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Barbie has come a long way from the big-boobed, homogenous homemaker she used to be. Today, Barbie represents girls of all shapes, colors, and abilities. She’s a career-focused woman who has spent time as a veterinarian, teacher, robotics engineer, game developer, and ran for president in 2016. Even after 60+ years, fans young and old still seek Barbie dolls and her many accessories. And in celebration of Barbie’s 64th birthday on March 9 — the same day she was introduced at the New York Toy Fair back in 1959 — we’re sharing all our tips and tricks for how to save on Barbie dolls.
At this point, it feels like there’s nothing Barbie can’t do or won’t try. And that’s a pretty good message to send to the masses.
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First, here are some Barbie basics:
1. Barbie sells at all major retailers, with competitive pricing between the big-box retailers.
Walmart & Mattel brands have a deep partnership, and it shows during big seasons like Black Friday, which is one of the best times to save on Barbie dolls. This is when Walmart in particular seems to have an edge on pricing out competitors.
In the past it was rare to find a better sale price on Barbie somewhere other than Walmart — they were the driver behind Barbie pricing. However, over time other big-box retailers like Target and Amazon began offering competitive pricing and dropping their prices leaving Walmart holding the highest-price bag.
Take a look at these current prices of Barbie Fashionistas Dolls at Walmart, Target, and Amazon:
- Barbie Fashionistas Doll #185
- Barbie Fashionistas Doll #186
2. Amazon & Target match Walmart’s price drops and consistently one-up with promo codes.
Spending too much time talking about price differences between Amazon, Target, and Walmart is kind of a waste. When it comes to major sales, these three are always dancing … matching each others’ prices within minutes … differences in price often lasting moments … or are the difference of pennies.
But Amazon and Target do something Walmart won’t — they give their shoppers coupon codes. And they move in unison; Amazon matches every Target Circle code — like $10 off a $50 purchase — the day the offer goes live. The only bummer? Coupon codes at Target exclude Barbie Campers, Dreamhouse, and Dream Plane.
While you should always compare prices between the three, I tend to see the best overall Barbie prices during coupon promos at Target and Amazon. Find the codes in the Target app, or look for the green box that says “Save $10 when you buy $50 of select items” beneath the price on the Amazon listing page.
3. Even retailers like Zulily get in and compete for best prices on Barbie.
Online retailer Zulily.com is another great place to buy Barbie. The flat-rate is $6.99 for the first item and another $2 if you buy anything else. Although shipping is the only bummer, sale prices can be good enough at times to justify the shipping spend. Keep in mind, no matter how many orders you place or how large those orders are, you only pay $6.99 one time per calendar day.
Macy’s and Kohl’s sell Barbie, too, and they each have loyalty programs where you can earn or redeem Kohl’s Cash and Macy’s Money on Barbie. View KCL’s Kohl’s deals and Macy’s deals.
4. Use the Amazon app to price compare, then request a price match.
Ever wish you could get Amazon prices and the convenience of brick-and-mortar? (This is me every time my kids have a birthday party to attend and I find myself on a last-minute Target run.)
There are stores that will price match Amazon! I use the Amazon app to quickly scan any product to pull up the current selling price. If it’s cheaper on Amazon, I request a price adjustment. Target is my favorite for price matching. It’s so easy. But they’re not the only ones who will price match your Barbies:
- Target stores and Target.com will price match Amazon. Just show the Amazon price to any cashier.
- Walmart.com will price match Amazon, but Walmart stores will not.
5. Classic 3-story Barbie Dreamhouses retail for $200, but $99 is the goal.
Chances are, you’re going to run into one of two authentic Barbie Dreamhouse models. And while you might expect the newest model to be the most expensive, that’s actually not the case.
Here’s how to tell the two most recent Barbie Dreamhouses apart:
- The 2021 Barbie Dreamhouse has a wheelchair accessible elevator, a yellow hanging chair, and a pink moveable slide. Its retail price is $199.99, and it sells at Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
- The 2020 Barbie Dreamhouse is recognizable by its third floor, twisting purple slide that ends in the pool, and a wheelchair accessible elevator. You can find this edition online, but sellers are charging Krazy prices. We’re talking over $300.
