Toy Sellers taking gamble when betting on Holiday Fads

[mandy]

Every year around this time, the classified ads in the back of the newspaper, the auction sites online and various other venues where buyer meets seller begin filling with ads for whatever the "hot" Christmas gift item happens to be. For some, it pays off. For others, it doesn't.

The subculture economy follows a simple concept: Buyers who bought the popular items when they first came out turn around and resell them, looking to make a profit (and have extra money to spend during the holidays) because the item is popular and generally in short supply.

Hence, a person can buy the $599 PlayStation 3 and some extras and, in the case of Bozhinova, hope to sell them for $1,500. Or, as in the case of Prachar, they can buy the T.M.X. Elmo for $39.95 and hope to resell it for $100...

full article: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities...181163.htm