- New analysis shows how quickly iPhones, cars and electronics shed their value while the brands’ shares post double-digit gains
- An iPhone 12 bought new 5 years ago is worth around 800 RON today – the same amount invested in Apple shares could be worth almost 10.400 RON*
- Certain collectible products, such as Labubu dolls, have outperformed their company’s stock with high resale values
eToro, the trading and investing platform, has published new analysis highlighting the opportunity cost associated with ‘big ticket’ consumer purchases.
eToro compared the 5-year resale value of popular items – including ‘viral products’ on social media – with the 5-year performance of the shares of the companies that produce them. Findings suggest that while some collectible items rise in value and even outperform the stock price growth of the companies behind them, many consumer goods can lose their value and the same cash invested in shares could* have grown instead.
Bogdan Maioreanu, eToro Market Analyst for Romania, said: “Sometimes we feel that we need to buy different products to make our lives easier, as a reward for our success or an ‘investment’ in our lifestyle. Although some collectible items, like certain Labubu dolls or certain luxury items, can soar in value, some products do not survive their initial hype or depreciate very quickly, while the company that makes them still thrives. We aren’t saying that people should stop buying the products they love, but if you believe in the strength of the companies behind them, an investment can provide exposure to their performance.”
Since launching in 2020, the Apple iPhone 12 has shed around 82% of its value if purchased at launch prices of approximately 4500 RON, while Apple stock delivered an increase of over 130% in the same period. This means a phone worth around 800 RON today could instead be worth nearly 10.400 RON if the initial amount of 4500 RON was invested in shares 5 years ago.*
Purchased in 2020 for around 54,000 euros, a BMW 5 Series 520d is today worth between 22,000 and 25,000 euros, depending on the condition and mileage; if the amount had been used to purchase BMW stock, despite the current competitive situation, its value could have been around 61.500 euros.* Other examples can be found in the table below.
Certain niche products saw both resale and stock growth. Pop Mart’s Labubu Little Monster Series 2 from 2019, originally worth around $25, has soared in value by more than 3000 per cent in resale markets for its rarest dolls thanks to the growing popularity of the Labubu brand, while Pop Mart shares jumped over 1360 per cent over three years, or 159 per cent since its IPO in December 2020.
Other lucky consumers can also find themselves with a product whose resale value completely outperforms that of the company’s stock. For example, sneakerheads who managed to grab a pair of Nike Dunk Low Viotech at the retail price when they came out in late 2019 could be up by as much as 45 per cent if they chose to sell them. Meanwhile, Nike’s stock has dropped 53 per cent during these five years; therefore, investors who purchased Nike shares at the same time would have experienced a decline in the value of their investment.”
| Product | Company | Product price change over the past 5 years | Stock price performance | |||
| Past 5 years | Past 3 years | Past year | Year-to-date | |||
| iPhone 12 (64GB) | Apple | -82% | 131% | 80% | 19% | 8% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | Nvidia | -57% | 1267% | 983% | 22% | 33% |
| PlayStation 5 (disc edition) | Sony | -48% | 153% | 100% | 58% | 38% |
| Xbox Series X | Microsoft | -36% | 124% | 91% | 14% | 12% |
| Google Pixel 5 | Alphabet / Google | -80% | 245% | 204% | 79% | 58% |
| BMW 5 Series | BMW | -54% | 14% | 4% | 28% | 10% |
| Nike Dunk Low Viotech (2019) | Nike | 45% | -53% | -41% | -16% | -17% |
| Labubu Little Monsters Series 2 (2019) | Pop Mart | 3000% | N/A | 1363% | 5139% | 123% |
Source: Refinitiv. Data taken on 24/11/2025.
Note: Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Pop Mart’s initial public offering was in December 2020.
“Some collectors do make huge profits from holding onto items in their original condition, but the challenge is knowing what is likely to accumulate value and what will lose its hype. Products aimed at consumers like phones and cars devalue over time due to wear and tear, or the design and technology becoming outdated, so it takes a certain amount of taste and luck to find the next coveted sneaker or Labubu.
“Although no investment is guaranteed, there are more publicly available resources about the share market than the collectibles market that individuals can use to inform their purchases. The share market is heavily regulated, supported by infrastructures like stock exchanges, and covered by an ecosystem of analysts, media and research providers. On the other hand, the collectibles market operates through auctions, private sales or niche marketplaces, so there is typically less transparency,” says Bogdan Maioreanu.
