$15 childhood gadget that almost everyone owned now sells for thousands of dollars

An iconic childhood toy is now worth thousands of dollars and it's blowing peoples' minds.

Whether it's classic DVDs, vintage Barbies or 90s gadgets, there's always someone out there willing to buy what you don't want anymore.

A copy of the iconic film 28 Days Later for example was recently sold for $110 in the US. Even crazier is The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection which goes on eBay for a whopping £750. So it's certainly worth racking through your DVD collection to see if any gems are lurking inside.

Tamagotchis were a cultural phenomenon (Steve Russell / Contributor via Getty)

Now, there's one 90s gadget in particular that sells for some serious money — the Tamagotchi.

First launching by Bandai in Japan in 1996 (soon hitting the US market in 1997), the first Tamagotchi had a 32x16 pixel screen and just three small buttons. The point was simple — use your three buttons to look after your Tamagotchi by feeding it, playing with it, turning on and off the lights in its room and cleaning up its poop. Yes, it pooped.

This tiny little creature trapped in a minuscule screen was a total phenomenon, making its way into school classrooms across the world well into the 2000s.

So if you've got one in its original packaging (or better yet, a rare limited edition version) knocking about your home, you're likely sitting on a pretty penny.

A quick search on eBay shows the riches of retro Tamagotchis.

One listing in particular titled 'BANDAI TAMAGOTCHI CONNECTION V5.5 PAPARAZZI VERSION NEW SEALED Ultra Rare BNIB' is still in it's original packaging and is on offer for £1,499.99.

Another is listed on eBay as 'Bandai Tamagotchi Connection Girls Rock V4.5 Original Virtual Pet FACTORY SEALED' and on offer for $899.99.

Tamagotchi's now sell for an insane price (Anastasiia Sienotova via Getty)

For a gadget that you could once purchase for around $8 - $15, these prices are insane. And Reddit users agree.

Posting on the subreddit r/tamagotchi one saddened user wrote: "It's quite bizarre how the prices for Tamagotchis vary nowadays. Looking at my two Tamagotchi Connections v2 and v3, which I bought for $8 USD, in contrast to another Tamagotchi Connection v4.5 that I purchased for $85.29 USD. I understand that prices can differ based on the version and shell design, but I can't approve of the fact that some prices are exorbitantly high, to the point of being abnormal."

They continued: "I saw a Tamagotchi Connection v4.5 that was priced at $473.35 USD, even more than I paid for mine. People, are you serious? A toy shouldn't cost that much. I know it's because of the large fan community and collectors driving up Tamagotchi prices, but it shouldn't be this way."

One equally upset Tamagotchi fan replied: "The rise of interest from adult collectors is what generates market rates. It's hard to watch the greed go unchecked at points."