eToys

Full review
eToys – Behind The Toys (The Story of the Rise and Fall and Resurrection)
Once upon a time, there was a web site called eToys. The management team and investors had a dream that they would become the premier family oriented web site on the internet. They began their vision in 1997. Unfortunately their dream was never realized and four years later, they filed Chapter 11. What happened you may ask? Pretty much the same thing that happened to many other e-tailers. They went a little too fast, getting themselves into too much debt. So, if they’re history, why in the world am I here writing about them today?

Easy. KBtoys purchased eToys “intellectual property and software” in the Spring of 2001. That Fall, KBtoys relaunched the eToys web site, it’s alive and kicking, and the rest is history..

For Former eToys Customers
You won’t notice a lot of difference in the web site which I’m sure, is comforting for you. If you have a gift certificate or coupon issued prior to October 2001, they will not honor it. Also, if you had your personal information stored it’s no longer there.

The Web Site
I’ve always liked the eToys web site. The home page is divided up into three sections. The first column is where you can search by age of child, category, or brand. The second column features any toy sales. The third column has different things depending on the season. Right now, they have some ads and a place for you to sign up for their newsletter.

Across the top is an index card type subject headers where you can go directly to different areas like video games and collectible toys. It’s nice that eToys recognizes that every one searches for things differently.

Their colors are royal blue, white, and lime green and for the most part, they make good use of their space.

I bet you can’t figure out what in the world I would purchase from eToys, can you?! Yes, I admit to browsing their Barbie section frequently. I appreciate the fact that within the search option of “Barbie” that they have a sub-category of Collectible Barbies.

When I pull up my Collectible Barbie’s list, I can sort by best sellers, least amount of money to most amount of money (and vice versa), and alphabetically. I usually don’t sort – cause I look at all of the pages any way!

What I’m about to tell you isn’t just true for the Barbie area. It’s true for all of the toys. When you pull up a list of Barbie’s, you’ll get an abbreviated description of her, what age groups she’s appropriate for, her price, and if she’s in stock. I don’t know about you, but I appreciate the fact that they give me so much detail all in one place. If I do want to know more information, all I have to do is click on the more information link.

Click on the more information link and you are given a wealth of information. You’ll get a longer description, dimensions of the product, if it requires batteries or not, how much it weighs, if it’s available for gift wrap, and what other products you might like based upon selecting this item. Whew! I love all of this information they give me. Just recently they added the option to review the product and email this particular product to a friend. Although Amazon essentially offers all of the same stuff, I think that eToys design is much more appealing to the eye

Selection and Prices
I find eToys selection to be above average and their prices are on par with just about every one else. Now, where you can really score is when they mark down their toys. For example, every couple of months, when I visit the Barbie section, I look at “sale” items. I’ve found collector Barbie’s for up to 75% off of their original price. And that isn’t unusual. Visit any of their other brands and you’ll see these kinds of great sales. Usually, they have very low stock and need to add the latest and greatest to their warehouse.

Purchasing
If you’re not in the U.S. or its territories eToys can’t deliver to you at this time.

You know, it’s easy (and can become habit forming!). Click on the add to cart radio button and you’re off. When you’re ready to check out you have the option to create an account or just go directly to check out. The nice thing about creating an account is that if you re-visit the web site, you won’t have to re-type in every thing. eToys does NOT require you to keep your credit card on file.

If you do create an account, this isn’t any major trauma. Give them your email address, create a password, enter your demographic information, what shipping method you’ll most likely use (standard unless you’re rich!), and your credit card information. They’ll ask you whether or not you want to store it permanently.

Payment is made in the form of Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express.

If this is a gift, you can opt to have it wrapped (in most cases). It’ll cost you an additional $3.99. You have an option of 5 different papers. I’m sure that will increase when the Christmas season hits us.

They tell you to expect standard shipments to arrive sometime between 5 and 10 business days. Like most e-tailers, they allow for up to three days of processing and handling before shipping so after it leaves the warehouse, it’s 2-7 business days. On the average, mine arrives 5 days after I place the order.

Shipping costs are dependent on the item you’re shipping (what the weight is) and by what method. The Barbie that I ordered a couple of weeks ago was $4.39 to ship.

If you're wondering about the status of your order, you can go to eToys and look up your order status. You can either key in your order confirmation number (which is emailed to you at time of purchase) or your account id.

Returns/Exchanges
eToys cares about their customers and as such, they offer a couple of different ways in which you can return/exchange an item. Within 30 days of the shipment receipt (except during the holidays, and then they extend it until January 29), you can either mail it back to their warehouse OR take it in to any KBtoys. I actually had a package arrive damaged and I took it to my local KBtoys. They were very friendly and offered me either an exchange or a total refund.

Just in case you’re wondering….why didn’t you just go to KBtoys and buy the thing in the first place? Because, I got a really good deal. Free shipping and 10% off of my order!

Create A Wish List
With the holiday season just around the corner, spend some time online with your children and help them create their very own wish list. Once created, you can either have it searchable by others or you can make it non-public. There is a limit of 30 items that you can have on your wish list at one time.

Exceptional Parents
One of the links that they provide on their home page is something called Exceptional Parents. It’s a partnership between eToys and Exceptional Parent Magazine. If you have a special needs child or are buying for a special needs child, this is an extraordinary way to shop. Once you click on the link, it takes you to another home page where you shop for a special needs child based upon Toy Articles, Reviewed Brands, and Parent Recommendations. My niece Olivia is autistic and I used this to look up some toys to buy her. I won’t kid you – it’s not the be all, end all resource, but it’s more than most toy e-tailers (or retailers) offer you.

The End
I bet you have this burning question in the back of your mind. How does the Kbtoys web site and the eToys web site compare. Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone but 98% of it is the same. You’ll find the exact same toys and the same sales. Their home pages are identical with a couple of links (like Exceptional Parent) that are different. Regardless of which site you choose to shop at, know that they offer some really good toys, combined with great deals, and friendly customer service. I'll definitely be shopping here when the Christmas season rolls around.