A good experience overall, but not worth the shipping cost outside the continental US
Written: Dec 25 '02 (Updated Mar 28 '03)
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When I decided to start purchasing the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway System for my son, I chose AllAboardToys.Com because their site was slicker, more professional, and easier to surf than many other Thomas sites I'd seen. They were also having a sale on most of the items I wanted, which brought the price down to less than Amazon's.
Selection
Their selection is excellent, and the pictures of each item are larger and generally of higher quality than at many stores. I also noticed that they ONLY list items that they have in stock.
Price
The prices at AllAboardToys.com are good. Their base prices are average to a little lower than average on all items I compared to elsewhere. They also seem to have plenty of items on sale at any one time, and change their sales frequently. I purchased the Thomas & Friends Circle Set(in the new track), wooden Lady, wooden Percy, wooden James, a Thomas toothbrush, and a Thomas sigh and sound ABC book. My total came to $62 before shipping. All items were on sale, and I saved about $15 over Amazon's price.
Customer Service
Is mediocre, but acceptable. Before I had purchased anything for this site, I emailed them to ask if the toy I was considering was safe for my 2-year old(some Thomas & Friends toys are not), but never received a response. However, once I'd placed my order I emailed them again to ask when it would ship and they responded quickly.
Shipping Speed
Items are promised to go out the same day, or the very next business day, and I received mine in the mail even earlier than I expected.
Shipping Cost
Unfortunately, after spending hours carefully deciding which toys to purchase, and filling my shopping cart, I discovered that the shipping cost to Alaska on approximately $60 worth of Thomas items totaled what I now know is an outrageous $28. At the time I was surprised, but in a hurry (I was Christmas shopping after all) and thought I probably wouldn't get a better deal anywhere else.
After doing a little research, I now know that the shipping cost at AllAboardToys.com is a worst case scenario. Several other online stores are much more reasonable, and their prices are just as good.
The good news is that if you live in an area where UPS Ground is available, their shipping is quite cheap - even free in some cases.
After my package arrived and I had already found out I could have gotten a much better deal, I did send the store a polite email regarding their high shipping costs to Alaska and explaining that there are 600,000 people up here who depend much more heavily on mail order than people in the lower 48.
I received no response.
The Bottom Line
Recommended to all lower-48 customers only.
FIND RELATED REVIEWS BELOW
Wooden Railway System
Annie - Thomas' Beloved Coach
Barrel Car
Bertie the Bus
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Edward the Blue Engine
Gordon the Big Express Engine
Harold the Helicoptor
Henry the Green Engine
James the Red Engine
Lady
Percy the Small Engine
Rusty with Construction Cars
Thomas the Tank Engine
Tidmouth Milk Tanker
Toby the Tram Engine
Arched Stone Bridge
Single Stone Tunnel
6.5 inch Curved Switch Track
6.5 inch Curved Track
Circle Set
Books
Diesel's Devious Deed
Thomas: The Really Useful Engine
Train Table
Nilo Train Table
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
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Trusted by: 71 members
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