I've never been to a local sex shop. There are 2 adult stores that I know of, and both are a bit of a drive for me. I was just thinking yesterday that it might be a good idea for me to go check one of them out. You know, just to see what kinds of products they offer. I have this preconceived notion that it's going to be seedy with nothing but nasty jelly toys and creepy people lurking about. But for all I know it may not be.

I've always found that brick and mortar sex stores charge way more than you can find online. I can't think of any specific price difference 'cause it's been a dog's age since I've been in a b&m sex store. I do all that shopping online.

At mine things are more expensive, but they have more "clearance" items there since they only have a small spot to keep things in, so if something is an older item and doesn't move well they have clearance sales. They have a lot of wooden dildos and evolved toys for less than they're sold for here when they're on clearance..but I still wouldn't buy anything with a motor there. They have a NO return policy. They test the toys for a few seconds before you leave but if the toy then malfunctions once you get home you can't return it. EF's return policy makes me feel much safer.

Also, the toys that are more expensive are way more expensive...I bought my passion bullets there and they were $35.99 and I think here they're like $26 something.

The only sex shop I've been to is expensive, but probably comparable to EF. However, with coupons and GC's I earn here, I get a better deal, plus shipping is fast and I don't have to drive an hour to get there!

I go to a few local adult stores and frequent 2 of the big name chains brick and mortar locations in the city. The 2 in NY are definitely higher priced, while the ones near me are hit or miss. Sometimes they'll have a sale or clearance if they're getting rid of a certain toy or line and I can get things at half the price of what EF charges, but it's rare - I've also found a few toys that were inexplicably low priced but again, not a common thing. Generally their prices are about 5% higher than what I find here.

As Maxim pointed out, you have to be very careful when it comes to extremely low priced items as you may be shelling out money for an inferior product.

Yes, there are some price differences between what EF stocks and what you might find at your local sex shop. Some places might have a few items cheaper and still other places might actually be more expensive!

I prefer EF to local shops because it's convenient, offers a wide selection, awesome discounts and sales, and things such as Eden Points. Also, EF is classy. There's a sex toy shop near where I live, but it's extremely seedy. It's name is Erotic City, but locals call it Erotic Shitty for a reason. I've been there a couple times and actually bought an item or two (long before I discovered online shops), but I was never comfortable there. Now, after discovering EF, there isn't a price low enough to get me to go back there. Also, Erotic City never carried any high quality toys such as Lelo or Fun Factory like EF does.

The other shop isn't a sex toy shop per se. It's mostly low-end pornos with a bunch of cheap toys sprinkled around. Most of the clientele I've noticed have been creepy dudes. Definitely not my cup of tea.

So, while I understand your point about some things being cheaper in a local shop, it's just not a suitable trade-off for me to forgo EF in favor of them.

It all varies, from online store to online store, and online to brick and mortar. I like to do a lot of 'window shopping' at different places before I make a final decision, even going as far to check the shipping rates, too. I think EF has the best system when it comes to shipping, though.

I'd shop more at local stores except... i have nothing really 'local' by me.

Prices are always insanely unreasonable at my local sex shop.
Why buy local for twice as much when I can get it so much cheaper from an online retailer I love and trust?

Prices are 2x more at my local sex shop. I find stuff cheaper on EF and they always have deals going on. Their products are of good quality plus they have discreet shipping

In the example of Tenga, if your local sex shop is discounting them that heavily they're taking a loss.

I say that because of the price comparison from tenga's website to EF...

Tenga double hole on tengatango.com: $22.90
Tenga double hole on EdenFantasys.com: $22.99

Tenga soft tube on TT: $21.90
Tenga soft tube on EF: $17.99

Tenga Egg Variety Pack on TT: $8.98333/egg (but must buy all six at a price of $53.90)
Tenga Egg on EF per egg: $9.99

Tenga deep throat on TT: $21.90
On EF: $17.99


Anyway, my point is that EF prices based on the retailer's price, and often discounts that price. Of course, you're going to find huge deals in stores when there's stock they're trying to move or when they're having a sale, just like there are huge discounts here, sometimes. I find that EF is usually the cheapest around, but sometimes they're a little more expensive. On that same note, I don't have to get dressed, get on the bus, go to a store, try to find what I'm looking for, pay there, get back on the bus, and walk all the way home. You're also paying for convenience.

