Toy r us gift certificate

Buy it Online: Presents on the Web

Online Extra

2001 could be the breakout year for holiday shopping on the Web. According to research firm Jupiter Media Metrix, the number of people shopping online for the holidays will jump 28 percent from last year, to over 46 million-and Jupiter expects these folks to fork over a total of $11.9 billion. Will you be among the e-spenders? Here are some ideas to get you started.

BizRate.com

Chances are, if you've shopped online, you've filled out one of this site's satisfaction surveys. BizRate is also great place to start your shopping spree. Search for a product to get a list of online stores selling it, which you can then view by price, store rating (all ratings are by customers), store name, and more. If you want to make a purchase, you can usually click directly to the store of your choice. Rather browse? Pull up the list of top-rated stores and go for it. (www.bizrate.com)

CDNow

Although CDNow is mostly about music, the site also sells DVDs, high-tech toys, and electronics-as well as gifts that might appeal to some of your more eccentric pals, such as a gold-plated LP etched with John Lennon's image and the lyrics to "Imagine." To help you narrow in on the right gift, CDNow offers "scientifically formulated" gift guides for everyone from Teen-Pop Princesses to the Pac-Mac-Playin' 80s Fan. (www.cdnow.com)

eBay

Unless you've been under a large rock for a few years, you already know about this auction site. The breadth of items up for bid is truly staggering, and the treasure-hunt factor is nearly irresistible. But eBay is hard at work adding new features and options. For example, those who can't take the stress of waiting to see how their bids fare can, in many auctions, just buy the item immediately (at a higher price than the minimum bid). And currently eBay is hosting "Auction for America"-an effort to raise $100 million for the victims and families of the terrorist attacks of September 11, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to appropriate funds. Here you can buy once-in-a-lifetime gifts, such as reserved seats for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a package including a personal meeting with Britney Spears and a year's supply of Pepsi. (www.ebay.com)

EllisIsland.org

This fascinating site (reviewed in Quick Clips, October 30, 2001), lists ship records of more than 22 million immigrants, passengers, and crew members who came through the Port of New York. For the holidays, you can find "heritage gifts," including reproductions on archival paper of ships' passenger manifests, documenting the journey of an ancestor to America ($25 to $35) and images of the vessels that carried your ancestors to Ellis Island ($10 to $12.50). (www.ellisislandrecords.org)

GolfDigest.com

Get your favorite polyester-wearing club-swinger a gift certificate for a personalized golf lesson with a pro ($19.95 plus $3.95 shipping). At this site, you can build lessons on just about any aspect of the game, requesting a teacher from a list of experts. Once you've created a lesson, you can watch it for free online, then get it shipped as a videotape or DVD. (http://golfdigest.streamwriter.com/WebObjects/GolfDigest-SW.woa)

MyList.com

This site (part of YouKnowBest.com) offers a price detector that can recognize products-right now, computers and consumer electronics-on manufacturers' Web pages and provide a list of the lowest real-time prices and places to buy. If you know what you want, this is a speedy and accurate way to find the best price. You'll also be linked to consumer reviews of the product at ConsumerReview.com, ePinions, and RateItAll. (www.mylist.com)

Online Classics

A subscription here makes a fun gift for fans of the fine arts-that is, if they're connected and have a decent PC sound system. The site offers over 300 hours of full-length performances of opera, orchestral music, chamber music, dance, plays, and musical films featuring world-famous performers, from such venues as Vienna State Opera, the Royal National Theatre, and the Salzburg Festival. New material is added weekly. Just find and click on what you want to watch and hear, sit back, and your choice is streamed to you via Windows Media Player. Subscriptions start at $72 a year. (www.onlineclassics.com)

PlanetSanta.com

OK, we sneaked this site in. For those who have ever experienced the need to dress up like Santa-or Mrs. Claus, or a Perky Pixie-this is your site. The costumes range from $50 to $290; you can also find beard whitener, fake bushy eyebrows, and plush red toy bags. A little ho-ho-hokey, but fun! (www.planetsanta.com)

Surprise.com

Do you ever have trouble deciding on the right gifts for your loved ones? This site wants to take all the guesswork out of buying presents. You'll find a list of 284 very specific people types (Dating Again, and Divorcing, and Loves Their Pet are a few). Each category links to lots of gift ideas in a wide variety of price ranges (indicated by the number of dollar signs next to the gift icon). Select a gift and you're then linked to numerous online stores where you can purchase it. For example, if you know someone who Wants a Little Peace and Quiet, the site suggests noise-canceling headphones, an indoor fountain, or a trip to a day spa, among other ideas. (www.surprise.com)

Toys "R" Us

Now part of Amazon.com, this online toy store offers a dizzying array of toys, along with lots of ways to search for the ones you want-by age, category, brand. Also, see what the hot toys of this season are-from Lord of the Rings action figures to the GameCube and the Microsoft Xbox gaming consoles. And this year, the site offers the opportunity to purchase a toy for a disadvantaged child, through Toys for Tots' Wish List. Don't miss Babies "R" Us, complete with Baby Registry and infant-gift ideas, and Imaginarium, which offers learning toys and a resource center for parents. (www.toysrus.com)