Do you have an upcoming anniversary, birthday, bridal shower, enagement, hen’s party or wedding that you’d like to delight someone with a romantic gift?
 
For a strictly limited time, you can buy an attractively boxed $99 LoveStars gift certificate for just $59 through Daily Deals!
 
Sign up with http://www.dynamicrewards.com.au/dailydeals/sydney (or enter your city) to receive this amazing Daily Deal.
 
Daily Deals work on group buying. A minimum number of people opt to buy the Daily Deal and once they reach that number, everyone gets the Daily Deal. Twittering, Facebooking, blogging or passing it on to your friends helps you reach that number.
 
After you buy your $59 boxed LoveStars gift certificate through the Daily Deal, Ill email you for your mailing address to send it to you (expiry 31 October 2010 or later).
 
You simply redeem your gift certificate at www.itsinthestarsonline.com for your own luxury hardcover 30-35 page LoveStars report delivered worldwide by Express Post.
 
Don’t delay – visit http://www.dynamicrewards.com.au/dailydeals/sydney now!

Dog owners, here’s a treat… and if you’re friends or family with someone who’s mad about their mutt, never again will you be short of gift ideas on birthdays, anniversaries and other special events that require gifts. Here’s a whole doggie-bag full of ideas.

 The Fido Factor is a free service for dog owners who want to know the best dog-friendly establishments around town. It also supports homeless animals and provides information on pet services.

Based in San Francisco, most of the dog-friendly services listed are located there (currently almost 1,000) but Fido Factor has recently expanded into some other US cities, too. Nonetheless, no matter where you live, if you love dogs, there’s still loads of useful information on the site.

Fido Factor is involved in a lot of dog-oriented community activities and events, some of them with names like Hollywoof Movie Night, Bay Woof Party at the Stray Bar and (my personal fave) Halloween Yappy Hour at Bloomingdale’s. Who’d have thunk there was so much going on for dogs?

And on the ‘Bark Blog’ (no, I promise I’m not making it up) you can find out the most dog-friendly airline in the US.

You could splurge on a professional pet photography package as a treat for your favourite furry friend or give a human friend a fun birthday, Christmas or even Valentine’s Day gift of a dog-friendly weekend at a hotel/resort/spa that allows dogs.

People without pets tend to overlook other people’s furry companions when they’re trying to come up with gift ideas, but the Fido Factor certainly helps you to think outside of the box. Or should that be doghouse? With currently about 100 million dog owners in the world, there’s plenty of scope and a sure-fire market for some serious dog-oriented gift-giving.

I can really see this appealing to Sagittarians!

Everyone knows the traditional wedding anniversary gift for the first year is paper (and ahem, might I suggest one of my beautiful LoveStars reports would do just the trick). And you probably know it’s cotton for the second.

But when we leap forward a couple of decades, the anniversary gift game gets a lot harder. With everyone getting older, MUCH older, those once-rare 40th, 50th and especially 60th anniversaries are already starting to make big, splashy appearances, thanks to the ageing populations of many developed countries.

For most of us, the $6 million question is what can you give someone who’s celebrating four, five or six decades in marital harmony? A set of porcelain flying ducks probably just isn’t going to cut it. A quick keyboard dash to SeniorStore.com, however, will give you a smorgasbord of gift ideas that are original, appropriate, and affordable.

This is an area that SeniorStore.com knows well. It’s been around for 12 years and was one of the first online retail stores devoted to gifts for milestone anniversaries and for seniors. With the increasing demand for 40th, 50th and 60th wedding anniversary gifts, they’ve recently expanded their range and now offer a myriad of creative gift ideas, many of which can be personalized.

The gift baskets and gift combination sets contain icons and touchstones from the year the marriage took place, such as chart-topping songs, newspaper clippings of world events, magazine advertisements, nostalgic trinkets and other trivia. Other gifts include personalized items such as special anniversary clocks, coffee table books, photo albums and picture frames.

Not only can you find an anniversary gift that’ll outshine everyone else’s, but you’ll probably also pick up a lot of facts and figures and pieces of useless trivia about the year of the happy couple’s wedding, all those decades ago. Very handy for Pub Trivia comps.

Who knew that the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1950 was the Bette Davis classic All About Eve? (“Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!”).

Have you ever received a birthday present from say, your grandparents, parents or partner, which as you look at them with an offended expresson, they say,”I thought you might appreciate x item because…” and away they go, trying desperately to backpedal out of a sticky gift-giving occasion.

