Toy Safari

In addition to the vast range of «toys», every staff member with whom I have interacted goes well beyond what is expected in trying to locate any type of toy and to be of service! I wonder where they find such customer-​oriented staff?!

Walked through Toy Safari on our trip to Alameda for my daughter’s birthday. We weren’t planning to go to the toy store, but it was windy and we just wandered in to get out of the cold, windy weather. I’m so glad we did. The people who work there are super friendly and welcoming. We rode up the escalator along the very large stuffed animals. Upstairs had so many different little places to look and play that my daughter was in heaven. She had colored hair chalk put in her hair (for free!), she walked through a mini Claire’s store and got to see Iron Man and Spiderman who were visiting for pictures. Super fun for the kids.

This place is incredible! Literally floor-​to-​ceiling filled with every kind of toy, new and classic. Friendly staff, too. 1000% better than any big box store. And it’s across the street from Tot Tank which is by far the best place for baby gear in the Bay Area.

+Toys! Toys! Toys!
+Lots of stuff!
+New and old.
+So much fun looking at everything.
+Loved all the Star Wars stuff!
+Great to see a non-​corporate toy store.

Local toy store that delights kids and adults alike! I LOVE coming here after a stressful day just to browse around. It’s not a very big store so there’s literally toys at every corner but that’s part of the charm! There is some organization to the madness — baby toys, board games & books, action figures, Disney, plushes, LEGOS, etc. I think half the fun is not looking for anything in particular though but just wandering around. The staff are more than happy to answer questions.
They also sell used toys & collectibles which are my favorites! One day I just may splurge & buy all those TROLLS in the display case — love them all LOL! I often leave with something — mainly the older collectible toys (like Peanuts & McD toys!)
Definitely fun to stop by if you are in the area!

Took a stroll down memory lane during my visit here. Toy Safari is a great place to come to if you want to be brought back in time to your childhood. The selection of toys and games they have here ranges from things that were popular back in the 90s to modern additions!
They have figurines, board games, plushies, children’s books, décor, and puppets! They probably have a lot more variety than that, but it was a lot to take in (was too distracted by everything that I used to play with when I was a kid).
With 4 – 5 towering aisles of cool stuff, you’re sure to be lost in this toy store for at least an hour. Come to Alameda to visit this place and then go to the arcade… just a few stores down… right after!

Great collection of toys, board games and fun knick-​knacks. The space is filled with items from floor to ceiling, so it can get pretty tight in there with all the kids and adults perusing the shelves. If you can go earlier in the day for a less crowded shopping experience.

Part of our Sunday stroll routine. This place has toys that I grew up on! A treasure hunt for sure, but once you find out what you are looking for, you are happy!
Five stars for the selection, three stars for the prices (a bit high)
= FOUR STARS!

I have been shopping for long time. To be honest, the price is higher than Target and Toy r us. I love to support local small business and it does has many old toys which are valuable!
I bought an used riding horse $ 39.95 but wasn’t able to take home. It’s pretty big so I told a lady (very nice) that I need to wait for my husband. She just told me to keep the receipt and the shop would keep it for us.
Something were going on and we forgot about it. After few months, I went back to the shop and asked a lady (very nice). She told me it’s been sold because we didn’t pick up within a month. She said the riding horse has been sitting in the shop for a month so they decided to sell it. She advised me come back to get credit from «manager» the week after.
I went back again the week after and explained to the «manager». She was pretty mean with no smile… and said the receipt can’t prove if I have picked it up or not. I tried to explain her the lady who works here remember the whole story. She said she is the owner and will not give me any credit.
Seriously, I really do support local business. If the owner explained in a gentle way, I will totally understand… but NOT! She is Rude!
I will not shop here anymore!

Nostalgic. One of the best places to spark childhood memories and share them with your kids as you explore this living museum/​gallery/​treasure chest!
We love buying those special unique gifts (vintage/​used/​new) for our loved ones from here.

Almost ANY toy you are looking for can be found here. I found collector’s GI Joe’s for my husband. I can’t wait to surprise him!!!
There are new toys — all Disney items and also older toys– I saw a Furby!
I will definitely make this a go to toy store!

We’ve been coming to Toy Safari since we moved to Oakland nine years ago and finally decided to try out consignment. Because I’m familiar with the store’s stock of previously-​loved toys — I much, much, much prefer buying things used whenever possible for money– and earth-​saving reasons — I brought in what I guessed would stand a decent chance of being accepted.
We came at a time that was unexpectedly busy, but the young woman who helped us was amazingly sweet and absolutely unfazed when faced with the huge haul we brought in (my kids are way too spoiled because of their millions of adoring relatives; I’ll admit it). The buyer ended up taking much more than I expected; so much so that there wasn’t enough cash in the drawer. Even with that slight complication, she remained super helpful and worked out a solution (I just came back a little later; no big deal).
This was definitely one of the most pleasant consignment experiences I’ve had, and I’ve been consigning ALL sorts of things for years. My kids always ask to go specifically to the «toy store in Alameda» as their super-​special place, so we’ll be continuing to support this local business for a long time.

