Christmas is around the corner. Many people are done with their gift buying. But many more people are waiting for the last moment to buy their gifts. Are you one of those people? There can be various reasons for this:

1) You forgot
2) You were just really really lazy
3) No time
4) You haven't figured out what you should get
5) You like the elevated panic, tension, anxiety and increased andrenaline feeling of trying to buy in the last moment

Whatever the reasons are, this guide is here to help. This guide will not help you choose what to buy (I can't make your life that easy) but rather help you receive the gifts on time.

This guide was written around the holidays, though its good for any occasion- Have you forgotten to get someone's birthday present in the last moment? Forgot about the Anniversary? (Ouch) You need to get the items to you PRONTO!

First things first, just because you are in a hurry to get your gifts, it does not mean you should skip regular percautions such as checking feedback and reading the auction description. Always do these things, no matter how good a deal seems and how desperate you are. I've written 2 guides about these subjects, Feedback guide and Auction Description guide.

Shipping can be extremely slow around this time of year. If you go to the post office you will see why- hordes and hordes of people shipping packages like there is no tomorrow.  Remember once you buy the item usually the seller does not ship it immediately- he may ship it later that day or one or two days after. I would say that your "Safe Zone" of buying items and having them get to you before Christmas is 14 days. If its 14 days or more you will most likely get the item even if it is shipped 1st class. If its between 8-14 days, you should choose priority shipping and you will probably be safe. Priority usually takes 2-3 days, and in the holiday season it might take at least double in time.

Is it less than 8 days till Christmas? Uh oh, now are in trouble. frst class mail and priority maill will most likely miss the deadline. But dont panic! You have several options:

• If you still want to risk priority mail, make sure you inform the seller it is a Christmas gift and ask him if he couls ship the item out immediately after receiving payment.
• Look for auctions that offer express mail. Ebay now also has a "get it fast" program allowing sellers to let buyers know they offer expedited shipping. When doing a search for an item, check the "Get it fast" checkbox.
• Even if the item does not have express mail listed as a shipping option, send a message to the sellers explaining the situation and asking them if they would agree to send it express and how much it would cost.
• Search for local items. The search feature allows you to search for items listed within a few miles of your zipcode. An item shipped from the same area is much more likey to arrive fast. Also there is a possibility of local pickup. Make sure you message the sellers before buying the item asking them if they would agree that you pick up locally. Some sellers do not want local pickups, so just because a seller lives nearby does not mean that you will be able to pick it up. So make sure to always message them before buying. Also, picking up locally might save you some money on shipping.
• Lastly, if you are truely desparate and feel the impeding doom of knowing for sure you will not get the items on time, you can always purchase electronic gift cards that can be emailed immediately, such as ebay or Amazon gift cards.

Good luck, and Don't Panic!