eBay Gift Certificates Overview

I hope it’s a good idea because I just gave one to MsGift for her birthday!

But, I thought about it a bit before I went ahead and purchased it. First, while I know MsGift very well, I don’t actually think she uses eBay all that often. At least it hasn’t come up in the last year and a half (and we talk Internet stuff every day).

So, why would I decide on that as a gift?

• It’s a unique gift
• If she doesn’t use eBay now, she might enjoy exploring it a bit (knowing she has some $$ to spend for free)
• You can buy almost anything there
• An eBay gift certificate can help you buy some pretty cool stuff that you wouldn’t see on Amazon or other shopping sites (like some of the items I talked about in my post about helping someone start a collection)
• Honestly, it was quick & easy (and I think I would have had a hard time figuring out what store to go to - although I bet I could have gone to someplace local and “funky” to get a fun/funny present)

The downside to giving an eBay gift certificate:

• The recipient might find it a bit of a pain in the… to buy something on eBay if they are not used to shopping there
• Like any gift certificate, it could just go unused
• Invariably, the $$ amount will likely either cause the recipient to pony up more of their own money, or there will be an unused remnant that will just sit there in limbo

I’m hoping that MsGift will someday share her experience on this site about receiving and using this little B-day present…

Here’s a nice alternative to some of the junk that is out there for girls in terms of toys, magazines, books, websites, etc…

The Beacon Street Girls offers a series of fiction books written for girls ages 9 to 13 (although my 7-year-old daughter can not only read the books, she enjoys them - and they give her a flavor for what older girls are thinking).

The first book in the series is Worst Enemies/Best Friends:

Description:

Charlotte Ramsey is the new girl … again. After causing the biggest cafeteria blunder in history, Charlotte’s assigned lunch partners, the very stylish Katani, irrepressible Avery, and super-friendly Maeve, can’t wait to dump her. Can it get any worse? Absolutely! Nobody is talking, and Katani wants out of the group. What a mess! Can the girls become true friends or will they remain worst enemies forever?

The latest book in the series is BSG Special Adventure: Freestyle with Avery:

Description:

Go West, young girl! Avery’s off to see “the Snurfman” (aka her dad) in Colorado! She can’t wait to show off her skills in the first annual Telluride Snurfer Snowboarding Competition. But the Snurfman’s got a few surprises in store. And when Avery meets Crazy Kazie, the 13-year-old all-star boarder, and her evil cat, Farkle, Avery’s not so sure these surprises are so snurf-tastic after all. At least there’s Jason, a way cool kid with a secret … a secret almost ready to be released into the wild.

Here is an excerpt from the Beacon Street Girls “About Us” page:

The Beacon Street Girls® (BSG), a consumer/entertainment brand committed to the health and well being of girls 9-13. The mission of the company is to provide the kind of positive role models and empowering messages that help girls believe in themselves, whatever their challenges. The BSG brand crosses socio-economic barriers and provides problem-solving tools within an entertaining format that girls can apply to their own lives.

The Beacon Street Girls are five best friends: Charlotte, the dreamy, global girl; Katani, an intelligent fashion diva; Maeve, the lively redhead who wants to sing, dance and help the world; irrepressible Avery, athletic and outspoken; and Isabel, the artist with a sense of humor.

Courtney Cox gave her friend, Jennifer Aniston, a designer bike from Chanel. 

• Price: $12,000
• Eight speeds
• 36lbs
• Quilted leather seat
• Saddlebag emblazoned with Chanel ‘CC’ logo. 

Here are a couple of places to read more about Courtney’s gift to Jen …

• Celebrity-Gossip.net - article about the gift
• Myparkmag.co.uk -  - article about the gift

I am not really a flowers and chocolate kind of girl, I never have been and I doubt I will become one. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting them every once in a while but too much and they lose their meaning. And well, I think that’s what happens. Flowers have become the ‘go-to’ for anniversaries, birthdays and of course apologies.

There has to be something else. What do you get for your wife or girlfriend or mother when flowers have been over done? How about an edible bouquet?

Edible Arrangements has these awesome baskets that are made of fruit and are designed to look like flower bouquets. They come in different sizes, offer different fruits and frankly are just plain delicious!

The best part is you can get any of the fruit in your bouquet dipped in chocolate! They have baskets for all occasions and you are able to customize each one. My favorite is definitely the Berry Chocolate Bouquet. Mmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Prices run between $30 and $300 and bouquets can be delivered that day (depending on location).

OK, so maybe you don’t want to have someone die by ingesting too much caffeine, but this post was inspired by Energy Fiend’s Death by Caffeine simulator.

But, if you have a caffeine-lover that you want to give a gift to, forget the Starbucks gift card or pound of coffee and give them something to talk about:

A whole tray of Chocolate BuzzBites or Foosh Mints:

There are many, many other cafffeinated products out there that make great gifts, just make sure that the product has a fun element to it as well as caffeine… You could even consider putting together a gift basket with a sampling of a few different products.