Just an aside here - one of the sex toy shops in Philly (brick & mortar) sells the Hitachi for $99... seriously. That's just ridiculous. I've seen insane prices more-so in stores than online, across the board.

The closest brick and mortar is two hour drive for me. With Eden's great service and return policy, for me it is a no brainier.

The last store I was in the prices were comparable but the sales lady did not know much about the products. Here if you can't find the info you need, you can get a answer in the forums.

How do you beat that?

Have you looked at all the sales and promotions going on? Seriously, no Brick and Mortar store could ever hope to match all these sales and specials!

Check'm out here.

The only sex shop by my house is definitely more expensive than EF. As for the ones by my school, the one I find to be a better atmosphere is more expensive, and the other is a bit cheaper. All in all, I prefer shopping on EF.

This is an awesome post. I love seeing how much EF is loved. It warms my wee, cold, hard heart.

hehe

I don't live near any adult stores and the two I have been in are rip-offs. Inferior products at inflated prices.Name brands? Forget about it!! And as others have said, once you buy it its yours. No guarantees!
My b/f does browse the major brick and mortar in Seattle when he travels there and picks up a gift for me @ times. The price is usually higher then EF but he likes the opportunity to visually see the toy.
Overall the prices at EF are fair and with discounts? I'M not complaining...

Most of the products in our local shop are at least $3-$5 more expensive than EF. I pay at least that in shipping from EF but I enjoy the privacy, selection and customer service here at EF. In our town, everything is everyone's business.

Occasionally/rarely I find an incredible close-out deal at one of the local sex shops. But most of what they carry is ....uhhh....junk!

Edens prices are very competitive and NO brick and mortar store can match the inventory Eden Fantasys offers.

My local sex shop is more expensive, but amazon is significantly cheaper for a lot of things... and of course EF does have an awesome selection. EF is also usually cheaper than babeland, (and I love babeland, they helped me get my girlfriend)

I've been to a couple of adult novelty shops back home. One is an extremely seedy, jellies-only store (gasp!). The other is a chain that is quite nice, Hustler Hollywood. While I enjoy walking into HH and being able to touch material and fabric, try costumes on, and see things in person, Eden is my preference. EF is so convenient and pretty much magical - accessible anywhere via a couple clicks on the web, fast shipping, great customer service, awesome deals, and honest REVIEWS that let you know what you're getting in to.

I couldn't be happier with EF! The online selection is great, and the people are kind and welcoming. The prices may vary between EF and other retailers, but when it comes to the Total Package and experience, well... walk-in stores just can't compete!

Real life stores are absolutely more expensive on the whole. Even in NYC where there aren't conservative zoning laws and there are porn stores every other block, things are still over-priced. Partially because it's New York but also because they can get away with it. People won't pay $5 for a gallon of milk because they know the market price for milk, but many people don't really know what a little bullet vibe should cost. Unfortunately many stores take advantage of the ignorance of consumers. There are some nice brick and mortar stores in New York as well though, such as the infamous Babeland in Soho, LES and Brooklyn. There's also the Pleasure Chest which is really nice but more geared toward queer men, and there was a pretty decent place called the Pink Pussy Cat which I think closed. Those stores pretty much charge roughly the going price of the toys they sell, although Babeland often marks things up a little bit, however they also do a lot of coupons and discounts.

Generally speaking I would rather shop on the internet because I'm not going to be hassled by nosy employees (cough, Babeland, cough) and I can take my time and come back to the same product dozens of times over a few days to make up my mind about it. You can also shop around to find the best deals, although I do most of my shopping here because the prices are usually the best here. Not to mention EF does tons of discounts, coupons, gift cards and customer appreciation codes which you pretty much can't find anywhere else. No other online store that I've found is quite as generous, which is really important.