Some of the most unusual and best-value gifts can be found online but remember that the goods might have a long way to travel before they get to you, so make sure and shop early, writes CONOR POPE
YES, WE REALISE there are still 46 cold, wet and increasingly dark days until Christmas and that by even mentioning the C word so early in November we run the risk of incurring the wrath of readers everywhere. But when it comes to shopping online – where some of the best bargains and most unusual presents can be found — it is important to get it over with early so you don’t spend Christmas week fretting about all those gifts which have yet to arrive.
While the big players in e-tailing such as amazon.com, play.com and even ebay.com are going to be popular with Irish shoppers over the coming weeks, to find the best presents at the best value, it’s a good idea to cast your net wider.
notonthehighstreet.com
This UK-based site has thousands of cute and kitsch gift ideas suitable for everyone in the family. It is not a single shop but a portal for scores of online retailers selling everything from funky cake stands – yes, there is such a thing – to original works of art and very dinky toys. While you can spend hundreds of euro on personalised canvases featuring the lyrics to a lucky recipient’s favourite song, book or poem, it also has a whole host of pretty cool presents going for under €20.
brandalley.co.uk
If you want to buy boom-time presents at bust-time prices, then any one of the growing number of members-only sale sites offering designer clobber at knock-down prices is where you’ll have to go. You have to register for Brand Alley but in return for your personal details you can save up to 70 per cent on designer clothes, beauty, shoes and homeware products. All its sales last for just a few days and not everything is great, by a long shot, but patient trawling in the coming weeks could see you score an amazing present on the cheap.
etsy.com
This site’s mission is to “enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers” and its “vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice”. Not only does it have a very noble purpose, it also has a very cool and impressively eclectic range of stock which it will price in euro if you prefer. You could spend hours just browsing this site looking at all the weird and wonderful things people make and then sell. We know, we just have.
firebox.com
Jedi bath robe? Check. Screaming Flying Monkey? Check. Underwater Disco Lightshow? Check. This site has a quite ridiculous array of gadgets, toys, games and other quirky (and often dirt cheap) things that you are unlikely to find elsewhere but which is likely to make you the most imaginative gift giver in your social circle. The site says it scours the world looking for the “next big thing” and sells it before it makes it to the mass market. “It is our mission to always be first with the latest hot stuff,” they say, which is nice to know. And did we mention that they have a Screaming Flying Monkey?
toffs.com
Now, we know football strips might not be everyone’s idea of an amazing Christmas present but some people do like them and if you want to indulge their passion without feeling like you’re contributing to the ridiculously inflated pay packets of footballers with over-inflated senses of their own worth, this is the place to shop. Replica jerseys from Manchester United’s 1968 European Cup winning team are, we are told, very popular but the site does not confine itself to English football and if you want to find a 1950s Shamrock Rovers kit or a Waterford United kit from the 1960s, then this is the place to shop.
mimitoys.ie
There is no shortage of online toy shops out there but we like this Irish one. It categorises toys by age range and by developmental skills so if you want a toy to help with a child’s reading, coordination or social skills they are very easy to track down. The toys are also visually very appealing and the prices are not off-the-wall. There’s little sign of all the heavily marketed plastic junk that will be getting the hard sell on our TV screens in the coming weeks either, something which pleases us greatly.
toysrus.co.uk
At the very other end of the online toy market is Toys R Us, a place which has all manner of heavily marketed plastic horribleness for sale. The US giant has a UK site that until very recently did not accept orders from the Republic of Ireland. It still does not do home deliveries to this State but it has started delivering to a depot in Blanchardstown in Dublin where pick-ups can be organised. We suspect this is being done to test the water for a bigger push into this market. It is more hassle than home delivery, but there are bargains galore on the site and if you don’t live too far from Blanchardstown it might make some sense to have a look at what’s on offer. Details of how it handles deliveries can be found here: toysrus.co.uk/info/trubw-ireland-express-pick-up.jsf#4
iwantoneofthose.com
Oh dear. We visited this site purely for research purposes and came away with a scratch map of the world which will allow us to scrape away all the countries we’ve visited and a wine aerator which will save us the need to let wine breathe before we drink it – like we’ve ever actually done that.
We did, however, resist the urge to buy a pillow which would send us to sleep with soothing sounds and an “equaliser music hat” although there’s still time to rectify that mistake before Christmas comes.
outnet.com
The younger, discount sister of designer site net-a-porter.com, theoutnet may still break the bank — but not nearly as badly as it would if you had to pay the original prices. Brands such as Burberry, Alexander McQueen and Jil Sander jostle for space alongside Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Louboutin and Mulberry. You can subscribe to the newsletter to receive notification of flash sales by must-have brands.
strawberrynet.com
If you want cosmetics that cost a fraction of the prices charged in Ireland, this is a site you will want to visit. It sells skincare, make-up, perfumes and colognes and has a huge supply of products from brands such as Lancôme, Aveda, Redkin, Christian Dior, Estée Lauder, and Calvin Klein. Bear in mind that the stuff is being shipped from Asia so there is a very good chance you’ll be hit for VAT and excise duty before you can take ownership of the products, which might take some of the gloss off the savings.
giftslikethese.com
We only happened on this site last Friday, but instantly fell in love. Set up by two Cork sisters, it is packed with weird, wonderful and downright hilarious things you never knew you those close to you needed. There are – possibly blasphemous – salt and pepper grinders, robot alarm clocks for kids and blankies for grown men. And that’s just the start of it.
allgifts.ie
This Irish-owned site sells gift vouchers as well as gifts which might make it useful if you’re buying for someone who has everything – although if you are buying for that person, may we suggest you get them the Big Box of Nothing for sale on iwantoneofthose.com. Because this site is local, sourcing “experience gifts” such as massages, hotel stays and spa treatments is easier and the range of Christmas hampers looks pretty impressive.
Tips for shopping online
Shopping online is safe, simple and economical but be informed:
1. Never forget that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you give your bank details to dansdodgydeals.com and hope to get a “genuine Rolex” by return expect to be disappointed.
2. Never e-mail your credit card details to anyone and always check that the sites have a secure booking system. The page which asks for your financial details should have the url starter “https” – the s stands for secure.
3. If a site is unfamiliar, check that the Contact Us page has full “real-world” contact details.
4. Check how the currency exchange rates are being calculated. If possible pay in euro. The credit card companies sometimes offer rates of exchange which are totally out of line with reality
5. Spend a few seconds Googling the name of sites which are new to you. If it throws up results which cast doubt on the bone fides of the site you may want to walk away.
6. Don’t be afraid to shop online and remember that you actually have more rights shopping online than in the town centre. You can return items within seven days of receipt simply because you don’t like them. Always check the returns policy with an online retailer before committing to buy. If you can’t find them, look in the Frequently Asked Questions area.
