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Cheap Legos

Jenny — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:00:27 +0000

Cheap Lego Bunch

Legos sell at amazing prices. If you're able to be competitive in anyway with selling, Legos is a great choice. Fun for adults and fun for kids alike.

Years ago I thought about selling Legos at shop near my house. They seemed so popular and actually, as a teacher, the kids were so enraptured I believed they would sell well. The problem comes when you try to beat the competition. My hats off to anyone that can make this product sell against all the competition. It's not easy to compete with all the cheap kids toys out there.

Originally developed in Denmark in the 1940s, these toys have lasted the test of time. What makes them so unique is their ability to do anything, and be anything that can be imagined. Even better, some of the Legos come in prepacked designs. For instance, there are cards, helicopters, and even motorcycles that can be made using the the materials from the box. Some are complicated and some are very complicated and intricate (meant for us bigger kids ). The cheap lego boxes and sets are available online and at local Targets and Walmarts. Although online you'll have the benefit of researching costs (I've done that for you). And at Walmart and Target you have the benefit of picking it up immediately (and returning it, should a problem arise).

So where are all the cheap Legos? It turns out they're everywhere.

For the best deals, however, I have to come back to eBay and Amazon. These two sites alone have the cheapest Legos available, as far as I've seen.

You can read more about eBay lots on my other page about toys, however, I'll explain a bit now. A lot is a group of items which is sold as a group. For instance the Legos which I'm speaking of. Of course you can have Legos come in a small box of mix matched pieces for just general play, but after a while you add more L and more. Pretty soon you have a box full of 1000 legs and now you can sell all of those as a set called a 'lot' on eBay. (yes I get the pun: a lot).

For the first instance of prices lets take a lot from eBay:
This lot is 49.99 with a buy it now option (meaning you don't have to bid): Lot of 1000 Lego Parts & Pieces w/ Star Wars Sets *NEW* This Auction Only Get 500 FREE Bonus Pieces 1500 Total!

Technic Lava 8510 Swamp 8509 Complete LEGO Robo Riders
US $9.99

HUGE Star Wars Lego Lot Many Classic Sets and MORE
US $1,625.00

XBOX 360 LEGO INDIANA JONES THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURE NEW
US $6.49

Lego Batman Batcave Penquin Mr Freezes Invasion 7783
US $207.50

LEGO STAR WARS Senate Commando 8128 CAD BANE SPEEDER
US $7.50

LEGO 8517 Ben 10 Alien Force Humongousaur New In Box
US $6.99

Technic Frost 8511 Dust 8513 Complete LEGO Robo Riders
US $9.99

NEW LEGO BATMAN THE VIDROGAME for NINTENDO DSi
US $16.99

LEGO 8411 Ben 10 Alien Force ChromaStone New In Box
US $6.99

Lego System Ninja 3052 Ninjas Fire Fortress
US $40.00

That's 1500 Lego pieces for $50. Pretty cheap in my opinion.

At Target:
403 pieces for 29.99

Walmart:
29.97for 80 pieces (this is the large toddler set)

Toys R Us:
405 pieces for 29.99
Now some of the bonuses of buying from Target, Walmart and Toysrus is the shipping is lower, and everything comes with instructions. That's a pretty big bonus. On the other hand if you buy individual sets of Legos you'll find that they are cheaper on eBay as well.

I talk a lot about eBay because I have a strong belief in what they offer. They take a small fee for presenting options from everywhere around the globe. This means you get choices from everywhere. It's a pretty good set up for buyers, sellers and eBay alike.

Legos are great toys for toddlers.

Toys for Toddlers

Jenny — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:00:54 +0000

Your little one has just outgrown their toys from infancy, you'll want to do two things; 1) read my article on Ten Cheap Toys that Survive From Infancy to Toddlers 2) pick up some age appropriate toys for learning and creativity. What kinds of toys work best for toddlers? Do they all have to be educational? How much should I spend? These are all important questions.

