find as moms and dads clean house and try to rid themselves of the excess. That’s where you come in…..the eBay seller!

Toys can be a hot commodity, and I’m going to show you an easy way to research those toys to know whether it’s a good buy and how to list with the proper keywords!

Here I have two toys that I have no idea what the names are. One looks like a wizard educational toy the other is a train with balls. 

The first thing you will need to do is to look on the bottom side of the toy to locate the manufacturer and the model number. We’ll start with the wizard.

I’ve located that information underneath the toy and will begin a Google search with Fisher-Price J8234.

I’ve typed in the manufacturer which is Fisher-Price along with the model number. It’s not necessary to add a lot of other descriptive words unless this search shows up nothing. In most cases this method will work. If it does not work I recommend typing in a generic description like; Fisher Price Wizard Toy then click on images and see if you can find it that way.

As you can see this search has generated the exact name of the product, it’s called Quizard the Learning Wizard. Now you can begin your search on eBay, Terapeak and Amazon to see if this will be a good buy or not. When you go to list this product you will have the exact name and description of your product.

Next, I’ve got this Playskool train that I’ve come across and again I will check the underside of the toy for more information.

Now that I’ve located the model number of this toy I will start another Google search.

Again, I’ve generated a search of what appears to be called the Playskool Busy Ball Popper and a quick click on the Google image confirms it!

I would recommend carrying a small screw driver while out searching for toys. You wouldn’t want to purchase a toy, only to come home and find old batteries exploded in the battery compartment. You can check quickly to make sure the compartment looks clean; it’s more likely to work properly. If you are so inclined you could even keep an assortment of batteries with you for testing!

Also, familiarize yourself with recalled toys or products by searching the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. It is your responsibility as a seller to not list recalled products on eBay.

I will be posting soon about "Hot Toys" to buy this summer.

Want to learn more about sourcing inventory to sell on eBay? Join our discussion group on Facebook!

Happy hunting and eBaying!
Lesley