Where do you look first to buy expensive things?

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

Hello!
Need some advice:
My 6.5 year old Ds wants a Spider-man web-blaster and a Mindstorm lego robotics set. The Spidy-web-blaster is available here in india and is priced about $25. The Mindstorm is not available locally... bu i can ask a cousin to buy it for me in Abu Dhabi. We are also looking for more toys and things we can't get easily here in India.

We don't have any garage sales near us (Indian families tend to pass toys around within the family :-) and there are few options of buying used stuff locally (most kids here don't know about Legos). Since we are making a trip to the US in November (for dh's work and Sandra's Monkey Platter festival :-) i'd like to see if i can buy some things online and get them delivered locally in New jersey. I mean i buy them now online before the trip and get them to my cousins place in NJ.

So which sites are best? Ebay, Amazon, freecycle? or should i try all or some other site? I'm short on computer time mostly and am in the midst of a move as well... so thought i'd ask before i start my search.

Items i'm looking for are: Kitchen toys, Lego sets, Mindstorm, Spidey cannisters, Board games, Barbie dresses, etc.

Thanks :-)
Hema, determined not to discuss purchase-desires in a "we-can't-afford-that" sort of way.

[Sylvia Toyama]

I'd try ebay first. My boys love ebay.

We rarely use freecycle. It sounds great in theory, but things offered are taken so quickly we usually miss them.

Also, Craig's list is a good resource for us.

[Sandra Dodd]

For freecycle, you need to be right there and able to pick the stuff up immediately, so that's not so good.

Maybe Craig's list, local to where you'll be. Maybe if you tell what you're looking for and why, someone will be interested in waiting until you get there.

I'd say ebay ordered to your cousins would work.

[Meredith]

Ebay is good for big lots of legos, but be sure to do some price shopping first and get a sense of how many legos to a pound for comparison purposes. Knex and bionicle are lego compatible, too, if you're in the shopping mode.

What are you looking for in kitchen toys? There's a family of unschoolers who makes their living selling handcrafted wooden toys, including a kitchen, castle, climbing frame, dollhouse... check them out!

http://www.willowtoys.com/

[Latha]

Hema,

By web blaster, if you mean the thing that is with the fluid thingy, we have one in which Viyan is no longer interested. I will be happy to send it to you in NJ (or bring it to you if we are fortunate) along with a canister of web fluid. I will also look for other interesting things that may spark Raghu or Zoya's interest that may not be available in India. The other place that I would look for is homeschooler-coop online where they get group discounts. We found some fab (I mean really fab) lego sets for Viyan there. Here is the link to their website: http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_quickbase...

Ofcourse a ton of stuff there is school at home kind, but there are times they offer great deal on stuff we like.

It is not a we-cannot afford-that, it is we are smart and resourceful to find ways to acquire how we want/need:)

Love (to all of you)

Latha

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

LATHA :-) so nice to see you here. Yes sounds like it. I believe its called Hasbro Spriderman Ultimate Web Blaster. Raghu is asking if he can send a thankyou message to Viyaan.... does he have an email id? Raghu's is [e-mail]

I'll contact you off-list.
Love, Hema


Latha said:

Hema,

By web blaster, if you mean the thing that is with the fluid thingy, we have one in which Viyan is no longer interested. I will be happy to send it to you in NJ (or bring it to you if we are fortunate) along with a canister of web fluid. I will also look for other interesting things that may spark Raghu or Zoya's interest that may not be available in India. The other place that I would look for is homeschooler-coop online where they get group discounts. We found some fab (I mean really fab) lego sets for Viyan there. Here is the link to their website: http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_quickbase...

Ofcourse a ton of stuff there is school at home kind, but there are times they offer great deal on stuff we like.

It is not a we-cannot afford-that, it is we are smart and resourceful to find ways to acquire how we want/need:)

Love (to all of you)

Latha

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

Yes.... i like that Latha... i will be resourceful and find what we need :-)

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

Thanks Meredith. Have never done a pound based Lego purchase. So thinking about it now.
Yes... i know Dayna's site. Its lovely the things Martin can make.

[Robyn L. Coburn]

I endorse Ebay - but I also want to suggest that you hit yard sales in the areas that you are visiting. Lego's, Barbie dresses, board games and kitchen toys often end up in yard sales. Doll clothing - you might also consider www.Etsy.com .

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

So from the responses so far (many thanks :-) i gather Craig List and Ebay as good first stops. I have not done any buys on Etsy... but it looks like a lovely place for hand-made stuff. And Amazon was always our first bet when we lived in NJ... but more for books and such.

:-) Hema