Fans of Mariah Carey just want her holiday Barbie for Christmas, but it will take more than Santa’s elves to make it happen.
The Queen of Christmas-inspired Barbie from Mattel sold out at its official stores within hours of its introduction. The collectible originally retailed for $75 via the Mattel shop, but it appears some of those fortunate buyers didn’t want it for themselves and instead wanted to resell it for a higher price. Multiple listings for the collectible can now be found on resale sites like eBay and Mercari for anywhere from $119 to upwards of $180.
The obvious Grinch-like behavior and the “poor timing” of two promotional photos with the doll that were posted to Barbie’s Instagram profile have left the singer’s fans somewhat unhappy.
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One person commented, “Why even make a social post when she’s sold out everywhere lol,” and another person shot back, calling her business practices appalling. “Fire the person in charge of scheduling the limits and timing.”
Another unhappy fan added, “The scalpers bought her off Amazon, Walmart, and Target already and are reselling her at double and triple the price ?.”
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Another said, “Dont post items that cannot be purchased,” before charging the business with “catering to scalpers” rather than to regular customers. “Those who purchase these in large quantities for resale shouldn’t be allowed to check out! People more than likely make up for that one bot.
Several Instagram users have noted that this is not the first time fans have experienced difficulties obtaining a limited-edition Barbie doll. One user said, “This year, your company website has left me feeling nothing but disappointed.” The Nightmare Before Christmas Dolls, Tina Turner, and other items sold out in minutes were things I wanted to buy. Since I was a child, I had desired a Mariah Carey doll, but once more, your company let me down.”
As of this writing, neither Mattel nor the pop diva have responded to consumers’ concerns about resellers or the restricted amount of first-run stock.
Your best bet would be to call nearby brick-and-mortar retailers like Target and Walmart to check if they have any of the dolls in-store if you’re still determined to get your hands on the Carey lookalike Barbie collectible.
