'Water for Elephants' author faces angry backlash as she sells her hoard of 156 Hatchimals in four days at a $6,000 profit - and says she had no idea money-making scheme would provoke outrage 

  • 'Water for Elephants' author Sara Gruen has sold out of the 156 Hatchimals that she purchased for $23,595.31 in just four days
  • She made a profit of approximately $6,000, and now says she had no idea her scheme would upset parents who were desperate to buy their kids the toy 
  • Gruen is using the money to help fund the case of a man serving life in prison, but will not reveal his name or details about him
  • She drew the rage of many when she wrote last week that she was in danger of 'financial ruin' because there was a limit to how many toys she could sell online
  • In addition to having multiple bestselling novels, Gruen has also sold the film and theater rights to Water for Elephants 
  • 'I have a friend with a special needs child and all he wanted was a Hatchimal, but they're sold out. People like @SaraGruen make me sick,' said one woman 

The bestselling author of 'Water for Elephants' has sold out of the 156 Hatchimals that she bought off eBay in just four days.

Sara Gruen made a profit of approximately $6,000 after she sold the lot to individual buyers, which she purchased for the price of $23,595.31 the day after Black Friday.

Last week, she began to complain online that eBay would only let her sell four of the toys a week, which meant she would not be able to get rid of the Hatchimals before Christmas, but then she set up an online shop and they went quickly, with each toy also coming with one of her signed books.

However she drew the ire of parents desperate to get their own children the toy. 

She says she had no idea that people would be upset and was only trying to sell the Hatchimals to put a dent in the legal fees she has racked up while trying to get an innocent man out of prison.

Gruen will not reveal the name of the man or anything about his case, other than to say she is trying to have it heard before the Supreme Court.

Hatchimals retail for about $49.99, and Gruen was selling hers for as much as $199 to interested buyers. 

Scroll down for video 

All gone: 'Water for Elephants' author Sara Gruen (above) has sold out of the 156 Hatchimals that she purchased for $23,595.31 in just four days

Clueless: She made a profit of approximately $6,000, and now says she had no idea her scheme would upset parents who were desperate to buy their kids the toy (above with her lot)

Attack: 'I have a friend with a special needs child and all he wanted was a Hatchimal, but they're sold out. People like @SaraGruen make me sick,' said one woman (above)

'I thought, "Oh yeah, those look cool," so we bought some for the grandchildren off eBay and then somehow I decided that they were going to be an "It" toy,' said Gruen on Today Monday morning. 

'I just thought maybe I could raise something, I sold out in four days and I think I made an average of $30 per Hatchimal.'

Her Hatchimals with a Heart website shows that she was selling the toys for $189, with one going for slightly more because it has a 'rare package error'.

Gruen also explains her legal battle on the site.

'About a year and a half ago, by sheer happenstance, we became aware of this man’s situation and realized that if we didn’t do something, nobody would,' writes Gruen.

'We live by “The Golden Rule,” and realized we wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we didn’t do everything in our power to help.' 

That has not stopped many for attacking Gruen however online.

Must have: Hatchimals (above) have become a surprise hit this holiday season

'I have a friend with a special needs child and all he wanted was a Hatchimal, but they're sold out. People like @SaraGruen make me sick,' wrote one woman on Twitter.

'What about all the parents that wanted to get one, but can't afford to be ripped off by people like you? What about their kids?' said one woman.

One parent wrote on Facebook: 'Honestly at this point I don't really care what your profit is! There are plenty of other ways to raise money! Not preying on families who wish to buy what is originally a semi non-expensive Christmas gift for their children and asking three times a mark up! one of them wrote. 

And many others wanted to know more details about this man she was trying to set free from prison.

'Why don't you use some of your own money rather than extort money using kids toys? Who's this mystery man your trying to free??' wrote one man.

Another woman wrote: 'People might be more inclined to buy your "Hatchimals" if you actually said WHO THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN IS.' 

Reason: Gruen is using the money to help fund the case of a man serving life in prison, but will not reveal any details or the man's name (website explaining cause above)

She previously told the Philly Voice in an interview last week that she was also working on a 'Making A Murderer-type docuseries' about the man and that soon everyone would know his name.

Gruen gave that interview after realizing she would not be able to sell her toys on eBay, describing the moment she found out that she was limited in the number of Hatchimals she could list per week.

'It felt like I got hit with a freight train. I waited until the next morning to tell my husband that I’d completely ruined us,' said Gruen. 

'He should have murdered me. I ran up the credit cards for this. But, he feels sorry for me. He feels bad that I feel bad. I married a saint.'

She said that things had become so bad that she was even having nightmares about her toys.

Gruen also wrote about her troubles on Facebook, and the directed people to her website.

'So – and here I cringe and hang my head in shame and feel sick to my stomach - if you or anyone you know wants a Hatchimal, here is a link to my Shopify storefront,' wrote Gruen. 

'I have a fortune invested, only one venue to offload them, and in only three weeks they will magically transform into useless pumpkins that will take up space in my office forever, and have caused my financial ruin.'

In addition to having multiple bestselling novels, Gruen has also sold the film and theater rights to Water for Elephants, which is set to premiere as a Broadway musical. 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now