Usually these gifts belong to one of the Seven Deadly Sins:

Sloth
These suggest you are a lazy sod. It could be a universal remote (“so you can sit there and not have to move”), one of those remote, magazine and drink holders you slip over the arm of your sofa, a hammock or a satin eye-mask to wear while sleeping (which, since you do so much of it, you’ll want to look good while you snooze).

Gluttony
These usually related to your shape or weight. They can include, but are not restricted to, Spanx shapewear, exercise equipment, gym wear, gym memberships, diet books, books like How Not to Look Fat, and “healthy” cooking equipment that you’ve never used before and will probably never use. A rice steamer comes to mind.

Greed
They will give you what they can afford and you will be furious it is so stingy – god, only a $100 gift certificate?! You are not embarrassed to give people a long list of what you want for your birthday – and oh, you expect to get all of it.

Anger
This could cover everything from a boppo toy “to take out your aggression” to a GPS unit to, as Navman says, “stop carguments” when driving.

Envy
They want what you’re having/eating/wearing/reading. So they might slip up and mention that they liked it so much they bought an identical one for themselves. When really, they’re annoyed they have to give it to you at all…  Giving you a bowling ball, a power tool or a Nintendo – when you know full well they’ll be comandeering it back for themselves in no time - falls under this Deadly gift-giving Sin.

Pride
Be afraid, very afraid if someone gives you a mirror. It will prove you DO think you’re the fairest one of them all.

Lust
This tends to be the cheesy red lacy lingerie, explicit DVDs, sex manuals and toys, flavoured body paint and so on that a husband gives his wife for Valentine’s Day or their anniversary, hoping to spice up their marriage.

Naturally, if you buy any of these items for yourself, well, that’s OK then.

Not that I’m a travel agent, but if I was, there are some holidays I know certain Sun signs would love to take – or better yet, receive as an anniversary, birthday, Christmas or wedding gift!

So when I saw that Fairmont Hotels and Resorts had recently launched their Apprentice Trips program, which combines their globally famous luxury brand with a range of accommodation-based activities that relate directly to the culture or landscape of the locale, and, with hotels in 16 different countries, well, that’s a lot of “experiential” packages to choose from.

Talkative Geminis keen to parlez avec vous might enjoy booking the seven-night French Immersion Package at the historic Chateau in Quebec City while environmentally-aware Aquarians could rush for the Eco-Learning Package at the Faimont Kea Lani in Maui. They can choose from one of five eco-learning activities at the resort, which include organic farming in a rainforest, and helping to preserve Hawaii’s archaeological sites by planting native species, among others.

Cancerians may either thrill to Shop With Chef at local markets in Toronto while enjoying a two-night stay at the Fairmont Royal York, or harvesting and hands-on cooking of ingredients from the Secret Garden package in the Fairmont Singapore.

No need for Taureans to book in overnight for the four-hour-plus Sweet Designs package at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver – they can have their chocolate (or cake) – and eat it too.

Virgo golfing nuts might enjoy a Tees to Greens stay at the Fairmont Scottsdale where they receive helpful golfing techniques and a behind-the-scenes look at how golf courses are kept so pristine!

In the United Arab Emirates, the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr offers a four-night package for guests to master the regal skill of falconry (the falcon is the UAE’s national bird). I can see this appealing to Leos who think they’re a bit sheik.

In Monte Carlo, guests interested in perfume and exotic oils can broaden their knowledge with the Magic of Aromachology Package, which also includes a 60-minute aromachology massage for two. Wonderful for Pisces.

Librans can choose from taking their favourite best friend with them to Fairmont Turnberry Isle in Miami for the Gal Pal Experience, learning how to do proper back rubs, facials and foot massages, or to learn The Art of Buying Art at the Fairmont Dallas. Since they have a keen eye for art, this one might appeal.

Novice hikers and mountaineers can head to the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake resort in Kunshan, China for the Adventure Awaits package. Gotta-be-first Aries and explorer-mad Sagittarians would love to try this out!

Even politics gets a look-in, with the How to Pass a Bill in Washington Package at the Fairmont, Washington D.C., where a Federally registered lobbyist will advise participants on the crafting and promoting of an agenda. Constitutionally, a bill only requires three steps to become law in the US. Who would have thought that first step could take place while you were on holidays? This is just perfect for power-broking Scorpios and Capricorns.

Love to shop? If you and your partner become the Face of LoveStars at www.itsinthestarsonline.com, you could win a $AUD500 gift card to the retailer of your choice (or hey, 5 x $100 gift cards to 5 retailers – your call!) simply by entering the Be the Face of LoveStars photo competition.

Have a friend or family member take a high resolution (300dpi) colour shot  or two of you and your partner happily reading your hardcover LoveStars astrology report together.

