WASHINGTON 鈥� Online sales are making up a bigger share of the toy market than ever before 鈥� they鈥檙e projected to make up about 35 percent of all sales in the U.S. this year 鈥� and the closing of the Toys R Us chain is both cause and symptom of the situation.
Chris Byrne, of , told 草莓传媒 on Cyber Monday that shoppers who used to go to Toys R Us are mainly going to 鈥減laces that they went before,鈥� such as Walmart, Target, Kohl鈥檚 and the Party City-owned pop-up Toy City. Retailers are offering 鈥済reat markdowns on toys to get you spend even more money,鈥� Byrne said.
People are also shopping online at , and . Surprisingly, even is showing up as a site for new stuff, Byrne said: 鈥淭oy manufacturers are building shops on eBay as well as their own shops.鈥�
That’s changed the market, he said in a later conversation.
鈥淭here is no one hot toy, and that鈥檚 because if you鈥檙e looking for something, you can find it online if you鈥檙e willing to pay a premium.鈥� It鈥檚 been 35 years since the height of the Cabbage Patch phase, and while they鈥檙e still available, Byrne said, 鈥測ou don鈥檛 see people slugging it out on the toy aisles to get the last one.鈥�
You can鈥檛 interview The Toy Guy without asking about recommendations for holiday gifts, and Byrne shared some of his favorites:
is selling replicas of 1980s arcade games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Galaga, PacMan and Street Fighter in units at three-quarters size with the original software. 鈥淚t feels just like you鈥檙e playing in the arcade back in the day,鈥� Byrne said. The list price is $299, but Byrne said he鈥檚 seen Cyber Monday deals at $249.
, by Moose Toys, is a 鈥渞eally challenging game鈥� 鈥� an electronic hand-held game that tests memory and dexterity by matching colors. It鈥檚 for ages 8 and up and lists for $19.99.
The is a kind of pen that 鈥渁llows you to draw with melted wax, which is really super fun,鈥� Byrne said 鈥� 鈥測ou鈥檙e not melting them on the radiators like I did when I was a kid, and they don鈥檛 get super warm.鈥�
now come with interactive electronic tunnels that control the motion of the train, and they鈥檙e another example of old-school toys that will take kids away from computer and smartphone screens: 鈥淲e鈥檝e been very impressed by the level of classic play鈥� this season, Byrne said.
Byrne added that comparison shopping is a must for anyone looking to save online. He recommends setting up a Google alert for any particular toy you’re looking for, so the deals will come to you.
He also advised putting a toy you’re interested in into your shopping cart on any site you’re browsing.聽Not only will the retailer hold it for you for a certain amount of time, and send you an email reminding you that it鈥檚 there, 鈥渢hey may send you a deal 鈥� 鈥榖uy this and get 10 percent off something else.鈥欌��
His only caveat is to make sure you don鈥檛 wait too long or you may not get it before the holiday.
See .
草莓传媒’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
