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I have a confession to make. I’ve not even started on my Christmas shopping — the recent shopping spree was totally #TreatMyself (oops), so I’m hoping to take advantage of upcoming holiday deals and the Black Friday sales to actually get my friends and family some thoughtful gifts.
With the launch of Amazon.sg on 8 October, I have another avenue to search for presents. At the same time, Amazon Prime Singapore revamped its membership (for the better), which we reviewed in a previous post.
I’m excited because Amazon.sg also has a special Christmas store, and a top 100 toys list for kids and kids-at-heart aged 1 to 92. Gift guides on massive shopping sites always make me happy, because I’d otherwise be spending my entire work day (sorry, boss!) trawling the site just to look for one perfect present.
But the icing on the cake (at least for me) is the free shipping this holiday season. All customers can enjoy free 2 to 3 days local delivery with no minimum spend on eligible orders for a limited time period. Other ongoing perks include $10 off $40 for first-time Amazon.sg shoppers till 31 Dec 2019, and a free 30-day trial membership with Amazon Prime.
Speaking of Amazon Prime — it costs just $2.99 per month, by the way — members continue to enjoy free 2-hour delivery with Prime Now and free one-day delivery with Amazon.sg. Amazon Prime members also enjoy free international shipping for eligible orders over S$60.
Ready to shop? Here are 10 of the items on my Amazon.sg to-gift list that are not only budget-friendly but also thoughtful and practical (prices accurate as of 26 Nov 2019):
Rocketbook One Smart Notebook
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Everyone, from gramps to your office desk mate, will appreciate this practical gift with a tinge of tech. I like how this feels traditional, yet belongs to the cyber age. Use this like a regular notebook, with your favourite pen, but the magic starts when you download the Rocketbook app onto your smartphone — you’ll be able to literally blast (hence the name Rocketbook) your notes onto the cloud. So you’ll have the original hard copy, and a soft copy on the Internet that you can share digitally. |
Price: $12.28
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
Vintage & Co. Braids & Blooms Inflight Essentials
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For your jetsetting friend, for a random gift exchange, for Secret Santa, even for yourself. This gender-neutral set comes with useful items to help one while the time away on the plane (don’t worry, I checked, everything is safely below 100ml). What’s inside: Calming lavender-infused pulse point gel, moisturising hand sanitiser and shea butter, vitamin E enriched hand cream, ear plugs and a deck of playing cards. Items are paraben and sulphate-free. |
Price: $24.34
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
More Plants Less Waste: Plant-based Recipes + Zero Waste Life Hacks with Purpose
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Know an eco-warrior, or aspiring to influence your friends to fight #ClimateChange together? Even if you’re none of the above, you might have watched The Game Changers film (which is trending now) and want to attempt a plant-based diet. In any case, reducing waste not only helps the environment but saves you a pretty penny too. A socially conscious gift that might even impress or change the minds of others. Book includes a 21-day zero-waste challenge and 80 tasty, healthy recipes that can help you save money too. So anyone want to be my Secret Santa…? |
Price: $35.21
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
TP-Link HS110 Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring
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Anyone who pays their own electricity bills will know that leaving the light on the whole day, or forgetting to turn off the aircon before you go overseas can really be a pain in the… pocket. Let’s also do our part to lower our energy consumption and reduce emissions (check out Singapore’s Climate Action Plan). And save money while at it too. With this plug, you can control your devices remotely, via an app. Schedule your coffee machine to turn on in the mornings while you’re still in your cosy bed, or even turn your lights on and off when on vacation to confuse your neighbours (and deter thieves). You can also track your energy consumption (is that Meow messing with the lights again?!). |
Price: $32
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
To Be Calm Gift Box – Mini Soy Candle in Shophouses Packaging
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For your overseas friends, or anyone who wants to support a good cause. This nice-smelling gift features Singapore’s iconic shophouses and a pure soy candle with a natural cotton wick. The packaging is designed by social enterprise The Art Faculty, which showcases the special talents of local artists with autism and related challenges. |
Price: $15.11
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
Sip: 100 gin cocktails with only three ingredients by Sipsmith
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I must confess that I’m only beginning to appreciate gin, but I know a number of people who are crazy about this botanical tipple. Nevertheless, it makes an awesome gift for anyone with a penchant for mixology or spirits in general. One gin, three ingredients or less, and ta-da, cocktail! The book’s also great for beginners as it takes you through the essentials to build your home bar, including the tools needed and the basic mixers and ingredients to have. Cocktail recipes include: Watermelon Martini, Gin Basil Smash, Earl Grey Sour and Gin Espresso Martini. Pro-tip: Give this to someone who already has a home bar and there might be free-flow gin cocktails the whole night! |
