Competition for holiday toy sales is leading to a revival of the old-school, hold-in-your-hands catalog. Now eBay has gotten into the game.
The e-commerce marketplace has published its first toy book, which includes an abbreviated version in the Nov. 19 PEOPLE magazine. A catalog with the full accoutrements was sent to "thousands of eBay customers," according to an eBay spokeswoman, and also will be available at the company's pop-up store, Toytopia, at Chelsea Market Nov. 16-20.
The toys are curated from its sellers' inventory of new and vintage items.
"By looking at recent eBay sales data, we've continued to see that a variety of classic and new toys, including action figures and dolls, kids' crafts, building toys, and vintage and antique toys, are leading the way this gifting season," eBay's chief of Lifestyle and Toys Michael Mosser said in a statement.
Sure, eBay is selling Legos, riding toys and all the on-trend games for young people. But the company also is going after grown-up nostalgia buffs with enough disposable income to blow five or six figures on collectibles,
Consider the $25,000 life sized Lego of Batman, the vintage Star Wars action figure for a penny under $11,000 or the $100,000 Black Lotus magic card.
The 20-year old company has faced stiff competition from Amazon as well as Target and Walmart, which have invested heavily in their mobile and online shopping. eBay is seeking to reposition its place as less of a marketplace for used goods and resellers and more of a pure e-commerce company.
The company has about 177 million active buyers around globe, compared with about 300 million for Amazon.
With the closing of Toys "R" Us stores nationwide, retailers are making a big play to capture the market share. Minneapolis-based Target has nearly doubled its merchandise from last year, and Walmart is pumping up its new stock by 30 percent in stores and 40 percent online. Best Buy is selling Barbie Dreamhouses. Amazon also printed its first toy catalog, a 68-page printed guide mailed to millions of homes available in its Whole Food stores.
