Best price on a Rainbow Castle? Any chance of getting it on Craigslist?

[joyelyse]

Hi everyone,

We went to the Rainbow dealer today, and I am really sold on the Rainbow Castle Package 2, supersized and loaded. (You can see it here: http://www.rainbowplay.com/PlaySystems/CastleSeries/Index.cfm ) It's the one that has the larger clubhouse, the rock wall, and the chain ladder. I got a price of $4800 set up with an extra climbing ramp. That's the number on the price list listed under "sale" plus a $400 off special right now. The salesman wouldn't budge on price at all. He wouldn't throw anything extra in. He and I had a long talk. He siad this this Rainbow dealer is fixed on price. I was wondering how much others paid for this set. Is this a good price?

BTW, I have a wanted listed on Boston's Craigslist, and I check obsessively in the for sale section, but I wonder if it's a pipe dream. Plus, I'd still have to pay someone to move it and set it up, because it weighs a ton. Is it worth waiting it out? Also, I'm not sure I'll be able to get the $400 off later.

Joy Elyse

[AmyZ]

We also have a Rainbow and had no luck with a price reduction or anything extra for free. Trust me, it was not for a lack of trying! Around here, if someone puts an ad for a Rainbow in the pennysaver it is gone in about one second. If you have a specific type of set that you *know* that you want, it might be a lot harder to get it. If you were open ended, and just wanted any Rainbow, you would probably have better luck with eventually getting something.

I find that Rainbow just sort of plays with the discounts. You are always bascially paying the same thing. Maybe they will have a coupon, but then delivery will be more. Or maybe installation is cheap, but then the price is higher. Prices do go up each year, so you will probably want to decide before November.

Sorry for the ramble- hope this helps!

Amy Z

"Ma!" to Eliana 2/04 - She's 2!
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[dules]

What does "supersized" mean?

I have seen several Sunshine castles/playhouses on NJ/NY Craigslists this summer but the ads have gone right away. I responded to one early on, about an hour after it had been posted at $1100, and it was already gone.

IMO if you want a specific model it will be hard to find on CL, but if you're in no rush, you never know, it might come up, KWIM? I guess it depends on how anxious you are to get going.

As far as removal/installation goes, I've no idea but I can tell you from our Cedarworks experience that the pieces of those sets are heavy, very heavy, and probably need a regular truck or large pickup to be moved by "regular people".

Also a question, that I don't know the answer to (and already tossed my catalog): if you buy a used Rainbow, do you still get the same lifetime warranty as if you were the original purchaser?

Good luck.

Best,
Mary

[joyelyse]

I'm willing to take most any Rainbow swingset used. I only want that model if I'm buying new.

Supersized is that the upper landing is larger. Not a major issue for me, but since it's included in the feature model, it's the best deal.

I'm going to ask about the warranty issue. Thanks for the thought!

Joy

[annasmom]

Joy, the only thing I can think of is there might be a better deal if you wait until Fall, or even the Winter. For the Winter deals, they take your momney then, and install when the ground thaws. I am looking at the same model, but am hoping I can get a better price during the Fall or Winter.

[vikivoly]

We have this one:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/vikivoly/213_1354.jpg

I'm fairly certain is the smaller version, but it does have the rockwall and chain ladder. We paid $3000 for it including set-up, delivery and a toddler bucket swing.

[joyelyse]

Wow, at a minimum, that is the Sunray. (It looks like it have the extra flags and good slinde, so it can't be a Carnival.) $3000 is a great price. How did you get it for that? Did you have to negotiate? Where do you live? I'd happily get the Sunray for $2k less.

Joy

[dules]

Vicki, your yard is enormous! Is that your house in the background or was it taken from your house? I am in awe of the amount of space you have. :)

Best,
Mary

[zuzu]

We have the set you are looking for, plus we added a bouy ball and something else I'm forgetting right now, and went for the green roof tarp and accessories and it was just over $3700, installed. They were having a 30% off sale when we got ours in April and there was a $75 charge for delivery and the installation was free, or vice versa. It seemed like a good deal at the time.

It was my impression that they wouldn't budge much on price, but they could swap and add accesories. We removed the chain ladder and swapped it for rungs becasue DD wanted those and then added the bouy ball, the green colors, and something else.

Also, we got another 3% off for paying in cash.

Good luck!

[vikivoly]

It's not the Carnival. I'm pretty sure it is the Sunshine Castle Series. We bought it at a home show in January 2005. It was a display model, but was only displayed at the home show, not outside, and it was never played on. We didn't try to negotiate, that's the price we were quoted. We live in PA.

[vikivoly]

No, that's not our house in the background. The shot was taken from our house. We own about 1 1/2 acres. It is nice having a big yard with the kids.

[joyelyse]

You did great at $3000! I think I found a Sunshine on Craigslist. I've been emailing with the seller. I have to call my dealer and make sure the new rock wall & step rung ladder will fit the 10 year old Sunshine.

Joy