How To: Buy The Perfect Present

With the holidays fast approaching, it is time to start contemplating what you are going to buy those that are close to you. This How-to is a guide to make sure that you buy presents that are not only not re-gifted, but bring a smile to the face of the person you are buying for. The goal is to avoid the puzzled, "why-did-you-get-me-this look" that everyone has unfortunately seen at one point or another.

Giving gifts is a matter of paying a bit of attention to the person that you are buying for. This method applies to everyone you buy a gift for, although you will probably spend less time worrying about what you get Aunt Edna than you will what you get your significant other.

Read this, follow the guidelines, use productdose to do some research, and enjoy the pleased look of someone that has actually gotten a gift that they will enjoy!

Make sure to check out deal and bargain sites, which can offer unique, seasonal, and up-to-the-minute deals.

Shopping on the web is a must. The only small drawback is that you can't actually see and feel the present that you are buying, but if you are buying from a brand you can trust, or have already seen the present you want to get the person, it's a no-brainer.

Online shopping can really cut down on that shopping burnout that is sure to happen if you are schlepping around the mall, mindlessly browsing and window-shopping, hoping to stumble upon the perfect present - you are almost sure to fail if this is your plan of attack! It is pretty exhausting just finding a place to park between Thanksgiving and Christmas - Stay home, fire up some great coffee, get some snacks, and do your shopping from the comfort of your own home.

The First Steps in Buying the Perfect Gift

Budget: The first step in buying the perfect gift is to set a budget. This will determine the end result. Don't worry about not spending enough, setting a lower budget does not mean that you can't get a great gift, it only means that it will be less expensive, and you may have to be a bit creative.

Personalize the Gift: The next step in buying the perfect gift is the most important: Think about the person that you are buying for!

Take some time to think about what the person does on a daily basis and what their passions are. This can get a bit tricky, as you may know a girl that is a gadget hound, for example, and you think, "Hey, I'll just get her a gadget and be done with it." That would be fine, but we are looking for the "perfect" gift, not just a check-mark on your buying list.

Gadget people (again, using them as an example of a specific giftee type, any passion could fit here) tend to be very specific about their tastes, and it is usually pretty difficult to guess correctly about what they really want.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't go for it and try and get the person something that they are going to love! It just means it's time for some extra research and a bit more time.

Listen for Clues: Time for some more thinking about the giftee. Has the person mentioned anything in the past few months about a new product? Have they expressed the desire to get a specific model? Is it within the set budget? If the answers to these are yes, go for it and don't look back.

Don't try and get too creative, if you know what they want, and it's in your budget, just get it for them!

Research: Once you have the area narrowed down, do some research. There are plenty of review sites online for any type of gift you may be looking for. If your gift is tech-related, using Retrevo is a great idea. Retrevo makes finding relevant product reviews easier by eliminating storefronts, only returning blog posts, editorial reviews, comments, and forum posts about the product you are searching for.

Buying For Men

This is generally considered to be "easier" than buying for women, as guys are "happy with whatever." Or so they tell you. Buying for a man is just as difficult as buying for a woman - it's just a bit different. Generally, men are happy with gifts that fill a "need" - Something that they no longer have to purchase for themselves (perhaps this is the reason for the "guys like power tools for gifts" stereotype).

Take some time thinking about your guy - What does he need? What does he spend his free time doing? What does he need?

If you aren't going to go for a gift that fills a need, try and be a little creative. If your guy is a Sinatra fan, for example, go to ebay and search for Frank Sinatra. See what sort of memorabilia you can find. Spend some time sifting through the stuff that is useless and you may find a gem.

If your man is a bit older, nostalgia can provide you with the opportunity to get him the perfect gift. Alma Maters, now-defunct (but still beloved) sports teams, and long forgotten hobbies can all be great sources for the perfect present!

Buying For Women

Targeting the best gift to give a woman is more about what she wants than what she needs, a small but fundamental difference.

A wise woman once said "I don't want anything that plugs in as a gift." This is a good starting point! You want to focus on getting something that she would not normally be able to buy for herself--an extravagance! Extravagance does not have to mean "bank-breaking" or "ridiculously expensive."

You can get an extravagant gift without killing your wallet if you downsize your purchase a bit. Think luxuriant: cashmere, creams, perfumes, silk, fine leather, silver, gold, etc.

If you are on a budget, just get a smaller quantity of what you know she wants. You don't have to get the biggest, just aim for the best.

If you are going to get a piece of clothing, get wardrobe staples: A black sweater, a grey flannel sweater, a leather jacket, a luxuriant scarf. Don't go for trendy even if the woman you are buying for is a trendsetter; trends come and go, you want the perfect gift to last forever.

