Shopping for Dummies 101: Buying on RedEnvelope
Written: Jan 23 '02
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The name RedEnvelope was familiar to me way before I ever happened upon their site or looked at their catalogue. My mother had been talking about the catalog and their products for years. I can't remember when exactly it was that I first visited RedEnvelope.com. It was several years ago. I have been a repeat customer over the years and I have always been a happy client.
There are three reasons, in my opinion, that RedEnvelope is such a great site:
1. Diversity The site offers a wide array of products. When you visit the site, you have the ability to view the products in many different fashions. If you are looking for a gift for your Mom, you can search "for her" or "for Mom." If you are buying for a birthday, you can search by birthday. They divide up their products by occasion, recipient, lifestyle and shops. For bargain shoppers, there is a sale shop.
I will say that the one thing that isn't diverse is the price -- everything is a bit on the pricey side, but well-worth it for the quality, as I will discuss later on.
2. Suggestions The section titled by recipient is one of the reasons I love RedEnvelope and think it is such a unique site. There are times you just have *no idea* what you want to get someone. The people at RedEnvelope have put together a list of products based on who they think each product is appropriate for. This is helpful when you are stumped, or have to give a gift to someone you don't know very well!
3. Quality The quality of each and every product I have ordered has been *superb*. Off the top of my head, here is a list of some of the items I have purchased in the past from the site: a silver trinket box; a wooden jewelry box w with monogram; a wine stopper with monogram; a pineapple plant; a thermometer, a set of matching earrings and necklace; a monogrammed swiss army knife; candles and more.
I have yet to be disappointed with a product from RedEnvelope. I remember being a little wary when I ordered the pineapple plant. It was to be a Christmas gift (Xmas 2000) for my husband. I was having it shipped to my work (since it was large and he would see it if it went home). It came in two days, packaged so carefully that I couldn't even come close to re-wrapping it as well for Christmas morning!
As I mentioned earlier, the prices are *a little* steep on the site. Good sale purchases can be made if you frequent the site and know where to look. And even without the sale price, even if the expense is a bit more than you would pay at a discount store, the quality reflects the cost and you won't be disappointed.
Is the infamous red box worth it?
RedEnvelope brands itself with a red box used for gift giving. Only, you have to opt to add the red box onto the gift. It costs $4.95. Now $5 seems like a whole heck of a lot for packaging, so I had never bought it before until I got curious one day. I remember the item I purchased -- a small silver trinket box that cost $30. It was going to be a gift, so I decided to add on the box.
When it came, of course I thought it was a beautiful wrap job. But it's really not worth it. I remember watching the person I gave the gift to, open the box up and then put it in the trash! What a waste! You can wrap it yourself and save money.
Shipping
Standard shipping options are given to you as you are in the check-out process. For the cost of your first-born, you can get overnight shipping for most items. Standard shipping comes in a standard amount of time -- and sometimes, in my experience, early.
I'm a sucker
And of course, while I was writing this epinion, I went to take a final look at the RedEnvelope website and I ended up buying something...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
whitty
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 142
Trusted by: 126 members
About Me:
is d'eirinn me
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