During Walmart’s Black Friday sales in 2022, the Barbie Dreamhouse (2021 model) was discounted to $99 from its regular price of $199.99, a savings of 50%. We’re hoping to see the same kind of price drop this year.
MOBILE COUPONS NEEDEDRelated: Check out our tips on getting the best Black Friday deals online.
6. Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse & Townhouse models sell for half that.
The 2-story Barbie Malibu house lacks the lights, sounds, and elevators of the larger models, but its retail price is half that of those. The Malibu retails for $89 and is available at Walmart. Look for a price of $50 during big sales and holiday seasons.
Amazon has its own exclusive Dreamhouse. It’s called the Barbie Dreamhouse Townhouse, and it claims to be three stories, but really it’s two with a tiny rooftop sundeck. This dollhouse folds so you can take your Barbie and her home with you. Its retail price is $99.99, but we expect to see prices that compete with the Malibu at $70 or less during the holidays.
7. Or there are plenty of well-reviewed Dreamhouse knockoffs on Amazon.
Type in 12″ dollhouse on Amazon and browse away. But I can save you some time and tell you that the best-reviewed brand is KidKraft and the best-reviewed model is the Shimmer Mansion.
KidKraft’s wooden build-yourself dollhouses range from $80 for the small Chelsea Cottage to over $270 when they’re not on sale. There are many 3-story models similar to the official Dreamhouse.
8. The it Barbie car is the $90 – $100 Barbie DreamCamper.
Because when you have an elevator and a second-story pool at home, sometimes you still need to get away?
The 3-in-1 DreamCamper has been around for a few years but remains on holiday hot toy lists every Christmas. Historically, this vehicle sees deep discounts especially during the holidays. But in 2022, it was springtime that the DreamCamper hit its lowest price of the year. In April, Target had an online sale for up to 60% off dolls and playsets, and they featured a 25% off Barbie Dolls & Play Sets Target Circle offer. If you paid with your Target RedCard, the DreamCamper was a steal at $44.38.
The next lowest price for 2022 was a clearance price of $47.49 in June, again at Target. This year we’re expecting to see a price drop to $50 or less for this toy.
9. But boujee Barbies will also want to fly the $79.99 Dream Plane.
This $79.99 plane dropped to around $50 multiple times in the last year. In October 2022, it dropped to $47.99 on Amazon, the lowest of the year.
10. Barbie Fashionistas are the base Barbie dolls. They retail for $5.56 – $10.99.
Stick around KCL for a minute and you’ll see prices on Barbie Fashionista dolls that will shock you. In April 2022, select dolls were $3.51 with the 25% off Circle offer at Target. In March and again in May, we saw Fashionista dolls drop to $4.94 on Amazon.
After years of watching prices on Barbie dolls, my advice for shoppers is to never ever pay full price, especially the $10.99 for standard Fashionista dolls. If there’s a particular doll you’re after, hold out until you see $7 or below. If you’re open to a variety of dolls, wait for a clearance opportunity and look for that $5 mark before you buy. (And when you find it, stock up and build a gift stockpile for future birthday parties.)
11. Barbie Color Reveal are the dolls of the moment, even 3+ years after their launch.
Not to be upstaged by the likes of LOL Surprise, in 2019 Barbie introduced Color Reveal as the Barbie with a hidden surprise. When you dip the silver-covered mystery doll in water, the coating dissolves, revealing the Barbie’s features, skin tone, and outfit. Here are a couple of other notable Color Reveal dolls:
- Barbie Color Reveal Babies, 2020
- Color Reveal Chelsea, 2020
- Barbie Color Reveal Surprise Party, 2021
Barbie Color Reveal Surprise Party sets retail for $49.99, but Amazon and Target discounted them multiple times in 2022. Check these current prices for the Color Reveal Barbie doll and Color Reveal Chelsea doll.
MOBILE COUPONS NEEDED12. Barbie Career and Inspiring Women dolls have won me back after writing off this brand.
