Character Online review
Updated October 1, 2026 · LootCue Editorial Team · Facts checked October 1, 2026
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Our verdict
Character Online suits fans who want officially licensed figures, plush and collectible surprise figures rather than copies, and collectables from €6.95 keep a first order easy to run. The catalogue, the delivery terms and the returns window all come from one long-established company, so the same rules apply to every order you place.
Key facts
- Best for
- Fans of licensed screen, comic and game characters buying a first figure or a blind box.
- Brand or store
- Brand (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Officially licensed only
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Price from
- €6.95 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Return window
- 28 days (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Markets
- GB (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Character Options Ltd, part of The Character Group plc (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Founded
- 1991 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Products
- Action figures, Prize figures, Plush, Blind boxes
- Franchises
- Disney, Sci fi
- Official website
- character-online.com
Fandom merchandise stores
- Return window
- 28 days (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Free delivery threshold
- £20 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Officially licensed only
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Markets
- GB (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Character Options Ltd, part of The Character Group plc (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Founded
- 1991 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Departments
- Figures, Game merch, Plush
Pros and cons
Pros
- Figures, plush and collectible surprise figures are officially licensed, made under agreement with the brand owners rather than copied.
- Collectables start at €6.95, so a first figure or a blind box is an easy first order.
- Unopened, non-defective items can go back within 28 days of delivery for a refund.
- The store is a brand storefront, so prices, delivery terms and the return window all come from one company.
- A basket past £20 ships free within mainland UK.
Cons
- The 28-day return route is written for unopened, non-defective items, so a figure you have already opened sits outside it.
- Published delivery terms are written for the United Kingdom, so orders to other destinations get a set charge decided at checkout.
- Below £20 of goods, a mainland UK order still carries a delivery charge, so one small piece costs more than its listed price.
Who it suits
- Fans of characters from film, television, comics and games who want licensed merchandise.
- Collectors starting a shelf without a large first outlay, with collectables from €6.95.
- Gift buyers who want room to change their minds, since unopened items can go back within 28 days of delivery.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone hoping to send back a figure they have already opened, because the return route is for unopened, non-defective items.
- Collectors after limited or artist-edition pieces, as the offer centres on licensed mainstream lines.
- Shoppers planning a themed set who need every piece in a single order, as this is a single brand store.
What it does well
Character Online's products are made under licence from the brand owners rather than copied from them. Many items are based on popular film, television, comic and digital characters, so a fan of a screen world can meet it in figure form, and characters that began on the page or in a game appear alongside those from film. Officially licensed lines are the point of the catalogue, which matters most when the figure is a gift or a shelf piece for someone who notices when the artwork is not the real thing. Returns here turn on a condition rather than a conversation. An item has to arrive unopened and free of defects, and it has to come back in that same state, so the packaging is worth keeping. That shape suits a blind box, because the box arrives intact and stays that way until you decide what is inside it. For an action figure or a plush toy it means leaving the box on and the toy untouched, so plan where the packaging goes instead of binning it. Two habits make the window easy to use. Note the date the parcel arrived, because 28 days are counted from delivery rather than from the day you placed the order, and check the condition before the item goes back in the post. Both habits matter most with the collectible surprise figures in the range, where the moment you open the box is the moment the window stops covering that item.
Who runs it
Character Options Ltd, part of The Character Group plc sits behind the site, and the United Kingdom is where that company is based. 1991 is when the group's business began, so this is a long-established operation rather than a shop that opened last season. The group makes and distributes household brands as well as collectible lines, with names such as Goo Jitzu, ChillFactor, Doctor Who, Flying Heroes, Teletubbies and Ben and Holly in its portfolio, and the site is a direct way into that output for a shopper buying at home. Operating under one group means the catalogue, the stock and the terms on screen are set centrally rather than pieced together from outside sellers. A range that appears here is one the group already makes or distributes, which is why the same character can show up in several formats, from small prize figures to boxed playsets. Getting hold of the company runs through email, phone and help centre, and the help material is written to be read before you make contact, so you can check a policy first and go to a person only when you need one. The legal entity behind an order is named in the site's own legal information, so you can confirm who stands behind a purchase before you pay.
How Character Online compares
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Where Character Online is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
Countries from the brand (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much do the collectables cost?+
A collectible figure on the collectables pages is listed from €6.95, so a single piece is a modest commitment. Prices are shown per item, and larger boxed sets and playsets sit higher up the range, which makes the entry point the useful number when you are budgeting a first order.
How much is delivery, and is it included?+
Delivery inside mainland UK is charged at a set rate, and it costs nothing extra once an order passes £20. Orders heading elsewhere are given a set delivery charge at checkout, so the total only firms up in the basket. Buying a couple of small pieces together is enough to cross the threshold.
Can I return a figure I do not want?+
Yes, if the item is unopened and free of defects. Unopened, non-defective items can go back within 28 days of delivery for a refund, and the days count from the day the parcel arrives rather than the order date. A blind box stays in that condition while its box is intact.
Are the figures officially licensed?+
Yes. Many products are based on popular film, television, comic and digital characters and are reproduced under licence from the brand owners, and those licensed lines sit alongside ranges the group makes itself through Character Options Ltd, part of The Character Group plc. That matters if the buyer is someone who spots the difference between official art and a copy.
Who runs the store?+
Character Online is run by Character Options Ltd, part of The Character Group plc, which is registered in England and Wales and based in the United Kingdom. The group's business dates back to 1991, and it both manufactures and distributes the brands sold here, so one company stands behind the catalogue, the delivery terms and the returns policy.
What can I find in the store besides collectables?+
The site is organised into sections covering figures, game merch and plush, with the collectables range given its own place among them. Around those sections sit a wider toy and game range that includes pre-school toys, craft and activity sets and electronic toys, so a shelf piece and a small gift can share one basket.
Is this a brand store or a marketplace?+
The site belongs to a company that manufactures and distributes its own brands, Character Options Ltd, part of The Character Group plc, rather than a place where outside sellers list items. Delivery, returns and support all come from that same business, so the prices and the range you see are the ones the group sets.
Sources
- character-online.com checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Departments
“Toys: Action Figures & Playsets, Arts, Crafts & Activity, Collectables, Electronic Toys, Games, Pre School Toys ... Shop by Category: Action Figures & Playsets, Squishies & Collectables, Pre School...”
- character-online.com checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Franchises
“Celebrate the magic of ohana with our exclusive Lilo & Stitch licensed collection ... Doctor Who ... MonsterVerse”
- character-online.com/collections/collectables checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Price from, Products
“Lana's Life Mini Mystery Fashion Figure ... EUR 6,95”
- character-online.com/pages/about-us checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Legal entity, Officially licensed only, Brand or store
“the business of which was founded in 1991”
- character-online.com/policies/contact-information checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“just call our Customer Service Team on 0161 633 9808 or email us customer.service@charactergroup.plc.uk”
- character-online.com/policies/refund-policy checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Return window
“You may return unopened, non-defective items within 28 days of delivery for a refund”
- character-online.com/policies/shipping-policy checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Free delivery threshold, Markets
“For all mainland UK orders the delivery charge is GBP4.99. If your order is over GBP20, delivery to the UK is FREE.”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked October 1, 2026. We did not open an account.
Character Online
Fans of licensed screen, comic and game characters buying a first figure or a blind box.