"These days an income is something you can't live without--or within."
- Tom Wilson
"These days an income is something you can't live without--or within."
- Tom Wilson
Member since:01.10.2002
Reviews:38
Members who trust:30
Introduction -----------------
I visited The Inspirations Store after it came up as a search result on Google, when I was looking to buy a Christening gift.
My first impressions, in all honesty, were not fanatastic. The homepage, the first thing you see, is not the tidiest around. There's a lot of writing on there, and it doesn't appear to be in any kind of sensible order. Don't get me wrong here - it's also not the worst I've ever seen, and it's by no means crowded or garish - the colours in fact are quite pleasing; lilac and pink-ish shades on a white background. It does however seem to have lists of the kinds of gifts they offer all over the place.
Once we click on "Enter the
online shop", the site becomes much nicer, and more professional looking. There are simple menus to take you to the section you want at the top of the page, and a standard menu to the side (including things like 'Email us', 'Search', 'Site map' etc).
The links along the top include such sections as: Birthdays, Executive, Baby, Wedding, Gadgets and many more. I won't list them all here because you could find that out by looking at the site, but let it be said that you could probably find a gift here for any occasion.
Prices and Payment ----------------------------
You can find gifts for most occasions on this site, and at prices that would suit most budgets. Gifts seem to range from a few pounds up to around £100, with everything in between.
One thing I do like about this site is there can be no mistaking what cards they accept - the card symbols are plastered on every page (e.g. visa, mastercard etc).
Postage and Packing on this site, I feel is a little bit expensive. For standard 1st class post, 1 item is £3.45, 2 items are £.95, and for 3 items or more it is £4.45. You can also choose to receive it giftwrapped, which adds on approximately £3 to your price. If you want your items sent Special Delivery, you can expect to add around £2 onto the standard prices.
The Stock --------------
As I mentioned earlier, the site has gifts for all occasions, and they also have a fairly large selection of goods. This site is more catering for "keepsake" style gifts, so expect fairly traditional things in a lot of cases - for example, ornaments, lasered glass etc. Many of the gifts are very nice, and some a little unusual, so I would recommend at least a look at this site when you have an occasion to buy for.
Other bits -------------
The Inspirations Store is a fairly straightforward site to use, so the only way to really get an idea of the different things you could buy is to take a look.
A nice touch on this site, one that I have not seen elsewhere, is the helpful links on the initial page to lists of 'special occasion gifts', which gives lists of all the wedding anniversaries (e.g. 25th is Silver, 60th is diamond etc). It gives EVERY anniversary - both traditional and modern. There is also a list of birthstones if you want to buy something specific to someone's birth month.
My Experience --------------------
I ordered a teddy bear ornament as a Christening present and I received it within 2 days, which is exactly what I would expect from 1st class postage. It arrived in perfect condition and packaged very well.
The Inspirations Store say that any order will be despatched either that day or the next working day. If an item is not in stock, they will inform you straight away if your order will be delayed longer than a week, and at that point they will give you the option of waiting, cancelling the order or choosing another item instead.
Overall, The Inspirations Store is worth a look if you are searching for a gift for an occasion. Delivery is good, the site is easy to use, and there are gifts at all prices, although postage could be cheaper.
*Edit*
After somebody commented on the delivery time, I thought it wise to add on that delivery with this site does not take 1-2 weeks, more like 2 days. The reason I chose "1-2 Weeks" in the delivery section was because that was the shortest option Ciao gave!
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