See the pic below. Boys or Girls Toys? Boys?? Girls Too? Unisex? Help!! I can't tell!
First off, I'm not an eBay basher or perennial complainer and don't enjoy reading forums where that is what goes on…but..I just want to bring up a bit of a pet peeve of mine. It's probably not worth a whole blog post but oh well things are slow. My peeve is the gender stereotyping I see when shopping and selling on ebay (and Amazon) toys, games, and plush.
If you sell many toys you've probably noticed it. I'm selling more and more toys lately so I've started to really notice.
When you list a toy, plush or game one of the item specifics is 'gender'. You are supposed to choose if the toy is for a boy, a girl or unisex. Sometimes I just skip that item specific but I don't like to skip any item specifics if possible; I believe ebay when they say they will help sell your item. Alternatively, I want to put unisex for all my toys. I feel all children should be allowed to play with any toys no matter what society tells them. It's just play. Don't men hold babies, become daddies, cook food etc? But the part of me that wants to sell sell sell wonders, am I cutting off my nose to spite my face if I don't place the toy in the "appropriate" gender category? Will Mommy or Daddy not find it when they are shopping for junior? I don't know…As a seller who sells toys how do you approach this? Do you ignore this item specific, choose a gender or pick unisex? Again. I'm not too worried over the matter just ranting a little.
For the first time today I looked at it from the eyes of a shopper. When shopping on ebay for toys, categories actually change when you go from boy to girl to unisex. Just like they do when you go from mens clothes to ladies. Disney princess and Dora the Explorer if you choose girl toys. Batman spiderman and transformers if you pick boy. Unisex is the default option. Check it out. Pretend you are shopping for a toy and see how toys are presented based on whether you've selected boy, girl, or unisex.
When shopping for kids costumes you must pick boy or girl. There are no unisex costumes. So plan ahead when you shop because if your girl wants a Scream costume you're not going to find it under girls costumes. If she wants to be a scary monster that is actually scary and not a rainbow brite colored monster...again look under the boys costumes.
Girls Costumes
And Boys
I know its not a huge deal and this is not meant to be a mind blowing post. Its just something I'm conscious of every time I list a plush, game or toy. It's part of our culture which I wish ebay didn't support. But they are a corporation. Amazon pretty much does the same thing. Not everyone does though. If you go to the Melissa and Doug website which sells cool quality toys they do not distinguish between girls and boys toys. Just age groups. Back on ebay I'm sure most of the Melissa and Doug toys are categorized under boys or girls. Good try Melissa and Doug*.
In the comment section Lorraine posted a link to a perfect Youtube video for this post. Thanks Lorraine! See the video here..
*I have not received any free toys from Melissa and Doug. I wish I would though cause they are cool!
I NEVER use the gender option. I always leave it blank or do 'boys and girls'. When I was growing up, I always played with boy toys because I had older brothers and wanted to be like them. The way toys, and kids in general, are divided by gender so strongly, it really angers me. Even when something is clearly marketed towards one gender or another, I make my description gender-neutral. Fun shouldn't be restricted to just boys or girls, and no one should feel bad for playing with 'the wrong toys'.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Thanks for your comment. I'm glad I'm not the only one bothered by the gender option!
DeleteYour post reminded me of this:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnaXW9ZgZc
It's perfect for this topic.
I love it! It is perfect. Thanks for posting that. I'd never seen it before. I'm going to link to it in the original post.
Deleteif its legos i typically do boys and girls unless its the pink friends line. Also I typically do boys and girls unless its a doll. Even the Littlest Pet Shop (traditionally a girls toy) i brought home to sell and my 2 boys latched right on to them (to make them fight of course) but my daughter could care less. I dont like to skip specifics either.
ReplyDeleteGood to know how you do it!
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ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone here says. My youngest son (now 23) used to play with a baby doll when he was a toddler and my daughter (now 40) didn't like dolls and preferred plushies and "boy" toys. Having said that, if I'm looking for a toy for a boy - maybe for birthday or someone I don't really know well - I will search under boy toys. There are SO MANY, TONS of toys, and this item specific helps to narrow down the number of items. I don't want to look at dolls if I'm shopping for a boy. BTW, I list all my NERF gun toys as boys/girls. I think these are great fun!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ms Goodwill Haunting :) I wonder if I list a toy under Unisex if it shows up in a 'boy' search. I'll have to test that out. I remember wanting a NERF football when I was a kid so I could catch football without hurting my hands.
DeleteWell I just tested it out. I recently listed a Winnie the Pooh animated toy and chose the 'Boy or Girl' item specific. When I search for it it does not come up if I narrow my search to 'Boy'. Ugh. The more I think about this issue the more complicated it gets.
DeleteI put unisex whenever I can. I really think ebay needs to get rid of that item specific, especially in toys and plush.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kimberly. It just complicates things for the seller and the buyer.
Deletehttp://stereotypes-media-and-you.blogspot.mx
ReplyDelete