Throwback Thursday: How 1996 Put a Price Tag on Your Childhood

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Feb 20, 2026 · 9m

Nostalgia collecting has a price tag now, and you didn't put it there. You gave away the toys, tossed the hockey cards, donated the comics, thinking none of it mattered. Then eBay showed up and strangers started pricing your childhood for you. Every garage sale you walk into now has someone convinced their old junk is worth a fortune, and you're starting to think they might be right.

eBay's founder wanted to call it Echo Bay, but a mining company already owned the URL, so he shortened it. Beanie Babies turned it into a phenomenon. The early version ran entirely on good faith: no photos, just…