Don’t Buy These Christmas Presents

We’re getting to the pointy end of the Christmas shopping season – about 16 days from the time when some us hitting the stores and buy stuff for loved ones at the last possible moment. And that can lead to some questionable shipping decisions. Here are a few things to avoid.

Avoid presents that will cost the receiver. For example, you might give someone a six month subscription to a streaming video on demand service but then, if they like it, they’ll end with a monthly bill. While we all like the idea of a gift that keeps on giving, it’s best to avoid gifts that keep on taking.

If you’re looking for gifts for kids, I’d steer well clear of connected toys that record voices and send to a cloud service. Don’t forget the infamous CloudPets toys were recording messages spoken between kids and their toys that they were leaked to unauthorised parties. In addition, passwords and email addresses were also stolen.

The same goes with IoT devices like smart switches and the like. Unless the person you’re giving them to is across all the risks and is vigilant at keeping all the firmware and apps updated, you could be giving them more headaches than convenience.

Every Christmas, there’s some trendy new thing that hits the market and manages to score some extra coverage on the news bulletins as “the next big thing”. That’s a sure sign that it will be fun for about a week, if you’re lucky, before either being discarded or usurped by “the next, next big thing”. Remember, this month’s fidget spinner is last month’s yo-yo.

What are the other gift ideas you should avoid? What’s your shopping advice for last-minute buyers this Christmas?


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