If you’re in charge of buying toys for a retail store, you already know how tricky it can be. Toys are a fast-moving category, and the pressure to get it right is real. Some mistakes are easy to fix, but others can slowly chip away at profit without much warning. This article will share some mistakes that you need to avoid so your retail store has a better shot at keeping stock moving and margins becoming stronger.
1. Ignoring What Sells Locally
While it’s tempting to chase national trends, what sells on a hot list might not fly in your area. Some places lean into STEM toys, while others love action figures or dolls with big personalities. If you skip local research, you risk stocking up on toys that look good on paper but don’t move in real life. Walk your floor, talk to store staff, and check POS data to get a true sense of what your shoppers love.
2. Overordering Just Before the Holidays
When the season wraps up and boxes are still sitting in backstock, markdowns start slicing away at margins. You end up losing revenue that could’ve been saved with smarter forecasting. A rush to stock up without reviewing past sales patterns leads to extra inventory that turns into dead weight by January. Look at year-over-year numbers, consider your shelf space, and build a buffer, but not an overflow.
3. Relying Too Heavily on One Brand
As one brand is trending, that may feel good at first, especially when demand is high. Take note that today’s favorite or trend may not even be mentioned a few months later. If a big bet on a single brand doesn’t pay off, your shelves end up full of kids toys that don’t attract attention anymore. Instead of leaning too hard in one direction, spread out your buys and include a variety of styles and price points.
4. Skipping New and Emerging Toy Lines
Once you ignore up-and-coming toy lines, you miss out on the early buzz that drives impulse purchases. Those smaller lines bring unique designs or fresh play patterns that larger brands haven’t caught up to yet. Buyers who play it too safe may notice foot traffic drop as your aisles start to feel stale. Bringing in new lines doesn’t mean ditching what works; it means keeping your shelves dynamic and interesting.
5. Failing to Monitor Sell-Through Rates
Buyers who don’t keep an eye on how quickly products are selling can fall behind fast. Waiting too long to adjust stock levels or promote slower items drains your budget and your floor space. Sell-through rates give you real-time insight into what’s working and what’s not. Use this info to make faster decisions, reorder winning items, and mark down weak ones before they hurt your bottom line.
6. Not Planning Around the School Calendar
School schedules have a big impact, too, and when school’s out, parents are more likely to buy toys to keep kids busy. During back-to-school time, interest in educational or creative toys spikes, and overlooking these moments means you’re missing big windows for revenue. That is the one reason why you should align your purchasing schedule with the calendar to meet demand at the right time.
7. Forgot to Build Relationships with Toy Reps
Good toy reps often know what’s coming before anyone else, because they can steer you toward products that haven’t hit the radar yet or help you adjust your buy based on what’s performing in similar stores. Skipping regular check-ins or brushing off advice leaves valuable information on the table. When you build strong working relationships, you get better support, better terms, and better insights.
Stay Ahead in Fast-Moving Toy Retail!
Buying toys for retail is a balance of numbers, trends, and timing, since one small mistake can throw off your whole season, especially if you miss the signs early on. By keeping your buying strategy, keep looking into local demand, sell-through numbers, and new product lines, you’ll keep revenue flowing. Avoiding these mistakes gives you an edge in a category that moves fast and rewards smart decisions.
