The Life of a Toy Buyer

Imagine a job or work role where you get to buy toys. That’s one of the roles I do, working for Adventure Toys, the child’s paradise for all ages of children.

It may start with a customer coming in looking for a certain type of toy which we don’t already sell, it may be something my own children have seen someone else has or they have asked for, though often it’s through the companies we already buy from, launching something new or when we see something of interest.

The exception to the day-to-day toy buying is the big Toy Fairs, held mainly in January and February for the coming year held in London, New York, Nürnberg and Hong Kong. These are shows just for toy buyers. Imagine the biggest stadiums, concert venues or sheds you can and then multiply it, as it’s each show takes up several of these buildings, bringing together toy manufacturers from round the world to showcase their new, best and latest toys.

It really does take days to walk round these shows, looking at new toys, getting a glimpse of what may be the latest craze or become a family favourite. Some stands want you to come and try their toys, some have people showing you what toys do, other stands are completely walled round with security, as only the invited few are allowed to see what’s inside, for fear of anyone copying the latest ideas.

We will see every sort of toy you could imagine and some you couldn’t, some are a great concept, lots have already been made before, just in a new colour or size, quite a few we just walk past as they are of no interest to our shop and a few we get excited about. Which may mean eventually we get them on our shelves, possibly within the year or maybe not for you to buy.

 

There is lots of trying, handling, watching and playing goes on, a toy may look great in a brochure, box or screen but it will have to stand the test of being in our shop, on display and built to be played with and when it’s in your home, played with as a much-loved toy.

We see how strong it is, what it does, if it has any surprises, it’s quality and colour options. Then we ask the more boring work questions like, how many come in a box, where will it be shipped from, how long will it take to arrive, the price, the shipping price and how many we need to order. All these also can make or break, a toy being on our shelves. We arnt a huge company, we can’t manage a full 40ft container of one toy, to be distributed round stores or to central distribution hubs. It all must fit into our stores, here on the farm in North Yorkshire.

 

Surprisingly to our waiting children back home, you can’t buy any toys at these fairs to take home. We will place orders over the coming year. Eager little people wait at home, to see you after you have been away, wanting to see brand new toys you have brought back ‘for them’ but all you return with, are stacks of brochures, QR codes, pens and the odd key ring! But also, lots of hope and exiting toys to come.

Back in the office, looking through websites and brochures, we note what we saw and liked, what we didn’t notice at the show or sells well in the shop. We ask opinions of other members of staff, look at the size of the toy, it’s age range, colours and the price.

How ever beautiful, lovely to handle and amazingly built, a toy is, if its price means it’s not affordable to many, then it’s not something that often takes up shelf space, we do have to sell toys to keep the business going. On the other side if it’s very cheap we usually must buy a single product in huge numbers and the quality often is less, which isn’t something we would want to sell.

Colour is very important, pink for a girl is an old saying, though lots of people do still follow this and want lots of pink, others go completely against it. We see great toys which are very pink, had they been made in other colours, would be great for all children but they are just too pink for most people. We keep looking. The pastel, scandi, primary and neutral colour schemes all pass through and have followers, we prefer to mix it up, as not everyone is looking for the same.

Country of origin and the workforce are also considered when looking at buying from a new company. Many toys are now manufactured in Europe, very few still in the U.K. but Europe has a very strong toy industry which we support. Further afield many companies are also doing a lot to help their work force, to offer opportunities for them and their families. Building schools, infrastructure and communities which we like to support and promote.

What a toy is made from makes a huge difference but will be discussed on a later blog.

We also check out the sale pages of the manufacturers website as we love a bargain as much as you do and we do pass this onto you, we also stock up on lines which we know sell well and are great for our customers but maybe don’t sell well elsewhere so are being discontinued.

 

Its time, we place the order, already excited about what will come and when. We write our own descriptions and entries on our website, no AI involved because I have played with the toy and know what it does and how it feels, occasionally I will go back and alter the description after the toy has arrived here and iv had time to play with it and see children play with it. Customers contact us with questions about a toy and if its not included the answer, will also be added as no question is a bad one and someone else is probably thinking about it. So, if you have a question about a toy, please ask.

The courier’s book in and then drop of huge boxes, pallets and sometimes hundreds of little boxes and we get to open everything. This does bring other staff members round to have a look, examine and discuss the latest toys I have been exited about and describing too them. Everything must be counted, checked off against order forms, priced to go on the shop floor and put away in the stores. Usually, one is also built or taken out of its packaging to be put on the shop floor or outside display.

Then the waiting begins, we have gone through all the above to get to this point, we think the toy is great, at the right price and we love it. When will the first customer see it online or be shown it by an exited member of staff when they come into the shop, their child has a try of it. And one is sold. This is why we do a happy dance when a sale comes in, why we tell each other in the office when something sells. It may be within minutes of something been opened, if you happen to be in the shop, as we eagerly open a delivery or days, even weeks later sold online.

We then pack it up and send it on its way to your home, we hope it will be a loved toy and you think its as good as we think it is and you will remember us and be back for more toys.