Looking for Online Shopping Ideas for Christmas

Hey K.,
You might try Overstock.com. I have found quality stuff and the prices are pretty reasonable. The website has everything on it.
Most larger stores will have great selections on their websites also. You can get on many of their emailing list and they will email you online sales.
Good Luck.

redbook.com it has great stuff, but its a little pricy. You can find good ideas there and then search for the exact same item on google and find it for cheaper.

Hi K.,
In October, there is going to be an exciting international children's shop opening online called Prince & Princess International, just in time for the holidays! P&P will have a great selection of unique, quality children's products from around the world for ages 1-10, with a low to medium price range (this is not a high-end expensive online boutique!). There will be a huge selection of children's products which cannot be found in larger stores. I am happy to share with you because I am the owner! The site should be launching in October so please tell all your friends! All the best and good luck! www.princeandprincessinternational.com

K.,
I'll second (or third) the AMazon.com idea. I have also found great deals on ebay and at Tys Toy Box (http://www.tystoybox.com/) which specializes in charachter related toys. I have 2 Wiggles fans :-)

Have fun!

Hi K.!
In the past I have bought many gifts from ToysRUs/Amazon. I have also bought several things from Linens n' Thnings.com.
I also happen to sell Arbonne. We have an amazing Holiday Line which includes candles, body butters and body whips. They are fantastic products, and they make GREAT gifts!! I will even gift wrap for you if you like!! I can drop over a catalogue and samples if you like, so you can shop at home. If you interested, you can contact me at ____@____.com or ###-###-####

I am a BIG online shopper. First question: Do you have any credit cards that let you shop as a way to redeem some sort of points? I got presents for all the nieces and nephews last year through my American Express Rewards shopping benefits -- presents for free from reputable online companies, and the kids were thrilled with what I found.

I like to send fresh fruit and stuff to my older relatives in different states for the holidays, and I almost always go Harry & David (www.harryanddavid.com) for that. They often have online specials. For gift baskets, I think Wine Country Gift Baskets has pretty good deals and variety.

Got any book lovers on your list? www.bookcloseouts.com is my favorite for new books for deeply discounted prices. Have to keep an eye on what sort of book it is and whether it has any damage (very rarely they do), and the books may arrive with an ink slash on the page edge that means it was destined for a library or something, but nothing's ever arrived in such condition that I didn't feel right about giving it for a gift. I will usually read the reviews on amazon if I have any questions about the book (bookcloseouts.com doesn't offer much in that way), but if it sounds good I will buy it on bookcloseouts. And they have a pretty decent variety of books and book sets for kids. (for instance, book-and-stuffed-animal packages for very small kids, and the most recent Chronicles of Narnia packaged set for a fraction what I paid for it at Barnes & Noble, WITH a discount card!)

Oh -- something I don't think anyone's mentioned yet. Try to have your online shopping done by the beginning of December, if you're shipping to yourself for wrapping and whatnot. Express shipping fees get VERY expensive -- more than the price of the gifts! -- if you're not careful about your timeframes.

And, BTW, I did buy some Discovery Toys for my daughter recently and have been very pleased with the quality. She LOVES the bathtoy set particularly.

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions!
J.

Hi K.,

I know this referral isn't really an on-line sort of thing but it could be useful.

I've been participating in a lot of craft fair/holiday bazaars and that sort of thing. I have found that to be a great avenue for picking up gifts. A couple months back I picked up 8 necklaces with pendants made from venetian glass. I was able to take care of birthday's for my 2 moms, mother-in-law, sisters, sister-in-laws and a couple neices! It felt so good to get it done all at once!

If you want to know about some in the local area, check out my website at www.kiddosdelight.com and go to Calendar of Events. Sorry, I'm lazy, I don't feel like typing them all out again when they're already listed.

Happy Shopping.
P.

I have always had great luck shopping at www.target.com and www.amazon.com. At Amazon, you can shop with Babies R Us, Toys R Us, book stores, Imaginarium...they have tons of things and I have always been happy with my purchases. Also, www.macys.com is a great online shopping experience. Also, at places like Target, Old Navy and Babies R Us, you can buy online and return to the store if necessary. Makes it easy for the receiver if they need to return/exchange! And, if you are looking for superior quality skin care, body care or makeup gifts for anyone on your list, check out my website with Arbonne International at www.stacybrazington.myarbonne.com. I am having some pre-holiday shopping specials and we just released our Holiday 2006 Collection.

Good luck with your online shopping! Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner!?? I think it comes faster every year!

