So, usually when we think of collecting action figures, Funko Pops, Anime figurines, etc., making money is not one of the first things that comes to mind. We think of the opposite: spending money—lots and lots of money. But did you know that there are some ways in which your collection could actually function as an asset, and make money for you? Yes, as crazy as that sounds, you could, potentially, make money off of your collection, and I’m going to run through a few things you can do to start generating some revenue from your collection.
Now, for the sake of brevity, I am going to be focusing on action figures specifically in this post; however, most of what I cover will likely be applicable to whatever it is that you collect, be it action figures, Funko Pops, LEGO sets, stuffed animals—whatever it is. So, keep in mind that when I say “action figures”, you can replace that with whatever collectable item you happen to collect.
Selling Action Figures from Your Collection
This is probably the most obvious one, and you as a collector probably don’t need me to tell you that you can make a decent amount of money on some of the more rare or valuable pieces of your collection.
If you were to go on to eBay right now and search for any give figure in your collection, chances are, there are going to be some active listings. This will give you an idea of how much other people are currently asking for that specific action figure. If you want a concrete idea of how much people are willing to pay for that figure, then you can check the Sold listings on eBay to see how much recent buyers have spent on it. I have a whole post dedicated to action figures increasing in value over time, check it out here.
Making Money on Your Action Figure Collection Online
Okay, so most of this post is going to be focused on how you can utilize the internet to make money off of your action figure collection. Some great ways to do this include creating YouTube videos, podcasting, and blogging. Basically, you are going to be creating content of some kind—you’ll be a “Content Creator” as the gurus like to say. I’m going to discuss each of these options individually, and then I will discuss how you can monetize your content.
You Can Make a YouTube Channel Based on Your Action Figure Interest
Now we’re getting into the fun stuff. YouTube presents the opportunity for pretty much anyone to share their interest or hobby with the rest of the world; whether it be boating, hiking, music production, media commentary—pretty much anything, and, yes, that includes action figure collecting.
You can create a YouTube channel around your hobby of action figure collecting, and there are a number of different ways you can do it. Let’s take Transformers for example. You can do figure reviews like emgo316 does, news and theory videos like The Ragin Nation does, or stop motion videos like SwagWave SM. You could also do something completely different than any of these guys. Its completely up to you.
You Can Create a Podcast about Your Interest in Action Figure
Podcasting is huge right now. Some would even say that there is a larger audience for podcasting than YouTube. With podcasting, you lose the video component, so reviewing action figures is probably off the table, same with stop motion animation; but podcasting opens the door to a whole other realm of possibilities.
You can, of course, center your podcast around news related to a particular thing such as Transformers, Marvel, Star Wars, Funko Pops, Anime, etc. You can report on upcoming figures and give your thoughts and expectations on them, and, in time, build an audience of people who get there Transformers or Star Wars action figure news from you.
Another angle you can take with a podcast is just picking a topic related to your interest and giving you thoughts on those topics. You could have a podcast episode where you give your opinions on the different X-Men cartoons that have come out over the years, or you could do an episode where you express your dislike for Michael Bay’s Transformers films. You could even have a group of your friends join in on the conversation. There is so much you could do with a podcast, and there are many fellow collectors out there just looking for something to listen to that can get them through the work day. Your podcast could provide that for someone.
You Can Blog about Your Interest in Action Figures
Maybe you don’t feel comfortable putting yourself out there the way you would have to with a YouTube channel or a podcast. Maybe you don’t like the sound of your own voice, or you just don’t feel brave enough start recording just yet. Maybe you don’t live in an environment that would allow for production of YouTube videos or podcast episodes. In that case, you might want to try giving blogging a shot.
Blogging would allow you to talk about your hobby without actually talking about it, and maybe you feel more comfortable doing that. Just realize that when it comes to audience size, there is probably a larger potential audience for a podcast or YouTube channel than there is for a blog. It’s unfortunate, but a lot of people just don’t like to read. Then again, you are reading my blog right now, so take that into consideration.
How Can You Monetize Your YouTube Channel, Podcast, or Blog
So, I briefly talked about this already, but now its time to go into more detail. When monetizing a YouTube channel, podcast, or blog your options are going to be similar across the board. There are different methods for getting each monetized and you do need to approach each differently, but, in general, you’re looking at the same forms of monetization: ads, affiliate marketing, Patreon, and paid sponsorships.
Ad Revenue
You know how you have to sit through ads before watching videos on YouTube, or how sometimes the podcast you’re listening to will be interrupted by a brief segment on an air freshener or something? Well, that is one of the ways in which content creators are able to make money off of the content they are giving you for free, and those ads allow them to continue to create free content for you and everyone else to enjoy. Running ads is probably on of the simplest ways to make money off of your blog, podcast, or YouTube channel. Bare in mind, in many cases you will need to cross a certain threshold of views/listeners before qualifying. Google AdSense is one of the most popular programs used to run ads on websites. YouTube videos, etc.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when your get paid to sell someone else’s product. This can be done a number of different ways. Usually you are given a special link to a product on, let’s say, Amazon. You include that link in a blog post, YouTube video description, social media post, or in the show notes of a podcast episode. When someone clicks your link and purchases that product through your unique link to that product, you make a small commission from the purchase.
You will need to sign up for an affiliate program in order to get those special links. Some affiliate programs are easier to get into than others. One of the easiest programs to quality for is Amazon’s, which is great because who doesn’t shop on Amazon? The downside to Amazon’s affiliate program is that the commission rates tend to be pretty low. Other affiliate programs may offer high commissions, but the barrier to entry is higher. Every affiliate program has certain rules you must abide by. Be sure to understand the program’s rules before getting started to avoid getting yourself kicked from the program!
Patreon
Patreon will allow people to support your work via recurring donations. Many YouTubers and podcasters have Patreon accounts so that people who share their interests and/or appreciate their content can support them. You can choose to let people support your work through recurring monthly donations, or on a per project basis. An example of this would be you receiving donations automatically every time you upload a video to YouTube, or complete a blog post or an episode of your podcast.
Paid Sponsorships
Paid sponsorships are when a business/company/individual pays you to feature their project on your platform and recommend their product to your audience. This product could be related to the content you produce or completely unrelated. Products related to action figure collecting could be display cases, LED light strips, storage tubs, other action figures, etc. A non-related product might be something like a vitamin supplement or a VPN.
Getting Your Stuff Monetized Takes Work and Time
Everything I’ve just talked about—Google AdSense, paid sponsorships, Patreon—to make money through these means is going to take time and dedication. YouTube won’t even allow you to enable ads until you have crossed a certain threshold of minutes watched, sponsors won’t come until you have a large enough audience for them to market to, and there won’t be 100+ people donating to your Patreon overnight. This stuff takes time and effort, but, if you’re willing to do the work, it will definitely pay off.