Do your toys all have to be learning toys? Absolutely not, and keep in mind that all toys help children learn. The best thing to do is have a varied bunch of toys to stimulate the different growth spurts. Many people ask me what me and my family recommend, and I have a few general recommendations. (if you haven't read my homepage, I'll just reiterate I'm a teacher, my mom is a teacher, my sister, grandmother and most of our friends are teachers)

The Big Wheel toys are unbelievably popular with kids, even years later. You can usually find used ones at yard sales or online auction houses (like EBay). These lovely toys help develop muscles in the legs. They are also great for kids around age 18 months to 6 years. Older kids will prefer a tricycle, which also helps build muscle control. Once a child is comfortable on this type of bike, it's much easier to move to a two wheeler.

Puzzles, puzzles puzzles. I can't say enough about puzzles. Not just cardboard puzzles, but big wooden block puzzles and anything that requires thought and coordination to put together. Not only are these wonderful logic builders, but children learn better dexterity. Puzzles are fun for the whole family. Puzzles are super cheap as well, which helps your pocket books.

toddler peg puzzles wooden lot of 4 animal sounds feet
US $14.99

BARNEY PUZZLES for TODDLERS
US $10.53

BEGINNING PATTERN BLOCKS PUZZLE Wood Toddler NEW 528
US $6.99

10 PRESCHOOL TODDLER CHILDRENS PEG WOOD PUZZLES 1 NEW
US $29.99

TWO TRAY PUZZLE Blues Clues CHUNKY 3D FOR TODDLER RARE
US $9.99

Old clothes are one of the best gifts you can give toddlers. Dress up is fun for both kids and adults, and it lasts sometimes up until they are eight and older. Don't worry about out of fashion clothing, buy anything that sparkles, shines or looks like adult clothing. For girls lovely dresses and purses with large shiny shoes. Don't forget that boys like to dress up too. For boys, sheets for hero costumes and uniforms. There are even costumes you can buy for really cheap that children love to play with. If you can get your kids out of the clothes, it'll be a miracle. They are the perfect toys for toddlers for development their creativity. Kids also develop dexterity by zipping, buttoning and opening and closing purses.

Another great toy for toddlers is books. Even when they can't read they love to hear stories. Pop up books and books with sounds are great favorites. Otherwise, you'll want to have some pretty descriptive illustrations for younger kids. Younger kids also should have books they can play with made of plastic or cardboard. For older kids, the illustrations are wonderful, but to aid in reading development, remember that less is more.

Any kind of art utensils, boards and paper. Markers (invest in washable ones!), chalk. Invest in butcher paper and spread it out on your walls. Let the kids have a ball. Make an entire wall out of butcher paper. Be sure to give crayons and not pens or pencils, as children like to press hard (especially the younger tykes).

Toddler Bumbling Bee Learning Toy
US $3.99

DISNEY TOY STORY JESSIE COSTUME TODDLER XXS 2 3
US $32.99

11 pc FISHER PRICE POP ONZ Farm Toddler Toy Set
US $9.99

Kids Stegosaurus Dinosaur Shoes Toy w Lights Toddler 7
US $28.99

Kids Triceratops Dinosaur Shoes Toy w Lights Toddler 9
US $28.99

I will add more toys from time to time on the site, but this is a comprehensive list of what I think are some of the best toys for toddlers ages 1-6. When buying a toy for a toddler, it's important to remember that the younger children put everything in their mouths; books, crayons, markers, cloth etc. Safety is important.

Avoid giving children under 5 anything small that they can swallow.

Children, even above 5 put things in the mouths, be sure everything you buy is child safe (it should say so specifically).
Doll hair should be avoided for any child younger than 4, a pretty harsh statement, however again children put things in their mouth and hair can get chewed and swallowed.
Think sturdy, when buying toddler toys.
Always follow the directions from the manufacturer in terms of recommendations for age appropriateness.

And lastly, kids love toys of any kind and especially wooden toy trucks.

