Were the Best Things to Sell Online Different in October 2020 vs. October 2019?

The DealNews Seller's Guide

We look at which items were popular with DealNews readers in both October 2020 and 2019, so you can get a broad view of the best items to sell this fall. Plus, we go over October's holiday sales opportunities.

Remember that long-gone, pandemic-free year of 2019? We examined the shopping trends among DealNews readers from October of that year and compared them with the trends from October 2020, so you'll have a broad idea of what to sell this fall. We'll also talk about the big October holidays, and if sellers should do anything to prepare for them.

First, let's go over several products that were popular with our readers in October 2019.

We'll start with household and health items. Among the trending products were kitchen trash bags, 3-packs of sandwich bags, liquid laundry detergent, cold and sinus medication, and blue vinyl gloves.

Home improvement supplies also resonated with our readers. These are things like insulating foam sealant, downspout extensions, reusable twist ties, color-changing strip lights, solar lights, string lights, spray paint, and garage storage items.

Another popular item that October was packaged food. Readers gravitated toward microwavable instant noodles, cookie and Halloween candy bar variety packs, packages of almonds, and tins of Danish butter cookies.

Next on our list is clothing basics, like women's low-cut socks and wool socks, men's V-neck T-shirts, and men's sweaters.

Readers went for tools in October 2019, as well. These included clamps, wire cup brushes, mini LED flashlights, reciprocating saw blades, tire inflators, and power tools.

Home cleaning products also made our list, and they ranged from dryer vent cleaner kits and grout brushes, to dish squeegees and grease remover.

Yet another item that was popular a few Octobers ago is personal care products. These include 6-packs of toothpaste, 3-packs of men's antiperspirant and deodorant, beauty bars for sensitive skin, men's disposable razors, and daily moisturizing lotion.

No. 8 on our list is phone accessories like 3-in-1 USB charging cables, power banks, 2-packs of wireless chargers, magnetic car mounts, and USB-C wall chargers.

And then you have lawn and patio items. Our readers gravitated toward things such as fall lawn food, crabgrass-prevention products, and barbecue smoking chips.

The final trending item from October 2019 is automotive products. These include car air fresheners, fuel system cleaners, microfiber towels, car battery testers, and LED light bars.

The top 3 types of items DealNews readers went for during October of 2019 and 2020 were home improvement supplies, packaged food, and household and health items. This is no surprise, as household and home improvement items tend to hit the top 3 frequently, like they did in September and August.

We did see differences between the two months, though. In October 2020, kitchen supplies, audio products, and computer-related items appeared to be more popular than they were in October 2019. Clothing basics, lawn and patio items, and automotive products seemed to hold more sway in October 2019 vs. October 2020.

Let's move on to another October topic now, and that's holidays.

October brings both Halloween and Columbus Day — now Indigenous Peoples Day in many areas. What should sellers do about these holidays?

Many retailers have abandoned Columbus Day sales, no doubt due to the controversy surrounding the holiday. But some retailers do still hold shopping events during this mid-October holiday weekend. Are you wanting to sneak in a promotion before Black Friday season rolls around? These holidays present an opportunity to do so.

As for Halloween? Don't miss out on this holiday if you sell costumes or candy! And start preparing if you haven't already, as lists of 2021 costume ideas and the best Halloween candy are already coming out. Halloween items that were popular with our readers in October 2020 and 2019 include bulk party bags of Hershey's Nuggets Halloween candy, 250-piece mixed bags of Mars chocolate candy, rubber-spider prank boxes, inflatable dinosaur costumes, and LED costume masks.

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