The reselling world got nostalgic

In the beginning, it was the Pokèmon, then the collectable cards and finally the return of the toys. 2020 saw the great return of the nostalgia effect in the world of reselling, transforming past trends into gold mines for some and journeys down the boulevard of memories for others. Over the past twelve months, the price of Pokémon cards has grown by 300%, while sales of products dedicated to Pikachu and friends on StockX have doubled. A result possible also thanks to the marriage born between the characters of Nintendo video games and the world of streetwear, the spark necessary to rekindle the fire of passion passed from the capsule of Daniel Arsham and Uniqlo to the desire to recover the Charizard card buried in the attic.

But the fever of nostalgic collecting didn't remain confined to the world of video games, managing to reach the sports world, from football to basketball. It's StockX to underline that from January of last year to today the average price of ten collectable stickers has gone from 280 dollars to 775 dollars, with an increase in value equal to 200%. In the list of the most precious are those dedicated to the NBA, whose value has increased by 260% in just one year, but also those dedicated to the world of football, popular especially among French collectors. Their favourite? The Panini Ronaldo sticker from the 2014 World Cup.

Inevitable art toys, which have gone from being a collector's item for the few to a real craze capable of generating a round of income that has nothing to envy to that of sneakers. In the last 12 months, the toy market has grown by 275% only in the average expenditure on Bearbricks, while a separate discussion could be made for the Kaws, whose price has even doubled in a single day after an article in on The New York Times. Speaking of nostalgia it's impossible not to mention LEGO, which has grown by 30% in the last month alone, but also of vintage consoles and vinyl records. Over the past 30 days, the Super Nintendo average resale price has increased by 56%, while vinyl records on StockX have seen an average price increase of 120% over the past year. If you're curious about the best-selling album of 2020, don't worry, it's Travis Scott'sJackboys.

The success of nostalgia is undoubtedly the sign of an ever-evolving generation of collectors, ready to embrace both the latest releases in the sneaker world and the memorabilia of their childhood. It will be up to the brands to exploit the trend to their advantage, channelling the desires of this new slice of the market through collaborations and new releases that we know how to look to the future, but winking at the most nostalgic.