Profiting From Matchbox Cars

The automotive diecast scale model market is predicted to approximately grow by $1.05 billion during the years 2020 to 2024. It will have a CAGR of over 5% during the said years. This is according to the website Business Wire.

But this good news to toy car sellers is not an isolated one. If you Google the search keywords “automobile scale model growth”, you would see similar articles which report the impressive growth of the diecast scale model industry.

But this article would only tackle the matchbox toy car industry primarily as the diecast scale model market is much too large to be discussed by this article. To be clear, we are only talking about diecast models which are similar as “Matchbox Cars” which are currently owned by the toy company Mattel, Inc.

What Are Matchbox Cars?

I don’t think I need to describe what Matchbox Cars look like. They are small metal scale models of cars. Matchbox makes many scale model cars, but their smallest size scale car model is the one which is well known as “Matchbox.”

These smaller models or "regular size” are often classified as 1:64 scale models. They measure between 2.5 to 3 inches, or 6.5 to 7.5 centimeters in length. Many diecast toy manufacturers sell cars identical to Matchbox Cars.

Just like Matchbox Cars, the diecast scale model cars of these manufacturers copy the size of Matchbox Cars. Some of the competitors even directly duplicate the diecast cars made by the Matchbox Company with minor visual alterations.

If you intend to sell Matchbox Cars, one of the first things you need to learn is to tell the difference between Matchbox Cars and the counterfeit Matchbox Cars. Matchbox Cars can be so expensive that even criminals have been selling them.

The Appeal Of Matchbox Cars

It Rolls Like A Real Car For A Toy Without Engine

According to the story of the invention of the Matchbox Car, the then Owner of Mattel, fresh from the success of their Barbie Doll toy line for girls, noticed a boy playing with a diecast model car which is the same size as Matchbox Cars.

However, the boy seems frustrated as the diecast car would immediately stop rolling because its toy wheels were inadequate for rolling on surfaces. To make a long story short, the then Owner of Mattel improved the toy wheels so much that the diecast model became very fun for children to roll in surfaces like an actual car.

Thus, the Matchbox Car was invented. From this story, we learn that the toy wheel part of a Matchbox Car is what defines it as a real Matchbox Car. The excellent quality of the wheels of a Matchbox Car is usually what sets it apart from other diecast scale model cars of the same size.

This is the reason why there are customizers who change the wheels of Matchbox Cars to make them more valuable. If you intend to go into the Matchbox business, you definitely should not take Matchbox wheels lightly. They can be very valuable as spare parts.

It’s A Poor Man’s Car Collection

People, especially men have a near love affair with the car. A real car gives you the power to go anywhere you want to go. A car is a symbol of freedom. With it, a man can take his partner, family and anyone anywhere.

This is why a real car is a symbol of pride as well and is a status symbol. Many people want to own the most flashy and expensive car that they can buy. Sports Cars adorn the walls of many children’s room.

They are only a fantasy for many, regrettably. Only the richest people can own the fancy and very expensive sports cars. Even in this modern age, even the very basic of cars is just a dream for many of us.

That is why people who cannot afford real cars just buy scale models of the real cars they want to own. This explains why Matchbox Cars are usually scale models of the most popular cars like the expensive sports cars and American muscle cars.

If you look at many Matchbox collectors, you would find that many of them do not own just a dozen Matchbox Cars but they can own more than a hundred cars. There are even scale model car collectors who have devoted entire rooms to their collection.

This can go to such extremes that these collectors even have dioramas of their ideal garage which might reflect their extravagant taste. These diecast car collectors could be good clients for diorama makers.

It’s An Extension Of A Person’s Pride

During my younger days when I first owned a car, I learned to easily like it even though it was old, second-hand and a cheap car. The first thing that came to my mind was to buy a Matchbox scale model of my old, second-hand and cheap car.

As time progressed. I noticed when I ride in some cars, there would be Matchbox models in the dashboard. These scale models were the exact replica of the real cars. Even their colors are the same as those of the real cars they were patterned with.

This could be the reason why besides popular cars, the Matchbox company also produces scale models of the newest car models. They know that people are equally proud of their own cars, even though they are just common mass market cars.

There are even rich people especially celebrities who commission professional Matchbox customizers to make custom built Matchbox Cars that represent their cars. In fact, I found an article from Robb Report titled:

Not a Toy: Why People Pay 5 Figures for Insanely Detailed Models of Their Favorite Cars

As the title suggests, the article is about why there are people who are rich celebrities who pay good money to people to make scale models of the cars that are very near their hearts. For example, the great car driver, Michael Schumacher, commissioned the creation of a scale model of the racing car that helped him win a racing tournament.

The cars might not be Matchbox scale models themselves, but a Matchbox Car customizer might follow the same business model of their more illustrious car scale model customizers and offer the same services.

A Matchbox customizer can for example, create a scale model of a common person’s car. A simple detailing of the number plates of a person’s Matchbox Car can be all that is needed to personalize a Matchbox Car.

