Amazon has been named as the cheapest place for Christmas toys - with parents warned they could pay 26% more if they shop elsewhere.

Consumer champions at Which? analysed prices at Amazon, Argos, Smyths Toys and The Entertainer to see which offered the best value for money. Its research consisted of 49 of the most popular toys - including Lego and Barbie - with prices checked between September 18 and October 18, 2023.

Amazon came out cheapest, where the total cost of the toys based on their average price was £1,042. Smyths Toys was the second cheapest retailer (£1,110) and Argos was third (£1,246).

The Entertainer worked out most expensive, according to Which? Findings, with a total cost of £1,316. This makes it 26% (or £274) more expensive on average than Amazon. Of course, it all depends on exactly what toy you’re planning to buy - and remember prices will fluctuate as we get nearer to Christmas.

Which? split its research into age groups, including babies (for kids up to 18 months), pre-schoolers (1-3 years old) and school age children (4+ years old). Amazon was cheapest for the toys for pre-schoolers and school age kids and Smyths Toys was cheapest for the baby toys category. The Entertainer was priciest for all three categories.

For example, Which? found the Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone cost £7 in Argos and £11.33 in The Entertainer. Meanwhile, the Barbie Dream Boat Playset was £55.31 on Amazon and £63.99 in Argos, and the Lego Duplo Classic Brick Box Building Set was £20.76 on Amazon and £25 from the Entertainer.

Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said: “With Christmas fast approaching, people will be looking to snap up the best value toys. We checked the prices of popular toys at some of the UK's biggest retailers and found you could end up paying the least at Amazon, and the most at The Entertainer.

“When looking to buy something new, always do your research first by checking price comparison sites like PriceRunner, which not only shows current prices at multiple retailers but also reveals a product’s pricing history.”

A spokesperson for Amazon said: “We’re always looking for ways to offer our customers even more value and ways to save throughout the year. We have a wide selection of great value toys to suit all age groups and budgets, from educational toys to toys under £20 – and all coming with a range of fast, convenient delivery options in the lead up to Christmas.“

A spokesperson for The Entertainer said: “The Entertainer very often offers the best value of any UK retailer across many key toy lines. This is particularly true during the peak toy purchasing times of year. As a result - and just two of many possible examples - we are, at the time of writing, selling a Peppa Pig Cruise Ship £25 cheaper than Argos and a Lego Skate Park for £15 less. We regret that the methodology employed each year in these tests by Which? is not designed to reflect either key customer purchasing periods nor the power and benefit of our deal based pricing structure.”

Argos and Smyths Toys did not respond to request for comment when Which? contacted them.

Christmas toys - average price of 49 items tracked by Which?

  • Amazon - £1,042
  • Smyths Toys - £1,110
  • Argos - £1,245
  • The Entertainer - £1,316

Examples of toys Which? looked at

  • Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone – Argos (£7) and The Entertainer (£11.33)

  • Tomy Toomies Octopals Number Sorting Baby Bath Toy – Smyths Toys (£9.74) and The Entertainer (£17)

  • Barbie Dream Boat Playset – Amazon (£55.31) and Argos (£63.99)

  • Lego Duplo Classic Brick Box Building Set - Amazon (£20.76) and the Entertainer (£25)

  • Marvel Avengers Iron Man 30cm Action Figure - Amazon (£8.71) and Argos (£13)

  • Lego Friends Sea Rescue Centre - Amazon and Smyths Toys (£34.49), and Argos (£45)