New home for used toys?

zappini

I need help unloading a bunch of cool toys. I remembered Child's Play and thought people here could help.

I have boxes of Rokenbok, Micro Machines, Matchbox, etc. sets.

The Rokenbok is particularly cool; building layouts for sumo wrestling competitions with the RC construction vehicles may very well be the pinnacle of human achievement.

I'm looking to unload these toys. They're just sitting in my basement unused, which is a sad fate for fun toys.

Alas, I don't have the time or wherewithal or inclination to reconstitute the original sets. I am also disinclined to haul these down to Goodwill, Value Village, or what not. (I try to give my used stuff directly to orgs that I like, such as Friends of Seattle Public Library, NW Center for the blind, and Ballard Food Bank.)

Ideas? Volunteers to take this stuff off my hands? Does anyone know if Children's Hospital or the Children's Museum, or <insert name here> can make use of these toys?

Thanks in advance.

Kate of Lokys

Man, if shipping from wherever you are to southwestern Ontario doesn't cost an arm and a leg, I will be all the hell over those Micro Machines. Seriously, I'll Paypal you money right now. I adored the things when I was a kid, and I would promise to give them a loving home until the distant day when I have my own children and bequeath to them my greatest worldly treasures. (My mother, God bless her frugal little heart, carefully gathered up all of my awesome 1980s Lego when I was done with it, complete with instructions, and tucked it all away in a safe corner of the storage cupboard - my kids are going to kick it old-school).

Aside from my own lust for toys... I can tell you right now that hospitals and the like almost certainly will not be able to take them, for various health reasons. (That's why they don't accept any used games or systems through Child's Play). You'd probably run into the same problem anywhere else, unfortunately. I know Christmas toy drives only ever accept new, unwrapped items, and I suspect that's an across-the-board thing with any sort of registered charity.

Darkewolfe

I'm not positive, but I think Child's Play can't accept used toys due to the concern about sterility, etc.

illig

Darkewolfe wrote: »

I'm not positive, but I think Child's Play can't accept used toys due to the concern about sterility, etc.

yeah, i haven't seen a charity yet that will accept used toys

Good Will, Salvation Army, etc. will work if you want to give it away, or eBay if you want to sell

zappini

Thanks for the replies, wisdom. Makes sense. (I've washed our buckets of Duplo a few times due to scuziness.)

Kate, my email is jason (at) jasonosgood (dot) com. I'll dig out the Micro Machines, send you a picture to be sure you want them, and then they're yours for the cost of shipping. I'll be so pleased that they're getting used.

Hypatia

You could try freecycling them, I'm sure there's a freecycling group where you are and that way people will probably even come to pick them up for you.