Before I get into tags, some important background info:
Skylanders was a "toys-to-life" video games series that was most popular between 2011-2016. While it popularized the toys to life genre, it was not the first franchise to technically do so, and other games/companies have outlived it, notably in Nintendo's Amiibo.
There are six main Skylanders titles, as follows:
* Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
* Skylanders: Giants
* Skylanders: Swap Force
* Skylanders: Trap Team
* Skylanders: SuperChargers
* Skylanders: Imaginators
They were each available on a plethora of consoles, though 3DS versions tended to have their own stories, and not every game was released on the same generation of consoles (though a Wii U is one's best bet to play each title - its backwards compatibility outmatches X1 and PS4).
Skylanders released amongst each title are identifiable by the color or style of their figurine's base (in most cases), which houses the chip that allows them to wirelessly communicate with the peripheral device (the "Portal of Power").
Green = Spyro's Adventure
Orange = Giants
Blue = Swap Force
Red = Trap Team
Engine = SuperChargers
Octagonal = Imaginators
So, this blog will generally tag posts like this:
#ssa = posts that are talking about Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure.
#sg = posts that are talking about Skylanders Giants
#ssf = posts about Swap Force
#stt = posts about Trap Team
#ssc = posts about SuperChargers
#si = posts about Imaginators
Any resemblance to horrible acronyms is accidental, I'm stupid and may just not realize any of these resemble actual acronyms/phrases
Posts about a specific skylander or figurine will include a tag denoting their base (green, orange, engine, etc), their name, series, variant names, element, etc. Store variants (also sometimes called chase variants) will be tagged with #store variant, and random insert variants will be tagged with #insert variant
Posts about lore or characters will get tagged with those characters' names/games respectively.
The typical price range (or TPR) is a phrase I have decided to use to talk about the typical aftermarket price of certain figurines.
Now, the aftermarket price of a figurine can fluctuate greatly depending on the condition of that figurine. A figurine that is opened, heavily used, damaged, or doesn't work with its respective titles will sell for significantly less than a figurine that is in good condition, still works, or in its box, for example.
(Did you know the figurines can be used on the portal even when they're in a box? It's quite nice!)
But to figure out a character's TPR, one must figure out the figurine's condition first.
(More under the cut.)
A figurine's condition can be rated on a point system, which I will call TPR Rating, which looks at:
Cleanliness
Paint
Structure
Functionality
Packaging
Peripherals
Legitimacy
Rarity
Each category goes from 1-5 points, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.
A 1 in cleanliness, for example, denotes a figure that is likely covered in dust, caked with some sort of grime, probably has been sitting under a bed for the last decade. A 5, on the other hand, denotes a figurine that is immaculate; it has been dusted regularly or can be dusted easily, and has no residues or other issues at all.
A 1 in paint denotes a figurine that is heavily scuffed, scratched, or buffed. It may be missing entire patches of paint (especially eyes or around parts of the figurine that are often grabbed by children to be moved). A 5 on the other hand denotes a figurine that is in perfect condition, with no blemishes or scratches at all in its paint.
A 1 in structure denotes a figurine that is completely broken into two or more pieces and missing part of one (such as a base that no longer has a body, but still functions). A 5 is a figurine that is perfectly immaculate, with no loose pieces or reglued parts.
A 1 in functionality denotes a figurine that doesn't work, at all, in any of the games it is supposed to. A 5 denotes a figurine that works perfectly in all titles it is supposed to. Figurines rarely score anywhere in between the 1 and 5, but those that do may take a significant amount of time to load into a game, or may occasionally error out while on the portal, indicating that they may be at risk of losing functionality entirely soon.
A 1 in packaging is a figurine that has no packaging at all, or a figurine that does have packaging, but has been badly destroyed or is missing 1 or more parts (i.e., missing the cardboard backing or the bubble itself). A 5 on the other hand is a packaged character whose box is in immaculate condition. Characters will RARELY score a 5 on this scale, as the packaging Skylanders came in will have naturally degraded quite a lot in the time since the games' releases. A character that is still in its package, but the package has been resealed will likely fall underneath a 3 or 4 depending on the condition of the packaging besides that.
A 1 in peripherals means that a character lacks the additional paraphernalia that came with it (stickers and card, and/or codes). These came with the packaging of almost every Skylander. Once again, characters will rarely score between 1 and 5 here, as it's more of a yes or no question, but occasionally a figurine may have a sticker but no card, or card but no sticker, which gives a 2 or 3 or 4.