K.,
I am an educational consultant for Discovery Toys. We have wonderful, high-quality toys for children of all ages. I would be happy to send you a catalog, drop by with some toys for you to see in person age appropriate to your children, or you can even get toys for free by hosting a small get together with other mommies you know to come over and take a look at the toys. Here is a link to my website:
www.discoverytoyslink.com/amyguthrie
Playfully,
A.

I have an account and linked 529 plan through www.upromise.com. If you go through their website to do online shopping with participating retailers (there are *a ton* of them- overstock.com, target.com, etc.), you will get a percentage of your purchase to your upromise account (they sometimes offer other deals, like free shipping or a certain % 0ff in addition to to $$ they add to your upromise account).

They also have deals with some local restaurants and grocery stores (when you buy certain items).

I love getting free money for my daughter's college fund for doing things I do anyway!

Last year I shopped at www.backtobasicstoys.com and www.geniusbabies.com and www.etoys.com. I had a very good experience with all three websites.

~J.

For all you Amazon.com lovers, I have a question. Do you get paid for shopping at Amazon? Amazon has tons of affliate parnter stores they send you to (like ToysRUs) when you search for products other than CDs or books. Great concept right? But Amazon is the one that gets paid for the referrals to the other stores. Would you all liked to get paid for shopping and referring all your girlfriends to shop? Go to this website, www.truebalance.wwdb.biz to find out more and to look around.

I worked last year, when we were living in Tampa, for a couple who have a thriving business - the absolute best homemade toffee you will ever experience. It's reasonably priced and you can have your order filled in a holiday box or tin and shipped with a message. For those hard-to-shop for or family or friends or business associates it's a great option. Check out: www.toffeetogo.com. Jim and Lisa are really nice people and like I said - really terrific product too!

You might find some great things if you go to www.abcdistributing.com or ltddistributing.com they are the same company now. I find many great deals and plus you can order and dont have to pay for it until you receive it. Your can also try www.smartbargains.com. Good luck.

I agree that amazon.com is a great site. They've never let me down. Also, Bombay had great ornaments last year. When we had kids, we changed our gift giving..... a special ornament per family, books to adults, framed photos of our kids to relatives (that's what they wanted) and gift cards to older kids of our family members. We still bought toys for any little kids we gave to during the holidays.

But I would have them wrapped on-line. Pay the money and save yourself the trouble! If you want to do something personal, write a nice card to send in December.

Hey K.!
Not sure exactly what you're looking for, but my husband and I have a custom laser engraving business and we have TONS of great gifts ideas. Our website is www.grantlaserdesigns.com. I designed our website myself (so hopefully it's easy to get around in it!); but in addition to things we offer on-line, we're always looking for new ideas, so if you don't see something there, let us know and we can design something together. Our biggest seller is our personalized picture frames and custom mats. We're local (Lewisville), so if you found something on the website you'd like and you'd like to forego the shipping charges, you could pick them up for free!

Good Golly, Christmas IS right around the corner, isn't it? *sigh* Where does the time go? Anyway, hope that's a little help!

K. G.

Nothing beats Amazon.com. Start checking the site every Friday for their weekly "Friday Sale." You can get great deals on gift ideas. For many things you get free shipping on orders over $25. Also, Toys R Us, Babies R Us and Target are all affiliated with Amazon, so your options really are endless.
For other online deals, check www.slickdeals.net. They list best deals on computer equipment and accessories, video games, digital cameras, as well as other random things -- from Quiznos to The Gap.

The website that I have recently started using that I have been pleasantly surprised by is Walmart.com. I have ordered a few items and I have found them to be very reasonably priced on their shipping. I do a lot of online shopping and I found that many sites probably profit off their shipping cost, but recently I purchased a CD from walmart.com and they charged me like $1.50 for shipping. I am looking at a high chair right now and it is big and bulky and they are charging $9 for shipping. I also like Babies R Us and Toys R Us. Their websites are powered by amazon.com and they give you and others that have purchased the item to leave feedback about the pros and cons of the product so if you aren't able to see it in person you can still get an unbiased perspective of the product by reading the reviews. Good luck and if you run across any you really like be sure and share for us that prefer online shopping.

I have been online Christmas shoppping for years, and have only had a couple of problems. JCPenney and Walmart sites will allow you to pick up at their store. Amazon.com is also a good site, and sells Toys R Us products. You can shop 24x7 which is a great benefit to me. Most etailers offer free shipping for orders by certain dates usually the first week of December.

I have had great luck in the past shopping online with stores that have local stores which I can easily return the items to if necessary. Target, Kohl's, JCPenney, Pier One, etc. Also, go to http://www.naughtycodes.com and you can often find coupon codes for a percentage off or free shipping! Good luck!