It’s obvious that kids love Saint Nicholas Day. It’s also possible that parents like this day a little bit less. This is because they are the ones paying for the gifts. However, it’s always better to give rather than to take, they say. The joy on both sides would become much larger if a child receives something special and a parent still manages to avoid spending a large amount. Here are a few tips on how to do this.
The selection of toys in Polish stores is large. Theoretically, the trade gap between Poland and the western countries has ceased to exist many years ago. However, the top foreign stores and online shops still offer a lot of products, which are not accessible in Poland. Luckily, this is not an obstacle today, because the internet is here to help.
There are a few possibilities of ordering toys abroad and shipping them to Poland. You can find many of these offers on OLX and Allegro websites. The British mail-order companies very often offer used toys. However, they look like new and their quality is top-notch. The only disadvantage of this option is that these toys usually come in previously arranged sets. Therefore, you won’t be able to only buy what you select. This is no such problem in the case of offers from private sellers. However, you should carefully examine their seller profile before making an order. This is because internet forums are full of stories about sellers who didn’t fulfill their part of an agreement.
Shipment restrained America
If you wish to have a full control over your orders, as well as a certainty that you are buying new products, it is worth browsing through offers from foreign toy stores. Toys-R-Us is one of the largest franchises. They have a department in Poland, but a much richer offer can be found in American stores. American stores offer basically everything – from teddy bears to comic-book action figures, and Lego building bricks to board games. What about prices? Let’s check them out with the example of the Optimus Prime Transformers action figure, which costs 8.99 USD. Here’s the bad news; this store doesn’t ship orders to Europe. However, you can try buying your dream-toy through a Toys-R-Us eBay account. The shipping costs approximately 23 USD and we must be prepared for the nine labor days (at minimum) for delivery. This would be a good option if you don’t find the toy you want anywhere else. Moreover, this also seems like a good idea if you wish to shop for a larger list of toys. This way, shipping costs won’t exceed the price of the purchased product.
Pay with dollars in China
You should also search for nice toys in China. The Chinese website, Alibaba.com, is becoming increasingly popular in Poland. The products that it offers are relatively cheap and are of good quality, as well. On this site, you can find just about everything a child could dream of. Even though Alibaba.com sells its products in USD, the prices are lower than in American stores. For example, a Minion mascot on Alibaba.com costs 5-6 USD, while the same mascot costs approximately 11-13 USD in the United States. However, shipping costs, as well as delivery length are usually diversified. In order to know more details, you would have to create a customer account and keep your fingers crossed that you won’t have to wait for your products any longer than in the case of Allegro or OLX.
Currency account and a favorable exchange rate
You have to be careful not to overpay for currency while buying toys abroad. You can avoid this buy using online currency exchange services. This gives you a much more favorable exchange rate than what is offered by traditional currency exchange offices and banks. - You can save a lot of money on low spreads if you have a dollar account. Our services allow you to save approximately 43 PLN* on the purchase of a large toy set worth 250 USD – said Piotr Kiciński, Vice-president of the Board of Cinkciarz.pl, which is one of the largest online currency exchange offices in Poland.
(*all currency exchange rates as given by Cinkciarz.pl on 09.11.2016)