This review is mainly addressing their toy buying service.
I have been coming to Toy Safari for over a decade now. I have sold a lot to them and I have purchased a lot from them.
I brought in a bag of toys last Tuesday to sell them. The lady (not the owner lady) bought barely anything, which is fine and understandable, being that the store is more packed with stuff sometimes than other times. But when I got home, I find that she had purchased my Jabba the Hut figure without his base and accessories. So I called in and told them they forgot to buy the complete figure, the guy on the phone apologizes and says it must have been a mistake and that the buyer lady was tired. I tell him I will come in on Saturday, and all is well.
On Saturday, the same lady is there doing the buying, I brought in most of the same toys just in case she changed her mind about some, and she buys one figure, but she would not buy the base and accessories. She said that they would take up too much space in the star wars case and that Jabba usually sells well alone.
So here I am left with a base and accessories (including Salacious Crumb!) without Jabba. Who in their right mind would come to toy safari looking for a Jabba figure but not Salacious Crumb and the other accessories? It is unethical in my opinion for a toy store who seem to have a respect for the hobby of collecting to cause a figure to become incomplete. It lives a terrible taste in my mouth. I did not ask if I could get my Jabba back, I doubt they would do that for me anyway. Let’s just call it a goodbye gift, because I will not be coming back.
All in all, there is little left to appeal to me at Toy Safari. I have not found anything worth buying in quite a while, especially with the prices on most things being unreasonably high, I have seen many of the in-​box transformers sit on the shelf for ages now without being sold. It seems like they do not know how to price things well. And now the buyer lady is breaking up what was a classic, complete toy. Do not waste your time coming here. I will be taking my toys to sell and my desire to purchase toys elsewhere from now on.
Tl;dr: This store has shown an unethical side towards toy collecting mixed with unreasonably high prices.

This an awesome toy store on the main drag in Alameda. We came here to get bribery toys for potty training. Yes, I know… it’s a crap shoot of whether it will work but we were trying to gently push her to use the potty for #2.
This shop would be an absolute dream for me if I were a kid now. There are toys reminiscent of my childhood from the 80s — simple toys like marbles and jacks, old school My Little Ponies and Barbies.
There are new and used toys. The used toys are in bins you do need to do some scavenging. In the middle of the store is the collectible toy figures from Stars Wars and other cult movies. A few adults were there perusing the toy figures. In the front is a table with a train with wooden tracks where toddlers can play.
Definitely a great store if you happen to be in the area.

* Nifty vintage/​used toys.
* They have a Quadrilla wooden marble run display. I’ve seen it there for years. When I wanted to buy a Quadrilla set, I visited Toy Safari… but learned they don’t sell Quadrilla toys. I specifically asked one of the clerks, who didn’t even recognize the toy by name.
* I justified paying $ 10 for what I *thought* was an out of production small LEGO polybag set I had never seen it before because I wanted the minifig in an orange space suit. Within a week I saw it selling for $ 3 in Target checkout lines.

Well… I have to admit I’m a little on the fence here, but I’m going to have to drop Toy Safari a star. All of the wonderful things I said in my review last year still reign true, however – man, oh man, those prices.
Since our last trip to Toy Safari I’ve purchased a lot of Legos from all over. The Lego Store, Toys R Us, Target, local shops in Cleveland, online. None of them inflate the prices of Lego sets, both old and new, like Toy Safari does. It’s a shame since I probably would have taken a TON of sets off their hands. I still love that I can find old Lego sets here that I can’t find (in person) elsewhere, but I can’t justify spending 30%+ more on sets still in stores right now. (Ex: the Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer set was way more than the average $ 129 price at most retailers.) I also thought their prices on single Lego Minifigures were a bit high – especially ones not even paired with their appropriate accessories.
Additionally, they have an enormous inventory of Lego sets, old and new, that are stacked up so high in their rafters there’s zero chance of seeing them – let alone perusing them for purchase. We were offered a ladder to use if we wanted to sift through them, but even that wasn’t tall enough to help us. And really, giving your customers access to a ladder to use in your shop has to violate some part of your insurance coverage. Although we did very much appreciate the chance to try to look! In my opinion, those sets should be out where people can shop them, or tucked away in the back until there’s room on the sales floor. But stacking them out of reach and mostly out of sight is a huge, frustrating tease for Lego fans. Again, I could help them get rid of that inventory if they’d just charge reasonable prices for those!
But Toy Safari still remains one of my favorite must-​stops in Alameda. Their service is generally pretty great and there’s always a ton of my favorite building toys in stock.

Women was so rude. I brought in something to sell and as she was looking at it, picked up the phone then whispered. «I’m not going to buy this…» In a very impolite tone. She may have been the owner, she acted liked she owned the place!!!

Good range of stuff and nice people, but surprisingly overpriced. A gallon-​sized bag of random used Lego bricks for $ 25? Come on. Plus some of the «new» stuff has packaging so trashed that I couldn’t possibly give it as a gift. I bought a few things and left to get the rest at another store.

Toys, toys everywhere, and not enough time or money to enjoy it. This is the spot for that hard-​to-​find, out-​of-​date toy that you KNEW you loved as a kid. If they don;t have it they will find it for you, or even better yet already have it in stock… somewhere.
If I were to have a complaint about this toy store — ITS NOT BIG ENOUGH!!! a little cramped, but perfect for what it does — toys. Also as an amazing consignment toy shop I have found my new heaven, especially for when the little ones are bored or tired with what they have.

4 stars for sheer variety and quantity of items and friendly service. It is a bit of a treasure hunt though with the way the store is laid out and displays are a bit cluttered. Found some unique items though. Also sells second hand items. Near several other kids’ stores so this is an easy stop among others along the same theme.