Hot Wheels are a very hot collectible item, similiar to trading cards, they have collectors all around the world scavenging stores for the rarest of cars.
You can purchase Hot Wheels toys from the Mattel Company themselves, or you can buy them at many major retail stores across the globe. If you are checking out Hot Wheels in a retail store, we can assure you that it has already been picked through by scalpers.
For your best chances of finding the best Hot Wheel cars, we made a small list of online and physical locations on where you can buy Hot Wheels. Here are our top 8 recommendations on the best places to buy find and buy Hot Wheels.
Best Places to Buy Hot Wheels
These days Mattel is the largest toy manufacturer in the world and Hot Wheels are still being made and distributed to children, adults, and collectors around the globe.
You can purchase Hot Wheels just about anywhere that sells toys and sometimes in hobby shops as well. Here are the top 8 best places to purchase Hot Wheels:
To check the current price and availability of Hot Wheels, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
1. Walmart
Walmart is the world’s largest store and also is our top recommendation for picking up Hot Wheels off the shelf. Walmart has an extensive collection of Hot Wheels that rotate according to season. Hot Wheels at Walmart can be purchased from anywhere between 99 cents and $10.
If you need a fast gift for a child then Walmart is a great place to go. Not only do they have a good selection of Hot Wheels cars, but they also carry track sets, track pieces, and specialty sets. Overall if you are looking for cheap and easy Hot Wheels, choose Walmart.
2. Target
Like Walmart, Target is a huge chain store that sells everything from Hot Wheels to patio furniture. And like Walmart, the Hot Wheels collection at Target is relatively large. Target has dedicated an entire section to Hot Wheels and is always fully stocked.
You can find a great selection of the annual Hot Wheels that have been released, some from the previous year, and other seasonal or specialty models. At Target you can also purchase track sets, individual track pieces, and specialty sets.
Target is another great place to pick up Hot Wheels if you are in need of a last-minute gift. The price tag on Target’s single cars price range from $1 to $8, and their track sets vary widely from $10 to $100.
3. Amazon
The world’s second-largest retailer and best place to find vintage or specialty Hot Wheels is Amazon. The online retailer boasts thousands of Hot Wheels products. You can find everything from single cars to massive track and car sets all on the website.
Though Amazon is good for finding current and smaller track sets, where the company really shines is the ability to find rare and vintage Hot Wheels from other sellers on the platform. Hot Wheel collecting is big business and collectors can use Amazon to capitalize on this fact.
4. eBay
Another great retailer to find rare and vintage Hot Wheels is eBay. The online auction site that started in mid-1990s has grown into a household name and used item powerhouse. To find super rare, foreign manufactured, and vintage Hot Wheels products, head to eBay.
Be prepared to shell out some serious money on eBay, however, especially if you are seeking rare items. Collectors know the value of their cars and proudly list them. If you are not looking for anything specific but need a last-minute gift, try a brick-and-mortar store as eBay does take time to ship their products.
5. Mattel
If you are looking for the best pricing for Hot Wheels then look no further than to the manufacturer themselves. The online store for the Mattel company is where you will find the best bang for your budget if you have one. This is because the company can cut out the middleman and lower its prices.
The Mattel Company’s store online also offers replacement parts, single track pieces and entire track sets, and even specialty sets like the ones for the bathtub. While their prices are generally lower than anywhere else, their inventory is not as big as you would expect from the manufacturer of the product.
This is because the Mattel store only sells current items. Discontinued, limited edition or other collector’s items are only available for a certain period of time before being pulled from their site. If you are looking for any of these items, try eBay or Amazon for the best results.
6. Toys R Us
Another online retailer that stocks a variety of Hot Wheels products is Toys R Us. What once was the largest American toy store in the Nation is now an online-only shop after undergoing severe financial issues. While the company may no longer have a brick-and-mortar store, the cult following that rose in its liquidation revived the business into an online store.
Like other retailers such as Walmart or Target, Toys R Us stocks a limited number of Hot Wheels products. The products that they do stock, however, are mostly the year’s releases and seasonal products. Toys R Us also stocks and ships tracks and specialty track sets.
7. Best Buy
While mostly known for their electronics, Best Buy stocks a good assortment of Hot Wheels products such as single cars, car sets, and tracks. You can find the year’s releases both in-store and online with prices being relatively the same as their mass merchandiser counterparts.
Because Best Buy is not known for selling Hot Wheels, they pay more to have the product sit on their shelves. This means that by default, Best Buy has the highest prices of any retailer that sells same year products.
8. Facebook Marketplace
A relatively newer place that is gaining traction to buy, sell, or trade items is the Facebook Marketplace. An online yard sale of sorts, the Facebook Marketplace is designed to connect users both close by and far apart with what they are buying and selling.
Like eBay and Amazon, Facebook Marketplace has a great selection of rare, used, and vintage models of Hot Wheels and Hot Wheel track sets. You can purchase something locally and choose to meet up in person, or you can choose to have your items shipped to your home.
Facebook Marketplace is a great place to score vintage or rare items for super cheap. This is because, like a yard sale, folks are trying to off-load what they have for cheap just to get it moved. You can find great deals here if a seller does not realize what they have.
Final Thoughts
The best places to buy Hot Wheels are at your local retail stores like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. Shopping for Hot Wheels in person will always yield the newest model of cars, as well as give you a chance at finding rare, sought after cars.
People have been collecting Hot Wheels for years. Many of the rare cars can be worth a lot of money. Over time, the value of these cars continue to increase which makes hunting for cars at your local retail store the best option when trying to find these rare pieces.
For the best chances at finding Hot Wheel cars, be sure to look at both online and physical locations.