The American Girl doll is a phenomenon.  The dolls are well made and come with a book that explains what life was like in the country and time period for the outfit the doll is wearing.  The books are very educational and many homeschooling groups have created history classes for young girls based off the American Girl dolls.  The problem is the Dolls can cost upwards of $100.  This does not even count the accessories and clothes that can be purchased (which can cost more than the clothes on the children buying them).

So how do you save on these expensive toys?  Well there is always the clearance rack, but I suspect that many parents have already been there and done that.  Ther two places I looked first were Amazon and Ebay.  Each led me to some great results.

Amazon — Amazon’s biggest asset in this arena is that people sell things used.  With the used dolls going for much less than the brand new ones you can save a bundle on the dolls themselves.  Amazon also puts items on clearance regularly so you can save money on brand new doll clothes there.

Ebay — Ebay of course has a ton of used items.  What really caught my attention here was the number of knock off accessories and clothes there were.  As with any high quality item there are going to be imitators that sell at a considerable discount.  With Ebay cluing you in to all the off brand names you can search for great deals locally if you do not feel comfortable with the Ebay format.

Overall these two sites could save you hundreds if you have an American Girl enthusiast in your home.