iPad Minis, COD, Furby And More… Shopping Panic As Shortages Set In For This Christmas’ Most Wanted Toys

If you’ve yet to start checking off your Christmas to-do list, you’d want to start fast.

Panic has set in as stocks of this year’s most-sought after Christmas presents are running out fast.

Popular Christmas presents like tablet computers, e-readers, and in-demand toys like Furbys, Ninja Turtles and Password Journal are flying off the shelves and retailers are already experiencing stock shortages, according to body Retail Excellence Ireland.

The organisation is warning Irish consumers not to leave their festive shopping until the last minute as stocks of popular gifts are rapidly disappearing and may not be re-stocked in time for Christmas Eve.

Some popular electronic items, like iPad Minis, have already run out, while mid-range smartphones are in short supply, as are video games like Call of Duty.

Are you kicking back and relaxing post-Christmas shopping yet?

Products that haven't even hit the shelves yet, including the box set of the first three seasons of the hit gangland drama Love/Hate and period drama Downton Abbey, could also prove elusive due to the popularity of both shows, according to the chief executive of REI, David Fitzsimons.  

Pre-ordered sales of the Love/Hate box sets, which go on sale next Monday, have already exceeded supply, he said.

And because Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, retailers are worried that a lot of people will be postponing their shopping until the weekend before, when it will be too late.

He warned that shoppers who put off their purchases until the final weekend before Christmas "will create a major challenge for retailers who will struggle to serve this level of demand".

Meanwhile, a new survey reveals that close to one in two consumers are doing some serious homework online before buying expensive gifts.

An online study of 3,400 adults found that almost half are researching the products they’re interested in through online forums, blogs, news articles and consumer reviews before opening their wallets.