When 7-year-old Faith Corbin asked her mother for a Ruthie Smithens doll for Christmas, her mother gave her some bad news. Because of the bad economy, there would be no expensive dolls this year.
“I can’t really justify spending another $100 on a doll,” says Barbara Corbin, 42, of Bowie, Md. Declining home values and mounting expenses for everything from school to food have put an end to the days of buying her four children whatever they want, she says.
Having seen her mother buy things online, Faith, a second-grader at St. Pius X Regional School, suggested selling some of her toys online to raise money for the Ruthie doll, which coincidentally represents the Depression era in Mattel Inc.’s American Girl series. “I wanted to sell to some people who don’t have much toys,” says Faith, whose mother helped her place an ad on craigslist to sell some American Girl doll clothes, accessories and paraphernalia for $100. “I’m waiting for the money,” says Faith, who has been pestering her mother to “hurry up” and sell the items.
These straitened times have brought out a different kind of holiday spirit in children like Faith: the entrepreneurial spirit of Christmas presents. As many parents cut back on holiday spending this year, their children are figuring out ways to get the money to buy what they really want. They are asking their parents to post ads online to sell their old stuff or to hawk it on eBay. Some are showing up with used gadgets, toys and game consoles at malls and fast-food chains where people congregate.
