From Hot to Not: Market Trends in 2025
Changing tastes and oversupply have left some categories flat. Before you buy, see which once-popular collectibles are now struggling to sell.
I am a long-time collector of tchotchkes and gewgaws, and I come by it honestly. My mother was a collector of many, many odds and ends, and I never really had a chance (happily) to be anything else. I was the trusted duster of her treasured McCoy pottery, but more importantly, I was her garage-sale partner in crime. The moment we parked, she would send me out on the hunt so we could cover more ground. I remember sprinting from table to table, letting out a cry of victory whenever I spotted something I knew my mother would love.
With such an early start in the collectibles game, it seemed natural that I would eventually transition to reselling. After all, how much easier is it to sustain an obsession with swung vases if you’re selling items that are equally valuable, but just not your cup of tea? But the antiques and collectibles market is a fickle mistress. What’s hot today can be stone-cold tomorrow. When reselling, I quickly learned that the same item selling like hotcakes on eBay one week couldn’t even fetch a view the next. (USA brown smiley-face coffee mug, anyone?).
Fast forward to today, and the same rollercoaster still applies. Shiny “must-haves” often sour in record time, leaving sellers with shelves full of dust-catchers and thrift store donations, and buyers with buyer’s remorse. For anyone looking to resell or simply add lasting value to a collection, here are a few categories that might look tempting at the estate sale table but should give you pause before you reach for your wallet.
Decorative Glass (Common Colors & Patterns)
Brilliant-cut glass, those bold red “Royal Ruby” glass, and yes, even some Carnival glass pieces are plentiful and losing steam. Collectors are chasing rarity, pattern, and maker, not just a colorful glow. Unless it’s an exceptional example, a hard-to-find pattern, or from a premium maker, most decorative glass isn’t worth the shelf space.
For instance, in a Brunk Auctions “Art Glass & Perfume Bottle” auction, several lots of perfume bottles and small decorative glass with estimates around US $300-$600 ended up selling for significantly less (for example, estimates of $400-600 but selling for $250 to $350), especially for colored or less rare items. That shows the softening demand even in what used to be stable niche glass categories.
Additionally, a pair of unsigned 20th-century brilliant-cut glass items (vase + bowl) from John Moran Auctions, estimated at $800-$1,200, sold for just $500 despite being in “good condition” apart from a few frits and chips.
Beanie Babies (Enough is enough, folks)
People still talk about the fortunes that were made in the 1990s, but that bubble burst decades ago. Unless you’ve stumbled on a verified rare edition with authenticated tags, your tote of plush pals is more nostalgic than nest egg. Purple Princess Di is not going to fund your retirement, but that doesn’t stop eBay sellers from pushing their particular bear as RARE!!!! With VERY few exceptions to the rule, it’s not.
Common China & Crystal
Full dinner services used to be wedding-gift gold, but today they are difficult to sell. While names like Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre, Meissen, Lalique, and Baccarat still draw buyers, more common mid-market sets from Staffordshire or everyday Waterford patterns are languishing. Heavy, ornate crystal stemware is especially tough to move.
Sports Cards (Junk Wax Era)
If you’ve unearthed a shoebox of 1980s or 1990s baseball and football cards, don’t quit your day job just yet. That era was mass-produced to the point of overkill. Only high-grade rookies, rare errors, or professionally slabbed cards hold any real value.
According to cllct.com, Altan Insights reported in its Q2 2024 Sports Collectibles Market Report that high-end auction sales of sports cards dropped 20% quarter-over-quarter and 27% year-over-year. The same report noted that while vintage cards still outperform modern and ultra-modern issues, even vintage is under pressure as many collectors are holding rather than selling in a down market.
Although several record prices for premium cards have been set in 2025, the junk wax of the ’80s and ’90s is nowhere to be found.
Limited-Edition Barbies
Special-edition Barbies from the late 1990s and 2000s were churned out in staggering numbers, and both the primary market and secondary market are saturated. Unless the doll is tied to a true rarity, prototype, or pristine early edition, resale demand is low. A quick perusal of the eBay solds for Limited Edition Barbie showed a significant number selling for under $50, with most around the $25 mark.
Even Mattel is feeling the pinch. After the blockbuster success of the Barbie movie in 2023, sales have cooled dramatically. In Q2 2025, Mattel reported a 19% drop in Barbie and doll category revenue compared to the previous year. Forbes noted the same trend earlier, with a 17% decline in Barbie merchandise billings in late 2024
Longaberger Baskets
Once a household name, Longaberger was a billion-dollar company at its peak around the year 2000, and when I began my reselling journey, a Longaberger basket was a holy grail find. Now, the baskets are piling up at estate sales and thrift stores. Oversupply, changing décor tastes, and a younger generation that doesn’t want (or have room for) cabinets of baskets have driven values down, and only unusual or very early examples are attracting collectors’ attention.
Collectors themselves recognize the decline. In the Longaberger Baskets Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook group, one member noted the company “priced themselves out of the market,” while another bluntly said, “They overproduced and flooded the market.”
Franklin Mint & Other Mass-Market “Limited Editions”
Whether coins, dolls, plates, or die-cast cars, most Franklin Mint and similar releases are worth far less than the original price their customers paid for them. Unfortunately, the certificates of authenticity don’t translate into demand. These were designed to look rare, but they were produced in volume.
Funko Pops! (Modern and Common Releases)
The Funko craze is cooling. While vaulted figures, exclusives, and early short-run releases can still command strong prices, the avalanche of modern Pops has swamped the market. The company’s own fortunes tell the story: Funko, Inc.’s stock price has plunged nearly 69% year-to-date in 2025, reflecting declining demand and heavy discounting. Collectors note that many Pops, which once fetched hundreds, now resell for a fraction of that. A May 2025 analysis asked bluntly: Are Funko Pops still worth collecting? and concluded that overproduction has eroded long-term value for most releases.
Oversaturation in the modern market has turned this once hot commodity into tiny vinyl paperweights. Unless you’re buying an exclusive or a short-run chase figure, most Pops lose value straight out of the box. However, as the analysis concludes, “Funko Pops are still worth collecting because they represent something deeply personal—the stories we care about.”
Replica Movie Props & Mass-Market Merch
Screen-used items are a different story, but factory-made replicas of lightsabers, swords, or superhero gear are depreciating quickly. Collectors want provenance and originality, not mass-market replicas. The same goes for franchise tie-in memorabilia and promotional merchandise, including movie giveaways, fast-food toys, and shelves of action figures churned out for every blockbuster. Unless it’s an early, limited, or rare variation, most of these items are everywhere and lack long-term value.
Non-Rare VHS Tapes
Yes, certain horror titles and some Disney “Black Diamond” editions make headlines, but the majority of VHS tapes are functionally worthless. Unless they’re sealed, rare, or tied to cult fandom, most tapes are bound for the bargain bin.
My Takeaway
Collecting is supposed to be fun, and the best finds spark joy as much as they spark value. However, I’m not saying to avoid carnival glass if that’s what brings you joy. Buy what you truly love if it is for the love of what you collect. But if you’re purchasing for resale, or appreciating value, before you haul a box of baskets, VHS tapes, or “limited edition” Barbies out of an estate sale, remember that what’s hot today can be cold tomorrow. Choose wisely and save your dollars.
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