Around the holidays and the birthdays of family and friends, it is hard to keep your gift-giving a secret. Surprises are some of the most impactful things you can gift someone and they are very delicate. One mistake could reveal that gift you’re giving someone, thus ruining the surprise.
That is why you may want to consider taking measures to keep your purchasing, shipping, and acquisition of gifts as anonymous as possible. If you want to make sure your gift-giving stays secretive and has maximum impact, read on for some surefire tips to protect your purchasing privacy.
Keep Payment as Private as Possible
If you are concerned about a partner, roommate, or relative who lives in your home and has access to your bank statements seeing your credit card statement and being able to discern what you have purchased for a gift, you should take steps to protect your privacy when it comes to forms of payment. One way to do this is to make your purchase through a third-party platform like Paypal. This means that your bank or credit card statement will simply read as from PayPal as opposed to reading as a charge from a retail establishment or other business. So, whoever is reading over your statement will not be able to guess where you’ve purchased a gift from, thus keeping it a complete surprise.
Another way to protect your anonymity in payment is to purchase and pay with a Visa or store gift card. Imagine the disappointment you may feel if you want to buy an engagement ring for a special someone and even went to all the trouble of researching the best engagement rings in Avon Lake, OH, only to have the surprise dashed because your partner saw your bank or credit card statement. Make sure they don’t see a “fine jewelry” charge on your card by using a third party, gift card, or even cash to make the purchase. It will be all the more special when he or she opens the jewels and says “yes.”
Protect Your Anonymity
If you live in the same house as the person to whom you’re giving a gift, it can be even more frustrating to try to order a gift online, as you will need to conceal it once it comes to your front door. You may want to use a third-party service like Ship Anon that will have your packages delivered to an alternate location, like a retail business or locker.
You will be able to retrieve your delivery on your own time without having to worry about it coming to the door when you are not there to hide it. Ship Anon’s friendly staff work to allow you to work around your schedule, all while keeping your online orders secret.
Consider Giving Shapeless Gifts
If you are worried about the recipient of your gift being able to guess what it is based on its shape beneath gift wrap, you may want to consider choosing to purchase a gift that is impossible to guess because it has no shape. Consider giving a gift card or, better yet, gifting an experience that your friend or loved one may not purchase for themself.
An experience like a safari tour cannot be wrapped up in a box, and could instead be gifted in the form of a certificate in an envelope, making it indiscernible to nosy gift recipients. With a safari tour, your loved one will be able to experience the thrill of riding in an open-air safari vehicle and seeing zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and other exotic animals on a reservation with an expert tour guide. If you’d rather not purchase a safari experience gift certificate, you can always gift cash in the amount of the private tour or general tour price.
