Back To Basics Toys

Full review
The Catalog:

I first heard about the Back to Basics online store through their mail order catalog that arrived in my mailbox the first week in October. I seem to be on every possible catalog list and often toss them into the recycling pile without even opening them but this particular toy catalog caught my attention and I began skimming through it right away. The toys carried by this company are exactly what the name implies, basic, classic, traditional etc. Most are made of wood rather than plastic and are reminiscent of our own childhood toys. A consumer is unlikely to find Dora, Elmo, or other popular characters among the pages of this catalog, As a mom of two young children I don’t purchase many toys. I have limited space and feel that my children already have many more toys than they need. When I do purchase a toy, I like it to be something that will last, will hold their attention for more than a few weeks, and that will encourage imagination. The toys in this catalog do just that. I immediately made a list of nine items from Back to Basic Toys that I would love to purchase for my girls this Christmas but also had little intention of buying most of them, as the priced seemed quite high.


I searched for each item on my list and found that I was able to purchase seven of the nine items from other retailers for less money. However, the two items that I most wanted were the ones I could only get through Back to Basic Toys so I went to the website.

The Website:

I found the Back to Basic Toys website easy to navigate. There was a section to type in item numbers directly from the catalog, many categories to browse, an easy way to create wish lists, and shipping was calculated each time you added an item to your cart. Shipping also seemed a bit on the high side. Once an order was placed checking the status was as simple as logging into your account online


My Experience:

I was originally hesitant to place an order with this company because the prices and shipping were on the high side. Epinions.com also had some negative reviews posted about the customer service but I decided it was worth a try. I ordered the two items I couldn’t find elsewhere on October 25, 2007. I first checked naughtycodes.com and was pleased to find a coupon code that saved me 15% on my entire order. This brought the price to what I considered much more reasonable for the toys I was purchasing. Shipping on my $34 order came to $9.75. This is still a bit high in my opinion. I received an order confirmation immediately after my order was placed. I did not however ever receive shipping notifications. I was concerned because of the reviews I read on epinions and checked the status of my order online a few days later. It was simple to log in and check on my purchases and I was pleasantly surprised to see that both items has shipped (separately). Apparently one of the items had been back ordered for a few days and I was not informed but it wasn’t a problem since I still had my entire order by November 2nd.

Summery:
Overall, I was pleased with my experience shopping at Back to Basic Toys and the quality of the items seems above average. I was pleased to find a coupon code that kept the prices reasonable. I can see where other customers have had problems though, since the company does not send shipping notices or an update if an item is not in stock. I would suggest looking elsewhere for most toy purchases but if you are looking for a hard to find classic toy item Back to Basic Toys is certainly a valid option and I would consider shopping there again.