Amazon Best Sellers: A Guide For Choosing The Best Gifts

Stuck for gift ideas? Get inspired by Amazon's best sellers - the products that consistently sell and rate above all others. Sometimes it makes sense to go with the herd!

Weve all been there. You're stuck for a great gift idea, either because youve exhausted a lot of great options in previous years, or perhaps you just don't know the receiving party well enough yet to flex your more unique gift giving prowess. Or perhaps you're simply stuck for time or inspiration, and you just need to hit the spot with something that's guaranteed to please. If any of these apply, then this guide is for you! Photo credit: http://photo credit: lisaclarke via photopin cc

Gift giving can be a stressful business and, with so many shopping options and an increasing pressure to think up ever more unique and 'out there' gift ideas, sometimes you just want to get back to basics and give them a gift they really want, rather than something they'll use once (out of politeness) and then quietly put aside.

I wrote this guide because I am in the process of finding a gift for a family member in another country and I didn't want to go too 'outside the box', if you'll pardon the pun. Like many, I lacked inspiration and the first place I thought to go was Amazon, where I tend to head for the 'best sellers' section to see what's trending and what's popular and well regarded by other users. I figured I can't be the only person that shops this way. What I do know is that despite narrowing down my gift options to 'best sellers' the choice can still be a tad overwhelming, and thus a Lens was born.

While Amazon does the unusual and unique pretty well, sometimes it just feels right to go with a bit of ubiquitous electronic kit, the cute 'on trend' bracelet that everyone is wearing right now or the practical-if-utterly-unromantic kitchen gadget that you know they will love and use daily. Sometimes, you have to just ignore all the advice to be clever and different, and just go with the flow. Why? Because these are the gifts that people really want, and Amazon is the world's go-to shopping destination, and while many will argue that the rating system is flawed, as a barometer of taste, it's hard not to agree when a ton of people say a product is fab. Oh yeah, there's always those great price points too.

This guide is intended for anyone needing a little gift giving inspiration, and why playing it safe with a bit of mass appeal can be a pretty smart move when it comes to choosing the right gift. All of the products mentioned feature in or near the top of Amazon's current best seller lists.

Here's my pick of some of the best selling items from Amazon to inspire you: