Ho, ho, how much?: Toy prices rise by 18% just in time for Christmas

Shi’a, left, and Jhase play with Mattel’s gender-neutral doll. PHOTO: TIME/Angie Smith

By Sean Salai | 14 December 2021

THE WASHINGTON TIMES — Parents doing last-minute Christmas shopping might want to reconsider a lump of coal as a stocking stuffer: Toy prices climbed 18% between November 2019 and last month, industry sources point out.

What’s more, some parents will find “higher prices and empty shelves” if they’re still looking for certain items, a leading economist says.

“Parents should try not to rely on deliveries,” said Christine McDaniel, a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center free-market think tank. “This year, what you see on the shelf is what you can get.”

The average selling price (ASP) for toys jumped 15% from November 2019 to November 2020 and another 3% from November 2020 to last month, said Juli Lennett, a U.S. toy industry adviser at market researcher The NPD Group. The trend is driven by rising demand for high-dollar toys, a shrinking number of holiday promotional discounts and supply chain-related inflation, she said. […]

1 Comment on Ho, ho, how much?: Toy prices rise by 18% just in time for Christmas

  1. So the happy merchants planned inflation, rising prices, high demand, low product.. otherwise known as “same old script” has a new trendy name “pandemic lifestyle.” Good thing no one sees patterns, history repeating itself or planned implosions. Don’t worry though the same ((group)) will profit from the misery of their policies and we can just tighten our belts.

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