SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Nov. 3, 2005 -- eBay today unveiled this holiday's Top 10 must-have new toys, as well as eBay Toy Finder (www.ebay.com/toyfinder), a free new feature that helps shoppers find the right toy for kids of any age.
eBay Toy Finder offers recommendations of more than 300 "hot" and award-winning toys, along with full-page descriptions and photos that link directly to those items listed on eBay. Shoppers can then choose from new and used toys and purchase them immediately through Buy It Now or by bidding in the auction format.
Covering nine age ranges and 16 product categories, eBay Toy Finder also includes products evaluated and recognized by nationally-renowned author Marianne Szymanski of Toy Tips, an independent research group that tests toys and children's products.
"Too often, it becomes very easy to get caught up in the holiday clutter and the must-have toy hype of the season," said Szymanski. "eBay Toy Finder can easily guide you to the most age and developmentally appropriate toys, whether new this year or a classic. I advise parents to be their own child's toy expert, and online features like eBay Toy Finder can help guide them in the research and buying process."
eBay 2005 Hot New Toys List
"eBay is often cited as a barometer of the most popular toys during the holiday season, and eBay Toy Finder now makes it easy for anyone to pick from thousands of choices," said Jim Migdal, senior category manager for eBay Toys & Hobbies. "This list recognizes those toys we anticipate to be top sellers this holiday season, based on recent sales trends on eBay, numbers of searches and listings, and general buzz in the industry."
The list includes:
1. Star Wars Millenium Falcon LEGO Set
2. Thomas the Tank Engine Aquarium Set
3. American Girl Dolls
4. Roboraptor
5. Harry Potter Scene It? Game
6. Bob Mackie Holiday Barbie
7. The Fly Pentop Computer
8. Leapfrog L-Max Learning Game System
9. Master Replicas Star Wars FX Lightsabers
10. Star Wars Clone Trooper Action Figure
"With the final release in the Star Wars series, Star Wars licensed merchandise has been an overwhelming success across the product spectrum both in retail and on eBay," said Migdal. "Thomas the Tank Engine, in all its variations, is a perennial kids favorite that can provide years of creative play.
"Learning toys have also come on very strong as parents continue to seek those toys that help further child development. Two standouts from Leapfrog are the L-Max Learning Game System and the FLY Pentop Computer. Mattel's Scene It? has been very popular and is expected to get even more so with the release of the latest Harry Potter movie this month."
About eBay
Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world. Through an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal, eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever-growing online community.
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