Secret Santa gift exchange! discussion
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2018 Gift Exchange
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Random Chitchat
I was able to send a gift card to a person in the UK last year. I just had to go to that site.Lisazj1 wrote: "You know, I tried that last year. I went to the Amazon I wanted to purchase from (France) and they wouldn't let me. I was told since I was a US resident and had a US account, I had to buy from there. Maybe they changed it? That would be awesome. Not quite the same as picking actual books out for somebody but I'd take it!
"
I've never had any trouble buying gift cards from other stores (I bought them from the US, UK, Spain and France stores) and just a few minutes ago, I got one from Jolly Elf in a Palmtree through amazon.de.Of course I don't know where Jolly Elf is from, but I could use the gift card without any problems.
Josy wrote: "I've never had any trouble buying gift cards from other stores (I bought them from the US, UK, Spain and France stores) and just a few minutes ago, I got one from Jolly Elf in a Palmtree through am..."I'll have to try it again...sometime or other *whistles*
Beaten Track Publishing offers gift certs also, so you can buy the gift of an ebook for someone not in the US. Their link: https://www.beatentrackpublishing.com...They're a smallish press, but offer LGBTQ content and a variety of other books, including crime/thrillers and non-fiction.
I went to look because someone gifted Josy a book I knew had been published by them, so I thought I'd check if they had that option also.
And now I see that was by gift card. Anyway... check them out.
Josy wrote: "I've never had any trouble buying gift cards from other stores (I bought them from the US, UK, Spain and France stores) and just a few minutes ago, I got one from Jolly Elf in a Palmtree through am..."I concur with this - as long as you're on that country's store site (like Amazon.de for Josy, or Amazon.fr for someone in France, or Amazon.uk ... well, you get the point), you can log in with your US account info and purchase a gift card for someone from that country.
Josy, do you know if you could buy a giftcard on the Amazon. uk site for someone in the UK, from in Germany? Because if so, that will make international gifting a whole lot easier for a whole lotta folks.
Oh! That's good to know, Sandra! I have read quite a few books from them and loved them :) Thanks for the info!
Yes, Sandra. I went to the US store, the UK store, the Spanish store and the French store while being in Germany, logged in there with my German store account info and bought gift cards there. The French and Spanish store are a bit of a hassle because there's no option (at least it hadn't been then) to change the language to English but it's manageable with the Google translator, lol!
Josy wrote: "Yes, Sandra. I went to the US store, the UK store, the Spanish store and the French store while being in Germany, logged in there with my German store account info and bought gift cards there. The ..."Good to know that it works in reverse also.
LOL on the translate - I hadn't thought of that.
Kacey wrote: "Just out of curiosity... do secret Santa’s typically call themselves “secret Santa” or would they still use their elf name?I’ve gotten quite a few books from random generous elves but none of them..."
I call myself Secret Santa only with my official match, with any other giftees I use the title of ______ Elf to hopefully differentiate myself from a real Santa.
I’ve just logged on to amazon uk and see there is the option to give a kindle book as a gift. This was not there the other week. It’s only available for those in the UK to gift each other but this is a big plus! Has anyone else seen it yet or tried it in the Uk?
Josy wrote: "Yes, Sandra. I went to the US store, the UK store, the Spanish store and the French store while being in Germany, logged in there with my German store account info and bought gift cards there. The ..."I confirm what Josy says : impossible to gift an ebook on Amazon, but a gift card can be bought BUT it had to be on the site of the giftee. I did buy gift card on the German and Spanish site.
AllRomance is greatly missed for international gifting and since its shutdown, I can only use Smashwords to do so. Their catalog is far away as broad as Amazon, but at least, it's manageable.
I have to admit I got lucky this year : I could find what I wanted to gift but only because I selected books right from the beginning of the exchange when the wishlists were full (I marked the books as purchased right away when they were on Smashwords and made a "shopping list" - took me a whole afternoon !!) and it's only for a few friends that I had to go through their TBR instead to find books that were on Smashwords.
So it requires quite some organization and preparation. But yes, that would make it so much easier if only Amazon could allow international gifting **sigh** Maybe one day...a girl can hope :-)
Sarah wrote: "Kacey wrote: "Just out of curiosity... do secret Santa’s typically call themselves “secret Santa” or would they still use their elf name?I’ve gotten quite a few books from random generous elves bu..."
I've been doing that too. This is my first year so I wasn't sure what people normally do!