It Is A Cheap Hobby For Scale Model Collectors

It is very evident that toy car collectors collect all manner and sizes of toy cars. However, as the toy car becomes more and more realistic, the more expensive they get. This might be the reason why many car collectors have chosen to collect Matchbox Cars instead of the bigger and more expensive scale car models.

Matchbox Cars are also cheaper to maintain. There are collectors who have duplicate collections of the same Matchbox Car because they could easily buy them for the cheapness. These duplicates serve as spare parts to each other in case the collector wants to customize one.

This is why we see Matchbox Car models who are being sold in packs where the only differences from each other are very minimal, like their color. As a seller of Matchbox Car, you can offer bulk sales of Matchbox Cars using this strategy.

Decals

Perhaps, one the easiest way to make money with Matchbox Cars is to sell Decals especially made for it. Perhaps one of the best examples I can find of businesses involved in Matchbox Cars is the website “mycustomhotwheels.”

Website: MYCUSTOMHOTWHEELS

One of their products are Matchbox Decals. They even have a part of the website dedicated entirely to these miniature car decals. The car decals they sell come in theme packs. For example, there would theme for sports cars, racing cars and so on.

Judging from this website and the importance it gave to these decals, I can say that they are good sellers. Otherwise, they would not feature prominently in the website. The vast numbers of the decals alone suggest that there are many collectors out there who buy these decals.

You can make your own decals for Matchbox Cars and sell them yourself. There are many DIY videos in YouTube that can teach you how to make stickers. All you need is the graphic design skills to make the designs.

The decals in the website of MYCUSTOMHOTWHEELS are also a bit pricey. They range from $8 to more than $20. These decals can be a good moneymaker as they are not that expensive to produce but can relatively be bought at a high price.

Dioramas

Just as you can sell custom built Matchbox Cars, you could also sell custom built dioramas. The dioramas related to Matchboxes can come in many forms. They can be in the form of miniature garages, gas stations, parking lots and so on.

Again, like just the decals, you need very good graphic design skills. You would need the skills of an artist to justify making dioramas for beautifully made Matchbox Cars. This means that your dioramas should look very realistic and not toy-like.

Remember that you are not selling your dioramas as toys to be sold to children. You are selling your dioramas to adults who do not play much with their Matchbox Cars. You are selling your dioramas to adults who want to proudly display their Matchbox Car collection in a beautiful diorama setting.

For example, there are dioramas that come complete with scale models of people. You would need to have great skills in painting these scale models of people in order for your dioramas to be well sought after by Matchbox collectors. To repeat, you are not selling to children.

As a slight deviation to Matchbox Cars, you could also sell diorama props. These props could be scale model of people, plants, trees and so on. This could also be a market for diorama makers who may not be so involved with Matchbox Cars.

Car Racks

Another product you could also sell are Matchbox Car Racks. Matchbox Car Collectors can easily become compulsive collectors. This is due to the relative financial ease of which they can built up their collections.

As said, Matchbox Cars are so cheap that many people buy literally hundreds of them and even more. In time, these collectors would see the need to properly catalog and display their huge collections.

These car racks can be as simple as storage racks that can be attached to the wall or elaborately made car themed car racks. For example, I have seen Matchbox Car racks that take the form of a circular wheel. Just Google the search keywords “matchbox car racks” to see some examples of these car racks.

Just like dioramas and Matchboxes, you could offer services that involve custom built Matchbox car racks. Since Matchbox Cars are small, construction of their racks do not require special tools. Simple wood, glass and plastic materials are sufficient to build commercial racks.

Digital Products

Of course, you can sell digital products related to Matchbox Cars. These are not just products unto themselves, but also serve as marketing tools for your physical products related to Matchbox Cars.

There are many social media accounts devoted to Matchbox Cars. There are for example, Instagram accounts dedicated to Matchbox Car pictures. There are websites devoted to pictures of commercial and custom built Matchbox Cars.

There are even online businesses that sell magazines and posters depicting Matchbox Cars and some come complete with dioramas. There are also YouTube videos devoted to the before and after of a custom built Matchbox Car.

The Market For Collectible Matchbox Cars

If you are more of the speculator type, then you can invest in collectible Matchbox Cars. There have been Matchbox Cars that have fetched prices well over in the hundred of thousand of dollars.

If you do not have much capital to invest in collectible Matchbox Cars, you could buy Matchboxes cheaply in bulk and hope that someday, your collection or one of the Matchbox in your collection would become a collectible.

Although this looks like more of a lottery strategy, this strategy has been used by many investors who are low on cash but big on hopes. It just depends on a keen eye and plenty of luck to pick a gem within the stones.

Conclusion

Just like many toys, Matchbox Cars have the possibility of becoming expensive collectables through the sheer behavior of the collectors market. They can also become expensive if their custom built versions becomes popular.

Besides the Matchbox Cars themselves, their accessories can also be a good source of income. One can make decals, dioramas, racks, digital products and many other products related to it.

But one thing good about Matchbox Cars is their cheap price. One can get into collecting them with relative ease. And if one decides to enter the business of Matchbox Cars, they can start small and then grow big later.

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