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.

No it doesn’t

You cannot argue that selling a sought after item doesn’t fulfil demand.it does
The demand drives up the price buyers will pay

Why should we be teaching our kids to have low expectations in life?
A lot depends on your definition of 'low' here. You seem to be arguing that teaching them to have high expectations means teaching them to want the latest fad.
It's not even about having the "latest fad"
Just because a child enjoys something doesn't mean they're shallow, spoiled or a brainless sheep. She just so happens to really enjoy playing with something that just so happens to have suddenly become fashionable.

Now we're expected to teach that the world is full of greedy bastards who snatch toys from under parents noses then sell them back to them at prices they can't afford?
Maybe just teach that appreciation of what you have is a really good thing, and that there is more to life than getting and having? Eliminate the materialism in your own life before you criticise it in others, and you will avoid all the anger.
Is this really you turning this round to make out it's the children who are the greedy ones?
my dd appreciates the fairly little material stuff she has. She understands she can't have everything. She doesn't want everything. What she doesn't understand is the reason why her favourite reasonable priced toy isn't available when it's clearly advitised in all shops.
I'm sorry you don't find Christmas magical.
I know it's not all about receiving toys but for generations we've bought toys for our children at Christmas. It's not a new thing and it certainly doesn't make a child spoiled for asking for a specific toy.

They're not popular the toy touts. However, and refreshingly, there's been people on Reastie's , and other, Christmas threads with surplus 'most wanted' toys. We've had one raffling an extra unicorn fingerling to Mumsnetters just for RRP price, and others offering their toys for RRP, or to return to the store if not needed. How refreshing.

fine there is still clearly a demand.seller has chosen to adhere to rrp

I know nobody's forcing me to buy the toys. And I won't at inflated price.
So instead ill just buy her something she doesn't like and will never play with instead the one thing she really wants even though I've stupidly led her to believe if she good and tries really hard she will be rewarded with something really special at Christmas.
But yeah suppose it's good way to teach them young that life isn't fair and it's every man for himself. Even at Christmas.
Can I ask when you didn't get your dd the monster high toy she wanted for Christmas. Did you not buy her anything for Christmas that year and told her she would just have to wait for her present or did you buy twice?

fine there is still clearly a demand.seller has chosen to adhere to rrp

No. They happened to have spares and didn't agree with making profit. Blimey!

We had bought other stuff,when monsterhigh was sold out,explained it was unavailable
Purchased it at rrp when it became available. It was about a week later
Dd ok about it. We’d had the conversation if unavailable have to wait

No,in your example it was sold at rrp. It wasn’t sold at loss.or given away.

No,in your example it was sold at rrp. It wasn’t sold at loss.or given away.
It wasn't making money, or bought with the intention of doing so, they were spares. It was either that or return to the shop. Cast your mind back to the OP we're discussing, Lipstick, it is quite different from the toy touts buying with the intention of making profit.

We'll get there in the end

Toy touts.lol such hyperbole. Folk who sell in demand items.no one compelled to buy
Selling for profit isn’t mercenary, keep up.its simple supply and demand

'Lol' indeed , Lipstick.

Supply and demand, supply and demand (broken record)

The supply wouldn’t be so short if greedy opportunistic people didn’t buy toys they don’t actually need to gift.

I’ll continue to explain pricing and supply and demand as you seem unclear
I could equally say your hyperbole about mercenary,etc is somewhat repetitive

If I was to do that @LipstickHandbagCoffee she would only get a few stocking fillers on Christmas day and nothing eles. What if they're still not available the week after or the week that?
I know last year with the hatchimals it was months before retailers had a steady supply.
I don't believe for a minute the people who buy and sell these toys are doing to make ends meet or to put food on the table. As stated before it's a gamble (a mugs game in itself) it's greed plain and simple.
Whereas parents who work hard all year round and make sacrifices so they can put a little money away each month only to find that the toys they calculated they could afford are now out of there budgets. It just puts extra pressure on already financially struggling, time deprived exhausted parents. Everyone loves to see there dcs face light up on Christmas day. It doesn't make them spoiled or materialistic.

I’m not interested in the profit motives of eBay sellers,they are free to sell for profit
If a much wanted toy is sold out you explain in an age appropriate way
As a parent that’s what you’d do. Disappointing,yes. But also manageable

Is your keyboard broken, Lipstick You seem to be having some problems.

Not in the least,I’d suggest you and op simply don’t like my responses
Equally,handwringing about mercenary,greedy,toy touts is a limited response

Worry not. You're not really saying much of anything at all, nothing to hand wring over, certainly. Separate issue to the keyboard problems you seem to be having.

The supply wouldn’t be so short if greedy opportunistic people didn’t buy toys they don’t actually need to gift [OP]
The demand wouldn't be so strong if parents didn't allow their children to fall hook, line and sinker for advertising, and then feel they are obliged to get their children the latest piece of tat. This is greed too, or fear on your part.

Is this really you turning this round to make out it's the children who are the greedy ones? [Funnyfarmer]
I want to emphasise that I am not criticising anyone's child here.

I am criticising parents who lose the run of themselves when it comes to Christmas. I am asking why parents feed this emphasis on stuff. Every time you tell a child that Christmas is about getting a specific reward and that the 'magical' part consists of a certain item under the tree you contribute to the materialistic madness.

I love Christmas.
I do not associate its specialness with piles of stuff under a Christmas tree, or receiving the coveted piece of tat that is advertised the instant the back to school shopping season ends.

It is nice to be able to give a child a nice gift for Christmas, but when something is advertised everywhere it is perhaps sensible to caution the child that an item that is heavily advertised sometimes sells out, or Santa didn't realise how many children wanted one and made too few.

Managing expectations is sometimes kinder than telling a child they can have a certain thing and all they have to do is be good all year.

I am interested in whether you bought a Hatchimal last year, Funny, since you mention them.

No. We didn't get a hatchimal It was top of her list but we couldn't get one. I did explain to her before hand that demand was really high so we couldn't get her one. I didn't feel very kind when she didn't get one.
What maybe a bit of tat to you LipstickHandbagCoffee could be something really special to someone eles.
I know she would loved a hatchimal she still would. She's not the kind child to ask for something then throw It in the toy box and never bother with it. She plays with her toys for hours on end.
Over a year she collect those little dolls for. Earned her own money, sold her old toys, saved, worked hard in school for rewards at home.
Now because somebody had decided it's this year's must have toy I'm supposed to discourage her from playing with them now because there fashionable?
So again my dd will see spoiled, unruly, misbehaved little brats getting everything they want while she has to settle for something she doesn't like. I just don't feel like I'm being kind.

Funnyfarmer - where are you in the UK? My local Argos has LOL Big Surprise at the moment

I think it’s quite unbelievable that some people are trying to twist this around to children being greedy for wanting a toy they just happen to like. To justify cashing in on people who want their child to have the thing they asked for on Christmas Day. It’s utterly disingenuous and pathetic.

So instead ill just buy her something she doesn't like and will never play with

Or, and this may seem really obvious here, you could buy her something you know she'll like and play with.

Just because she won't get this years "must have" toy doesn't mean you have to buy her something she doesn't like and will never play with There is a middle ground, you know! Use it. Your kid will thank you for it.