It seems incredible that the year is more than half over already, but with summer temperatures fading fast and the kids back in school, the holidays are only a hop, skip, and jump away at this point. And that means it’s time for savvy shoppers to begin their tentative foray into the holiday shopping fray. If you’ve battled your way through the maddening crowd to get the hottest holiday finds before, you’re probably not looking forward to standing in long lines on Black Friday and fighting tooth-and-nail to snatch that coveted toy off the store shelf before someone else. So you’ll be happy to hear that online shopping helps you find everything you want for the holidays without having to deal with the hustle and bustle of real-world retail. But in order to get the best deals and find the perfect holiday gifts for everyone on your list, you need to know some basics, especially if you’re relatively new to online holiday shopping.
The first thing you might want to do is look for pre-order options. Whether you’re waiting for the hottest toys, the latest gadgets, or media that won’t be released until closer to the holidays, many websites offer pre-order options that mean you’ll get your items in time for the holidays with no muss or fuss. Amazon is a good bet since they offer both reminders and pre-order options for many items if you have an account with them.