You may recall that in March of this year I wrote a piece about annual calendars, and how some become collectible and as a result profitable, assuming you pick them up at the right price.

There are many factors which go to make an item collectible, and one of them is ‘topicality.’

The new series 8 of Doctor Who which has just launched on our television screens, with the wonderful actor Peter Capaldi is a perfect example of topicality….I think Peter has the gravitas to make an excellent Doctor Who.

The calendars I bought back in March were mostly Doctor Who themed.  What made them topical then was the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first screening of Doctor Who.

I bought a bundle of about twelve of those calendars from my local Tesco’s bargain bin, for £1.25 and then listed them on Amazon for £9.98 and waited.

After deducting all my costs – the original purchase, Amazon fees and packing & postage – I was left with a net profit of £6.36. That’s just over a 500% return on my original £1.25 purchase price!

About half of them sold within the first month…and then it went a bit quiet.

Suddenly, with the advent of the new Doctor Who series, they are topical again and this week I sold all the rest of them…I wish I could have bought more.

The two key point here are:

1. Topicality Sells…so keep your eyes peeled for popular, short-lived items, which are topical.

2. I will be doing a blueprint on annual calendars around Christmas time, showing which ones are likely to be collectible and profitable.

Meanwhile, roll on next Saturday, as the Daleks are back. Once again – topical!