How to Buy an American Girl Doll

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 15, 2023 References Approved

American Girl dolls are sweet, adorable toys that have captured the hearts of many girls and boys, from kids, teens and even adults! The Beforever and Girl Of The Year dolls all come with their own unique stories and are great companions for amazing adventures. If you are interested in buying an American Girl doll you should research the products, determine where you want to purchase the doll, and keep your eye out for sales.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Researching the Products

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Explore the options available. American Girl carries dolls in both historical and contemporary characters. Each doll comes with a booklet that tells this character’s unique story. American Girl also releases a new Girl of the Year doll each year which tells a story of a modern girl with relatable interests and experiences of girls today.^{[1]
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- You can find the most current listing of available dolls on American Girl’s website.
- A paper catalogue can be mailed to you by submitting a request by phone or on American Girl’s website.
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Design a doll. The Truly Me collection features 50 different dolls with various hair, eye, and skin combinations. You can also buy matching clothing for the doll’s owner.^{[2]
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Search for clothing and accessories. The American Girl store sells a wide variety of clothing, shoes, accessories, and furniture for your American Girl doll. You can purchase your doll’s very own bathing suit, snow boots, and even a picnic basket.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Purchasing a Doll

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Find a store. American Girl’s website includes a store locator feature that will help you find the nearest American Girl store. A limited selected of American Girl dolls can also be found at select Kohl’s and Toys R Us stores.
- Not all Kohl’s and Toys R Us stores carry American Girl dolls.^{[3]
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- You will not find all of the dolls and accessories in third party stores.^{[4]
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Purchase the doll on their website. All of American Girl’s current inventory can be purchased on their website, which you can visit at http://www.americangirl.com. Typically, shipping is not free, although there are often specials or sales that include free shipping.^{[5]
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Use a third party website. There are several third party websites, like Amazon or Zulily, that sell American Girl dolls. These websites are also where you are most likely to find retired dolls. Retired dolls are dolls that have been archived and are not currently produced by American Girl.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Saving Money

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Sign up for their rewards program. American Girl has an active rewards program. You can earn one point for each $1.00 spent online or in their stores. For each 200 points, you receive $10.00 in rewards. Their rewards program is capped at receiving $50.00 in rewards each month.
- You can sign up for American Girl’s rewards program online or in stores.
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Search for sales on their website. Go to http://www.americangirl.com/shop/. Click on the “sale” tab on the menu bar. American Girl has a wide variety of dolls and accessories on sale directly on their website.^{[6]
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Buy the doll second hand. If buying a new American Girl doll is too expensive, consider buying a gently used doll. Second hand dolls can be found online at websites like Amazon or Ebay. You might even get lucky and find a doll at a local yard sale or thrift store.
- Second hand dolls may not always be cheaper. The retired dolls can have a significant markup in price.
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Make purchases during popular sales. You can purchase American Girl dolls and accessories for significantly cheaper around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and immediately following Christmas. They also have minor sales often surrounding holidays throughout the year.
- Sign up for American Girl’s e-newsletter to get the latest information about sales.

Warnings

Second hand dolls may not look like new and are not guaranteed by American Girl.

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Always take caution when shopping online. Never save your passwords or credit card numbers.

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