As an Indonesian, I have an account on Amazon US, with my Indonesian address and my Indonesian credit card, and I can confirm that I buy Amazon Gift Card using my Indonesian credit card to be given to my giftee at the US. So it can be done :)
Personally, I use "SECRET SANTA" for the one that I am assigned to but use different elves names for other people I gifted. BUT, I've been informed that MY Secret Santa uses elf name when he/she visited me instead of using Secret Santa as a name
Ami wrote: "As an Indonesian, I have an account on Amazon US, with my Indonesian address and my Indonesian credit card, and I can confirm that I buy Amazon Gift Card using my Indonesian credit card to be given..."As an Australian I did the same, Ami. An Australian Amazon store has opened since I joined US Amazon, but I just never switched over due to the limited selection compared to the US.
I just couldn't wait to start working with one of my presents. I promised to post pictures next year, but I already finished one. Thank you again to my secret Santa for getting me the pattern book <3
Ami wrote: "Personally, I use "SECRET SANTA" for the one that I am assigned to but use different elves names for other people I gifted. BUT, I've been informed that MY Secret Santa uses elf name when he/she vi..."I don’t think I’ve been visited by my secret Santa yet. Most of the lovely elves that have gifted to me have let me know they’re not my secret Santa.
Isaiah wrote: "I just couldn't wait to start working with one of my presents. I promised to post pictures next year, but I already finished one. Thank you again to my secret Santa for getting me the pattern boo..."
CONGRATS, Isaiah !!!!!
Isaiah wrote: "I just couldn't wait to start working with one of my presents. I promised to post pictures next year, but I already finished one. Thank you again to my secret Santa for getting me the pattern boo..."
YAY!! Thanks for sharing, Isaiah :) Great work!
I use secret Santa for my assigned giftee but a different elf name for random gifts. I haven’t received a gift from my SS but I have received a gift from A Friendly Elf.....well that is unless A Friendly Elf is my SS but I don’t think they are.
Isaiah wrote: "I just couldn't wait to start working with one of my presents. I promised to post pictures next year, but I already finished one. Thank you again to my secret Santa for getting me the pattern boo..."
Let's hope RBG keeps on kicking for a long, long time!
I'm starting to feel bad here. My giftee is international and can only read physical books. I ordered a book a few days after we were matched, got a shipping confirmation and just found out they haven't received it yet. :( I just emailed Book Depository. I've never used them before but hopefully they get back to me on it with a track # or something.
Debra wrote: "I'm starting to feel bad here. My giftee is international and can only read physical books. I ordered a book a few days after we were matched, got a shipping confirmation and just found out they ha..."Damned, Debra : don't feel bad. Shipping can sometimes take a long time. Josy can confirm : a one-month frame is usually the time from Europe to the American continent. I have no idea where you and your giftee are located, but patience is necessary. Of course, having a track # would surely help to confirm that at least, it's on the way !!
Cheers to you, Debra !
Christelle wrote: "Debra wrote: "I'm starting to feel bad here. My giftee is international and can only read physical books. I ordered a book a few days after we were matched, got a shipping confirmation and just fou..."Thanks Christelle. I don't do much international shipping so that's good to know. And yes, a tracking number would help so I'm keeping my fingers crossed they have one. :)
Yes, when I send parcels across the ocean or when I'm waiting for something to arrive, I'm always on pins and needles because it often can take a few weeks. I hope Book Depository can sort this out for you and confirm that the books are on their way!! ~fingers crossed~
Mod
Thank you again to my secret Santa for getting me the pattern boo..."
You got some great stuff this year! <3
Heather K (dentist in my spare time) wrote: "Isaiah wrote: "I just couldn't wait to start working with one of my presents. I promised to post pictures next year, but I already finished one. Thank you again to my secret Santa for getting me ..."
This group always gives me such wonderful things. I am so thankful and lucky <3 Best holiday tradition I have ever been a part of. No hurt feelings or anyone left out. Lots of love and books. I couldn't imagine anything better.
If we all contacted amazon asking for international ebook gifting maybe they would take it seriously? There is a lot of us 😆It’s so frustrating! There’s quite a few people internationally I wanted to gift to and it’s just not the same giving a gift card vs an actual book :(
The giftee would be appreciative either way but it’s not nearly as much fun!
Josy wrote: "Yes, when I send parcels across the ocean or when I'm waiting for something to arrive, I'm always on pins and needles because it often can take a few weeks. I hope Book Depository can sort this ou..."
Thanks Josy. BD responded and said it was sent and should have gotten there, my giftee hasn't gotten it yet. I don't like that there is apparently no way to track sent orders on Book Depository. :(
Mod
Thank..."
