Do you think it's wrong for people to buy must have toys and sell them at huge profit on EBay etc?

[lottieandmia22]

I do. I think it’s pretty mercenary.

Can you elaborate on the illegality of eBay sales?

FunnyFarmer: I tell her like every other parent if she's good she will be rewarded especially at Christmas.

Mistake.

And not every other parent does this. You may be in a small minority.

When you do this you are setting her up for disappointment and cynicism.
I have heard "John Smith got a hatchimal off Santa and he's always naughty". She clearly feels the world is not a fair or just place, and that is your fault.
Why are you doing this to her?
Is there no other way to express your appreciation of her effort all year?

Your basic argument is it's the child's fault for wanting so much...
Nope. I have not done this.

...or the parents fault for letting them believe that Christmas is magical...
This, 100%.
Why are you so insistent that 'Christmas is magical'? Where did you hear this? How did you come to formulate this opinion?

...when the only fault is the people who taking the toys from the shelves so people can't have.
The problem is 100% parents who let their children be sucked in by advertising, who have bought into the concept of a 'must have' toy - teaching children to be miserable when they don't have what everyone else has, teaching children that getting and having is the mark of a 'magical' occasion.

The parents are also feeding the dynamics you are complaining about - the commodity becomes scarce and the price goes up because demand remains steady or rises.

It is not kind to not manage children's expectations, or to actively lead them up the garden path.

Not illegal to sell on eBay. To sell at ridiculously inflated prices. But you already knew that's what I meant

Nope. It will never be illegal to sell whatever you want at whatever price you want.

The main reason being that it doesn't actually adversely affect anyone, because nobody is forced to buy it at that price and therefore there is no victim and nobody is being harmed (so there would be no reason to make it illegal).

No.

One of the mums on the school run told me she's managed to buy 10 of the big LOL dolls and has sold them all on eBay. Some she's had to queue up for, others simply ordered online at various shops. She implied it hadn't been particularly hard, just some time checking websites. She's then used the profits to buy other toys for her dc for
Christmas. She's a SAHM so the money she's made has really helped her out and maybe she's been able to buy more for her own dc than she would have otherwise. I'm pretty sure she doesn't think it was morally wrong, she put the effort in, made a profit and used it to pay for Christmas. She hasn't hurt anybody, there is still opportunity for other parents to get hold of one for their dc at RRP, if she managed 10.

She clearly feels the world is not a fair or just place, and that is your fault.

No she doesn't
But thanks for the weird phycology analysis of my child you've never met.
Its probably just her trying to make sense of the world trying to piece together what's real and not (santa v's parents) and what actions adhere to what consequences.
Christmas is magical for us. I make no apologies for that.
You seem to think that I've focused Christmas around this 1 toy. Of course her atchivements are celebrated in other ways.
She won't be the end of the world if she doesn't get it and actual Christmas will still be as brilliant and magical.
But I'll still fell like I've wasted money on a toy that will only be played with over the festive period when I could of spent less money on something she will get alot more play time put of. It's just logic.
.

The problem is 100% parents who let their children be sucked in by advertising, who have bought into the concept of a 'must have' toy - teaching children to be miserable when they don't have what everyone else has, teaching children that getting and having is the mark of a 'magical' occasion.
Don't how many times I have to explain this but I'll do it one more time she hasn't been sucked in by anything! She's been playing with these dolls way before they was popular. She doesn't want them because everyone eles has them because everyone eles doesn't have them. Everyone eles had never heard of them up until a few months ago.
I really don't understand why the way I choose to parent has anything to with condoning people buying and selling products at unfair prices.

@SingaporeSlinky
SAHM. School aged children?
I'm going to go out on a whim here and assume she probably has a bit more time on her hands than most.
Is there any particular reason she hasn't saved all year like most?
I'm happy she's put in the initiative and effort to try and make a bit of extra spending money. But at what cost?
I would prefer my child to have one special toy than several toys bought with money made like this. If it's so morally right then why are retailers trying to crack down on it?
Toys should be available for everyone to enjoy.

You know what eles isn't illegal? Buy all these toys at ridiculous prices just before Christmas and then returning just after Christmas and getting a full refund. A bit snide bit certainly not illegal

funnyfarmer yes she has 2 dc in school and 2 very little ones that aren't, so I don't really know how much time she has on her hands. I don't know the ins and outs of her financial situation either, but given that she can't work, I'd imagine she can't really save much throughout the year. But I don't blame her for making some money this way. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame the manufacturers of the toy for not producing enough, even though it's been billed as the hottest toy for several months now.

