One of our customers’ most frequent questions is when the best time to buy a playset is. While our peak selling season is March to August when families are spending the most time outdoors, playsets can be purchased year-round.

Whether you’re a parent shopping for a playset for your kids, or you’re a business owner looking to invest in a commercial playground for your community, this guide will help you determine the best time to buy a playset — plus some additional questions — based on what’s important to you.

1. When Is the Best Time To Buy a Playset for Maximum Savings?

The best time to buy a playset for you will depend on what you deem most important. For many, price is one of the top considerations. Below are some pros and cons of buying by the season.

Winter

Pros:

If you’re looking for the lowest price tag, your best bet is to consider shopping in the winter. Regardless of where you shop, prices are pretty unbeatable in the off-season because the demand isn’t as high during these months. Many stores are inclined to run holiday specials or end-of-season sales, helping reduce that price even more.

And since the demand isn’t quite as high, you might even luck out and get your playset faster than you would during a busy season.

Cons:

While prices might be at their best, selection could be at its worst. Popular designs might be sold out, limiting your choice of playset model, color, and/or accessories.

If choice is important to you, try designing a custom playset from Swing Kingdom instead to craft your preferred playset model regardless of what’s in stock!

Another disadvantage of buying during the winter months is the weather. Your structure will have to endure the season’s harshest conditions. If you’re not investing in a durable playset made from high-quality materials, you could be risking weather damage before any kids have a chance to play on it.

Late Summer/Fall

Pros:

Much like the winter, you can find some quality deals during the end of summer and early fall. Between Labor Day and making room for fall items, some playset dealers might be offering discounts to help sell their stock.

Unlike the winter, purchasing a playset during this time gives children ample time to enjoy playing outdoors and breaking in the playset before the weather gets too cold. For some parents or commercial buyers, this could help dissolve any feelings of buyer’s remorse that so many experience after making large purchases because the return on investment is immediate.

Cons:

The primary disadvantage of shopping for playsets during the late summer or early fall is the selection. Most inventories will be pretty slim after the peak sale months.

Spring/Summer

Pros:

Spring and summer are the prime months for outdoor play! In preparation for the anticipated influx of orders, most swing set dealers and manufacturers are stocked with a full collection of playsets.

If you’re interested in buying a standard model instead of customizing your own, you have the best chance of finding a design with all of your preferences when stores are prepared with multiple options.

Cons:

If finding a discounted price is the most important factor to you, then the best time to buy a playset for you is probably not in the spring or summer. These are the peak seasons for purchasing playsets, so you should expect to pay the full price wherever you’re shopping.

Another thing to consider: the busier the season, the longer the wait time. While it’s not true in all cases, you can expect the most delays during the spring and summer months as orders pile up.

*Please note: the remaining questions are specific to Swing Kingdom’s shopping policies. While some of these answers might apply to other swing set companies, we can only guarantee this information to be true if you shop with us.

2. How Long Does It Take To Get a Playset Delivered and Installed?

The average lead time for playset deliveries is about 3-4 weeks from placing your order to installation. Keep this in mind if you want to have your playset delivered on or before a certain date.

For instance, if you want to have it installed in time for summer vacation, the best time to buy a playset is mid-May. If you want it by the Fourth of July, the best time to order is the beginning of June.

Some dealers or manufacturers offer expedited shipping, but usually for an added cost. If you don’t mind paying rush charges, you could get your playset ordered and installed in a 1-2 week timeframe.

At Swing Kingdom, we allow customers to put their playset installation on hold for up to a year. In the past, we’ve had families buy in February and delay installation until late May or June.

This is convenient for customers who want to take advantage of end-of-season sales, but don’t want to maintain the playset all winter long.

3. Do Custom Playsets Take Longer To Build and Deliver Than Standard Models?

No! Because our manufacturing process is set up to build every playset “to order,” buying a custom model will not extend the timeline for delivering the final product.

Many Swing Kingdom customers begin the buying process by browsing our standard playset models. When they find one that checks all of their basic requirements, we find that most take things a step further and start reconfiguring the design based on their needs.

If this sounds like the route you’d prefer to take, the good news is that it won’t impact your delivery time at all!

4. Can Weather Delay My Playset’s Delivery/Installation?

Weather plays a huge factor in scheduling playset installation. Generally, we try to avoid installation on wet, muddy yards where our shipping equipment may cause further damage. We advise our customers to check their local forecast to determine the best time to schedule their playset delivery based on when weather conditions have stabilized.

That doesn’t mean we won’t deliver your order when the weather is poor. Our sales team is here to support you throughout the process of browsing, buying, and installing. If you’re ever unsure or have questions about getting your playset delivered, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team!

5. How Do I Decide Which Playset To Buy?

Buying a playset is a huge investment. With so many options available, it can be tricky to know which one is best for your needs. Aside from your budget, we suggest using these 4 elements to narrow your search:

Age — How old are your kids/the kids who will be playing on it? Your playset should be designed to accommodate the age range of children who will be using it.
Interests — What sort of things are they interested in? Look for playsets with accessories or features that align with those interests.
Space — How much space do you have on your property? This will determine what size playset you should be looking for.
Safety — Are you buying your playset from a reputable company? What materials is the structure made from? These items can all impact safety.

This blog was originally published on May 15, 2017. It was updated on April 2, 2024.