My parents don't know how to order stuff off the interwebs.

I assume you don't mean those times when you get money in the mail from a relative with the instructions "to buy yourself something nice"??

My father has corrupted me into doing it. Every year, no one knows what to get him, so he got into the habit of buying the stuff he wanted and distributing it to us to give to him.

Is the actual-time-of-purchase payment for thing bought made with this "behalfed" person's money?

Ah, okay. I've bought stuff that's to be a present from my parents, after telling them it's what I want and it can be my Christmas present. I purchase it, but with permission and using their bank account (which I am on and have a card for). Therefore, it is their money.

Typically, unless it was 20 bucks or less, I could not buy something "on behalf".

So....how do you go about telling them they now owe you $75, for example? "By the way . . . ."? ;) Do they know beforehand?

I guess it's a combination of not having/wanting to spend time to look for stuff and not wanting to spend time on thinking about something I might enjoy. I guess it's just easier to say "get something for x Euro and send me the invoice". At least I get something I like and don't have to think about who would like to get it passed on as a birthday/Christmas present the next year. ;)

I usually have list of things I'd like to get it someone asks me for hints because they can't think of anything they would like to give me/that I might enjoy or if they are worried I already own what they have planned (huge danger when trying to get me DVDs or books I have talked about the past year, cause I usually buy them myself as soon as I see them/can afford them, if I really want them).

But I also like to receive gifts that people thought up themselves. I mean real gifts. After a while clothing items are just an excuse gift for me. It is the thought that counts not the money spent. My brother is usually very good with coming up with his own ideas for me. I seldom get the backup present I asked him to get me.

Luckily no one in this family is hurt if I give gifts to other good homes if I don't like them/already own them. So the worst that happens is that I won't have to buy a birthday present for someone.

*should really find her Simon Christmas icon again*

And after that year it's okay to give them away, because you don't remember anymore where you got them from? ;)

Well, things of my list are things I plan to get myself anyway, so chances are pretty slim that I would want to give them away. Especially in the first year of ownership. Of course that still happens from time to time, if I lose interest in something. Like if someone would have bought the House DVDs two years ago. I would give them away now, even though I had them on my list, because I lost interest in the second season and just don't watch anymore.

I still love surprises, though and as long as they come for free I don't think I have really anything to lose.

I noticed we highly disagree on the spirit of (DVD and book) Christmas gifting, so I better stop talking here before we start hurting each other again. ;)

I bought my iPod. Mostly I confine myself to Subtle Hints though.

I ticked "Other" - I sometimes buy my gifts from my husband because that's a thing his family does. Not all the time, but sometimes.

He got me the Man from U.N.C.L.E. DVD set for my birthday, which amounted to my saying, "Honey...?" pointing at the ad, and whimpering incoherently, and his saying, "Buy it!"

Is there anything on Amazon you muchly want right now? 'Cause if you updated your Wish List, I might could get something for you. :)

I kinda think I know what you got that you won't say. Though I very much could be wrong. I'm thinking it may be what I was going to ask if you wanted and then buy it for you when you said you did.

I'm going to email a link to you and see if that item is what you're extra squee-y about. :) If not, I'll get it for you!

Mostly from my father in law - he's very generous, bless him, but finds Christmas shopping a bit overwhelming now.

He says he'd just prefer if we all got something we really needed/wanted; he does it for most family members now *hearts my f-i-l*

I've bought stuff for myself and then my mom has given me the money. This year, she bought at TV stand for herself and I gave her the money.

Amanda, Pam and I no longer exchange gifts. We buy ourselves a present on behalf of the other two. This year, Amanda and I got Pam a Macbook for an early Christmas present. Pam and I bought Amanda a trip to Alaska for her birthday. I have to figure out what they are buying me for Christmas and my birthday. It's going to be awesome.

My mom is one of those who looks at you blankly when you say words like "browser" and "Internet" and "Amazon.com," so every year I usually help her out with her Christmas shopping by ordering stuff online that she can't find in the stores. And I usually end up buying my parents gifts on behalf of my brothers because they're mostly hopeless at the whole getting-stuff-mom-would-actually-like thing.