Christmas lines: start product selection by April–May, production by July–August.
ToysWholesaler buying guide
Seasonal Toy Buying Calendar
Plan summer water play, Q4 gifting and Easter lines backward from your floor-set date.
Summer water and bubble lines: brief by Q4, ship by March–April.
Easter and spring: production window is short; plan samples in November.
Split shipments 60/30/10 to balance shelf date against inventory risk.
How buyers use this on a live order
Ocean freight for Christmas lines usually needs production locked by July–August. Summer water and bubble programs brief in Q4 and ship in March–April for northern-hemisphere floors.
Split shipments 60/30/10 when the in-store date is firm but sell-through is still a guess. Hold a replenishment window with the factory rather than overloading the first container.
Turn the guide into a quotation
Pick two or three candidate SKUs, add destination market and quantity, and send the brief. The reply comes back as a priced shortlist with MOQ, case pack and sample options — not a catalog dump.
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