Toy Traders

There’s a seven-foot-eight Optimus Prime in a store on the Langley Bypass, and he isn’t for sale. He’s one of the permanent residents at Toy Traders, an independent toy and collectibles shop that has been in business since 1995 and now calls itself the biggest of its kind in Canada.

A store with a museum inside

The floor runs to about 17,000 square feet. Roughly a hundred displays and dioramas are spread through it, holding more than 10,000 figures: a superhero city about 13 feet high, a Masters of the Universe set with a five-foot Castle Greyskull and a 13-foot Snake Mountain, Star Wars battle scenes from Hoth and Endor, G.I. Joe’s Cobra forces, and life-size figures from the Predator to Homer Simpson. None of the display pieces are sold. They’re there to look at, and plenty of people come just for that.

What’s for sale

Pretty much everything else. New toys for little kids, building sets, dolls and plushies, arts and crafts, puzzles and board games, die-cast, Funko, statues, posters, comics, and a big wall of new and vintage collectibles: Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe, Transformers, Marvel and DC. Stock changes daily, and the store posts a weekly newsletter so you can see what’s landed.

GameStars, a department inside the store with its own phone line (604-510-5148), handles Magic: The Gathering singles, Dungeons & Dragons, miniatures, Pokémon cards (including graded ones) and board games.

Trading in

This is the part that makes it different. Bring in toys, games or collectibles and the trade staff will price them for store credit, called Trader Bucks, while you shop. Credit doesn’t expire, isn’t taxed and can be passed on to someone else. The rules matter, though:

• Phone or email ([email protected]) before you bring anything in; only certain items are accepted.
• The trade counter is to the right of the main doors and keeps shorter hours than the store: Monday to Saturday, 10 to 5.
• A trade takes somewhere between five and 30 minutes.

Good to know

Returns: new items in original condition come back within 30 days with a receipt for a refund. Used items get store credit within 30 days, or a refund if they’re defective or returned within 48 hours. Gift certificates come in any amount, down to $1 and $2 for stocking stuffers. Princess Auto is practically next door at 19878 Langley Bypass, which makes for an easy two-stop trip if you’re shopping for a kid and a garage.

More independent shops are on our Shop Local page.