10 things to buy your best friend for their birthday

Buying for your best friend goes the same way most years: you get to the week before, panic, and buy the safe thing they already have three of.

These ten are here because they either get used weekly or they mark something. UK prices, one pick from our own range, and the card sorted at the end.

10 their birthday gifts for your best friend

• 1. A print of the in-joke that's followed you both around for years.
• 2. A night out with the date already agreed and the table booked.
• 3. The thing they always buy for themselves, bought for them for once.
• 4. Tickets to something you'll both go to.
• 5. A framed photo of the worst night out you both survived.
• 6. Something for their new flat, job or hobby.
• 7. A book they'd never buy themselves but will finish in a weekend.
• 8. A day of doing nothing together, phones down.
• 9. Something with the year on it - a print, a photo book or a framed ticket from the last twelve months.
• 10. Our pick: the 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' print in A4 or A3 - designed in house, printed in the UK, and it ends up in the kitchen.

How much to spend

• £15 to £40, and the in-joke is worth more than the price tag.
• Pooling with siblings or friends on one bigger present beats three separate medium ones.
• A £15 thing used weekly beats a £60 thing kept in a cupboard.
• If money is tight, give time with a date attached instead - it isn't a lesser gift.

What to avoid

• Generic 'best friend' tat with the words printed on it.
• Anything you'd buy a colleague.
• Anything that's really a hint.
• Gift sets you'd be embarrassed to receive.

Getting the timing right

• Order a week ahead so the card and gift arrive in one parcel.
• If you've missed it, send a belated card and say so plainly - it lands better than a silent late gift.
• Put next year's date in your phone now, with a reminder two weeks before.

Don't forget the perfect card

• The gift gets opened in a minute. The card sits on the shelf for weeks and in a drawer for years.
• Write something only you could write about your best friend - one specific thing from this year.
• Sign it properly. A name and a real sentence beats 'love from all of us'.
• Every card we make is designed in house and printed in the UK, and it posts in the same parcel as the gift.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• Specific beats expensive - the best gift is the one only you would think of.
• Order the card with the gift so they arrive together.
• Write the card before you wrap, while you still have something to say.

Where to shop next

• Our pick: 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' print (A4 & A3)
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop all cards
• Posters and prints
• 10 things to buy your best friend for Christmas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• Birthday badges & party pins
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?
• Birthday pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What should I buy your best friend for their birthday?

Something they use weekly or something with a date attached - a print for a wall, the good version of an everyday item, or an outing already booked. All three beat a gift set bought in a hurry.

How much should I spend on your best friend?

£15 to £40, and the in-joke is worth more than the price tag.

What should I write in the card?

One specific thing from the last year, then how you actually feel about it. That single line is remembered long after the present has been put away.