Barbie’s total brand overhaul nearly makes me want to have more children just so I can purchase the toys I so diligently avoided when my kids were young. In addition to adding more body types and skin tones, Mattel is producing both Career and Inspiring Women product lines.
Career dolls most frequently retail for as low as $9.99 (doll only) and up to $69.99 for sets. Sets come with the accessories and outfit needed to do the job. Here at KCL, we look for 30 – 50% off before we buy these sets. Bestselling Barbie Career dolls include:
- Barbie Doll Pet Boutique
- Barbie Baby Doctor doll
- Barbie Nursery Playset doll
- Barbie Fast Cast (orthopedist) Doctor doll
- Ken Dog Trainer doll
Inspiring women dolls retail anywhere from $30 up into the hundreds of dollars. Dolls include:
- Ida B. Wells
- Rosa Parks
- Helen Keller
- Maya Angelou
- Susan B. Anthony
- Samantha Cristoforetti
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Frida Kahlo
- Katherine Johnson
- Sally Ride
- Eleanor Roosevelt
I literally want every single one.
13. Black Friday Barbie deals can save you about $1.80 a doll at Walmart.
During Walmart Deals for Days in November 2022, I found a 6-doll set of Sports Career Barbies for $25 (regularly $35.67), which makes each doll only $4.16.
14. Save up to 72% with online Barbie sales during Black Friday/Amazon Prime Day in July.
While you can find some deals in store during semi-annual clearance sales in January and July, the best overall online savings I found last year was during Black Friday in July and Prime Day on July 12 – 13, 2022. Here are some of the deals I found:
- Amazon
- Barbie Brunette Hiking Doll With Puppy, $6.99 (reg. $16.99), 59% savings
- Barbie It Takes Two Brooklyn Camping Doll With Pet Puppy, $8.81 (reg. $22.99) 62%
- Barbie Career Scientist Doll, $4.89 (reg. $10.99) 55% savings
- Target
- Barbie Snowboarder Doll, $5.69 (reg. $19.99) 72% savings
- Barbie Fashionista Doll, $4.18 (reg. $9.99) 58% savings
- Barbie Pet Photographer Doll, $4.51 (reg. $9.99) 55% savings
- Barbie Careers Nurse Doll, $4.84 (reg. $9.99) 51% savings
- Barbie Careers Paramedic Doll, $4.84 (reg. $9.99) 51% savings
- Walmart
- Barbie 3-in-1 DreamCamper Vehicle with Pool, Truck, Boat, and 60 Accessories $62.30 (reg. $99.99) 38% savings
15. Stack a sale with a Target Circle offer for 50% or better savings.
I found two Target sales in 2022 that coincided with Target Circle offers: one in April and one in February. Here’s the savings when I stacked the sale price, the Target Circle offer, and paid using my Target RedCard.
- Chelsea Boy Doll, $4.03 (reg. $7.99), 50% off
- Barbie Fashionistas Doll, $4.51 ($10.99), 59% off
- Ken Fashionista Doll, $4.51 ($10.99), 59% off
- Chelsea Camping Playset, 4.84 (reg. $10.99), 56% off
- Chelsea Ice Skater Doll, $5.16 (reg. $10.99), 53% off
- Chelsea Teacher Doll, $5.16 (reg. $10.99), 53% off
- Barbie Doll & Camping Playset, $10.09 (reg. $19.99), 50% off
16. Closeout stores like Ross and T.J.Maxx are another good place to get a deal up to 40% off.
Ross, T.J.Maxx, and Marshalls all carry the Barbie brand with savings at 25 – 40%. While not as good as semi-annual clearance, prices here are often better than standard big-box retailers.
17. And of course, used “lots” of Barbies sell for pennies on the dollar.
The cheapest way to get into the Barbie scene is to purchase a used “lot” of dolls. Try Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist in your area, and make sure you’re not paying more than 50% of retail price. (Also, did you know you can send used Barbies back to Mattel for free through a program called Mattel Playback?).
Make sure to sanitize Barbie dolls before play. Use a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water for the plastic and a combo of liquid fabric softener and water for the hair.
