How to Find the Best Toy Manufacturers in 2023

10 min read

The toy market is always a strong and safe bet for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand a business. Selling toys is a great option year-round, but becomes especially lucrative around the holidays. And with such a wide variety in children’s toys, it’s fairly easy to find unique, in-demand items to sell.

The Toy market revenue worldwide in 2020 is $94.70 billion. Since 2012, for 8 years, the global revenue of the toy market has increased by 22%. (Source: Insights)

Of course, there are challenges involved in selling toys. First and foremost, you need to pick toys that will sell well. When selling children’s toys, it’s usually best to have a good variety of options. This is why it is so crucial to find quality toy manufacturers for your business.

Most retailers who sell toys do not manufacture the toys themselves. Rather, they reach an agreement with toy manufacturers to sell their products in their stores. Major retailers and small businesses alike rely on toy manufacturers and toy suppliers to keep the most popular items in stock. But if your business is new to selling toys, you may be wondering how to find toy suppliers.

Who are the best toy manufacturers? What kinds of toys should you sell? And what resources can you use to find and connect with toy suppliers?

What Types of Toys Can You Get From Toy Suppliers?

For retailers, “toys” is a very broad category of items. Children’s toys come in all shapes and sizes, serve different purposes, and target different age groups. When searching for a toy and game manufacturer, it’s usually best to find a supplier who offers a good mix of products.

With that said, it is not a bad thing to specialize in one area or one type of toy. To give an idea of the options available, here are some of the most popular toy categories today.

Plush toys

Plush toys, like stuffed animals and dolls, are always extremely popular with young children. Plush toys are also easy to manufacture and are very lightweight. This makes them some of the most cost-effective toys to sell, especially when relying heavily on shipping. Plush toy manufacturers also offer incredible product variety. This means you can offer an extensive inventory with relative ease when selling plush toys.

Plastic toys

Plastic toys also come with a lot of variety. This category includes plastic playsets, plastic dolls or action figures, and more. Plastic toys may be more expensive to manufacture than plush toys. They should also be handled more delicately during shipping. But well-made plastic toys always have a market and can be sold at a good price.

Electronic toys

Electronic toys include things like remote control cars and games. If you plan to sell electronic toys, product quality matters a lot. Parents will be frustrated if they buy an electronic toy for their children, and the toy stops working soon after purchase. This can lead to negative reviews for your store thanks to manufacturing problems out of your control.

But, you can control the manufacturers you partner with. Be sure to read reviews of toy suppliers before purchasing electronic or remote control toys from them. This category is great for sales, but only if the products are worth their cost.

Educational toys/games

Educational toys will always have a big market because they serve two purposes. Kids enjoy playing with them, and they learn and build new skills while playing. Parents appreciate this dual function and are always happy to provide educational resources for their children. Putting a strong emphasis on educational toys in your store can be a good way to attract business.

How To Find the Right Toy Suppliers For Your Business

Regardless of which types of toys you choose to sell, finding a reliable toy and game manufacturer is crucial. Poor-quality or overpriced products will quickly lead to negative reviews of your store.

Product variety and product quality are therefore two of the most important factors to consider when choosing toy suppliers. Another factor to keep in mind is the manufacturer’s location. Many of the top toy manufacturing companies in the world are based in China. The best Chinese toy manufacturers offer an unbeatable variety of high-quality items. However, working with Chinese suppliers does present some challenges when it comes to shipping. Shipping products from China to America takes longer, and costs more, than shipping from within the U.S. However, the available inventory offered by top Chinese toy manufacturers is often unbeatable.

So how do you identify the best Chinese toy manufacturers for your business? Actually traveling to China is not a realistic option if you’re trying to set your business up quickly. But this is also not necessary. Most of the time, you can find good Chinese toy manufacturers online.

One of the best ways to locate toy suppliers is to search B2B platforms for highly-rated manufacturers. Alibaba and DHgate are a pair of major wholesale B2B markets based in China. Both marketplaces host a variety of Chinese toy manufacturers in their stores. Browsing top-rated toys, or toys in your desired category, is an excellent way to identify ideal toy suppliers for your business.

Best Toy Manufacturing Companies

To help get you started on your search for the best toy manufacturers, here are some of the leading companies in the industry.

Bandai

Bandai Namco is one of the biggest and best toy manufacturing ltd. companies in the world. Based in Japan, Bandai offers a tremendous variety of toys, action figures, electronics, and games. Bandai is considered a highly reliable toy manufacturer, with quality products and great distribution.

Dongguan Yikang Plush Toys

Yikang Plush Toys is one of the leading plush toy manufacturers in China. Retailers looking to sell stuffed animals and other plush products can find unbeatable variety and quality from Yikang Toys.

Lego

Lego is one of the giants of the toy manufacturing industry. The brand is so big that we tend to forget “Lego” is actually a corporate name, and not the name of the product itself. Lego sets are an eternal staple for older children, and parents love their products for a few reasons. Legos are fun for kids, easy to play with, and allow kids to learn and expand their creativity. Lego sets can be a bit pricey, but they are one of the most essential toy products you can sell.

Woodfield Toys Ltd.

Woodfield Toys is among the best Chinese toy manufacturers today. As the name suggests, Woodfield specializes in wooden toys, but offers a variety of other products as well. In addition to products like dollhouses and train sets, Woodfield Toys also offers a variety of baby toys and accessories. Woodfield Toys Ltd. also offers dropshipping, which can be extremely convenient for online retailers.

Zuru

Zuru Toys is one of the fastest-growing toy manufacturers in the world today. Zuru Toys describes itself as being “inspired by the limitless possibilities of kids” imaginations.” The company produces toys of all varieties, for kids of all age groups. Zuru is reliable and has something for every toy retailer.

Learn More About Selling Toys Online

Whether you’re just starting your business, or bringing an existing business into the ecommerce marketplace, selling toys online is an exciting opportunity. The more prepared you are for the unique challenges you will face, the better success you will have. And Ecwid is here to help you every step of the way.

Read our beginner’s guide to selling toys online to learn more. Or, once you’re ready to open or expand your online store, Ecwid’s ecommerce software can help with that as well.

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Nov 22, 2022

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.