Price: $28.15
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
Escape Room The Game: 2 Player Edition
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Buy this 2-player game for your favourite couple, because how often can they have friends over to play Avalon or Monopoly? Also, going to an actual Escape Room as a duet is really not as thrilling as going in a big group and competing against one another (and probably costs more money over time). Besides, this board game promises to build bonds as you’ll have to work together as a team to solve puzzles and discover hidden clues. You only have 60 minutes to “escape”, and that’s not a long time because the games can be challenging. |
Price: $20.63
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag with Zip Closure
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If you often meal prep but your commute to work is close to an hour in a stuffy, humid, crowded MRT train, chances are, you’ll be worried if your lunch will self-heat and spoil even before it reaches the office fridge or microwave. For this purpose, I often keep a few ice packs on hand, but they tend to shift around in the bag. So this foldable lunch bag with in-built ice packs is probably the perfect solution for our humid weather as it keeps food cold for hours. Has a buckle handle that clips onto tote bags, backpacks and even strollers. |
Price: $27.44
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
FTF Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
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A great way to tell your friends that you “mist” them this Christmas. Okay, I kid. But this cutie can practically be used anywhere — the bedroom, your office desk, in a car even. It connects via USB, has an auto shut-off function and also serves as a night light. Needs 300ml of water and can go on for 10 hours. Comes in white too. |
Price: $14.99
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
Collapsible Food Safe Silicone Coffee Dripper Filter Cone
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For your coffee-loving friends who love the great outdoors but need their java fix on the go, even when on a hiking trip. Also good for a small kitchen because it barely takes up space in the drawer. When fully collapsed, it is a flat 1.5cm (diameter 11cm) and can withstand temperatures of -40 to 230degC. Also BPA-free, food-grade safe and easy to clean. For best results, use with a paper cone filter (size 2). |
Price: $10.51
Buy it now on Amazon.sg
Bank promotions on Amazon.sg this holiday season
Amazon Singapore has partnered with DBS, UOB, Mastercard and Visa to offer customers credit and debit card promotions for shopping on Amazon.sg this festive season.
| Bank | Card network | Promotion period | Gift card offer |
| DBS (includes POSB) | Mastercard | 22 Nov – 27 Nov 2019 | Spend $60 or more, get a $10 Amazon.sg Gift Card* |
| DBS (includes POSB) | Mastercard | 28 Nov – 29 Nov 2019 | Spend $70 or more, get a $15 Amazon.sg Gift Card* |
| UOB | Mastercard | 30 Nov – 7 Dec 2019 | Spend $60 or more, get a $15 Amazon.sg Gift Card* |
| All Banks | Visa | 15 Dec – 24 Dec 2019 | Spend $50 or more, get a $10 Amazon.sg Gift Card* |
*Customers that shop the eligible spend with the abovementioned credit / debit cards during the specified promotion periods will receive the gift card value as a credit to their Amazon.sg Gift Card balance within 60 days after the promotion ends. Each offer is valid for one-time redemption per customer. The bank promotions are stackable with other promo code offers. Offer is only valid for Singapore-issued credit / debit cards. Full terms and conditions here.
Wait, there’s more! Fantastic deals for Black Friday 2019
There’s no need to hold back till 29 Nov, because Amazon.sg has already activated its Black Friday deals page. Hop over for a sneak peek — I’m seeing discounts up to 64% off right now, but the average is about 20% off currently. From 28 to 29 Nov, Amazon.sg will run its Black Friday sale, with deals on laptops, headphones, electronics, toys, board games and books. There’ll also be Deal of the Day, lightning deal flash sales and super sales with up to 70% off.
Plus, we heard Amazon.sg will have Cyber Monday deals as well that will run through the weekend till 2 Dec. To sweeten the deal there’s free standard delivery with no minimum spend for all Amazon.sg customers this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Here’s a taste of what to expect:
- Save up to 50% off beauty and personal care products across brands such as Phyto, Neogen Lab, Rimmel, and more
- Save 25% on Nintendo Switch Lite – Grey
- Save 44% on Pokémon Shield and Pokémon Sword
- Save up to 49% off Anker Audio Products, Portable Chargers
- Save up to 20% on Bose
- Save up to 50% on Hasbro Gaming, Nerf, Play-Doh, and more
- Save up to 40% off Nespresso Inissia
- Save up to 45% off Tefal Frying Pans and Cookware
- Save up to 33% off KitchenAid
With a wide range of products (practically millions) on Amazon.sg, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for those important to you. No need to elbow your way through the crowd at shopping malls, only to find nothing that piques your gift-giving fancy, be it on the shelves or in the bargain bin. Find the perfect gifts on the Amazon.sg Christmas store now.
Have you done your Christmas shopping? Where do you usually pick up your gifts? Let us know in the comments below!
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