At the end of the day, she's allowed some other parents to purchase the toy that may not have otherwise, who've paid extra for the service. Some children will miss out, but you could also blame the RRP for that. Some parents can't afford the RRP anyway, and that has to be managed by the parents. Don't forgot eBay are making a huge profit on these too, which drives up the eBay seller's price.

I'm not blaming anyone. It's not about blame. And it's not about me being bitter because I cant find one.
I just think it's a bit tight and greedy.
I'm sure manufacturers make as many as they see will be profitable. No matter how many they make there will still be people who buy as many as is available.

Well you could argue that for anything really. Most people on eBay are either selling new things, for profit, or old things, generally to recoup money. You could argue they should donate their old stuff, so is it greedy to want to sell it? Most people want to make money, if buying a toy that's in high demand and making a profit is greedy, so be it. Move on with your life. Let's not kid ourselves that toy shops and supermarkets buy from manufacturers at RRP and resell at cost price. They buy at low cost and add their mark up, the same as the eBay seller. You just accept it when it's RRP.

Its probably just her trying to make sense of the world trying to piece together what's real and not (santa v's parents) and what actions adhere to what consequences.[Funnyfarmer]

That's pretty much what I said. She is developing cynicism - "X badly behaved child got Y nice toy" is well on the way to having it sussed.

You have set her up with an expectation that a certain course of action on her part will have certain nice consequences, when actually you are not sure you can fulfill your end of the deal.

She is learning that the promise of a magical Christmas, with the degree of magical quality depending on the appearance of certain toys under the tree, is hot air, that children who do not make the effort to behave get what they want anyway.

It is not fair to her to associate good behaviour with a Christmas reward when you know that Christmas toy shopping is insane.

...she hasn't been sucked in by anything!
But you tried to get a hatchimal last year?

I really don't understand why the way I choose to parent has anything to with condoning people buying and selling products at unfair prices.
I am responding to your posts because they illustrate certain attitudes to Christmas and what lies behind your gift buying approach.

The way you choose to parent has the effect of contributing to your DD's developing sense of cynicism, driving up demand for the 'must have' toys, which in turn has an effect on supply and the mushrooming of profiteering, which leads to your DD's disappointment.

It is very true, as SIngapore says, that the toys are priced as high as retailers can price them. For their part, eBay sellers price them as high as they feel they can. Lots of parents are not able to afford the retail price, let alone the eBay price. Christmas is not really magical. It is about profit, sadly. I am not saying children should be exposed to the nuts and bolts of it as harshly as that, but promising the moon on a stick is an extreme that should be avoided too.

I think it's wrong. I hate blatant greed. As much as I hate how easy it is to be held hostage by materialism just because it's Christmas. I don't buy into any of it. In your case I'd be getting around all this by buying toys early. You know Christmas is in December each year. So organise yourself to shop earlier. Greedy, exploitative sellers do buy early. & make a hefty profit off people that don't.

Let's not kid ourselves that toy shops and supermarkets buy from manufacturers at RRP and resell at cost price. They buy at low cost and add their mark up, the same as the eBay seller. You just accept it when it's RRP.

The two aren't remotely comparable. The store provides a service, and takes a business risk, and has serious overheads in terms of staff, premises, insurance, taxes, utilities... they are also providing employment and paying tax (well, not Amazon, but that's another argument.) We can't all buy everything direct from the source, and if we did then that's like the Lego shop, who sell their own stuff at retail prices to cover costs and make a profit, hopefully.

Someone buying something from a store, who have already taken all those risks and charged the requisite costs, does so because they know they can sell on at a massive mark up despite being the cause of that markup by buying it when they don't personally want it. It's profiteering without risk or effort. There's no work at all involved of any sort of value to the end customer. It's parasitical.

My kids adore Harry Potter and really want some of the fairy light potion bottles Primark were selling. But they're all on Ebay now at 4 or 5 times the price, so they aren't getting any because I won't give my money to those arseholes. Instead I logged on to Etsy and located a woman who makes her own version (and has done for some time, in fact, not that I am implying anything...) and gave her the money. Because she's providing something to the public for it.

I kind of agree with you OP. I am also a bit disapproving of people who buy more than one property, therby pushing up the price of property and in effect grabbing something tney don't need.

