The latest Christmas toy craze has arrived in Calgary and some parents say the demand for Fingerlings is leading to online price gouging.
The toys are plastic, puppet-type toys shaped like monkeys that wrap around your fingers and respond to touch and speech.
Calgary mother Ally Downing has been searching store shelves to fulfill her child’s wish list but has come up empty when it comes to Fingerlings.
“I went to three stores and I can’t find them anywhere… there’s nothing on the shelves,” she said.
The toys sell for about $20 in stores but the high demand and lack of supply has led to some price gouging online.
On Amazon and Kijiji, resellers are offering them for at least $40, with some prices in the $60 to $80 range.
Posts in various Calgary Facebook “Buy and Sell” groups were also letting them go for about double the retail price.
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Katrina Harding-Saddleback has also been searching for Fingerlings both online and in stores for the past three weeks. The toys were a must-have on her child’s wish list to Santa.
By a stroke of luck, her husband managed to find three of the toys at a Toys R Us. Harding-Saddleback said two were gifts for her children and one was to be donated.
She said she’s surprised people are taking advantage of an unfortunate situation.
With so many customers trying to purchase the toys, some stores have been trying to stock them to no avail.
Castle Toys in Calgary requested a shipment from the manufacturer last month but was told they were “sold out” of the Fingerlings.
However, staff at a Calgary Toys R Us said a new shipment of Fingerlings had arrived Thursday morning but they were scooped up as soon as they came in.
Last year, Hatchimals were a highly sought-after Chirstmas toy. Lack of supply and high demand cause the furry bird-like animals to skyrocket to three or four times the original price.
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