Thread 19 - Watching Hampergeddon unfold and I feel like Pam on Gavin and Stacey. It's all the drama Mick, I just love it.

[YuleAreBeingUnREASTIEable]

Thank you @Unihorn for the 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

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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

camel camel camel is a great page for price tracking amazon

A great website for looking up items of specific price so you hit the £20 free delivery at amazon here

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.

Great thread title. I love. I still have my sister to buy for.... Nearly there!

@margaritasbythesea

Seconding how good the rapesco tape dispenser is - I think mine was £6 delivered from eBay. I flew through the wrapping!

I was so happy not to have to stick little bits of tape all over my hands!

I have officially hit middle age: my motto has become, 'The right tool for the job.'

TwistedAnkle Thank you. Never thought of primark. And a Tiger has just opened near me recently for the first time (Northern Ireland) so will try both.

Blatant place marking 🤭

Thanks @YuleAreBeingUnREASTIEable

Anyone wanting ladies clothes Roman originals have up to half price sale, plus VCUK gets an extra 20% off and free delivery

I missed the tape dispenser, is it just any Rapesco one or one in particular?

I have also been wrapping to sort out what I still need to buy. I’m getting there but stuck on a present for a 2 year old boy. He has two older brothers so the house is chocca with toys and clothes - I would love any bright ideas for around £15. 🙏

@Maspot either books or something personalised (mini backpack or lunchbox / crockery) add I imagine he mostly has hand me downs.

@nicky2512 If you want a novelty, then the mini fondue sets are cute. But I don’t think they would actually be muck good for cheese fondue. cheese needs more heat to melt/stay melted than chocolate and I don’t think a tea light (which the mini sets I’ve seen seem to run on) will do it. Usually you cook the fondue on the job and then devant into a warm fondue set for serving. I guess if you have a small quantity and eat very quickly, a mini one may be ok but if you linger you will probably end up with cold congealed mess...
If you want one that works and lasts, I would recommend the Bosca brand but they are not cheap. Avoid a metal pot as cheese will burn onto it. Supermarkets also often do bake in the oven melted cheese things these days - could be an option?

....on the hob...

Thanks for new thread. Has anyone seen Cards against humanity at a good price?

CatLadyInTraining thank you - all info gratefully received as I have never had anything fondue related in my life!! I’m being adventurous if I try anything more exciting than Philadelphia. Dd was in France earlier this year and has returned with a cheese obsession! Will have a look.

I bought these GiftMate Christmas drawstring gift bags and it's made wrapping SO QUICK. I'm still doing some with normal paper as I think the kids prefer to rip through it, but the bags are so great for weird shaped items and for saving time! No tape! No scissors! No tissue paper!

They are reusable, so I'll be stealing them away from everyone as soon as the presents are opened! 😂

@mashpot sorry mis-tagged you:

either books or something personalised (mini backpack or lunchbox / crockery) add I imagine he mostly has hand me downs.

Thanks for the thread Reastie, I love the title!

I’m all done and wrapped, but DH hasn’t got a thing for his family yet so I’ll be haunting these threads for a while yet.

Love the Christmas name change reastie

Just popping in to say thank you to you all for this year's threads from an intermittent lurker.

Thanks Reastie! Any ideas what I can get for my secret Santa gift please? It’s for a 40 something lady, I’ve worked with her for years but in a different department so don’t know what she likes really other than she drinks brandy (any help there would be gratefully received as I have no clue what’s good or not!) and likes candle type things. Budget £20ish. Thank you!

I’ve twitched. Followed the recommendations on the last thread.... and bought DH a 3D printer 🤦🏼‍♀️ He best be fucking thrilled as it’s way over budget but he has wanted one for ages. I’m also not sure it’ll arrive in time...

@nicky2512 I wondered if you had looked at eBay, charity shops, grandparents cupboards. They were such a thing in the 70s. It won’t just be my parents who had a barely used one (on display no less). They might be collectors items by now but doubt it and would have thought there should be lots of perhaps better ones although older for not much money around.

Just checking in