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EBay has a reputation for having sold most things at one time or another, so if you hanker after getting hold of a particular childhood toy again, the chances are you'll come across it sooner or later.

But there are some tips to bear in mind. First of all, have a top price in mind before you start bidding. You're not so much bidding on a childhood toy as a childhood memory, and that emotional link can send prices sky high if you're not careful. Set a ceiling price and stick to it.

You may find upon doing an initial search that there are quite a few items which match what you're after, in which case getting hold of one shouldn't be too much of a problem. If they're coming up for sale regularly, keep an eye on completed listings to see what end times get the lowest prices. You could save yourself a bit of cash doing this. Use a free sniping tool to put your bid in at the last minute.

It can also be worth searching for misspellings. These are items where the title has been misspelled and gets lower bids (or none at all) because people cannot find it. I've seen Rubik's Cube spelt as 'Rubic', for example. Some sellers have cottoned on to the advantage of putting misspellings in their titles, however, to catch as many viewers as they can.

When you start your search, always look in completed listings as well as current live ones. This will give you an idea of how many items have already been on the site, and how many sold, as well as how much they went for. This will enable you to guage the best auctions to bid on... and give you the best chance of buying back that slice of nostalgia from your past.

Learn more about this author, Allison Whitehead.
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