What to Do With Old Toys: Donate, Sell, Recycle or Keep (2026)
Short answer: here is what to do with old toys: sort them into four piles. Sell anything complete and in great shape (bigger brands, LEGO, ride-ons), donate clean working toys to a local group that has said yes first, send broken branded toys to free take-back programs like LEGO Replay or Mattel PlayBack, and only trash what nothing else can take. Check recalls before any toy leaves your house.
Last updated: October 28, 2026. By Chris, who runs Toy Hobbyist and writes practical guides for parents who are running out of floor space. Program details below come from each program’s own pages (checked October 28, 2026), the CPSC (the federal product safety regulator) and parent threads on Reddit.
The week before the holidays is when the toy pile becomes a toy mountain. New stuff is about to arrive, the playroom is already full, and every parent on Reddit is asking the same thing: what do you actually do with toys the kids have outgrown? The honest answer is that most of it can go somewhere better than a landfill, as long as you match each toy to the right exit. This guide gives you the decision table, the programs that take broken toys for free and the rules charities quietly enforce.
What Should You Do With Old Toys First?
Start with a fast sort into keep, sell, donate and recycle. Pull out anything broken, missing pieces or recalled, because those cannot be sold or donated. Then judge the rest on condition and brand. Complete, clean toys from known brands earn money; ordinary working toys go to donation; broken ones go to take-back programs.
Use the Old Toy Decision Table below to send each toy to the right place in a few seconds:
| Toy and condition | Best route | What you get or pay | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name-brand, complete, like new | Sell online or consign | Cash, often 20% to 40% of the resale price through consignment | Medium |
| Big items (ride-ons, kitchens, play gyms) | Sell locally on Marketplace | Cash, buyer picks up | Low to medium |
| Loose LEGO bricks and minifigures | Sell by the pound, or donate to LEGO Replay | Cash, or free prepaid shipping to donate | Low |
| Clean, working, ordinary toys | Donate locally or give away | Free, plus a happy kid somewhere | Low |
| Broken Barbie, Fisher-Price, Matchbox or MEGA | Mattel PlayBack | Free prepaid label | Low |
| Broken mixed toys, plush and games | TerraCycle Toys Zero Waste Box or a free brand program | Paid box, or free if a brand program fits | Medium |
| Recalled toys | Follow the recall remedy, never resell or donate | Sometimes a refund or repair | Low |
| Sentimental favorites | Keep one small box per kid | Memories, not floor space | None |
Where Can You Donate Old Toys?
Donate clean, complete, working toys to places that have agreed to take them: daycares, preschools, church nurseries, shelters, libraries, thrift stores and local Buy Nothing groups. Always call or message first. Many holiday toy drives and children’s hospitals accept only new, unwrapped toys, so used toys go to everyday programs instead.
Good Housekeeping’s donation guide points to children’s hospitals, fire and police stations, libraries and after-school programs, but also warns to check a hospital’s website before showing up with a bag of used toys (Good Housekeeping). It also notes that some Second Chance Toys locations will pick up toys from your home and pass them on to kids in need.
Parents on r/Parents keep landing on the same routine: list it on Facebook Marketplace, and if nobody bites in a week, post it to the local Buy Nothing group. Several said daycares and teachers were glad to get puzzles, blocks and dress-up items, while charities tended to turn away anything broken or grimy. A quick wipe-down and a check that all the pieces are there makes your donation useful instead of someone else’s trash run.
Can You Sell Old Toys for Money?
Yes, if they are complete and in good shape. Facebook Marketplace works best for big, bulky toys. Kids’ resale shops like Once Upon a Child buy gently used toys in store. Consignment sites like ToyCycle pay an average of 20% to 40% of the resale value, and up to 85% on pricier items.
| Where to sell | Best for | How you get paid | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Marketplace | Ride-ons, play kitchens, dollhouses, bundles | Cash or app payment at pickup | Messages, no-shows, haggling |
| Once Upon a Child | Gently used toys, gear and kids’ clothes | Paid in store | They pick what they take, at resale-shop prices |
| ToyCycle | Higher-end brands in excellent condition | Average 20% to 40% payout, up to 85%, plus a 10% bonus if you take store credit | Excellent condition with all parts only; prepaid label in the continental US |
| eBay | Vintage toys, collectibles, LEGO sets with figures | Online payout | Shipping and listing time |
LEGO deserves its own note, because loose bricks sell by the pound and complete sets sell far better than a mixed tub. If you are staring at a bin of everything, our guide to how to sort LEGO will help you rescue the sets worth selling before you decide what to donate.
