When to Mark Down Seasonal Inventory: A Dated Schedule for Halloween, Fall, and Christmas

Mark down seasonal inventory in steps, starting once peak demand has passed, not when you are tired of looking at it. For Halloween, start around October 20 with 15%–20% off, then 30%–40% the week after. For Christmas decor, start around December 15 with 20% off, go to 40% after Christmas, and pack up what is left by early January. Better-quality vintage pieces should usually be stored, not slashed. Here is a full schedule with dates for 2026, plus how to decide what to discount and what to keep.

The Principle: Price Follows Demand

Seasonal demand rises slowly and falls off a cliff. Shoppers buy Christmas decor from mid-October through mid-December and almost stop after December 25. Your markdown plan should match that curve. Too early and you give away margin while people are still willing to pay full price. Too late and you are discounting into an empty mall.

The other factor is storage. A vintage Shiny Brite set that does not sell this year will be worth the same next October. A big-box plastic decoration from 2019 may not. Your markdown plan should split your seasonal stock into two groups: things worth keeping, and things you want gone.

Sort Your Stock Before You Mark Anything

Hold and store (light markdowns or none)

• Collectible vintage: boxed Shiny Brites, ceramic trees, blow molds, Beistle and German Halloween, bubble lights, Department 56 in original boxes
• Items that sold well last year at your price point
• Pieces over $50 that are in good condition and easy to store

Clear it out (full markdown schedule)

• Newer mass-market decor (2000s and later)
• Broken sets, incomplete boxes, and pieces with damage
• Bulky, low-value items that would cost more to store than they are worth
• Anything that has already sat through one full season

Halloween Markdown Schedule (2026)

Halloween is Saturday, October 31, 2026. Decorating shoppers buy in late September and early October; costume shoppers buy the last two weeks.

• Through October 18: full price.
• October 19–25: 15%–20% off newer and common items only. Collectible vintage stays at full price.
• October 26–31: 25%–30% off clear-out stock.
• November 1–8: 40%–50% off what is left, then pull it. Your booth space is needed for Christmas and gifts.

Our vintage Halloween price guide explains which pieces are worth storing for next September.

Thanksgiving and Fall Decor

Fall decor (pumpkins, harvest, turkeys) sells from September into mid-November. Thanksgiving is November 26, 2026.

• Through November 8: full price.
• November 9–20: 20% off; Thanksgiving tableware and turkey platters often hold value longer, so you can exempt them.
• November 21–27: 40% off and pull leftover stock after Black Friday to make room for gifts.

Christmas Markdown Schedule (2026)

Christmas is Friday, December 25, 2026. Decor demand peaks from Thanksgiving through about December 12; after that, shoppers have decorated and turn to gifts.

• Mid-October through December 13: full price.
• December 14–20: 20% off clear-out decor. Collectible vintage stays at full price.
• December 21–24: 30% off clear-out decor; consider 10%–15% on collectible pieces you would rather not store.
• December 26–January 3: 40%–50% off clear-out decor. Some shoppers look for next year's decorations at a discount right after Christmas.
• By January 4–10: pull everything. Store the keepers; donate or bundle the rest.

Gifts (mugs, tools, jewelry, records) are not seasonal stock. Do not include them in the Christmas markdown; just move them back into regular displays after the holidays.

Worked Example

Say you have a set of six newer ceramic Christmas village pieces priced at $36 for the group, which you paid $8 for. If it does not sell by December 13:

• December 14: $29 (20% off). Profit before commission: $21.
• December 21: $25 (30% off). Profit: $17.
• December 26: $18 (50% off). Profit: $10.

Even at 50% off, you have doubled your money. Compare that with storing it for 11 months, with the risk of chipping and taking up space in your garage. For newer decor, selling at 50% is usually the better choice.

Now say you have a boxed set of 12 Shiny Brites priced at $45 that you paid $10 for. A 50% markdown gives you $22.50. Stored carefully, it will likely sell at $40–$45 next October. Hold it.

How to Run Markdowns in an Antique Mall

• Use dated sale tags or colored dots. Clerks can apply a color rule more reliably than they can apply a percentage you wrote on a sign.
• Re-tag instead of crossing out when you can. A clean new price looks deliberate; a scribble looks desperate.
• Post one sign at the booth entrance with the dates: “Christmas decor 20% off through Dec. 20.”
• Tell the front desk in writing, with your dealer number and the end date.
• Check mall rules on dealer-run sales; some coordinate discounts for the whole building.

Online Sellers

On eBay, Etsy, and Mercari, markdowns follow shipping deadlines more than the calendar. Once buyers can no longer get a package by Christmas, decor demand drops sharply. Send offers to watchers in early December, run a sale around the major carriers' holiday shipping cutoffs, and then end or relist seasonal listings in January at full price so they are ready for fall. Many sellers deactivate or hide Christmas listings from January through August.

When a Markdown Is Not the Answer

If something is not selling during peak season, ask why before you cut the price. Often the problem is placement, not price. Try these first:

• Move it. An item on a bottom shelf in the back corner may sell at full price at eye level near the entrance.
• Group it. A lone ornament box looks like leftovers; five boxes together look like a collection.
• Re-tag it. Add the maker, decade, or a short story to the tag.
• Check the price against recent sales. If it was overpriced from the start, a single correction is better than a slow series of markdowns.

Mistakes That Cost Money

• Panic markdowns in early December. If the season has not peaked yet, a slow week is not a reason to cut prices.
• Marking down collectible vintage with everything else. It holds value year to year.
• Leaving seasonal stock out into February. It makes the booth look stale and blocks space for winter inventory.
• Not tracking what was marked down. If you do not know which items needed a markdown, you will overbuy the same things next year.

PocketPrice records each sale and its price against the item in your inventory, so you can see next fall which categories sold at full price and which only moved on clearance.

Before you mark it down, make sure it was priced right to begin with. Check it with PocketPrice for a price calibrated to how you sell. Then see our booth inventory management guide for keeping stock moving all year.