Halloween Items Not Selling - A Race to the Bottom? Christmas Going to be Like this Also??

[katzrul15]

We have never had a Halloween sales slump like this - not in all the years on here.  Our Halloween items are not selling and there are so many items priced well below our wholesale pricing AND they offer FREE Shipping with that Race to the Bottom, Sandwich ~ THANK you so very much!  (We offer Free shipping, but I cannot sell something for $8 + free shipping, when our cost was $5.40/per and MSRP is $24.99)

Everything from Disney Princess costumes, wigs, flashlights - even Buzz Lightyear costumes and accessories are not selling like usual and we're not going to sell a full costume for $12.95 + free shipping.

I am concerned.  Is this what Christmas is shortly about to look like?  This Race to the Bottom (several items today from Sellers I have bookmarked have again lowered pricing by $1-$3 per item to try and get them to sell) is really concerning.  At least we sold several more Pokemon oreos today - 4 less packs I do not have to eat.  🙂

[bbravo65]

...inflation is already at 6%...just the beginning...wait until the end of 2021 to early 2022...

...following the release of the July Consumer Price Index (CPI), if anyone whom working as federal employee can see Cost-Of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) significantly increases this fiscal year and 2022...

...but...$1,934 of COLA annually won't help much when everything is skyrocket...

...and our government budget of $3.5 trillions...more printing money, more national debts, everyone has to carry that burden, not those millionaire career politicians and their families...

[hurryagain]

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@bbravo65 wrote:

...inflation is already at 6%...just the beginning...wait until the end of 2021 to early 2022...

...following the release of the July Consumer Price Index (CPI), if anyone whom working as federal employee can see Cost-Of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) significantly increases this fiscal year and 2022...

...but...$1,934 of COLA annually won't help much when everything is skyrocket...

...and our government budget of $3.5 trillions...more printing money, more national debts, everyone has to carry that burden, not those millionaire career politicians and their families...

---

...let's see...isn't our national debt at around 20 Trillion?

...20 trillion...

$20,000,000,000,000.00 - is this correct?

...that's not a real number...

...dear Lord...

[this*old*attic]

I can’t help wondering if the 99Cent stores and similar are scoring?

 I bought some Christmas, Easter, and 4th of July stuff this year. Picked up some Halloween decorations the other day.

NICE stuff. I’m a serious snob. NOT junk. Quality like you’d get at a department or good crafts store.

 I wonder if the fancier stores have been ordering conservatively, and the discount stores are reaping the benefit? And that’s where people are picking up their holiday items?

[chapeau-noir]

I've noticed a lot less boxes of Chinese Halloween tat coming into the several stores where I shop (usually they're stocking it by now and the boxes are all over the place).  I say good - we don't need more landfill.  We can make our OWN Halloween tat, anyway - surely we in this country haven't forgotten how to do THAT, and it'll probably be more fun.

[inhawaii]

Sorry Katz,  But i'll be buying my Halloween supplies from Sri Lanka this year.

I found these cool flashing LED Halloween headbands for only about one dollar!

Oh wait!  If i order now will i be able to get it before Halloween?    😉

[nuclearomen]

IDK, @katzrul15  this is likely due to the mess ebay created with seasonal category changes, elimination and mixing. If it's any consolation, sales have slowed past few weeks here also and I don't sell seasonal stuff (rarely). Dropping prices isn't always best either. Ebay seems to like to push the real expensive stuff. Items we have like vinyl were got  a real good price on wholesale and can offer much cheaper then other titles have seemed to sit, with not as many views in comparison to more expensive titles have to charge much more for even when have the best price on them. In comparison, noticed that the items ebay is "pushing" for our promoted items on our listings is majority more expensive titles then the lower priced titles also... this could have part in things as everyone knows that half of the stuff sold on ebay now isn't from buyer searching something specific but clicking those sponsored adds on listings...just a mention to the mystery.  

[toysaver]

I am concerned.  Is this what Christmas is shortly about to look like?

IMO the Covid Christmas will be more about the 3 Fs - family, faith and food than compulsive consumerism.  People have less to spend but may also be wanting less as what is important is different in a crisis.  Ever increasing shipping costs don't help the matter.   As for halloween, I don't want hoards of germy little kids at my door and will have a big NO CANDY sign on my picture window.

[jewelbiz]

I think the problem is inflation.

