GASTONIA, N.C. -- Last year, the Jones Soda Co. rolled out, to much fanfare, the noxious-sounding product Turkey & Gravy Soda. It flew off shelves faster than free antacids on the day after Thanksgiving, and very quickly single bottles were fetching upwards of $30 on eBay.

This year, knowing a good thing when they see one, the Jones Soda folks rolled out a whole palate of Thanksgiving-themed flavors: Mashed Potatoes with Butter, Cranberry, Fruitcake and Green Bean Casserole joined Turkey & Gravy on the menu.

Thursday morning, the soda went on sale on the Jones Soda Web site. The asking price was $23.95 for a five-bottle pack.

I could have scooped one up for $15.95 at my local Target store, provided they had any left, but I pride myself on being able to get ANYthing online, so I stalked the Jones site. Unfortunately, I got distracted, and by the time I logged onto the site, the soda had been on sale for an hour.

Just getting there was no picnic. Even on my beefy high-speed cable connection, the site wouldn't pick up, then was agonizingly slow.

Finally, I gained access and discovered that there was a two-pack limit per order. I placed my order (after numerous tries), put in my credit card information, and submitted the order.

Now, understand that the entire process took almost an hour. Apparently, I was one of several gazillion people trying to obtain these drinks. Thus, by the time my order actually got the attention of the Jones Soda servers, the last five-bottle pack had strolled out the electronic doors and into the waiting arms of someone with either a faster computer or quicker fingers.

I've never been one to let a little thing like an item being sold out stop me from getting it, so I went to the one place where everyone who wants anything, no matter how obscure or potentially nauseating, takes their request: eBay.

It looks like my thirst for the odd sodas will be frustrated, though. The first five-pack listed had, as of 2:30 ET, a top bid of $112.50. I don't open my wallet that wide for anything that doesn't come from a distillery in Scotland.