Who Else Wants to Find the Perfect Gift on eBay, Part II

I want to find the perfect gifts, and I know that you do, too!

In an earlier column I talked about finding the perfect gift for the history buff in your life. In this column I’d like to focus on selecting the perfect gift for the hobbyist on your list.

With eBay, it’s really so easy. My family – bless their hearts, they are eBay newbies – is constantly amazed that I can find just about anything at a moment’s notice. When Mom’s friend joined the Red Hat Society, there I was with cards, jewelry, craft items … you name it, all about the Red Hats. When our little West Highland Terrier pup joined the family, I had my hands on calendars, ornaments and t-shirts that would take a brick-and-mortar shopper weeks to track down. The fact is eBay has it all.

The trick to finding the perfect gift for the hobbyist is a dual-keyword approach. Let’s say that your sister loves to sew and also loves frogs. Start with a basic search for “sewing frogs” and you will likely find thimbles, patterns and fabric. You can broaden your search to include titles and descriptions and voila! you’ve got ten times the number of listings!

If your hobbyist is into antiques, then I highly recommend narrowing the search from the nearly 200,000 items on eBay that include the description “antique.” A few ideas for narrowing your search include: secondary hobbies (Asian art); collectibles (beveled mirrors); and jewelry items (sterling).

If your friend is starting a new hobby, eBay is a great place to explore supplies and instruction books. Let’s say your pal would like to make jewelry. Great! Find some beads, tools, and a how-to book that you can instantly download. Print the book, take it to Kinkos and bind it creatively, and there you have it: a craft kit ready for your friend to explore his or her new interest.

Take your time and be creative. You are sure to hear, “How in the world did you find this?!”

eBay opens an entire world of shopping for gifts, and finding the ones that are truly memorable, for a great price!