However, times are hard and I wouldn't begrudge someone who is hard up making some cash in the way you describe.

But they're all on Ebay now at 4 or 5 times the price, so they aren't getting any because I won't give my money to those arseholes.

Same sentiment here, I'd rather do without. Couldn't agree more.

I know how we all feel about IWOOT, but they have a flash sale on until midnight tonight on some of their lines 20% off with discount code XMAS and free delivery over £10.

Wrong thread

As you were...

...she hasn't been sucked in by anything!
But you tried to get a hatchimal last year?
Yes. Because it's the kind of thing she likes.
She doesn't want a luvebella, nor did she want the singing elsa doll, she doesn't or never has liked frozen even when the world was going crazy for it. She never had loom bands or a fidgit spinner. Sometimes the things she likes happenes to be fashionable.
Yes she is learning Christmas is magical I'll continue to do that. We love all that Christmas cheesy sentiment.
I'll continue to tech her good things happen to good people. I myself still believe it's true even though life has tried to convince me otherwise. When I say good things I don't mean getting one particular toy on Christmas morning that's ridiculous.
Maybe I have managed to find to find the lol toy because we've been good this year who knows.
She wasn't devastated when she didn't get the hatchimal. Just a little disappointed and didn't really understand why. She thought that "Santa" had brought "johns" hatchimal so was just trying to make sense of why he would bring one for him and not her. Wasn't blaming me for anything. Wasn't even me she said it to it was her dsis when her dsis asked what her friends had got.

She was made up when she eventually got to adopted a hatchimal. (Second hand one no egg) I think she loved it more than if she would have got one from the egg.
Good things also come to those who wait
I've never promised any of these things as in "if you're good you will definitely get everything you want on Christmas day"
More "if your good, good things will happen. Especially at Christmas.

When people do pay over the odds for these toys for what ever reason you've got think where does the extra money come from? Even if the parents have set up unrealistic expectations or raised children who think that having the latest gadget is important it's still the child that's left disappointed not the parents, it will be the child's Christmas fund the money comes from it unlikely won't be the parents Christmas do fund so ultimately it is the child that suffers. Might be the fault of the parents but will effect the children more than it will the parents.
There's plenty of other ways to make a few extra quid over Christmas without disappointing little kids.

I thought Hatchimals were a very unusual concept. It would be difficult to like 'that sort of thing'.

I actually had to look up a few of the items you mentioned there. For someone not following fads or affected by advertising, you seem to be very familiar with a good few fads.

I say good things I don't mean getting one particular toy on Christmas morning that's ridiculous.
Maybe I have managed to find to find the lol toy because we've been good this year who knows.

I've never promised any of these things as in "if you're good you will definitely get everything you want on Christmas day"
More "if your good, good things will happen. Especially at Christmas.
A bit of a contradiction there?
Hopefully your DD is as good at splitting hairs as you are, so she will be well able to understand that 'if you're good, good things will happen, especially at Christmas' does not mean what the average child would think it means. Maybe you include a long disclaimer spoken really, really fast like they do in some ads, that conclude with 'batteriessoldseparately', or 'buyatyourownrisk'.

People who buy the eBay toys probably don't have to budget. They choose to spend whatever they spend, and it's their business alone. If they are on a tight budget and end up paying too much for a fad, they are fools and they are setting a very poor example.

What is a Christmas do fund?

* True MyDC. Although you can’t be sure which one your dc will want. In the case of the LOL toy I don’t think that was predicted.* I’ve known for a while, and supposedly ( from an acquaintance in the industry) they knew in January it would likely be

True MyDC. Although you can’t be sure which one your dc will want. In the case of the LOL toy I don’t think that was predicted.

I’ve known for a while, and supposedly ( from an acquaintance in the industry) they knew in January it would likely be

Just checked, I knew on the 6th October. It’s really screwed up how they can just tell a year in advance, the markets that easy

I was taught a bigger lesson by not getting Mr Frosty. The value of things. I also wanted the Sindy bedroom set, but instead my dad made me a brilliant wooden set of it. I was slightly disappointed because I was selfish. Sometimes these lessons take many years to learn but I've never forgotten it. Now my eyes are leaking.

I think it’s hugely unfair and selfish but not something that would really get me worked up. But everyone’s up in arms at the minute about making ticket touting illegal and this is exactly the same, so.