# Christmas shopping -- sites for great (or cheap) gifts \[edited title for merged threads\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903 "2009-11-09T15:41:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/1 "2009-11-09T15:41:51Z")
Not to hijack the thread about having all the Christmas gifts bought, I thought we might share cool websites that have neat gift items for not a lot of moolah. My no-brainer site – Amazon My new favorite – [www.thinkgeek.com](http://www.thinkgeek.com) Buy an “Annoy-a-tron” – tiny little gadget that you hide in someone else’s space/office and it beeps at random intervals. My husband had his boss so insane that he had everything from the top of his desk moved into the corner of the room, and he was crouched under his desk, demanding that people come into his office and listen to see where the beep was coming from. Also bought my daughter’s SO a screaming flying monkey. It fits him. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/2 "2009-11-09T15:58:37Z")
I love [Thinkgeek.com](http://Thinkgeek.com). Another one that you can easily get lost in for days to …ummmm years is [Etsy](http://www.etsy.com) if you want handmade, fantabulous things of everything imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Stranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Time\_Stranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Stranger)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/3 "2009-11-09T16:03:20Z")
A few more that I like: [http://www.worldwidefred.com](http://www.worldwidefred.com) [http://www.fredflare.com](http://www.fredflare.com) [http://www.buyolympia.com](http://www.buyolympia.com) I really love etsy too! I could spend all day looking through their shops. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/4 "2009-11-09T16:03:46Z")
[Etsy Etsy Etsy](http://etsy.com). I am a bit late jumping on the bandwagon, but it lives up to the hype for many reasons: -easy online shopping (with no bidding, spammers, or anything else that makes eBay annoying) -lots of amazing one-of-a-kind vintage stuff (okay, plus some [=tags&includes=title"]real dogs]([This item is unavailable - Etsy](http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32038588&ref=sr_list_1&&ga_search_query=real+dog&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=price_asc&includes)[)) -you can choose to shop locally, even picking up some stuff to save on shipping -you’re supporting independent businesspeople -prices are for the most part incredibly reasonable or cheap (to the point where I wonder how anyone’s making money – it’s got to be a labor of love for a lot of these people) And, of course, even if you don’t find anything you like, the awful stuff is [half the fun.](http://regretsy.com) ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/5 "2009-11-09T18:48:42Z")
Okay, that worldwidefred is just terrible. Addictive. I just spent a whole lot of money on that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/6 "2009-11-10T04:10:15Z")
[American Science and Surplus](http://www.sciplus.com/) advertises “Incredible stuff, unbelievable prices!” and they’re not lying. It is a surplus store, which means that the selection will vary wildly, but that’s half the fun. The selection tends towards scientific and hobby scientific items, so if your hobby is building robots, for instance, you can probably find just about everything you need for your latest creation. There’s lots of other stuff too, though. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/7 "2009-11-10T05:07:02Z")
[United Nuclear](http://www.unitednuclear.com/) I love this site. They have lots of my money. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/8 "2009-11-10T21:52:19Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > [United Nuclear](http://www.unitednuclear.com/) > > I love this site. They have lots of my money. Oooh cool, they sell nitinol wire! I sure wish I’d known about them before I laid out all that cash on my kids’ orthodontia - I coulda done it myself and saved a WHOLE bunch of money 😃 A chunk of Aerogel might be fun, too! ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/9 "2009-11-10T22:41:03Z")
Ooh, that Aerogel page is evil. “Say, wouldn’t youuuuu like a big ol’ chunk of Aerogel? Isn’t it pretty? Think of all the neat stuff you could do with your own block o’ Aerogel. You’d buy something like that, wouldn’t you? WELL, YOU CAN’T HAVE IT!” ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/10 "2009-11-10T22:48:39Z")
A couple I like - [Office Playground](http://www.officeplayground.com/) similar to thinkgeek. [Wishingfish](http://www.wishingfish.com/) - more misc. fun stuff. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/11 "2009-11-10T23:01:42Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > [United Nuclear](http://www.unitednuclear.com/) > > I love this site. They have lots of my money. If you just find it necessary to own giant piles of radioactive ore, keep it outside. If you must store it inside, invest in a digital Radon detector. It will continuously display the Radon levels and should they ever rise too high, an alarm goes off. It’s a worthwhile investment for the serious collector. 😕:eek::dubious::D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/12 "2009-11-11T01:15:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > And, of course, even if you don’t find anything you like, the awful stuff is [half the fun.](http://regretsy.com) OMG, that Regretsy site is just plain awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/13 "2009-11-12T14:15:15Z")
Northern Sun for t-shirt goodies to fight The Man or something. [Perpetual Kid](http://www.perpetualkid.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/14 "2009-11-12T14:24:00Z")
Fred Flare is SUPER AWESOME! I WANT the [gold toilet necklace](http://fredflare.com/customer/product.php?productid=5279&cat=252)pendant thingie! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/15 "2009-11-12T15:57:40Z")
For fantastic buttons and bumperstickers, I recommend **NancyButtons** : [http://www.nancybuttons.com/](http://www.nancybuttons.com/) Browse the Catalog! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/16 "2009-11-12T17:59:30Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > [American Science and Surplus](http://www.sciplus.com/) advertises “Incredible stuff, unbelievable prices!” and they’re not lying. It is a surplus store, which means that the selection will vary wildly, but that’s half the fun. The selection tends towards scientific and hobby scientific items, so if your hobby is building robots, for instance, you can probably find just about everything you need for your latest creation. There’s lots of other stuff too, though. This is giving me flashbacks to the ads in the backs of comic books. Mustn’t… spend… allowance. ---
**Author:** ![MsChilePepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MsChilePepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsChilePepper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/17 "2009-11-13T12:01:08Z")
I really should be on their payroll, as often as I pimp out [Archie McPhee](http://mcphee.com). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/18 "2009-11-13T13:31:25Z")
For my tricky _Lord of the Rings_ nerd nephews I resorted to New Zealand’s [Weta Workshop](http://www.wetanz.com/shop/). Terrific stuff and great service. I also bought a pile of LOTR chainmail keyrings that disappeared to curious visitors without ever being given by me as gifts. They don’t seem to be available at the moment? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/19 "2009-11-15T05:54:54Z")
This isn’t gonna be groundbreaking to anybody, but I would like to buy great Christmas gifts for cheap. Now the problem is I don’t totally know where to go to comparison shop, so I am asking the dopernation to help. Post some of your favorite websites to get things for cheap, shopping habits, and best places for best things. Know where to get cheap appliances? List it. Cheap electronics? List it. Great comparison sites? List it. This could help everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903/20 "2009-11-15T07:35:35Z")
Better for books (although great for DVDs, and other things too sure), but I’ve used [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) very successfully. Check the _xx used and new for $xx_ area (where the Amazon Marketplace shops are), and sometimes I’ve found some real steals. Gently used copy of some normally high priced obscure book for around a buck ($6 with shipping, but c’mon). And better than eBay, what with the not getting ripped off part. Here is a recent thread that I think had some cool stuff [Christmas gift wundersites](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11774052). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-shopping-sites-for-great-or-cheap-gifts-edited-title-for-merged-threads/516903.md?page=2)