In It to Win It - An American Girl Story

About a week before Christmas, my daughter Megan comes into the kitchen with an American Girl catalog in which she has circled several items that retire on December 31. Mind you, I have already completed my Christmas shopping and am wondering what to do with this information. (She receives these catalogs all year long, so why is she only mentioning this now? I can only surmise that she realizes she never made an official Christmas list this year and is hoping against hope that I haven't yet finished shopping.) I did tell her that I'd already finished and wrapped, but that she would likely be getting Christmas money from her grandparents and that would be a great thing to spend it on.

Fast forward to this week, when the craziness has died down, the houseguests have all gone home, and I'm starting to pick up where I left off with life before Christmas. I remember the catalog and think the doll and accessories would make a very nice birthday present come February, so I logged onto Americangirl.com today.

To my dismay, the doll she wants is their limited edition Doll of the Year, Mia, and she is already Sold Out! And all the accessories are sold out, too. What's a mom to do? Well, check eBay, of course! I know there are people who order 10 of these things just so they can put them on eBay once they sell out in the store.


I am right. And now, I can expect to pay at least 50% to 100% more for said plastic treasure with the angelic face. GRrrr. I'm high bidder right now. Not that it will do any good if I don't also win the auction for the matching ice skates. Double-GR-rrr.

The only reason I'm even considering this is that Megan doesn't really ask for anything. She is very diligent about saving her money from cat-sitting and her allowance to purchase things she wants. And though she was very happy with the gifts she received, I feel badly that we didn't buy this for her.

So here I am, feeding into the so-called "entrepeneurial" crap on which eBay thrives. I know, I know, it's called captitalism. The law of supply & demand, etc. etc.

I should have ordered the doll, had it Fed-exed in time for Christmas and just re-wrapped the other stuff for her birthday and saved it till February. That's hindsight for you. So unnervingly obvious and practical. I console myself by thinking it was probably already sold out to all those people who buy the season's hottest toys and list them on eBay.

Well, now I'm in it to win it. I'll keep you posted.

Comments

Drew said…
Or...maybe by the time Megan's birthday comes around, the hoopla over the doll will be over and you could win it for a more reasonable price? It is so frustrating to deal with gouged prices from people buying up stuff they don't even want. Of course, if I'm being honest, I'd probably have been one of the ones doing that to make an extra buck. ;) You should have seen me when I got my hands on some Hannah Montana tickets. Good luck!
Adrienne Zwart said…
Oh, Andrea, I like the idea of waiting till the hoopla wears out. Especially since I didn't win today's auction. :(
That is so frustrating Adrienne. Especially when you know it is something that she really, really wants. Good luck with your auctions staying low...that would be good news!
Adrienne Zwart said…
The doll arrived today. I actually didn't win the first auction, but when I searched again, I found another one that included the skates as well. I'll be sure to post photos of when Megan opens it.

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