Toys cost-per-unit trend

Each point is the monthly median cost-per-unit across priced toys lots: the middle value, not an average, so one outlier truckload can’t drag the line. Cost per unit is the lot’s price divided by its listed unit count, where the source publishes one, and each month’s figure is the median across that month’s priced lots.

Sparse months render as insufficient data and stay off the chart: a median over a handful of lots isn’t trustworthy. That rule gates the chart, the “Months with data” stat, and the month table above alike.

The lots behind the series come from the nine marketplaces in the feed: Liquidation.com, B-Stock, DirectLiquidation, 888 Lots, Via Trading, BlueLots, GovDeals, Musick, and QuickBidz. Sitewide medians, discount-vs-retail, and closing-time patterns are on the statistics page.

Toy lots are highly seasonal and brand-sensitive: LEGO, action figures, board games, and plush move at very different rates. Volume spikes into Q4 as retailers clear holiday overstock and returns. Manifests usually list the brand and SKU mix, which is what sell-through hinges on; condition is mostly new-in-box overstock or lightly-handled returns.

Toy per-unit is brand-driven: a LEGO-heavy lot and a generic-plush lot at the same per-unit cost are not the same buy. BStalker shows the per-unit number and the manifest where available; it does not rank the brand mix.

What goes into a per-unit number, bids, buyer premiums, freight, is covered in liquidation pallet costs explained, and the live lots themselves are on the toys lots page.