by Lennon George
Hey Go-Getters!
Thanks for joining me for another installment of Skylanders 101. I’m sure by now you have dissected part one already and are interested in knowing more, so this go 'round I’ll provide some tips about hunting for Skylanders, show you some other Skylanders merchandise, and introduce you to other Skylanders games. I’ll also be showing you some of the most rare Skylanders toys made some of which are in my personal collection.
Ok, so let’s talk Skylander hunting shall we? When looking for Skylanders where do you start? Well, if you are looking for older Skylanders the best places to start are online.
Amazon usually has nice deals on figures so does eBay, although if you use eBay be prepared to pay a fair amount of money to get certain figures especially rare, hard to find, and special edition/convention exclusive figures. eBay is also full of scalpers charging outrageous prices for some figures or lots that can still be found in store if you are patient. Also Facebook is full of helpful groups such as my page Skylander Addicts and others. But as with any online transaction be cautious -- there are those untrustworthy people out there looking to take advantage if you are not careful and smart. Rule of thumb; ask to see an image of any item you plan to buy if pictures are not already available. If seller or trader isn’t willing to provide images nine times out of ten there is something up. There also fake Skylanders so do some research on the item you are potentially buying before you make a purchase. Main rule; always pay as goods and never pay as a gift! Unless you really trust your seller or trader otherwise you run the risk of being taken.
Now if you are looking to get newer figures then I would go to the “Skylanders Headquarters” Toys R Us. Toys R Us works closely with Activision to provide the largest and best Skylanders in-store experience. Of all the stores that sell Skylanders Toys R Us keeps the best stock of figures and starter packs. They also receive the most exclusive Skylanders merchandise and get most waves - and well before other big box stores. BUT: Toys R Us has the highest price when it comes to buying Skylanders, though they do so many sales you always have a chance to get what you are looking for at a pretty good price especially if you are a Rewards member. When you become a member you receive Hot Toy Alerts and discount coupons, etc. on Skylanders and other cool toys.
GameStop is the next place to find figures only because you can have the store order the ones you need (if they can be ordered) and pick them up from the store. They are a dollar less than Toys R Us, but they too have exclusives and try to give their customers a good Skylanders experience. Another good perk with shopping at GameStop is they take used figures for cash or trade credits so you can always get rid of those Skylanders you don’t want for new ones you need as well. GameStop also has a Skylanders Club where if you buy 6 Skylanders you get one free. Although they have some nice programs and deals, they don’t always have the best customer service. I tend to run into more rude employees at GameStop with a very limited knowledge. I find this is an issue with many retailers in general though. Employees should know at least the basics, but a lot don’t even know when stuff is being released. It hits shelves early or the day of promotion and customers are, more often than not, having to inform employees about their own in-store promotions. But that is none of my business (In my Kermit voice—were is my tea?) ☺
Target is another great place to find Skylanders they too work with Activision to provide us Portal Masters with exclusive Skylanders only available to their stores. They cost less than both Toys R Us & GameStop and they price match (Ed. Note: woo-hoo!). Target is one of my favorite places to shop for cool Skylanders merchandise other than Skylanders Toys. You can find plush toys, sheets, bedroom and bathroom accessories, and much more. I tend to find a lot of Skylanders stuff I never see anywhere else besides Target hence it being one of my favorite places to shop.
Best Buy carries an fair selection of Skylanders merchandise. Best Buy used to be one of the go-to big box stores to find Skylanders when the game was first released. Lately though they seem to participate much less although they still get an exclusive from time to time they have become one of my last resort stores. I shop there to get the exclusives they have or snag a figure for free or half off because I am a Best Buy Rewards member.
