Santa Needs a Bailout, Too, so k are selling their old toys to raise cash for new ones:
The number of postings in the “games/toys for sale” category at craigslist more than doubled to 396,197 last month from 190,157 a year earlier. Many of this year’s listings include the phrases “my son is selling” or “my daughter is selling,” for items ranging from Bratz dolls to the Game Boy Advance.On eBay, more than 3,600 used toys were available on Dec. 2, and more than 2,000 were sold for an average of $30.21 in the previous week. “Kids are smart, and when their parents are telling them ‘No,’ they are looking for other ways to make it happen,” says Cat Schwartz, eBay’s gadget and toy director.
By late last week, a quarter of the 500 mothers of 8- to 12-year-olds surveyed by the research and strategy firm Just Kid Inc. said their children had considered selling old toys and games to help pay for gifts this holiday season; 11% said their children had already done so and 6% said their children had sold more this year. In many cases, respondents said their children wanted to buy something for themselves.