Thread 7 - I smell the bone <creepy panting sound>

[Reastie]

Thank you @WhereIsThisGoing for the thread title.

Just a reminder you can watch the thread by clicking on ‘watch this thread’ at the top of the first message. It’s much easier for everyone than so many place marking every time which can use up a fair chunk of each thread to scroll through

Referral link here . Use this to post any links where you can refer a mner and you or both of you get an incentive. For ease and fairness please don’t post these on the main thread.

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Here’s Barbarara’s instructions on doing clicks links:

Open double square brackets
No space
Paste link
Space
Name of link
No space
Close double square brackets

Like this
[[www.amazingbargains.com bargain ]] but with no space after/before the brackets.
If I do it again without the extra spaces only the word bargain will appear in blue

For more links etc see message 2

If any link doesn’t work or you want to add something please let me know in bold or @ me

camel camel camel is a great page for price tracking amazon

Sockeatingmonster’s top tips for using aliexpress

1. Check reviews
2. Be wary of plastic toys. There have been concerns about toxic plastics from China, and I have binned plastic figures for having very unpleasant smells. I no longer buy any 'low-end' plastic items (UPDATE: I wouldn’t buy squishiest either, for the same reason) and only ever from sellers with lots of positive reviews
3. Aliexpress refund/complaints procedure is actually way more straightforward than eBay, and stacked in the buyer's favour
4. Beware of mains operated electricals, many of which are supplied without fused plugs. Always message the seller first if in doubt, don't rely on the photos
5. I don't trust dress up clothes to be flame retardant, although I don't believe this is UK law anyway?
6. Clothes can come up very small. Quality can be variable (excellent to awful). Photos are often of similar items, so take them with a pinch of salt and check the reviews.
7. Actually, all photos on Aliexpress should be taken with a pinch of salt. Again, check reviews (where buyers often post photos of the actual item received)
8. I wouldn't trust toys to meet UK safety standards and wouldn't buy anything that could pose a risk (e.g. Paint might not be safe for children to gum, there could be sharp edges/choking hazards, etc)
9. Lego alternatives don't tend to stick together as well as genuine Lego. Minifigures are still excellent value, but the odd one might benefit from a few drops of superglue.

10. Barbie and other doll clothes can be excellent value, but check reviews for fabric quality and finish (UPDATE: Type “18 inch doll” for clothes that will fit American Girl/Our Generation/Designafriend dolls. Shoes are particularly excellent value. Wash dark clothing first as dyes can stain dolls’ limbs) 11. Stationery is generally excellent value, although paper quality can be lower than expected. Type 'kawaii' into stationery and be prepared to spend a fortune!

Also to add I’ve seen a fair few posts from fb this year from small businesses where aliexpress have posted photos of their products and photos without permission, so be wary and be warned the photo might not be exactly what you get.

Wibbletooth has a great gift idea:

Best received grandparent/great aunt etc stocking filler that I’ve done has been a personalised glasses cleaning cloth, with a photo of the grandkids on.

I did it on eBay - was much cheaper than many other places - and the quality was great. Cost them was about £2.50, there seem to be 2 or 3 on there that are about £3 now so guessing it was one of them - didn’t recognise either of the listings. At the time it was cheaper to go through the eBay page than their website. There were two sizes - seem to think it was worth the extra 30p or similar to get the slightly bigger cloth - not much of a difference but enough to make it feel a bit more substantial.

They were all in awe as had never come across photos being printed on fabric. Also meant they always had a photo of the grandkids with them at all times without needing to carry photos with them as they always had their glasses and this glasses case with them and alwaûs had a cleaning cloth in the glasses case anyway.

Think I teamed them with a mini cleaning spritz and mini glasses screwdriver to get 3 related stocking presents.

Lego Harry Potter advent calendar has dropped to £19.19 on Amazon, this afternoon.

@Reastie Thanks for the new thread!

@jammiebammie thank you for the Unidays info. Good to know I have another year's worth of codes! :) No-one has taken me up on the MAC offer so far - just a reminder that it gives 20% off and free delivery, I think. PM me if you want the code.

Thanks so much to whoever posted the Groupon Nat Geo book link - I have just used my voucher and there must be a glitch in the system because it has discounted the whole price of the book. So I only paid postage! V pleased with that!

Finally, has anyone seen any bargainous meerkat mugs anywhere? Or meerkat travel mugs? Or meerkat spoons? Would ideally like to find some for less than a fiver. A couple of years ago, meerkats were everywhere - now I can't find any!

Checking in

Not sure if already mentioned Tesco's toy sale has some Lego reduced this is a 3 for 1 which seems a good offer at £22.50

@IJustWantToWearDungarees oooh have you a link for that book please?

I've just seen on HotUK Deals that Tokyo Laundry has another of their bundle offers on (well, 2 actually!)

Borg lined hoodie, jumper and hat for £25 with code BORG here

or slightly different.... a Borg lined hoodie, top and hat for £24.99 with the code WINTER here

Other Tesco toy offers

Thank you for the new thread and also the Craft Gin offer. It arrived today and will be perfect for my brother!

Can anyone remember if the likes of pop up pirate; hungry hippos; crocodile dentist; etc. were reduced at any point last year such as on Black Friday? All seem on be £12+ still most places which is much more than I would like 🤨

I’ve been waiting for a tape dispenser like yoooo...to come into my life.....

So happy!

£5.50 delivered from eBay!

Am I not seeing it, or are there no 80% off items left on the Jacque London?

@MileyWiley I got a cracking pop up pirate in the £pound shop! Might be worth a look!

Jaques London offer has expired unfortunately.

@OhMyGodTheyKilledKenny - wow that's an amazing offer!

My 13yo is after the Mulled Wine Borg hoodie but they don't do it in Small! Jumper and hat would've made a good gift for DH too 🙄

Thanks so much for the Tokyo laundry link. Have ordered hoodie/ jumper hat combo for DH. Looks good quality, is it?!

Managed to catch the Jacques offer....not having much luck on delivery drivers this year. Amazon guy left the street without delivering to me.
I refused to chase him down the street in my dressing gown for a £1.50 jigsaw....

In other news. Sainsburys toy sale starts 16th Oct ( sorry if I missed this)
Asda have a wooden dolls house in store for £30.....I have it confirmed it is very much like the house from Moon and Me so could be easily adapted.

Dogmatix34 - we have a few TL bits here and never had an issue with quality.

Some good deals on the Moss Bros site.
www.moss.co.uk/sale-shirts

Thanks squint, that’s good to know.

Thank you for the new thread! Still on the look out for Our Generation discounts if anyone hears of any! 🤞

If anyone is shopping for books this year, please check out Wordery if you’re ordering online.

Quite often as cheap (and sometimes cheaper!) than Amazon on new releases, free international delivery and they’re run by people who care about books so your money is going to a better place

Also if you’d like to support indie bookshops then Hive is worth checking too.

Does anyone know of any shops in North Yorkshire that sell the tuppence and crumble star wraps as my mother wants to buy my new granddaughter one for Christmas but wants to see them first and buy one from a “proper shop” Any help would be brilliant and obviously if I can find her a bargain that would be even better. Their website doesn’t have stockists on it and google search hasn’t helped me find any so I was hoping the power of Mumsnetters might solve my problem. Thanks