Can Old Toys Be Recycled?
Most toys cannot go in curbside recycling, because they mix plastics, metal, fabric and batteries. Instead, use take-back programs. LEGO Replay takes loose bricks with free prepaid shipping, Mattel PlayBack takes its own brands in any condition, and TerraCycle sells a Toys Zero Waste Box for everything else. Remove batteries first.
- LEGO Replay: free prepaid shipping from any US state, including Alaska and Hawaii. It accepts LEGO, DUPLO and Technic bricks, minifigures, baseplates and tires, and passes them on through partners such as First Book. It does not take electronics, batteries, other brands’ bricks or instructions.
- Mattel PlayBack: a free prepaid label for Barbie, Fisher-Price, Matchbox and MEGA toys, in any condition and with no cleaning needed. Take the batteries out first.
- TerraCycle: a paid Toys Zero Waste Box for plush, electronic toys and board games, plus free brand-sponsored programs when one covers your toy.
- Batteries: pull them out of every toy and drop them at a collection point from the Call2Recycle locator, which lists stores that take household batteries.
Is It Safe to Donate or Sell Recalled Toys?
No. Federal law prohibits selling recalled products, and the CPSC, the federal product safety regulator, says hazardous or recalled products should not be sold or given away to others. Before you donate or list a toy, especially older baby gear, search the brand and model on the CPSC recalls site and follow the recall remedy instead.
The CPSC’s guide for resellers is blunt: “It is illegal to sell any recalled product,” and the agency recalls 300 to 500 products a year on average (CPSC Resellers Guide). The guide also says not to sell durable infant and toddler products, such as play yards and walkers, that are broken, wobbly or missing parts even if they were never recalled. Many recalls come with a free repair kit or refund, so the check can even pay off.
How Do You Get Kids to Let Go of Old Toys?
Involve them, but keep the choices small. Let kids pick a few toys to pass on to another child, give each child one keepsake box, and box up maybes for a month before deciding. Kids part with toys more easily when the toy has a clear next home and the playroom does not look emptied overnight.
A rotation system makes the whole process gentler, because toys that go into storage for a few weeks often turn out to be easy to give away. Our toy rotation guide walks through how to set one up. And if the purge is happening right before the holidays, it is a good moment to plan a smaller, better wish list; our list of the best gifts for kids leans toward toys that actually get played with.
FAQ: What to Do With Old Toys
Does Goodwill take used toys?
Many Goodwill and other thrift stores accept clean, working toys, but policies vary by store and some do not take stuffed animals, car seats or cribs. Call your local store first, and never donate recalled items or toys with missing pieces.
Can I donate used toys to Toys for Tots?
Usually not. Toys for Tots campaigns collect new, unwrapped toys through local chapters. Gently used toys are better suited to shelters, daycares, thrift stores and Buy Nothing groups that have told you they want them.
Do hospitals accept used toys?
Many children’s hospitals do not accept used toys, often for infection-control reasons, and some take only new items from a wish list. Check the hospital’s donation page before you go.
What do you do with stuffed animals you no longer want?
Wash them, then offer clean ones to a Buy Nothing group, a thrift store that accepts plush or an animal shelter that uses them for pets. Worn-out plush can go in a TerraCycle Toys Zero Waste Box rather than the trash.
Are old toys worth anything?
Some are. Complete LEGO sets, vintage action figures, older video games and collectible dolls can sell well on eBay, especially with original boxes. Ordinary used toys usually sell for a small fraction of retail, so donating them is often the better use of your time.
The bottom line: old toys deserve a second home, not a garbage bag. Sell the good stuff, donate what is clean and complete to people who said yes, send broken branded toys back through free take-back programs, and check recalls before anything leaves the house. Your playroom gets lighter and the toys keep working for some other kid.
