Top Ten Places to Shop for Interesting and Unusual Gifts Online

www.ebay.com

I think most everyone knows about Ebay these days, but not everyone knows how to find the weirdest, nastiest, or slightly odd gifts there. From the categories section on the home page click on "Everything Else." Once the page loads scroll down and you'll find a section called "Weird Stuff" which sub-categorizes into "Slightly Unusual," "Really Weird" and "Totally Bizarre." From these areas of Ebay you can find useful items such as a "genuine" Tesla focuser shield, syringe pens, a ghost faced potato chip, "I love you" shaped dog poo, or a NOT for sale sign. Please bear in mind, however, that many of these items are not viewer friendly for children.

Shiny Shack

www.shinyshack.com

A wonderful thought behind Shiny Shack is that all orders placed before 3 pm are dispatched the same day. So, in just a very short amount of time that crime scene scarf or wallet toothpicks you ordered will be waiting in your mailbox. Not only does Shiny Shack offer exquisitely odd items for sale, but they also offer truly useful and not-so-weird items (with a twist). A small emergency phone and ipod charger or a stainless steel London underground pocket map that fits in your wallet are essentials no person should be without. Their gift ideas range from romantic, birthday, gadget, for the home to puzzles and games and kids toys. They have a wide selection to choose from in each category, and definitely worth looking through.

Very Clever Gifts

www.veryclevergifts.com

This site isn't as kooky gadget oriented as so many other sites. The gifts they offer are truly unique and hard to match. For example, the first page offers up for sale a 1 square inch piece of real estate in any state in America. For truly determined people, they can purchase an inch in all fifty states. Other offers include individualized postage stamps, hot air balloon rides, and one share of stock in Coca-Cola Company.

Etsy

www.etsy.com

Almost everything on Etsy could be referred to as remarkable. All of their items are handmade and most are sold by the artists themselves. A wide range of gifts range from art to music to geekery. It is amazing to see how creative and inventive people can get, and the best thing about Etsy is that many of their items are unique or one-of-a-kind.

Find Gift.com

www.findgift.com

This site offers so many choices it's mind blowing. They had the good frame of mind to offer a gift wizard to help you locate the kind of gift you're looking for which is really quite helpful. They offer food items, organic items, hard to buy for and the truly wacky. If you're looking for a great gift for a co-worker, for example, the Sarcastic Ball is a great idea. It works like a Magic Eight Ball, only abusive. Mother's Day is an easy fix with a Breakfast in Bed Gift Basket loaded with gourmet foods. Or, if your Aunt Beatrice is really into her cat, a Pet's Eye View Camera would do the trick. It's a camera that goes onto the pet's collar that takes pictures of what the animal sees. Yes, this is a wonderful place for one-stop-shopping.

Cafe Press

www.cafepress.com

This original online store offers many different options for t-shirts, coffee mugs, wall calendars, and the like. If you can't find what you're looking for, the wonderful thing about Cafe Press is that it gives you the option to design something yourself. If you're looking for a t-shirt with a specific slogan on it and can't find it, make an image yourself and upload it. They will, in turn, send you a high quality t-shirt with your image printed on it. All of their work is high quality, and costs roughly the same as found in retail stores.

Think Geek

www.thinkgeek.com

This site is designed for the geek in your life as the name suggests. Every form of geekdom can find its filling at this site. Caffeinated soap, a survival kit in a sardine can, R2 Fish Training School Kit (teach your fish tricks), and a USB Memory Watch are just some of the incredibly interesting products you can find here. The writers at Think Geek have wonderful personalities, and reading item descriptions are as interesting as any best selling novel. If you are a geek or know a geek, you should most certainly visit this site for gift ideas.

Hammacher Schlemmer

www.hammacher.com

The homepage of this site declares "offering the best, the only and the unexpected for 160 years." I have to say that I agree. The products offered for sale here are high end, top notch new or unusual inventions. Items like the Peaceful Progression Wake-Up Clock and the Upside Down Tomato Garden make this site exceptional. The items here are not cheap in any way. They are well designed, but their price tags are bit over the top as well. However, if you are looking for a place to find cutting edge technology or new and innovative products, this is the place to shop.

Uncommon Goods

www.uncommongoods.com

Uncommon Goods boasts that "shopping with us is a true exploration of the different." Looking through their items, I believe them. They offer exceptionally well made products that aren't too expensive, yet are environmentally friendly. They have also implemented a program where customers can contribute to a charity each time they shop. This store seems to focus on the individual and not the masses by offering every day products that really stand out. Examples of products are a recycled plastic bottle messenger bag in brilliant colors, Balancing Time Clock made of copper, brass and sterling silver, or Cardinal Silhouette Earrings made of rubber and sterling silver.

Oxfam America Unwrapped

www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com

In keeping with stores that do good, Oxfan America Unwrapped stands alone. Through them you can purchase items such as a sheep, mosquito nets, a cow, a can of worms, and an emergency toilet. The catch is that you don't receive the items you purchase. Your purchase, instead, goes towards a program in place to help people in poverty located in one of 120 countries. An e-card is sent to the person the gift's name is in (like your mother if its a gift for Mother's Day) which tells them how they are helping this cause. The item is then donated to the place that most needs it at the time it was bought. Prices vary but are quite affordable considering what it is. A cow, for example, costs $75. A water truck costs $1,500, and a new home on stilts for a family is $10,000. Prices range from $18 minimum to $10,000 maximum.