Yesterday  I had to buy a new prescription drug medicine for my troubled eyes 👀

It cost $435. & the tube is smaller in size than 1/2 my little bitty pinky finger…even with my drug plan it still cost me $47. And I have & monthly pay for expensive needed drug insurance!

Little money left around these days for Halloween 🎃 

[nuclearomen]

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@toysaver wrote:

I am concerned.  Is this what Christmas is shortly about to look like?

IMO the Covid Christmas will be more about the 3 Fs - family, faith and food than compulsive consumerism.  People have less to spend but may also be wanting less as what is important is different in a crisis.  Ever increasing shipping costs don't help the matter.   As for halloween, I don't want hoards of germy little kids at my door and will have a big NO CANDY sign on my picture window.

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While this would be partially true, it isn't different then any other xmas - those "3 Fs" are general part of the season. Nonetheless, people still have money and still buy gifts. Halloween, the modern trend has been for years "no trick or treaters" but most people do decorate, especially outside the home and the same is true for xmas season...that won't change due to covid, in fact it would be more so. People need things to lighten the mood and provide a general feeling in times of "crisis" - that's not seasonal prediction, it's human nature and fact. 

[7794heather]

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@inhawaii wrote:

Sorry Katz,  But i'll be buying my Halloween supplies from Sri Lanka this year.

I found these cool flashing LED Halloween headbands for only about one dollar!

Oh wait!  If i order now will i be able to get it before Halloween?    😉

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You must be wealthy to afford the 357.00 in shipping they charge bwahahaha. 

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

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@downunder-61 wrote:

Sorry this is happening katz, but this has gone so off topic, I don't know where to start.

eBay is in trouble, other sites are going fine and I don't see how Christmas is going to be any better at this stage, I would definitely be listing on your other sites

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I hear ya, what is going on with this topic? I did take you advice and grabbed a couple Halloween items for my store but they are cute items, not scary evil spooky stuff! I'm sure your stuff will start selling soon as the seasonal weather approaches. It's hard to get into Halloween when our temps are still at 104* and thunderstorms in the Midwest are still popping up.

[byrd69er]

Do what some stores have done around here....start selling Halloween items in mid-August.

 Hell, why not try mid-May?

[dhbookds]

Since we hit  alot of town wide garage sales, we must have been to over 500 this year.......simply no Halloween stuff for sale.  My theory was/is since people didn't get it out for last year, they didn't "cull out" what they didn't want anymore.  With the uncertainty about Covid this year....I think many will pass their usual parties/trick treating for the especially for kids......they are closing grades in schools here  because of outbreaks. 

Since Christmas is "family", whole different ball of wax.....there vaccinations are going to provide some feeling of "safety" to those gatherings.  Christmas items were available at the g sales, but in a lesser quantity than years past. 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

My Q4 forecast (which is worth just exactly what you are paying for it):

many people will start buying Christmas stuff earlier, due to concerns about shipping delays and inventory shortages....Halloween DECOR will pick up fairly soon, but trick or treating/party stuff (costumes, etc) might not pick up much or will pick up in early October, as people become (IF they become) more confident that trick or treating and Halloween parties will actually be going on in their locale. 

I have noticed my local WalMart and Dollar Stores don't seem to be fully stocked with Halloween stuff, possibly due to shortages. My local thrifts seem to have costumes but not a lot of decor. And I haven't really seen people trying on or buying costumes....I really don't think Halloween is top of mind for a lot of consumers right now. In my local area, some people are up in arms (not literally, at least, so far) in opposition to their kids being required to wear masks to school....I think those kinds of masks are top of mind, not Halloween masks. Also, I see general Fall and Autumn decor taking precedence over Halloween at this point. If Halloween sales are still in a slump the last week of September/first week of October, I'd be more concerned.

I don't generally sell "new" Halloween stuff, I don't buy wholesale or retail arbitrage, so I don't have any great investment in it. I have stuff to list, mostly vintage decor and clothing items that can be used as part of a home made costume. 

Here's hoping Halloween sales pick up soon!

[spreadlovelikefire]

I sell seasonal Halloween costumes and I've been selling them on par with previous years.  Could just be the algorithm.   I'll notice that I'll go a week with no costume sales then all of sudden I go two weeks with several being sold every day.  Some people are just now starting to think about Halloween.  Hang in there, they will sell.