Thread 16 - the one with the twitch

[Reastie]

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.

Marking my place.

Saltrock have half price hoodies and buy one get one free on pj’s.

Thanks for the new thread Reastie.

Can anyone remind me how to find the really cheap things on amazon please? Need to spend 38p to get free delivery!

Try fillerchecker.co.uk for the amazon addons

Thanks for the new thread @Reastie

I can’t believe how quickly we are getting through the threads. And we aren’t even in December yet! And with Black Friday and Cyber Monday still to come

Thanks for the new thread - we might need another before Friday!!!

I've got a boden code I was dithering about using but I have decided - £10 off £30, usual exclusions. Needs using today is the only thing. Does anyone still need one?

Thank you for the new thread Reastie!

When I need to make postage up I get something cheap I need. At this time of year sellotape is always useful.

Thanks for the new thread @Reastie

@vividimagination for fridges it might be worth looking at Boots Appliances. It’s run by AO but you get Boots points with the purchase. For my oven it was cheapest at AO/ Boots but I also got £60 worth of Boots points. Not as good as cash but better than nothing.

Thank you for that website for cheap Amazon items, lifesaver!

If you type ‘retro my little pony’ into Amazon there are a few Black Friday deals on some of them. Just bought a Pretty Parlour Playset for £12.13 down from £24.99.

I know lots of you loved the Lakeland nativity advent calendar which whilst lovely is not very bargainous. Bloom boutique sell personalised gifts, mainly jewellery, but they personalised advent calendars, including this nativity advent calendar, they are all half price at the moment at £19. It doesn’t look at nice as the Lakeland one admittedly but it is much more bargainous. I can’t vouch for quality as I don’t have one myself but I have used them for personalised necklaces and was impressed with their customer service. You also get 10% off first orders if you sign up to their newsletter but not sure if calendars are excluded.

Lime Crime make up have an amazing sale on & it seems to be free shipping! They're a cruelty free brand, would definitely recommend their Velvetines lip products

Checking in

Does anyone know if it’s easy to cancel the birch box subscription? Can I cancel straight after ordering the 2 for £5?

Thank you for these threads. So helpful! I’m nearly finished.
My ds (11) has just requested a xmas jumper. Any ideas on the best place to get one from?

For tinysnickersaremyfavourite in case she missed it on the last thread - Woolvers tend to come up big. If in doubt, go a size down I would say.

Thanks for the new thread!

Thanks again to all you savvy shoppers! You save me so much money.

I was so excited to see the Birchbox offer that I can straight here and saw that 4 people beat me too it! At least I tried

I still need a set of Spy Dog books, some Turtle Beach wireless headphones and a decent wireless controller for the Switch.

What deals are on Woolovers this year? My family are still wearing them from the year they were a tenner each!

M&S codes... need to be used today

Anyone seen any deals on Rubik’s cubes? They seem rather expensive to me and my DTs have suddenly requested one each - AFTER I have finished their shopping (except for their main presents - still hoping for a deal on faux fur beanbags). Are the fakes/non-rubik’s branded ones any good? DS has an original one plus several of the other Rubiks puzzles but of course they are not to be shared. DTs really haven’t asked for anything else so I’d like to get them if I can.

I ordered the birch boxes last year on the same offer and it was v straightforward to cancel. I think I waited until I had confirmation that my order had been dispatched and then cancelled. You do need to be reasonably prompt though as I think 5e next payment is due on 1 December,

But it was all fine. Box was good for the money (and I have just ordered again this year for stocking fillers) - but it didn’t tempt me into subscribing for longer,

Hello everyone - could anyone recommend a really nice jigsaw for my mum? I think someone recommended some threads back but can’t find it! Many thanks

Charlotte Tilbury have 30% off some of the gift sets. Still costly mind!!

Update on cancelling Birchbox - have just read the details that came with this year’s subscription and it seems you might need to log onto your account on a desktop to cancel - you can’t do it from the app. You can email them, but need to allow 3 working days for it to be processed.

But like I said, it was straightforward last year...