In this week's Data Bytes column, we'll explore some of the hot categories in the U.S. and around the world, pulling from Terapeak's new International Research offering. Terapeak recently added data from the U.K. Canada, Australia, France and Germany to its eBay research suite, and this column offers a sneak peek into some of the fascinating trends we're seeing internationally.

Terapeak's unique Category Heat Map offers insights into the hottest categories around the world. This week we'll look at the U.S., Australia, France and the U.K. Let's get started,...

The hottest category in the U.S. this week is Stuffed Animals - Other. Almost all of the animals in this category are Webkinz brand dogs and cats. These little creatures are often unique and hard-to-find, so eBay is the perfect place to buy and sell them. Each comes with a special code allowing the owner to access the virtual world of Webkinz where he or she can interact with a virtual version of their pet. Demand and the ASP (Average Selling Price) for Webkinz creatures have been steadily increasing over the past two years, maxing out over the past month. Some of these guys are selling for more than $800!

Automotive GPS Devices is a hot category. The Tom Tom brand, specifically, is the most popular. Total number of bids and sales have increased steadily over the past six months, while ASPs have declined only slightly.

Single 2006 and later non-graded Major League Baseball cards are spicy hot. Total sales, total bids and ASPs have all climbed upwards over the past six months.

Black 4GB Ipod Nanos are still going strong. While demand (bids and sales) has increased over the past six months outside of the pre-holiday spike, the ASP on these tiny objects of desire has gradually declined.

As the weather starts to heat up around the country, outdoor sporting goods sales are coming to a boil. Triathalon bikes are the hottest sporting goods category at the moment. Total sales and bids have increased since January, while ASPs have seen spikes but have generally stayed pretty consistent over time.

On the other side of the world in Australia, Fishing is one of the hottest categories, within which Salt Water Fishing is the most popular. In order of rank, Reels, Rods and Lures, are hottest. Total sales for salt water reels have been growing over the past three months, while total bids and ASPs have remained consistently high.

The Porcelain and Pottery category is cooking "down under." Royal Albert, Royal Doulton, Wedgwood and Lladro/Nao are the hottest brands. Sales, bids and ASPs for Royal Albert tableware (hottest within the hot) have been gradually increasing over the past three months.

In Sports Memorabilia, trading cards for the Australian Football League (AFL/VFL) are sweltering - almost all teams are equal in terms of bidding and total sales. The West Coast Eagles are currently showing a slight lead in the race (this could be due to their 2006 Grand Final win).

Back over in France, Women's Clothing, 19th Century Furniture and Decor, Bordeaux Wines and Collectible Postcards are all popular categories. While the Wines and Sprits category is searing, Bordeaux is by far the item most in demand.

Motorcycles and Scooters are sizzling in France. Roadsters are the most requested type of vehicle, for which demand has spiked since January 2006. Electric Guitars and Bicycles are heating up - demand and sales are steadily increasing for both.

The automobile category is another scorcher. While there are several popular makes, Renault and Peugeot are the hottest, with Citroen and Volkswagen following close behind.

In the U.K., Silver is tearing it up. Cigarette Cases, Cutlery Sets, Spoons, and Other Solid Silver are strong in-demand categories.

Fishing is also popular in the U.K. - coarse fishing and carp fishing are specifically of interest. The Carp Fishing category has grown steadily in numbers of bids and successful sales over the past two years, with a pretty big spike in sales just since January.

Trains and Railway Models is a hot category in the U.K. Locomotives of all types are steaming hot. Total bids and sales for OO Gage Locomotives, for example, have increased steadily over the past two years, while ASPs have increased slightly.

Cardmaking and Scrapbooking continues to sizzle, keeping up with categories like MP3 Players, DVDs, Laptops and Mobile Phones, all of which generate a high number of bids.

Lastly, Power Tools is blistering in terms of number of bids. Drills, Grinders, Saws, Planers, Routers, Sanders and Nail Guns are all red hot, with demand steadily creeping upwards on all fronts.

That's it for this week. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the column. Please send questions, feedback or article suggestions to databytes@auctionbytes.com.

Thanks, and enjoy the heat!

Note: "Hot" data was derived from Terapeak's Category Heat Map the week of March 19, 2007, and where applicable, trends were identified by data going back further in time.
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Terapeak is an eBay Certified Service Provider that specializes exclusively in eBay Marketplace Research. Terapeak helps you use the experience of other sellers to know when to list, which items are hot, and value your items on eBay. The Terapeak services offers research for eBay US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories. Terapeak accesses eBay Data directly from the eBay Market Data program. To learn more about the Terapeak please visit http://www.terapeak.com.