How to Find Great Toys on a Budget

Kids change their minds daily; one day your daughter wants Barbie and the next day she wants Bratz dolls. It is difficult to keep up with toy purchases, and remain true to your budget. Of course, we all want to give our children what makes them happy, but with Lego sets costing over $100 it can be nearly impossible at times. If you know how to shop smart and avoid paying retail prices, you can buy the best toys for your kids and have money left over in your budget to buy something nice for yourself!

eBay is a Treasure Trove for Toys – eBay is the first place you should look when you are trying to purchase toys on a budget. Many of the auctions are brand new in boxes, while others are used but in excellent condition. Every day, there are thousands of toy and game auctions on eBay, and every one offers an opportunity to save money. Whether you are looking for Leap Pad, Lego, Barbie or Fisher Price, they are all available on eBay. If you are shopping for a certain toy, use the eBay search feature at the top of every page to find your item. As an example, type ‘Lego Harry Potter’ into the search box and all auctions currently running that have Harry Potter Lego for sale will come up in your search results.

If you are not searching for anything in particular but want to simply browse all the toys, use the ‘Browse’ button at the very top of any eBay page. This will take you to the overall directory and you simply click on the sections you want to look through. The beauty of eBay is that is caters to every budget imaginable. One seller may be offering Holiday Barbie for $65.00. I guarantee that if you look hard enough, you will find another seller offering it at $20.

After Holiday Blow-Out Sales – In every city nowadays, there is an outlet mall close by. These stores are a great source for making your clothing budget go a whole lot further, especially if you are looking for certain name brands that cost a small fortune if you were to purchase them in the department store. Outlet malls generally carry overstock which may be from last year but still very trendy and wearable. Some items are seconds, irregulars or have slight imperfections. In general, you can save 30-75% by shopping at an outlet or close-out sale.

Online Close-Outs and Wholesale – Conduct a Google search and you will find a lot of websites that sell toys either on a close-out basis or wholesale. Trying using search criteria like ‘wholesale toys’, ‘closeout toys’ or ‘discount toys’. What most people don’t know is that these online companies welcome consumer orders and do not require you to purchase a minimum number of items. Therefore, you get the best possible deals without having to purchase a bulk lot of the same item, or place a minimum order. Also be sure to check the wholesale section on eBay where you will find lots of wholesale toy auctions, often offering a good mix of toys for a certain gender or age group.  Purchasing in bulk allows you to save the maximum amount of money while still purchasing high end toys and games that your kids really want.

After Holiday Blow-Out Sales – The best time to purchase toys is right after all the major holidays, and most especially Christmas. Boxing Day sales and New Year blow-out sales offer a unique opportunity to purchase the best toys at the lowest possible prices. Discounts are so deep right after the holidays that you would be hard pressed to find a better deal online.