WalMart is the cheapest place to get Skylanders toys and other Skylanders merchandise. WalMart is apart of the Big Three as I like to call it because they usually have a nice selection of Skylanders and in-store exclusives. I used to get my Skylanders Mega Bloks sets from WalMart because they carried exclusive sets and were the only place I could find them besides Toys R Us -- now they seem to only carry them online. WalMart also carries the food items that have licenses with Activision like Yoplait (Yogurt), Frito Lay (Chips), and General Mills (Cereal & Fruit Snacks). I also seem to find a lot of miscellaneous Skylanders merch. Like bath soap, toothpaste, towels, notebooks, etc. Although they have the cheapest price their employees are by far the rudest and unknowledgeable about the Skylanders Game and other products I have come across. Now note this is my own opinion I’m sure some of you have had a great experience with some of the retailers I deemed unpleasant to shop at compared to others, so I will say this shop at your own risk...lol!
So we have covered hunting for Skylanders and touched upon some other Skylanders merchandise. Let’s take a deeper look into some of the other Skylanders merchandise.
Skylanders Megabloks - If you like Legos you will love these fun-building sets centered on the Skylanders Universe. Can be purchased at Toy R Us, WalMart, Target and some online stores.
Skylanders Comics -This is a new series released at SDCC this year IDW publishes it. You can find them at your local comic shop and online comic book retailers. IDW makes a Skylanders micro comic pack that is being sold at GameStop and Toys R Us.
Skylanders Trading Cards - Published by Topps these collectible cards come in various packing such as single, jumbo, tins, and collectors albums. Topps also makes Dog Tags, stampers, caps, stickers and tattoo sets. You can buy them directly from the topps direct website.
Skylanders Books - The Penguin Group publishing company makes these novels and activity books. You can find them at your local bookstore, Walmart, Toys R Us, Target, and online bookstores.
Skylanders Strategy Guides - Bradley Games makes this step-by-step walk through book series. I love these books because they help you to find all of the little treasures and hidden goodies throughout the game. They also make hard cover collectors editions of their strategy guides. You can find these anywhere books and video games are sold.
Skylanders Accessories - PowerA makes all kinds of Skylanders stuff from cases for your figures, cell phones, and tablets to play sets and game controllers. They look great but they are often pricey so I wait until I can find a good sale to snag a lot of this stuff. You can find PowerA products anywhere Skylanders are sold.
So you are hunting and you find a clear or funny colored figure what is it? That my friend is a chase or rare figure they can sometimes be sold for hundreds of dollars, but they are pretty hard to come buy. You may get lucky and find them in the “wild”. But more than likely you will be doing what the rest of us are doing and buying them from scalpers and other collectors on eBay. Here is a look at some of the most rare Skylanders figures to have ben released.
Can’t afford to buy the Skylanders Game but you really like the characters and would like get in on some Skylanders action? Have no fear Activision has got you covered.
If you go to Skylanders.Com you will find a slew of Skylanders Mini Games that you can play for free as long as you have an Internet connection or a smart phone. I love playing the mini games it is like another part of the adventure so the game never stops for me. Also if you have a mobile or Tablet device you can play the mobile versions of the Skylanders game. The most popular of the mobile games is Skylanders Lost Islands where you complete tasks like planting crops, collecting from and buying buildings to get points to level up.
I compare the game to Farmville as they pretty much have the same format. It is free to play but to get certain items you will have to use jewels and coins to get them and that costs money. The other mobile games are Skylanders Cloud Patrol and Skylanders Battlegrounds, but you have to pay to play those. Some times there are specials to where you can get it for free or at a discounted rate. You can also buy the mobile starter pack and get access to all of the mobile games. Recently Activision released a full version of the Skylandes game that can be played on IOS and Android tablet devices. You can play the game using a touch screen function or with the included joystick/game controller. Go to Skylanders.Com for more details.
Well we have come to the end of our Skylanders 101 journey. If you want to stay up to date on all sorts of Skylanders info takes a minute to check out my blog where I cover all kinds of Skylanders related material on a regular basis. You will find all of my other Skylanders related pages there as well. Hope to catch some of you on the SKYSIDE!
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Until next time Skylander Addict, out!