Legitimacy refers to how legitimate the character is. Many Skylanders have been modified, via pose or painting, over the years. A character that has been repainted, reposed, or recolored will score low on legitimacy. Only completely unaltered figurines will score a 5 on legitimacy. A person purporting they have a unique or undiscovered variant is likely not telling the truth or has found a modified figurine; unless the figurine can be corroborated elsewhere, it will be considered not legitimate.
Rarity has a much more specific meaning behind its numbers. Figurines that were core non-variants will have a rating of 1, except in extenuating circumstances (for example, the character Sunburn was a core character, but was only released in an adventure pack and never rereleased; despite being a core non-variant, he would still score a 2 on the rarity scale as a result). 2 is reserved for the aforementioned extenuating circumstances for core variants. 3 is for store variants. 4 is for random insert variants. 5 is for unique or extremely limited variants (think Snowderdash, Chrome Spyro, or Employee Edition Prism Break).
To put the TPR Rating to the test, let's look at my Wildfire figurine.
Wildfire is a core character, released in the starter pack for Skylanders: Trap Team, though also purchasable on his own in a single pack. Since I received the Dark Edition starter pack for Trap Team, my core Wildfire came from a single pack.
Cleanliness: 4
My Wildfire scores a 4 on cleanliness because while the dust can be easily cleaned off of it, it will always have a slightly rough feel due to years of dust accumulation not being dealt with. It would take significant effort to clean it completely back to a like-new state, though it isn't impossible.
Paint: 4
My Wildfire has nearly immaculate paint, but some scuffs and scratches prevent it from earning a true 5, notably on the flame in his left hand as well as some spots on the points of his body.
Structure: 5
My Wildfire figurine has no physical defects and does not feel lose or unstable. It can stand up on its own without issue. Its tail is not bent out of place, and snaps back to position when let go.
Functionality: 5
My Wildfire figurine functions perfectly in every game it is supposed to.
Packaging: 1
My Wildfire figurine is not new in a package and I no longer possess the packaging in which it came in.
Peripherals: 1
If I have any of the cards/stickers that came with Wildfire, I have no idea where they're at.
Legitimacy: 5
My Wildfire has not been reposed, repainted, or altered in any fashion.
Rarity: 1
Wildfire is extremely common, being a core non-variant and having released in the starter packs for Trap Team, no less.
In total, my Wildfire scores a 26 out of a potential 40 points.
Points Ranges
8: Lowest value. This figurine has managed to score 1 in every category. It is unplayable, it is broken, has questionable legitimacy or was altered at some point, it has no paraphernalia that came with it, and it is extremely dirty. This figurine is worthless and should be thrown out.
9-16: Lowest acceptable value. This figurine is likely extremely dirty, altered, or in otherwise poor condition, but it can still serve some purpose, usually in functionality even if the figurine itself is in extremely poor condition.
17-24: Acceptable value. This figurine may be a bit dirty or a bit scuffed, but it still likely functions and can look pretty sitting on a shelf.
25-32: Good value. This figurine most likely is functional, hasn't been altered, and likely has a mostly intact paint job. It may even be packaged, but have rough packaging. This is the range most figurines fall underneath.
33-40: Exceptional value; this figurine is in nearly perfect condition or IS in perfect condition. If it has been played with, it has been done so through a package most likely, and has been preserved very well by its owner.
So, what does this scoring mean for a fair price range?
Well, a TPR Rating helps you determine if a price is good or not. For most figurines, their current value is equal to the value of when they were purchased, with their condition being what will lower or raise the price. For example, a Wildfire figurine was $13.99-$15.99 retail in the US. Due to its exceptionally common nature, however, the figurine has likely lost value; this means that a fair price for this character would likely be around $10-$12.
The TPR Rating, I imagine, could also help people determine whether they believe a particular figure is worth the value it is being sold for. A TPR Rating may not be reflective of actual aftermarket costs, as often, rarity trumps other factors, but it can help indicate a general cost.
Lowest value (8 TPR Rating) are generally worthless and should be thrown away. Lowest acceptable value (9-16 TPRR) figurines are generally worth significantly less than their initial retail price. Acceptable value (17-24) figurines are generally worth slightly less than their original retail value. Good value (25-32) figurines are generally worth about or slightly more than their original retail value. Exceptional value (33-40) figurines are worth more than their original retail value and sell the best.
