It’s the holiday season, which means that you probably have a giant list of people to buy gifts for. Lucky for you, we’ve come up with a fandom gift guide to help you out!
Even though it’s much easier today than it has ever been to find fandom-themed gifts (thanks to merchandisers who are finally seeing the light), we all need a bit of help every now and again.
We’ve put together a list of the best places to shop, fandom gifts to be looking out for, and ideas for specific people/fandoms in your life. No matter your price range, creativity level, or access to physical stores (because, if you’re in college, we know it’s practically impossible), we’ve got you covered with our gift guide.
Places to shop
Brick and mortar stores
Hot Topic
Nowadays, Hot Topic is your one-stop shop for all of the fandom things you could really ever want or need. Over the last ten years or so, Hot Topic has started to expand their merchandise beyond just music (not that we don’t still love buying band tees from them). First, it was a few popular movie franchises like Harry Potter and The Pirates of the Caribbean (each having only a few merchandise options).
Now, Hot Topic carries merchandise from so many fandoms that it’s impossible to keep track of them all. Orphan Black to Marvel, Disney to Supernatural. If you want to find something cool and affordably priced, Hot Topic should be your first shop. (Besides, they have so many locations that you can ship directly to a store for free or just skip internet shopping altogether!)
Barnes and Noble
Good old Barnes and Noble. No, we’re not talking about our favorite nickname for our favorite Marvel duo. We’re talking about the store that sells so many books that our heads spin with the possibility of what we could find on their shelves. However, Barnes and Noble doesn’t just sell books. They also sell music, TV seasons, desk accessories, and fun collectibles like Funkos!
Rock America
Like Hot Topic, Rock America has started cultivating a larger collection of fandom-themed merchandise. Shirts, collectible lunch boxes and pint glasses, seat belt belts… Rock America has a ton of fun things for Doctor Who lovers, superhero fans, and more. Because Rock America isn’t incredibly popular with a lot of fandom people, you won’t have to try to wrestle your way through crowds or figure out how to move past that one person who’s taking up a ton of space in front of the shirts.
Online shops
Via college-life-crisis.tumblr.com
Amazon
It’s no secret that Amazon has everything. Because it really does. Books, movies, toys, scarves, air fresheners… You’d be hard-pressed not to find a gift for your fandom-loving friend or family member on there. Be on the lookout for great Amazon seller ratings and free shipping. Not sure what to buy? Set aside a few hours one day and just type the fandom you’re looking for into the search bar and scroll endlessly through the options.
If that doesn’t work, strike up a conversation with your giftee about the ads you see on your Facebook timeline. Their response may give you a crystal clear indication as to what gift to get them because those ads always keep track of what you look at on Amazon.
Tip: Just be vigilant with checking where your gifts would be shipping from and see if it’s feasible for you to receive them before the big day. While this is true for all online shopping, it’s especially true for shopping on Amazon.
Etsy
Etsy is a rabbit hole that we love going down. There are just so many wonderful things to look at. Beautiful scarves, impressive artwork, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces… We lose ourselves in the site every time we visit it. One of the great parts about it is the sheer variety of things you can find there. There’s something for every fandom to be found on Etsy. Best of all, you can purchase your gifts from talented artists who deserve your business!
We love any and all reasons to purchase from talented fandom artists, so Christmas is the perfect excuse. (Confession: We’ve already made quite a few purchases on Etsy this season!)
Entertainment Earth
For all of the Funkos you could ever dream possible (and then a few), look no further than EntertainmentEarth.com. We stumbled across this site in September when it was announced that the Dancing Baby Groot Funko was a “go.” This site was one of the few that had a preorder for the bobblehead. Plus, their Funko prices are really reasonable! In fact, they have some of the best prices we’ve seen.
In addition to Funkos, EntertainmentEarth.com carries a ton of collectible busts and figurines for your favorite shows and movies. They even have plush toys, prints, and accessories. Entertainment Earth is a treasure trove just waiting for you to discover it.
TeeFury.com
TeeFury is the place to find witty and intelligent gifts for your giftee. T-shirts, sweatshirts, ugly Christmas “sweaters,” and now shoes! That’s right! TeeFury sells totally awesome fandom shoes now! Because not a lot of people know about TeeFury, it’s almost as if everything you buy from there is one of a kind. Buy a gift for your giftee from TeeFury and they’ll be hard-pressed to find someone near them that has the same piece of cool merch.
Other fun shops to try
1.ThinkGeek.com
2.LookHuman.com
3. Target
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