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There are two ways to shop for the woman in your life. You could seek inspiration at a place like UNCOMMONGOODS.COM, which features fun specialty items you won't see anyplace else. Or you could stick with safe bets like LANDSEND.COM, purveyor of can't-miss cashmere scarves and other standards. REDENVELOPE.COM, somewhere in between, always has fresh suggestions and helps nudge shoppers in the right direction by grouping items by personality (click Lifestyle for the site's picks for the decorator, the entertainer, the spa seeker, the traveler). To be really hip, browse GIRLSHOP.COM for clothing and accessories from more than 100 "indie" designers, from Anna Kula's hand-knit caps to Zoe Vice's low-cut cords; there's a guy shop and a tot shop too. If you're in the mood to splurge, ELUXURY.COM features apparel, leather goods, jewelry, crystal and other high-end items from the likes of Dior, DKNY, Fendi, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. GLOSS.COM, a beauty supersite selling Chanel, Stila and eight other major brands, is easy to navigate and pools all your purchases into a single shopping cart. Amazon.com just introduced a similar portal for apparel, so you can hop from, say, Eddie Bauer to Nordstrom to Guess but check out only once.
tip
Make sure the price is right. Use BIZRATE.COM's search engine to see which other Web merchants carry the item and for how much. Bizrate also posts online store ratings based on customer feedback. Sometimes it's better to buy from a reliable outfit than to risk purchasing from a small operation with a poor (or nonexistent) track record just to save a few bucks. Other comparison shopping "bots" include PRICEGRABBER.COM, DEALTIME.COM, PRICESCAN.COM and MYSIMON.COM.
KID STUFF
When buying gifts for a child, TOYSRUS.COM is a logical first stop, especially since it joined forces with e-commerce king Amazon.com Shop by age, brand, category or price; check out the new GIFTSRUS.COM service or click over to IMAGINARIUM.COM for more educational items. Seen enough Playmobil people to last a lifetime? MAGICCABIN.COM goes back to basics, with lovely toys, dolls and clothes homemade by a community of Wisconsin craftswomen. ROSIEHIPPO.COM, a mom-and-pop business in Port Townsend, Wash., sells easels and other art supplies, dollhouses, puppets, even kid-size sheepskin hats (click Assorted Treasures). QUINCYSHOP.COM has a huge toys-and-games area; don't miss the Timeless section, with its sock-monkey dolls and little green plastic soldiers (a bag of 50 is $9.95). Determined to buy clothes for the little tikes? A colorful top from HANNAANDERSSON.COM is a winner--but we're not too sure about the matching mother-and-daughter sweaters.
tip
It's awkward enough when someone wants to return or exchange a gift. Why not let your loved ones off the hook? Hand over return shipping labels, printed receipts and any other information they might need--before they have to ask for it. Some websites (typically those run by big chains like GAP.COM and OLDNAVY.COM) let you return merchandise to any of their bricks-and-mortar locations. If that's the case, be sure to mention it in the card.
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