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Hopefully, you will be changing someone's life and, last time I checked, a pair of socks couldn't do that...

27 November 2007

A really, really good buy

by Jacqueline Alexander

Even if you have finished your Christmas shopping, please tell me that there will be at least one person you have forgotten. Perhaps a great uncle who has moved to foreign shores or an old friend who has somehow managed to miss being on your Christmas list this year; whoever it is, that person will help those of us yet to get started feel a whole lot better.

If, like me, you have not bought a single present yet, or if you have indeed forgotten someone, Web Watch is here to help.

There are a few disadvantages to buying online gift tokens as a Christmas gift; they are not the most imaginative present, they are not terribly personal and they are distributed via email so they will not be opened on Christmas morning. I can't do much about the first two but the third one is no longer a problem.

Prezzle.com will giftwrap your token for you but, more importantly, it will not allow it to be opened before the date you specify - in this case December 25th. In fact, if the person receiving the gift tries to take a sneaky peak, they are treated to an amusing animation either telling them that they are too early or they will be horrified to see their gift blown up! Your gift is only temporarily reduced to ash - it will still be delivered safely on the right day, but it's still funny, especially as the recipient will not know that immediately.

This service costs 97 cents and, although the service is based in America, you can buy gift tokens for Amazon.co.uk plus a couple of other UK-based outlets. It's a novel idea and has the added bonus of making the gift token a little more personal and a lot more imaginative.

As it's still early December, there may still be time for some more thorough online shopping. There are literally thousands of places to buy gifts online so I am not about start listing them. What I can do is suggest a way of shopping that allows a few charities to receive an unexpected Christmas bonus. It doesn't cost you any more than it would to buy direct and the hassle factor is miniscule.

Just go along to goodbuying.org and order your Christmas shopping through this site. It's that simple. The goods don't cost you anymore because the people behind this site have negotiated the charitable donation with the shops. I am not sure whether it's a case of some companies being more generous than others or whether some just have more margin to play with, but the amount donated differs hugely from company to company. Amazon give between 5-7.5%, Apple are down at 1.25%, Justflowers are up at 18%, Adidas donate 7% and Gap are between 4-6%. Some give a set donation, for example TalkTalk give Ł24 per purchase whilst O2 offers between Ł3.50 and Ł35 depending on the value of the transaction. These variations may or may not affect your choice of purchase; I don't necessarily think it should as they are all offering more than nothing which is a good start.

The site selects three charities each month and each benefits equally from the proceeds of the purchases. This month's chosen few are Water Aid, an international charity who aim to enable the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education; the Mines Advisory Group, who clear abandoned weapons and landmines from conflict zones and, probably the most well known of the three, the World Wildlife Fund, the world's largest independent conservation group.

Goodbuying.org is run by volunteers and not one penny is taken for administration, site hosting or labour which seems pretty good to me. This site was only launched last month and it needs our support - they haven't raised that much money as yet but I think it could catch on... and hopefully will.

Talking of charity, you will have probably seen the rather excellent television advertisements for oxfamunwrapped.com. I say excellent but I have received a few emails asking me what it's all about so maybe the idea is good but the execution could be a little more explanatory. Basically, the idea is that you go along to the site and buy a gift for someone who really needs it. You can either buy it on behalf of yourself or you can buy it as a gift for someone else. For example, instead of (or as well as) buying a pair of socks for my uncle, I can go to oxfamunwrapped.com to buy 100 school meals for children in West Africa. The cost is Ł6. I fill in the online form with a message to be printed on a card representing my gift and send that to my uncle. Everyone's happy, especially the school in West Africa.

You can spend as little or as much as you like, the gifts are accompanied by information telling you who will benefit from your present and how. It could be a loo, seeds, education, a goat, fertiliser or, if you are flash with the cash, a water well which comes in at Ł1,200.

It's an inspired idea and a great way to buy a gift that really isn't just for Christmas - as the ad says, 'give the world a loo'. Hopefully, you will be changing someone's life and, last time I checked, a pair of socks couldn't do that.

http://www.prezzle.com
http://www.goodbuying.org/
http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com/

Jacqueline Alexander presents Web Watch every Tuesday at 5.45pm on BBC Radio Berkshire on 104.1FM, 104.4FM, 95.4FM, 94.6FM and DAB Digital Radio. To listen in, just visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire.

What is Web Watch?

Web Watch is broadcast on BBC Radio Berkshire, published in the Henley and South Oxon Standard and published online right here at web-watch.info.

As a cross-media project, Web Watch is designed to help you find the best sites here on the Internet.

You can catch Web Watch on air every Tuesday at 5.45pm when Jacqueline Alexander sits down with Phil Kennedy during the Drivetime show on BBC Radio Berkshire to chew the virtual fat.