Toki eyes US$5b Philippine collectables market

In the Philippines, 40% are collectors.

The Philippines’ first-ever social e-commerce platform for collectables, Toki, was launched to capture the economy's collectables market, which is valued at US$5b. 

Founded by four former GCash executives, Toki said over 40% of the nationwide population are frequent collectors.

They also sought to seize opportunities in the collectables market in Southeast Asia (SEA), where nostalgia marketing is currently trending in food & beverages. According to GMO Research, the SEA e-commerce market for collectables is valued at US$13b whilst the whole collectables market is at US$33.5b.

Despite collectables having a high market value, many users generally have a difficult experience navigating the online retail landscape. The process of discovery to purchase collectables is fragmented.

The creation of Toki helps to solve those issues, assigning all tasks of discovery and purchase into one seamless platform. Sellers get to have a secure transactional process, while buyers receive a wide range of selections within. Users may also use the outlet for livestream auctions to allow real-time purchases.

Toki also partnered with fintech platform, GCash and logistics firm, NinjaVan, to create a seamless end-to-end solution for sellers.

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On its launch, Toki will introduce its first four categories: Sneakers, LEGO, NBA, and Funko Pops!

The overall goal for its customer base is to provide a streamlined and secure marketplace experience for the growing collectables sector, both for users and merchants, from discovery to purchase.

“As we continue to expand to include more categories, it becomes increasingly apparent that the marketplace is just the inception of what Toki has to offer. We are already working on several initiatives to continue fueling the passion of all collector communities, first in the Philippines, and potentially in new markets across the region,” Frederic Levy, co-founder and CEO of Toki, stated.

Toki founders Zoe Ocampo, Jules Jurado, Prabh Singh, and Frederic Levy are former executives of GCash, who have a passion for collecting and have extensive experience in technology and venture building.

Amongst the platform's investors are Anthony Oundjian of BCG, Brian Cu of SariSuki, Ernest Cu of Globe, venture capital firms Kaya Founders and Foxmont Capital Partners, and Bigboy Cheng, one of the most famous sneaker, toys and art collectors in SEA.