If you decide to buy jewelry, go for an established designer.

If this present is for a significant other, go for a bracelet or a necklace. Earrings can get lost, and rings can bring to mind other things that may be a bit uncomfortable. Getting one of the less extravagant Lagos or Yurman pieces doesn't break the bank, but gives the giftee a taste of the good life.

If her tastes run a little more to the outdoors side, get her some quality pieces that she can use.

If you have a real tight budget, and you are buying for a significant other, it's time to get creative. Some ideas that have little to no cost but can bring a smile to her face are:

Finding a newspaper from your anniversary.
Buying a poster from the first movie you saw together, a movie that holds special significance for you, or a spectacular event that has some importance in your lives.

Remember to set your budget, stick to it, and put some thought into this. Also, avoid buying the "Homer engraved bowling ball" (something that you are getting for her but is really for YOU!).

When buying for a significant other, you want to get her something that is going to send the message "I spent some time thinking about this," and "I am smart enough to know what you want!"

Buying For Mom

Buying for mom is always a tough proposition - what to give the woman who brought you up to be the good-gift giver into which you turned?

With moms, the goal is to get her something that she will truly enjoy (she spent all that time getting you out of trouble, treat the woman well now that you are on your own!) and the idea, again, is to get her something she wouldn't normally be able to or want to get herself.

Event-based presents are great for moms, a day at the spa (or a massage and facial if your budget is a bit lower), concert tickets (or a concert series if your budget is greater), dinner and a show with her favorite daughter (or son), film passes (if she is a movie buff), tickets to the theater are all solid event presents for mothers.

You probably know your mom as well as anyone, if there is something that she is passionate about, make it possible for her to enjoy that passion.

Presentation

A perfect present certainly needs some solid present-ation (can't resist the pun, it's too easy!).

The way that you present the gift is important as well, and, just like choosing the present, takes a bit of thought.

Event-based Gifts

Giving a nice envelope containing the tickets or gift certificate to your giftee is just fine, but it isn't that difficult to go a bit further and make the gift truly memorable.

It's not all that exciting to get an envelope on a holiday (and everyone knows it is either going to be cash, a gift card, or something of that nature), so mix things up a bit.

It's also an opportunity to give a memento of the occasion!

Some examples (the gift is in parentheses, the possible presentations follow):

(Tickets to a sporting event) - A vintage pennant from the team, a team shirt, or another piece of relatively inexpensive sports memorabilia.
(Spa Gift Certificate) - A small container of a nice moisturizer, or a pair of spa slippers.
(Concert Tickets) - A piece of memorabilia from the concert hall or performer. Another great idea is to give a picture frame for the stubs. If it is an outdoor concert, a picnic basket or blanket can jazz things up.

Presentation Tips

If you are buying a luxury item, have the vendor wrap the gift. Most high-end brands have simple modern wrapping options that look great.
If you are not a maestro with the scotch tape, get the present wrapped at the mall, it may cost a bit but most of the time the wrapping stations also benefit non-profits that could use a bit of cash.
The simpler the presentation, the better. Let the thought that you put into the gift be the lasting memory.

Suggested Brands

Productdose now has such a great brand wiki information base that it makes sense to use the site to do your research. What perfect present wiki would be complete without some actual tangible suggestions of what to look for? Buying from any of these diverse brands is sure to bring the Mr. Happy smile to your giftee:

Gravis Brand Profile
Spiewak Brand Profile
Molton Brown Brand Profile
Kiehl's Brand Profile
Uniqlo Brand Profile
Lagos Brand Profile
David Yurman Brand Profile

Universal Buying Tips

Stay away from the latest fads and crazes.
Don't buy gifts for their irony. The snarky slogan t-shirt will lose its irony soon enough (Don't give the Chia ironically - it pretty much sucks to get a Chia).
Spend some time thinking about the person you are buying for.
Don't buy anything that is an odd color. If you haven't ever seen the person wear bright red, what makes you think they want something that is bright red?
Stay within your budget.
Be creative.
Do some research!
Listen to what the person has asked for.
Keep it simple.
Get something for yourself! Buying a long desired treat for yourself is a great way to avoid getting burnt on trying to find the perfect gift for everyone.
When in doubt get a gift card - it is better to give a gift that you know is going to be used than it is to give one that is sure to disappoint. This is a case of not going for the perfect present, but not screwing it up either!
Always, always, always include a gift receipt. Your goal is to get the perfect gift, but you want to let the person decide if they want to keep it!