Best holiday tradition!? Wow- what an honor! :)
I feel the same way, and I hope everyone else gets as much enjoyment out of it as I do! <3
Debra wrote: "I'm starting to feel bad here. My giftee is international and can only read physical books. I ordered a book a few days after we were matched, got a shipping confirmation and just found out they ha..."The books I sent (a while ago) are also still in transit, too. It makes me sad and a little nervous. I want them to get there!
Kacey wrote: "If we all contacted amazon asking for international ebook gifting maybe they would take it seriously? There is a lot of us 😆It’s so frustrating! There’s quite a few people internationally I wante..."
Don't get me wrong, I love gift cards and think they are a great idea and am always happy to accept them. :) But then I have to decide what to buy and sometimes that's so hard! So many good books to pick from. :D
Lyra wrote: "Debra wrote: "I'm starting to feel bad here. My giftee is international and can only read physical books. I ordered a book a few days after we were matched, got a shipping confirmation and just fou..."This is the first year I've sent a physical book. At least with e-books it feels like you have a little more control over it. Fingers crossed for you too Lyra. :)
Heather, thank you so much for once again organizing this exchange. <3There has been lots of discussion about buddy reads/group reads for books that have been gifted to multiple people. What do you think about creating a buddy read thread specifically for this exchange group?
Heather K (dentist in my spare time) wrote: "Isaiah wrote: "Heather K (dentist in my spare time) wrote: "Isaiah wrote: "I just couldn't wait to start working with one of my presents. I promised to post pictures next year, but I already finish...Best holiday tradition!? Wow- what an honor! :)
I feel the same way, and I hope everyone else gets as much enjoyment out of it as I do! <3 "
I feel the same way, exactly! This is my favorite holiday tradition as well. :)
Thank you Heather, this is a highlight of my Holiday Season as well... and I've gotta say, this has been the best exchange yet!Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Happy Everything :) xoxoxo
Trio wrote: "Thank you Heather, this is a highlight of my Holiday Season as well... and I've gotta say, this has been the best exchange yet!Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Happy Everything :) xoxoxo"
I agree thanks Heather this was a good one this year.
Mod
I'm so happy you all had such a good time :)
Th Elfcapades are one of the BEST parts of Christmas for me. Thank you to Heather for organizing this each year (this was my 6th year participating), and thank you to all the fabulous, uber-generous elves who showed up to spread joy and merriment.Happy Holidays to all of you!!
Adding my thanks as well. The first year or two I participated were financially tough and I found hope with how generous people were. I’m in a much better place financially and love being able to gift without worrying about every penny spent. I’m definitely a fan for life!
@Debra ... I live in Indonesia and I've bought books from BD before. I need 4-6 weeks before the books arrived. I've also received presents from US before and it took roughly 4 weeks. So it depends on which country you're sending it too. Maybe outside of US or Europe, 4 weeks is the magic number?
Thank you again, Heather, for another amazing time. I've been here since the very beginning, and despite my not celebrating Christmas or any other holiday in December (I'm a Muslim), this time of year is always one that I'm waiting for. It's such a great joy to gift people and see how other people are gifting too. So much positivity -- and that's always wonderful to feel.
Mod
<3 <3 <3
Thank you, Heather, this is definitely one of the events I look forward to every year. Many friends have been made in this group so that's an even better bonus.Thank you for putting in the time. I know it looks easy to put together but I'll bet you spend way more time on this event than you'd want to admit.
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Thank you for putting in the time. ..."
My pleasure :)
This is the only place I get to give presents (my family doesn't believe in them because they're inconvenient to have to buy, expensive, and possibly unwanted), so I love getting to spoil a special someone (plus a few bonus people) every year. And since I don't spend anything on physical presents I have plenty to splash on my book-loving friends in this group.
Ami wrote: "@Debra ... I live in Indonesia and I've bought books from BD before. I need 4-6 weeks before the books arrived. I've also received presents from US before and it took roughly 4 weeks. So it depends..."Thanks Ami! BD says it should have been there by now, but this is my first experience gifting internationally. It's just about 4 weeks now so maybe there's still hope or they will send another. It was going UK (I believe) to India.
@ DebraTo hopefully ease your mind, I have bought from BD before. Not directly from them but through Amazon. (I believe they are a branch of Amazon) and I've never had any trouble. Once, my delivery was lost along the way and they sent a replacement immediately. ~still keeping my fingers crossed~ :)
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Secret Santa gift exchange!
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Amazon allows you to buy gift cards internationally, but you have to know which "store" to ..."
You know, I tried that last year. I went to the Amazon I wanted to purchase from (France) and they wouldn't let me. I was told since I was a US resident and had a US account, I had to buy from there. Maybe they changed it? That would be awesome. Not quite the same as picking actual books out for somebody but I'd take it!