Why Buy Toys Online?

If you've ever gone to a busy toy store during the holidays searching for the season's hot toy, then you know what a challenging and often frustrating place a brick and mortar toy store can be. Crowds. Check. Long lines. Check. Screaming kids. Check. It's no wonder that online toy stores have exploded in popularity. With only a few simple mouse clicks from the convenience of your own home, you can compare prices online, research toy safety information and read customer reviews before making your purchase.

What to Look for in Online Toy Stores

So, what should you look for in an Online Toy Store? Product selection, an easy-to-use site, helpful additional features such as a Gift Wizard or Personal Shopper, a wide variety of payment and shipping options and strong support and community tools are all important components in the best online toy stores. Whether you are searching for that hot new toy, a birthday gift or a holiday present, the extensive search tools available on today's online toy stores will help you find the perfect toy for any occasion.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™ This review site contains side-by-side comparisons and informative articles on toy stores to help you choose the online toy store that is right for you. As we reviewed the online toy stores, we evaluated each of these criteria to see which are the best-of-the-best on the web.

Product Selection
Let's face it: there are millions of toys out there. From action figures to educational toys, from video games to wooden trains, an online toy store is only as good as the selection of toys it sells. While some online toys sites specialize in certain types of toys, like eco-friendly, green toys, learning toys or collectibles, they also offer a wide variety of other types of toys. The best sites categorize their large selections so it is easier to find just the right toy.

Many online toy stores also offer related products such as party supplies and children's furniture and décor. So, if you are buying a Thomas the Train toy for a birthday, you can also see Thomas the Train party supplies or a Thomas the Train pillow.

Ease of Use
With the large selection of toys online, if you can't easily find what you are looking for, chances are you'll look elsewhere. The best online toy stores are easy to use and have extensive search features. Whether you want to search by gender, age, price, brand, character, theme or category you can quickly find the perfect toy. Many sites allow you to narrow your search results further, making finding that toy even easier. Let's say you want to find a Dora the Explorer™ toy for your 4-year-old niece but you don't want to spend more than $30.00. Easy. How about a toy for a 10-year-old boy who has to have the latest Wii video game? No problem.

Additional Features
Helpful features such as a Gift Wizard can make all the difference in your shopping experience. Simply by answering a few questions about the child you are shopping for, you can see a list of suggested toys. Most sites also offer gift wrapping free of charge or at only a nominal fee.

When shopping for toys, safety and recall information are extremely important. The best online toy sites include detailed toy safety and recall information for the toys that they carry. This important information allows you to do your homework before purchasing a toy.

Helpful features such as WishLists and Gift Registries let your child build a list of their favorite toys for a birthday or holiday. This can take the guesswork out of buying a toy and makes sure that your child gets the toys that they want.

Payment and Shipping
The best sites allow you to pay online using a credit card, online payment services, such as Paypal or Google Checkout, or using Gift Cards and online discount promotion codes. We also reviewed the Return Policy for each site to see how long you have and how easy it is to return your items.

Getting your toys quickly and inexpensively is essential. We reviewed all shipping policies and costs to determine the best sites. You'll find no hidden shipping fees when purchasing toys online from these sites. They offer many shipping options and include a shipping calculator or detailed listing of all shipping costs so you won't be surprised by the shipping fees.

Help and Support
No more searching for salespeople for help. Online tools such as live chat, email, blogs, and user reviews and ratings can make your online shopping experience a breeze. The best sites also offer detailed Frequently Asked Questions online so you can quickly find answers to your questions. Some online toy stores are taking advantage of the latest social networking trends by using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to communicate with their customers.

Many parents rely on user reviews when purchasing toys. Reading these reviews by people who have already purchased a toy can help you in your decision of whether to buy the toy. While all user reviews may not offer the same opinion, you will see general trends that can be helpful in making your decision.

Providing selection and convenience, online toy stores take the hassle out of shopping for toys. Take a look at our in-depth reviews of online toy stores, including our best toy store, ToysRUs.