Where to Buy | Sell Cheap Toys

Jenny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:38 +0000

If you're anything like me, you spend hundreds of dollars on small cheap toys as your child was growing too fast to even pick most of them up even once, let alone twice. I can tell you the best places I bought toys and sold them as well.

What can we do once we've spent all that money on toys? There are ways to sell those used toys, at fantastic prices. Online or at home, near your house or a little further away, you can find great deals on toys for your kids.

Lets start with buying toys online:

Buying on eBay – by far the biggest choice in buying used and new toys at exceptional prices. Sometimes there are even lots of toys. 'Lots' are a selection of items sold together. A 'lot' of toys would be, for instance, parents selling toys their children no longer play with in a big bundle. These 'lots' sometimes have a range of toys for different ages. Lots and regular toy auctions are bid on or can sometimes be bought outright. Be sure to read the cost of shipping and handling as it can differ from seller to seller.

The best part about using eBay is getting an idea of who you are buying from. Sellers are graded on their performance, so you can judge the whether they are trustworthy by other buyers' past experience with that seller. You can even buy a cheap baby toy safely knowing who you bought from has a good reputation. Using Paypal also means you have security if you're not sent what was promised.
Amazon – Amazon is a beautiful place for new and used toys. Their selection isn't as wide as EBay in terms of used toys, but for new toys even Target has a shop within Amazon. This is another site where you can see the seller's ratings from buyers. One special thing about Amazon's rating is that people write reviews of the product themselves, and also the sellers. It is really helpful to have this information handy when you place an order. One of the best things about Amazon is that, in nearly 80% of sales, they offer free shipping. It really depends on if the sale is private or not.
WalMart – Some people have something against Walmart because it's profit driven, however, that's exactly what free enterprise is about. Consider for a moment how much you spend when you buy retail, and how that affects your bottom line. There is controversy with Walmart, but I don't think anyone should be judged for making purchases there, it's whats best for their family. Finding cheap toys for toddlers at Walmart online is a great place to start.
Craig's list – This is my last choice, to be honest. There are some great deals on this site, however, you run the risk of dealing with people who you have no contact with other than meeting randomly. You also have no recourse if anything is wrong with the items. On the other hand, these are toys and easily checked before purchase and washed after.

Shopping nearby for new toys(or not so nearby)

I left off at Walmart and I'm going to put it as number 1 for stores in your neighborhood. As far as stores go, this one by far has the cheapest options. It is, however, very competitive, and oftentimes their stock is sold out of popular toys. Anticipation is half the factor and it's a good idea to check current trends and act as soon as possible.
Target is as near as Walmart, that I think either one you stop at will offer the same, or nearly the same, prices. Target has a wide variety of toys and usually has many sales. Obviously Walmart may be cheaper, but what many people don't realize is the difference is usually the gas between the two shops. If Target is closer, I'd go with Target.

Shopping for used Cheap toys

My mother, the teacher, and myself (also a teacher, have stocked our classrooms with used toys over the years. I would imagine between the both of us, we've spent at least $100 a month easily. By far the best place to find used toys is at local GoodWill, Salvation Army, or charity shops. For the most part you can find great toys at these places. They aren't, of course, the latest toys, however, quite a few times I've found Star Wars and Mr. Potato Head.
Yard sales are a great place to buy used toys. Everyone is selling their old toys and some are only a few months old. Children can go through toys so fast because of their growth rates, and this is especially true for infants and toddler toys. You can find yard sales through newspapers, online listings, and Craig's list. Local grocery stores often have newspapers which are serve the immediate community.

Selling Toys

If you're selling one cheap toy or only a couple of them, you'll probably not want to spend money on a newspaper ad. EBay is your best option, in this case.

EBay is also the best option if you're selling many toys. You can scroll through their selections and find what prices others are listing the same toys, to stay competitive.
If you have many toys, try a yard sale before you go through EBay. Yard sales are perfect, however, they aren't great for quite a few months of the year in cold climate areas.
Craig's list serves your local community. It's a great place to place an ad for some toys or anything else you're selling

I hope this helps you keep your wallet fatter, and your toy boxes fuller!