Items purchased via the marvellous resources of the internet over the last seven days:
Stainless steel kettle and toaster
iTunes Gift Card
Cordless phone
String of rattan Balinese style outdoor lights
I think I might be a convert to online shopping and with Christmas fast approaching this can be no bad thing. I dislike Christmas shopping. The endless list making, the racking of one’s brain for the perfect gift and the racking one’s brain to try and remember what grandma was bought last year all combine to make late December a little bit stressful. Some people, more organised people, keep a book with a list of the presents they buy each year so they can check it back before they start buying. Others build up a stock of bargains and specials throughout the year so Christmas involves going to the cupboard and matching their large store of gifts to people they know. Both these practices are admirable but I engage in neither of them.
So although three out of the four items above are for me, I see huge potential for quick and painless Christmas gift buying. What with the internet plus gift vouchers I’m set!
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I have done much Christmas shopping over the Internet in years past–not this year, but I’ve bought endless presents off eBay. Alas, it means being organised early, especially if you’re buying them from the U.S. eBay–then I need to start buying them in May, to make sure they arrive in time.
I tend to buy a lot of books from ABEBooks, as well–best bookstore on the web, especially if you have family who don’t mind secondhand books and have esoteric tastes.
ABEBooks…great tip…I’ll check it out..I love giving books as presents
(quite like getting books as presents too when I think about it!)
Oh, ABEBooks (abebooks.com) is fantastic.
It’s a gateway, basically, to hundreds of secondhand book dealers across the globe. If you’re looking for a secondhand book, chances are they have a copy.
Use it in conjunction with Bookfinder (bookfinder.com), and you’ll definitely find the book in question, if it exists.
Okay, this sounds like an advertisement. But it’s the best site for secondhand book shopping. Saved me numerous times during the M.Phil. and the Ph.D. I bought all my Victorian periodicals via one or the other of these sites. Great for out-of-print academic books, too.
I checked it out…it’s huge! passed on to friends as well!!