The deals can be good sometimes, and not so good sometimes. But as far as creating an open community and a real brand culture, Woot is one of the best online success stories i can think of. Obviously, Yahoo! agrees, as they just started a partner ship with Woot. You can see the results at sellout.woot.

Happy shopping!

It’s amazing that a toy that has been on the market for just over 24 hours has accomplished so much. TMX Elmo is revolutionary, to be sure (See the TMX Elmo Video if you haven’t already). But it seems that, in such a short time, a toy has made people forget the American way. The free market system and the buy-low, sell-high attitude is what this country’s economy has been based upon since the industrial revolution, if not before.

And so, it’s rather amazing that consumers have already started an uproar at Amazon.com.

Sure, there are some disappointed parents. But rather than having taken the initiative to pre-order the toy, they spend their time writing negative reviews - 56 at the time of this writing - about Amazon’s policy as far as third-party sellers.

The Story So Far…

In a nutshell, the toy came out. People realized it was revolutionary. Some enterprising people saw a demand that will outweigh supply (prematurely, in this writer’s opinion). The toy sold out, and immediately, Amazon’s private sellers had the toy listed at anywhere from $160 to $300. And the less-enterprising people, still months away from Christmas, began to cry foul.

No Foul!

Folks… hate to play referee here, but… NO FOUL. These people must never have heard of such principles as “supply and demand” or “buy low, sell high.” Because the fact of the matter is, hours after its release, TMX Elmo has become a commodity. And when it comes to the buying and selling of goods, nothing is sacred - not food, not shelter, heck, not even a toy. It’s called the American way, and it’s the reason why so many of us, given the opportunity, could afford to spend the $40 retail price of a toy.

So before you point the finger at Amazon, or the people who recognized the opportunity to buy low or sell high, take a good look at the people who write your paychecks. Are they in business to make money? Do they sell goods and/or services above what they paid for them? If so, you need to think long and hard about the principles you’re fighting against. Because without them, you just might not have a job.

The Coming Epilogue

However this controversy ends, the people laughing after it’s all said and done will be Fisher-Price, the makers of TMX Elmo. Let’s not kid ourselves, they saw all of this coming. The product line has a history of being a hot item around Christmas. They know they’ve got something revolutionary on their hands. So, as any smart marketer would do, they released a limited number of them. The ensuing frenzy was easily predicted, and guarantees that when 200 truckloads of TMX Elmos magically show up at our local Wal-Marts just before Christmas, millions of Americans will jump at the opportunity to own what will be considered such a “hot commodity.” Well played, Fisher-Price.

More on TMX Elmo:

TMX Elmo eBay prices

Current prices for TMX Elmo at Amazon.com

TMX Elmo Blog

TMX Elmo Info