There is one problem every early bird will face by choosing to do Holiday shopping now- What if my friend/family member eventually buys what I just bought them before the Holidays? No matter how cheap prices are, it does not prevent your loved ones from buying what they want. There is only one way to truly avoid this- buying unique gifts. This is easy to do on eBay since there are all sorts of sellers. Below are some great gift ideas to save you from the Holiday Rush!

Original Art

It is impossible for a friend to buy a piece of original art. There are tons of self-representing artists on eBay who sell their original artwork for relatively cheap prices. You can find original paintings, drawings, and pottery with beautiful detail for under $50.00. There are even artists that will paint a pet or do a portrait for you. Always look for pieces with a signature, though, that will make the gift authentic. To lower your search results, minus out the word "print" and add the word "original." You also might want to raise the minimum price above $1.00 since many reproductions are listed for just 1 cent.

Foreign and Hand-Made Clothes

Buying clothes made in a different country is very easy to find on eBay. Type in the name of the country or go to advance search and select the country you want clothes from. If they have a store, you should take a look since they often have unique shirts and accessories. You'll probably want to minus out the words "football," "soccer," and "rugby" if you are not looking for sporty T-shirts. Probably one of the best countries to find special clothes is Japan. There are also many sellers in Great Britain.

There are also some sellers who sell clothes that they have modified. For example, I've seen some sellers that add sleeves and fur to make a punk hoody out of a shirt. You can find these unique clothes under searches with the words "punk," "rock," "gothic," and "retro." For the best results, type in "DIY." These clothes are a little more expensive then others, but they make great gifts.

Vintage Games

Vintage games are great unique gifts. Old time video games are pretty easy to find on eBay though a few of them might be expensive. Some video game consoles have been remanufactured so you can buy a brand new "vintage" game system like a Super Nintendo. You can also buy adapters that connect old video game controllers to the computer to your friend/loved one can play old games on the computer the old fashioned way.

Antiques and Collectibles

Many people enjoy collecting little items and old antiques. Buying official antiques is dangerous business on eBay, though, as well as any antique shop. Buy from respectable buyers and look at all negative feedback to see signs of mischief. It would also be wise to research about antiques before buying them. If you are searching for cheap antiques, then watch out on shipping prices. Many antique sellers sell items at a very low bid, but a shipping price well above a hundred dollars. Look through the entire auction and check grammar. Poor grammar can be a bad sign. Be especially weary of cheap Chinese items since there is a great chance they came from a junk shop in China Town.

Handmade Toys

There are all kinds of handmade toys on eBay. They are usually not made by the seller, though. Still, there are some beautiful items such as handmade chess sets, kites, and bears. Be careful for sometimes sellers list items as handmade even though only a part of it may be made by them like a scarf or dress. To lower your results, you might want to minus out "marbles," "puzzle," and "chess." Also, there are some handmade items that are mass-produced. Sadly, there are also some so-called "handmade" items on eBay too. Be careful. You might not want to limit your search results to the Toys and Hobbies section too if you need more results.

Tickets for Trips and Games

These types of gifts can easily still the show during the Holidays. There are some things you should remember when buying these types of gifts, though. Some problems I've seen is people buying multiple tickets to games, but the seats are not together. Also, some tickets for travel do not include airfare and are for a specific time. If the person you're giving your gift to can't go on the vacation during that time then all your money will turn out to be a big waste. Also, never take offline second chance offers on these items or send wire funds to the seller. There are plenty of scammers out there.

Gift Cards

I suggest not buying Gift Cards on eBay. Most of the time they are actually coupons or promotion codes you can find for free online. Also, even if the gift card looks official, the store can still reject it if it wants to. Best to go to the store for these times of gifts.

Electronics, Movies, Cameras, etc.

It's difficult to buy these sort of items early and being a hundred percent sure that the person will not go out and buy them or a similar item. The safest thing to do is wait until Fall to shop for these type of items.

Good luck on your early bird Holiday shopping! Remember to hide your presents and see if your closet has enough space to store them.