That time of year is just around the corner. We drag out the Christmas tree, Hannukah candles, or what have you, and celebrate looking forward to the new year, being together with loved ones, or maybe just hoping we get something under the tree. I know this year is rough in terms of the holidays, at least for most Americans like myself, so maybe this will make shopping for that last minute gift for the nerd or weeb in your life a little easier. You can find good deals at a variety of shops, but there's a good chance most of your shopping will be done online this year.
Sell things you don't need anymore to make money for gifts! Get a head start on spring cleaning and list a bunch of old toys your kids don't play with anymore, even at a discount. You may make someone else's holidays and get a little spending money. Despite everything going on, I find people are still shopping around, even me! I still have a lot of great items (and am taking offers) on everything in my shop, by the way. I recommend that you keep an eye out / use a bot for updated inventories for specific items. For example, I recently found the Hot Topic exclusive Spring Bonnie plush (from Five Night's at Freddy's) in stock on their website after it went out of stock in Halloween, just by checking back to the site daily. I don't use bots myself and some sites do block these, but it is an option. I also found another more common item in stock at Gamestop's site, which was running double retail on second hand shops. I'd recommend checking Amazon, Rightstuf, and Best Buy for other deals as they are having sales all through the holiday season. Just make sure you do your research first. Some websites hike prices early on before lowering them for a 'sale'. Know the MSRP of the item you want beforehand. Speaking of, second hand shops can be a great way to find that hot item, although you may pay a lot for it. I feel like it's a bit more justifiable given this year's circumstances. A few extra bucks saved is not worth the life of you or loved ones, so spend a little extra and stay safe! In fact, try shooting offers to sellers. I find nowadays they don't negotiate much if at all, but you do find a few reasonable eggs here and there. I've listed and done reviews of these shops before, but Mercari and Ebay are still my go-to's. Make sure you read my previous article for tips on shopping there. Now that you know where to shop... How do you shop if you have no idea what you're looking for? What if you get a bootleg? Only buy from reputable shops. Sites like Crunchyroll, Rightstuf, and more are all safe to buy from. Make sure they're located in the states (if that's where you're from) so you can get things shipped in time. Gift cards are a great gift for someone who is difficult to shop for (you know, like that friend that has everything already... haha [yeah, me]) or try looking at top-selling items. Try to remember any series they may have talked about or look at popular series (Boku no Hero Academia is all over the place right now) and there are plenty of old favorites with new merch coming out all the time (Pokemon, Digimon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Evangelion). For games, they can be very difficult this time of year. If you have a gamer in your life, try to find them an extra controller, a gift card, or maybe a cheap party game. Finding that niche JRPG is next to impossible... even some AAA titles are very hard to find. Definetly go the easier route with that gamer in your life. Trust me, accessories are so pricey we often put them off until our Animal Crossing character is spinning in circles from controller drift. Another thing you can do is make your own gifts. A friend, especially us anime/game fans, love hand crafted one of kind items. Perler beads are low cost and easy to make. If you're good at sewing or crochet, little plush or even a keychain makes a unique and cute gift! We decided since I inherited a lot of my Ma's soap making stuff, we're gonna make hand crafted soaps! Depending on your skill set, there's no limit to what you can do. The last thing I will suggest is kind of weird, but it worked in my case. Food. Cooking. A lot of people are struggling for meals right now. For my wife's birthday, I used some of my savings to get her a fancier-than-normal but not break the bank dinner. Lava cake for desert, too. All you need is a basic cake mix / recipe. If you wanna get even more fun with it, try making anime themed recipes (Ghibli comes to mind. Or Lord of the Rings. Or Tales of series.) There's a lot you can do with just a few ingredients, even staples, and it shows you care without having to spend a lot. (Seriously, don't go overboard with 5 lb lobsters or something. Favorite foods are often cheap as a specific fast food meal. Just have some friends pitch in and help you research.) Keeping this in mind though, don't gather too many people over. A nice quiet holiday may just be the break you need. I know I do. I hope these tips helped and if you have any holiday-tastic ideas, let us know in the comments! :) Have a good one!
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Author: ShindoW
I am a anime and video game enthusiast living in Texas. I have been collecting since 2005. During that time I've collected a variety of merchandise and knowledge to help other collectors. Archives
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