BOLO TRENDS
Weekly Newsletter · Issue 015 · Thursday, October 1 2026
THE LEAD · SOURCE NOW
Ugly Christmas sweaters went 123x last year. The window opens this month.
Ugly Christmas sweater searches are sitting at their seasonal floor right now. That is exactly why October is the month to source them.
Google search data shows ugly Christmas sweater at 8,100 searches in August. Last August it sat at 9,900. Then it climbed.
September 2025: 18,100
October 2025: 74,000
November 2025: 550,000
December 2025: 1,220,000
That is 123x from August to December. It is not a one year fluke. The data shows the same buyer search hit 1,500,000 in December 2024. Two Decembers in a row above a million.
Now the title. Last December, Google search data shows ugly christmas sweater at 1,220,000. Christmas sweater at 673,000. Ugly sweater at 550,000. Mens ugly christmas sweater at 135,000, and ugly christmas sweater women at 110,000. Buyers are typing the full phrase.
The sales side agrees. eBay sold comps show ugly christmas sweaters had a 29.47% sell-through-rate with an average sold price of $28.64 from September 30 to November 30 last year, the ramp into the December peak. Over the last 30 days, it’s only 7.07% sell-through at $24.05. Same sweater. About four times the sell-through once the searches arrive.
Oct. - Dec 18th, 2025 (Credit: eBay Product Research)
Previous 30 Days (Credit: eBay Product Research)
THE MOVE
Pull holiday sweaters now, while demand sits at its floor. Light up, tinsel, reindeer, appliqué, cardigan styles. They all count. Title it with “ugly christmas sweater” first, then men's/women's/unisex, then the size. List by early November. Last year demand rose 7x between October and November.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT · THE DENIM VIDEO
How to resell denim. The short version.
Sunday's video walked the jeans aisle. If you missed it, here’s the summary:
Selvedge first. Google search data shows selvedge denim at 40,500 searches in August. Last year it went from 33,100 in September to 49,500 by November. Flip the cuff and look for the clean woven edge up the outseam. Then check for a chain stitch hem and a stamped metal top button. Any undamaged pair becomes inventory. Title it with “selvedge denim” after the brand name and put “raw denim” in the tags and description.
The Brands. Google search data shows Iron Heart Jeans at 22,200 in August, up from 14,800 a year ago. Nudie Jeans at 27,100, up from 18,100. Evisu Jeans at 90,500. Flip anything from Momotaro, Oni or Samurai too.
The easy button. The data same data shows searches for women's brown jeans at 14,800 in August, up from 9,900 a year ago. Last year it reached 22,200 by October.
COMMUNITY POLL · VOTE NOW!
I’m deciding whether denim should get its own guide. Brands, styles, eras, titles and timing, all in one place. But…it’s not up to me. It’s up to you!
Would You Use A BOLO Denim Guide?
BOLO Watchlist · Subscribers Only
BOLO 01 · Women's Footwear
Mary Jane Sneakers Doubled. The Classic Shoe Did Not.
In Issue 011 we told you Mary Janes were quietly up. August split the style in two.
Google search data shows mary jane sneakers at 60,500 searches in August which is the highest in four years of data, up from 27,100 a year ago. It stepped up to 49,500 in March and held there five straight months before August broke through.
Now the parent term. Google search data shows mary jane shoes at 201,000 in August, exactly where it sat last August. The growth is in the sneaker version.
One honest flag. Last year mary jane sneakers fell from 27,100 in August to 12,100 by December. This is a list now strategy, not a hold.
The move. List what you have now or source and list quickly. Mary Jane strap on a sneaker sole. All three words, mary jane sneakers, go in the title. Do not stock up for winter based on current demand.
BOLO 02 · Men's Accessories
Coach Wallets For Men: Up 4x By Last December.
Google search data shows coach wallet men +22% at 60,500 searches in August, up from 49,500 a year ago. Last year it held near 50,000 through September. Then 60,500 in October. 110,000 in November. 201,000 in December.
And the December peak is getting bigger. Google search data shows 135,000 in December 2024 and 201,000 in December 2025.
The move. Source men's Coach wallets now ahead of holiday shopping. Bifolds, card cases, signature canvas. List by mid November, ahead of the December peak.
BOLO 03 · Menswear Layers
Patagonia Vests Hit 90,500 Every November.
There were 18,100 buyer searches for Patagonia vests in August, the same as last August. Last year it went to 22,200 in September, 49,500 in October and 90,500 in November. The year before, November was 90,500 too.
5x growth two years in a row, on the same seasonal schedule.
$49.58 avg. sold price and 28% STR
Yes, if you’ve been subscribed a while, you’ll remember Patagonia burned us once. The windbreaker spike we called in July was one month of noise…This is the opposite. No spike. The same curve, every year.
The move. Source Patagonia vests now.
Styles: Better Sweater, Synchilla, Down Sweater, Nano Puff.
List by late October.
BOLO 04 · Footwear
Keen Stepped Up In March And Never Came Back Down.
For two years, Google search data showed keen shoes mostly between 60,500 and 74,000 searches a month. In March it stepped up to 90,500. It has not dipped below that since. August came in at 110,000, up from 74,000 a year ago and tied for the highest single month in four years of data.
Six straight months at the new level. That clears our three month rule twice. And unlike the rest of this watchlist, keen shoes held near 74,000 through last fall and winter. No seasonal cliff to time.
The move. Pull Keen on sight. List immediately.
Hiking shoes and boots (waterproof is a plus).
Subscriber Shoutouts!
Got a sales from a BOLO Trends tip? Reply to this email. Let your success inspire others!
"...it sold this afternoon. Yay!"
Morning retitle. Same day sale!
Two pairs. Over 300 days listed. Both sold.
Joy Miller had a pair of Johnston & Murphy tassel loafers and a pair of Marc Joseph tassel loafers sitting for nearly a year: "I had them listed over 300+ days. After I watched your video, I updated the listings and they sold. Thank you!!"
The Receipts
We said Peter Millar's window was closing. It was not.
In Issue 008 we put Peter Millar polo at 33,100 and called it the one already peaking. Sell through, we said. Google search data shows it dipped to 27,100 in July, then jumped to 49,500 in August. Up from 9,900 a year ago, and the highest in four years of data. This is a BOLO.
Scored: RIGHT CALL, WRONG TIMING. Listing it was right. Saying the window was closing was not. If you held any back, list them now.
Suede is moving. Slower than last year.
In Issue 011 we said the suede window opens in September. Google search data shows suede bag at 14,800 in August, more than double July. But last August it was already 33,100.
Scored: OPEN, BEHIND PACE. Keep sourcing suede bags, but buy light until the September data confirms demand.
And now you know.
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