Hatchimals In-Stock December 2016 Tracker: Hot Toy Sold For $25,000 On eBay As Amazon, Target, Walmart, Toys R Us, Kmart Sell Out, Restock

As seen in the above photo, Kelly Ingram smiled big when she received her Hatchimal, according to the Associated Press’ description of the photo. And it’s no wonder as Hatchimals are the hottest toys of Christmas 2016. It was during Walmart’s Black Friday event in Bentonville, Arkansas, when Kelly received her Hatchimal. According to 12 News, some people were fortunate enough to predict the Hatchimals craze early, with a pair of brothers in Glendale, Arizona, having bought $5,000 worth of Hatchimals early enough to profit off of the buying frenzy, as seen in the video below.

According to CBS News, one writer who decided to invest in Hatchimals — Sara Gruen, a New York Times best-selling author — discovered a bit of backlash over her haul. Whereas some see them as the hot, hatching toy that plenty of kids want for Christmas this year, others see an opportunity to make a handsome profit, since there is a high demand for Hatchimals but not necessarily a high supply.

Gruen bought nearly $24,000 worth of Hatchimals from eBay on Small Business Saturday but then experienced a bit of a snag when eBay put a hold on her own eBay account when she tried to resell all of her Hatchimals. The toys, which normally have a $59.99 retail price, are going for many times the original price on sites like Amazon and eBay. Sara eventually had her eBay account released and is free to sell her Hatchimals.

According to the Hatchimals website, the toys are sold at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Toys R Us, Kmart, and Spin Master’s website.

The Hatchimals shortage, which occurred when the Canada-based Spin Master didn’t expect such a high demand for the toys, has put trackers in place. More Hatchimals are coming to Target on December 11, reports CNBC — as well as early 2017. However, many folks want their Hatchimals under the Christmas tree prior to December 25, 2016. As such, Target will impose a limit of two Hatchimals per customer.

As such, visiting Walmart’s page for versions of the toy such as “Hatchimals – Hatching Egg – Interactive Creature – Burtle – Purple/Teal Egg – Walmart Exclusive by Spin Master” shows the original $59.99 toy as currently out of stock, with the option to get email alerts. The “Hatchimals Burtle, by Spin Master Walmart Exclusive” with the original $48.88 price is also out of stock right now, with the option for email alerts as well.

Facebook reports nearly 100,000 people currently talking about Hatchimals, with the Hatchimals “buy sell trade” group in full swing. Hatchimals that are in stock are also being promoted on Twitter — either from resellers selling them at a high price or from other shoppers who happen to spot Hatchimals in stock at their local Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, or other stores and give other shoppers the heads up. On Target’s website, the Hatchimals stock is either listed as “limited stock” or not available or in-store only purchase.

However, it’s the eBay sold Hatchimals listings, sorted by the highest price, that bring the most interesting stories. That’s how the story of $25,000 paid for four Hatchimals was uncovered, with a description that proved the “Hail Mary” Hatchimals listing proved fruitful. In the description of the listing, which is titled “Hatchimals – 2 Blue/Green Draggles & 2 Pink Pengulas **Please Read**,” the eBay seller explained the story behind selling Hatchimals for $6,250 each.

“I understand that the price for these 4 Hatchimals is outrageous…I was lucky enough to purchase these Hatchimals as gifts from my mom to her grandkids…I don’t have much to offer, but I had these Hatchimals! Maybe there is somebody out there that is looking for this gift and doesn’t carry the same worries about finances that we do. I’m hoping to take the money from this sale to help pay off my grandparents refinanced home. I don’t know for certain what they owe, but I know it’s close to $100,000.00. This is just my hail Mary.”

Apparently, according to the “sold” sign across the eBay listing, that long shot prayer worked, with the four Hatchimals having sold for $25,000 on November 30. Another single Hatchimals toy is listed on eBay has having sold for $7,600 — while another Hatchimals sold for $2,700 on eBay.

[Featured Image by Gunnar Rathbun/AP Images/Walmart]