The Most Versatile Gift Cards for Hard-To-Buy-For Friends and Shopping Fanatics

Everyone has a person on their holiday gift list who is hard to buy for. Often, a gift card can be a great option for such a person because she is best equipped to find that needle-in-a-haystack she doesn't already have. Or maybe you have a friend or relative who just loves to browse, window shop, and linger over the purchasing experience before making a final decision. She'd love a gift card, too, wouldn't she? In either case, make this person's options greater by choosing a gift card for a store with a large range of items. There are several online stores that offer an amazing array of merchandise and gift cards of varying denominations. Somewhere in there, your tough-to-buy-for friend or that shopping fiend relative will find just the right gift. (Of course, some people might be offended if you give them a card to a "general" kind of store. They'll think you didn't take time to consider their interests or tastes, so, be careful...)

Ebay.com. If you have a friend or relative who likes to browse a lot, or bargain shop, a gift certificate from Ebay.com is the gift that gives twice. Not only will the person probably find exactly the item he's looking for, but he'll be able to browse for hours and hours as he narrows down his choices. I'm serious. Someone gave me an eBay gift card last year, and I probably spent six hours trying to pick out what I wanted. It was great. The choices are almost limitless, the shipping is usually pretty reasonable, and the fun of flitting around cyberspace's most impressive sales spot is, again, a present in itself. And don't think of eBay as a place people come to dump their junk; you can find tons of new, unopened stuff online there.

Amazon.com. If eBay has it all, Amazon has a whole heck of a lot. High end appliances, best selling books, DVDs, even clothes. Amazon definitely provides people with all kinds of options. If you're buying a gift card for a person who isn't interested in bargains, this is a good site to make your purchase. Amazon has some discounts and shipping deals, especially around the holidays, but it's not exactly a bargainers paradise. And that's fine. It still offers tons and tons of choices, reasonable prices for the most part and a very reliable and quick delivery system. Anyone can find something they like at Amazon.com.

Overstock.com. Buying a gift certificate to Overstock.com will also let you give the gift of browsing to your friend or relative. And the bargains abound. Overstock has all sorts of merchandise - high end clothes and jewelry, appliances, books, DVD. You can spend hours looking around (trust me.). And you can find some good deals. But while there is a lot of variety, you won't always find the exact thing you want: you're kind of at the mercy of what's been "overstocked" somewhere. I wouldn't buy toys on this site, and kids clothes are also not that impressive. But some household appliances, purses, and definitely books and DVDs and cads, are available in great variety. Standard shipping isn't all that quick, but it's super cheap.

GiftCertificate.com. It may seem a little strange to give a gift card to someone so they can buy another gift card, but that's the way this system works. You buy a "super gift certificate" on the site then give it to the recipient. He can then browse around hundreds of stores affiliated with the site and order up the specific gift card he wants. Cards can be purchased for stores like The Gap, Macy's, JC Penney, hotel chains, rental car chains, restaurants, even Blockbuster video.

If you are one of the millions of people who would like to give a friend or relative a gift card this holiday season, don't forget that variety is the spice of life and a card that offers them a variety of choices makes the shopping experience itself part of the overall present.