suggestions for good ebay/web sellers for Thomas?

[tribecamom]

dd is loving her train table but mommy is getting sticker shock....are there any discounted options?

[JElaineB]

I haven't looked a lot on ebay for Thomas, but when I did the prices were not any better than I could get elsewhere on the web (for new stuff - I didn't really want used), especially once you factor in shipping (many websites throw in free shipping at a certain price point).

Most websites offer around 20% off retail on a regular basis and some have sales. Check out any clearance pages also. Exact prices do vary a little. Usually the higher the amount you need to buy to get free shipping the lower the prices, but not always. I made up a spreadsheet for a few sites to show how much stuff I want is, and I factor in how much I need to spend to get free shipping as well. Some sell just Thomas or just trains, some sell all kinds of toys.

Here are the sites that I have used to compare, that all seem to have pretty good prices:

www.creativetrains.com
www.trainsgalore.com
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/trains-4-tots
www.tracksideimaginationstation.com
www.happyhentoys.com
www.mytoybox.com

Also there are some retail stores that have good prices on Thomas stuff. If you have a Michael's nearby you can use their 40% off coupons on Thomas stuff (I don't have one too close by though).

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[Momof3Labs]

My experience has been the same - eBay is not a very good place, as most items tend to actually be more expensive once you factor in shipping. Michael's or AC Moore with the coupons are the best deal. TRU runs buy 2, get 1 free train deals every so often (they are due to run one soon, IMO). And watch your local Marshall's and TJ Maxx. Every so often I find Thomas trains or train sets at a huge discount - usually more than 50% off.

[LoveMyBabyBeans]

The best deal is when you can get the trains at AC Moore for 40-50% off with a coupon from your local paper.

But online here are a few:
I think this guy has good prices on Thomas.
http://www.waldenhobbies.com/cgi-bin/store/perlshop.cgi?thispage=lobby.html&newindex=YES&ORDER_ID=!ORDERID!&ACTION=Enter&CAT=THOMAS

http://www.ttstation.com/?source=overture

http://www.sactoys.com/default.asp