If you win, you’ll receive the $AUD500 gift card. If you’re one of 5 x runners-up, you’ll win back the cost of your hardcover LoveStars report (from $89), credited to your Visa or Mastercard credit card.

LoveStars reports make ideal personalised gifts for couples for anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, engagements, Valentines Day and weddings. These 30-35 page reports help any couple – newly dating or married for ages – (re)discover the magic in their relationship.

The Be the Face of LoveStars photo competition finishes 31 August 2010.

There are many online retailers who do not ship worldwide (It’s In The Stars does offer free shipping worldwide) and this can make it a problem when you spot the perfect item for say, someone’s birthday on an overseas (usually US) website.

The solution is to get your goodies sent to you via a mail forwarder which packages up your purchases into one big goodie box and ships it to whichever address you desire.

There are seven things to consider when ordering through a mail forwarder:

1. Do they offer you an American address? Many retailers won’t ship outside the States, let alone have a foreigner buy from them! Heaven forbid those aliens could shop online in America.

2. Do they offer a shopping service? Thanks to anti-fraud policies, many online retailers won’t accept credit cards with an address not from their country. You may need them to purchase the items on your behalf, first paying them, of course for the items, and a shopping fee, usually into a Paypal account.

3. Will it be a once-off purchase or will you do this on a regular basis? Some mail forwarders require you to sign up for at least one month or longer, and even offer 12-month subscriptions. Others let you do it ad hoc.

4. Can you have extra names on your mailbox? You might like to team up with your sister or best friend to cut down on shipping charges when you buy online internationally. Some mail forwarders let you have additional names for free.

5. Do you need the item stored? Some mail forwarders give you the option to hold your mail for you for a certain period of time. Maybe you’ve bought it out-of-season and don’t want your partner to discover their surprise gift before Christmas or your anniversary.

Or you might be heading to the US shortly and want them to send it to you at your hotel so you can save on shipping AND airline baggage fees and you can use/wear/read/eat it there. Storage periods vary with some holding your products for free, others charging a fee.

6. Are you planning to shop through one store or several? Repackaging services can save you a fortune as all your goodies are consolidated into one neat package.

7. Do you want to track your items? Some mail forwarders use USPS only which doesn’t provide tracking; others use DHL which does, but costs quite a bit more.

Next post: comparing the costs and features of several US mail forwarding companies…

Retailers are always keen to know what they call “consumer spending intentions”.

And if you know what these intentions are, they can give you interesting gift ideas for birthdays – but also for anniversaries, Christmas, engagement and wedding gifts – in fact, any sort of gift occasion where you’re treating someone to a product or service they might buy for themself if they had the extra money. They are in fact, a public gift wishlist.

In a new survey of 1,200 consumers by eBillme which looks at what people would spend their money on once the economy improves (read: when they have some extra money), travel won out as the top way to blow cash, with 52% voting for it. I’d be on a plane too if I had some spare room on my Visa!

So if you’ve got an important gift occasion that you’d like to surprise someone, you probably can’t go wrong with a plane ticket (has anyone actually ever received one as a present?), a gift certificate for a hotel, resort or bed-and-breakfast stay, vouchers toward a cruise, island or spa vacation, or even a gift card for the car rental for the weekend. 

Dining out is right behind at 51%. Restaurant gift certificates offer your gift recipient a lot of freedom and a wonderful memory, but most people – especially women – just want a break from cooking. Did you know you can also get gift vouchers for chefs to cook up up a storm at your home – whether for an event, or to help you stock up your freezer?

Third-most popular choice for people to spend their money is clothes and accessories (41%). You’ve probably seen what they wear often enough to give them gift cards for the right sort of retailers. During winter you probably can’t go wrong with fine leather or suede gloves, a soft lambswool sweater, or a pashmina. Summer? Clothes are harder to guess although groovy t-shirts are always fun. I’d think about giving them a huge plush beach towel, a beach bag, a weekend bag or beach umbrella. Who should you buy these for? In the This Should Be No Surprise Department: Almost twice as many women as men (52% vs 30%) want new clothes and accessories.

Just over a third (34%) want to buy electronics. I’d hate to know where to start with that one. Knowing whether they’re Mac or “i” people (iPhone, iPod, iPad) makes life easier. For example, they could be completely stoked to have their favourite image or their business logo turned into a mobile phone cover. And yes, men are twice as likely as women to want to spend their money on electronics.

