This Article was written by -
Dalton BartonThis article is about -
- Online shopping for Toys.
- Free Shipping.
- Don't believe the pictures.
1. Online shopping for toys.
Where should you buy from? Big companies vs Small companies?
Big companies
- Brand name toys - If you are looking to buy a brand name products big companies will always be able to offer cheaper prices. Simply put, big companies wholesale prices on products are much lower than the wholesale price that small companies can get. In fact, most of the time the big companies will offer brand name toys at a retail price cheaper or equal to what a small company can get from the distributors.
- Larger inventory - As far as variety goes big companies have the edge with more options in distributors.
- Trust - There are a lot of scams online so when buying from a bigger company you know that you are safe and you are going to get what you paid for.
Small Companies
- Specialty products - When you go to a birthday party 8 out of 10 toys are going to be the same brands even from different big stores because most of them are carrying the same products. At smaller companies, you can find a more unique product that will be special and stand out from the rest.
- Better products - If you don't exactly what you are looking for and you are browsing for ideas remember that Small companies have to shop smart and get good products that will sell without issue. They can't afford to carry boring toys or products that are faulty because every dollar is important to them. Small companies products must be both attractive and useful or they will not sell.
- Customer service - Small companies know that their name is more important than anything and they cannot afford bad reviews therefore if you have issues with a product small companies give faster and better solutions. When you have a complaint you will usually get to speak with the manager and even the owner, while on the other hand with big companies you will speak with an employee with a set procedure to follow.
2. Free shipping
Is it really free?
- Shipping is not free - For small toys, most companies will use USPS Priority Mail (Up to 70 lbs) for shipping and this will cost between $5.00 and $10.00. For bigger orders and products they will use FedEx or UPS Ground Shipment (Up to 150 lbs) and it will cost between $15.00 and $25.00 standard (for bigger boxes it can be more). So if you are buying a small toy for $15.00 with free shipping remember that the real price for the product is between $5.00 and $10.00.
- When is it worth it - Most companies will offer free shipping with a minimum amount (between $30.00-$50.00) of purchase. So if you are looking to benefit from free shipping you will have to buy more than one toy online. For companies, it is not a big difference if they ship 1 toy that weighs 10 lbs or 5 products that weigh 30 lbs the shipment will be divided between all the five and you will get a better price per toy. For that reason, we recommend buying more than one product at a time so count up your birthdays through the year and buy ahead of time to save on shipping. Even shopping together with another person to add more products can help boost your savings on shipment.
3. Don't believe the pictures
Always Check The Description!!
- Pictures can lie - Small toys can look big and big toys can look small. Look for videos for real size comparison. For example our store carrier remote/pedal operated ride on cars and age recommendations for them are 3-8 years of age (yet an 8-year-old is going to have a hard time fitting in one) therefore sizing of the toys are important to know before purchase so always do your research read comments, look up videos, read descriptions, etc.
I hope you will find this information useful. If you have any more questions or tips/other useful information feel free to
Email us.