We’ve talked about which toys have proven track records, what they all have in common, and how the “hottest” new toys of this holiday season measure up. (Whew!)
The next step? Figure out the “Buy Price” for the toys on the lists. Typically, you can expect toys to go to about 40% off list price around the holidays. Not all of them will, though. Some will only go as low as about 25% off, and the hottest toys may have such a high demand that they don’t go on sale much at all. Tracking past sales and price histories allow us to estimate the price a smart shopper should pay for these toys. Could the price go lower? Sure. Whether you wait to see if it does depends on your tolerance for risk.
So here we go, starting with toys for the littlest kids. I’ll be breaking the post into two parts due the the amount of info I’ll be dishing up here.
The first price is the list price and the second is the recommended “buy” price.
- Playskool Busy Ball Popper ($22.99 / $17)
- Elefun Poppin’ Park Busy Ball Popper ($34.99 / $25) Currently at “Buy” price!
- FP Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen ($44.99 / $30)
- FP Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends Table ($49.99 / $38)
- LeapFrog Learn and Groove Table ($44.99 / $34)
- Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube ($24.99 / $14.50)
- Vtech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker ($37.99 / $28) Currently at “Buy” price!
- LeapFrog My Pal Scout / Violet ($19.99 / $15)
- FP Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set ($18.99 / $11)
- LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set ($21.99 / $13)
- Megabloks 80pc Lrg Mega Bloks Bag ($24.99 / $13)
- Leapfrog Tag Jr. ($34.99 / $20)
- GeoTrax Transportation System Remote Control Timbertown Railway ( $59.99 / $39.99) Currently at “Buy” price!
- LEGO Duplo Basic Bricks (80 Pcs.) ($19.99 / $18)
- FP My First Dollhouse ($37.99 / $29.99 )
- FP Loving Family Grand Doll House ($79.99 / $58)
- FP Little People Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo ($49.99 / $34.88) Currently at “Buy” price!
- Melissa & Doug Shopping Cart ($69.99 / $39)
- Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Dance And Play Puppy ($39.99 / $25)
- Manhattan toy Baby Stella Doll ($31.99 / $20)
- Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Car ($54.99 / $36)
- Kidkraft Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator in Pink ($199.99 / $115)
- Step2 Neat & Tidy Cottage ($199.99 / $139)
- Playskool Chuck My Talking Truck ($39.99 / $24)
- Corolle Umbrella Doll Stroller ($29.99 / $20)
Think any of these “Buy” prices are out of line? Let me know!
You can always buy something, keep the receipt, and return it if you find a better price later.
Where is the cozy coupes price/recommended price from the picture? Or is it in part 2?
Cozy coupe actually didn’t make the final cut (I started with way more toys on the list than 25) and I forgot to swap out the pic. Buy price on it would probably be about $40 new, but it’s easy to find second hand for MUCH less.
I bought one on Craig’s List for $10.00
What would you consider a “buy now” price on a Radio Flyer Pathfinder wagon? I got one at Target yesterday for $70 after $10 coupon which is less than Amazon. If I find it at a better price though I will return it.
Target has good prices on Radio Flyer. It’s often overpriced at Amazon. $65 or $70 would be the buy-it-now price, so you did pretty well!
Amazon has the neat and tidy cottage for 149 right now and you can sign up for Amazon Mom and get free prime shipping. Plus you aren’t paying tax.
what about the regular LeagFrog Tag reading system? What’s the buy price for that?
Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! Thank you SO much for thus! Can’t wait for the older kids version too.
Hi–I agree with Kris (above), what about the Tag regular? Also, what about Tag Jr. books and Tag regular books?
Thanks so much!! This list is really helpful!
I managed to get the Leapfrog Tag reader at Target last year for $16 by using some price matching and a coupon. It was around Thanksgiving (Not sure I could pull that off again!) Amazon also had sales of 50% or so on the books around that time.
In regards to the Elefun Poppin’ Park Busy Ball Popper, it is currently on sale at Target for $24.95. There was a coupon in the paper a few weeks back for $5 off. Pair this with the Target coupon for $5 off (available in the holiday toy book, on target.com, or via target mobile coupons), and you can get the Elefun for $14.95. Now I call that a Buy It Now price!
So- is there a way that you can get alerts from Amazon when there is a price drop on a specific toy? Or do you just have to keep checking back? Would love that Melissa&Doug shopping cart for my 2 year old for Christmas – but over the past 8 or so months, I’ve never seen it under $50 (online or in stores).
Yes! BC has posted about amazon shopping secrets before and a favorite site is camelcamelcamel. love it! I used it this year and I get an email whenever a price drops below what I am looking for.
Oh, wow! I just checked it out and created an account. Thanks for the tip – I’m already loving it!
Toys R Us had the FP My First Dollhouse for $29.99 in store & online. In Store it looked like the price was Friday & Saturday only.
Toys R Us has the FP Loving Family Dollhouse for $59.99 in store and online.
Duplos at your BIN price!
The Munchkin Mozart Cube is currently $15 at Amazon.