In fifth place (29%) are concert and movie tickets. You can buy books of 10 vouchers for the movies or shout them a night at the Gold Class/La Premiere cinemas. Concerts provide sooooooo much room for error – do they prefer the sounds of Sinatra or Slipknot? The cost of these can run into hundreds of dollars if the show also happens to be intrastate (eg like when they play at the Hunter Valley vineyards) so if money is an issue you may have to play it safe but dull with iTunes gift cards. A quarter of men and women equally want movies and music so you can’t really go wrong here if you can’t spring for a plane ticket…

Receiving something which is totally customised and personalised for you is a huge thrill and when it’s handmade with craftmanship and love, it’s even more treasured.

However, many people don’t realise how far ahead they have to plan to get handmade gifts personalised if they’re ordering them online until they check the delivery information section, at which point they get pretty disappointed they’ve left it too late.

At a bare minimum, you need to allow at least 2 weeks delivery for many handmade personalised items, but there are some which are so painstakingly hand-crafted that you need to order them out at least 16 weeks prior to the anniversary, birthday, christening, Christmas, engagement, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day or wedding that you’re giving them for.

While it of course depends enormously on the online retailer, companies which specialise only in machine-made personalisation of items (you know, the ones that people often use for corporate gift solutions) tend to produce these much faster. Clue: the fastest suppliers tend to let you see what the finished item looks like in real-time online with your images, copy or letters.

If you see the adjective “handmade” anywhere in the product description, it’s a sure bet it’s going to take longer. Of course, you’ll need to add even extra time if your order is coming from overseas. Plus, if you need it urgently, you may have to pay a premium to receive it in time.

Here’s a rough guide to personalisation methods by hand and how long they can take (depending on the sophistication and product turnover of the online retailer) from the quickest to the longest.

Handframed, personalised prints/certificates – 1-8 weeks
Handcrafted personalised jewellery -1-6 weeks
Handknitted personalised baby clothing and accessories - 2-6 weeks
Handpainted personalised furniture - 2-8 weeks
Handbuilt custom-made furniture - 4-10 weeks
Handsewn personalised quilts  – 6-12 weeks
Handcarved stoneworks – 8-12 weeks
Hand-embroidered blankets - 10-16 weeks

If you have family scattered across the planet, it can cost a small fortune getting everyone their birthday gifts on time, let alone making sure their Christmas presents arrive on time!

This story is why it pays to organise your gifts at least six weeks in advance…

I saw a gorgeous coffee table book, French Country House which I thought would be perfect for, oh well never mind who in case she’s reading this(!) at Australian bookstore, Dymocks for $AUD100 and nearly fell off my chair at how expensive it was.

So I searched for it with those very helpful people at Amazon and was verrry interested to see it was $US22.76. Allowing for our exchange rate, it’s still only about $AUD25.

Bargain! But then I have to get it here…

Sending it to me in Australia via priority courier shipping to arrive within 3-5 business days is $US21.99 per shipment + $US7.99 per item = $AUD32 (approx). So I’m saving about $AUD43 ($AUD75-32). Can I do better?

Expedited shipping (8-16 business days) is $US9.99 (shipment) + $US5.99 per item = $AUD17 (approx). So now I’m saving $AUD58. Can I wring it out even more?

Yes, indeedy. Standard shipping (18-32 business days) is $4.99 shipment + $4.99 per item = $AUD11 (approx).

So by allowing up to 6.4 weeks ahead from now (which takes me from today’s date – 26 April – to about 10 June), I can save myself  $64.

Not everyone is going to buy a $100 coffee table book of course, but by planning ahead, you can save yourself quite a bit, up to $39, for example if it has to get to Israel. To make it apples with apples, say you’re going to send a Amazon book to a friend in:

Africa – standard ($13.98), expedited ($20.98), priority ($49.98)

Asia-Pacific – standard ($9.98), expedited ($19.98), priority ($35.98)

Atlantic/Carribbean – standard ($13.98), expedited ($20.98), priority ($49.98)

Australia – standard ($9.98), expedited ($15.98), priority ($29.98)

Canada – standard ($8.98), expedited ($10.98), priority ($49.98)

Europe – standard ($7.98), expedited ($12.48), priority ($35.98)

Israel – standard ($10.98), expedited ($15.98), priority ($49.98)

Japan – standard ($8.98), expedited ($13.98), priority ($26.98)

Latin America – standard ($9.98), expedited ($20.98), priority ($36.98)

Middle East – standard ($13.98), expedited ($20.98), priority ($49.98)

It’s quite a difference isn’t it? You can see how much it starts to cost if you leave it too late!

So if you have to buy a wedding, anniversary, christening or birthday gift in June for a friend or family member who lives overseas (or who like me, he or she lives in Australia), you need to organise their gift now to pay the lowest rate for shipping…