10 things to buy your brother for his birthday

Buying for your brother goes the same way most years: you get to the week before, panic, and buy the safe thing he already has 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 his birthday gifts for your brother

1. Something for his desk, because that's where he spends most of his week. He'll see it every working day, which is a lot of mileage for not much money.
2. The upgrade on a thing he already owns cheap - headphones, a wallet, a water bottle. Replacing a tired everyday item with a good one is the gift men rarely buy themselves.
3. A game you can both play, so the gift includes you. Games you play together are really an excuse for time together, which is the harder thing to buy.
4. Tickets to something you go to together. Put the date in both diaries when you hand it over, or it quietly never happens.
5. A print that's an in-joke only the two of you get. Nobody else could have bought it, and that's the whole point of a sibling present.
6. The snack or drink he stockpiles, in an unreasonable quantity. It's daft, it's cheap, and it will genuinely be finished by February.
7. Kit for whatever he's currently obsessed with - gym, cycling, cooking, fishing. Buy for the hobby he's still doing in month six, not the one he announced in January.
8. A photo of the two of you from years ago, framed. Print it badly dressed and unflattering - those are the ones that get kept.
9. Something with the year on it - a print, a photo book or a framed ticket from the last twelve months. Dated things get kept, because they mark a year rather than just filling a shelf.
10. Our pick: the 'Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That' coaster - cheap, funny, and it lives on his desk instead of in a drawer.

How much to spend

• £15 to £40 is normal between siblings, and matching what he spends on you is the real rule.
• 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

• Aftershave sets. Nobody has ever finished one.
• Anything 'for men' in gift-set packaging.
• 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 brother - 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: 'Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That' coaster
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop all cards
• Posters and prints
• 10 things to buy your brother 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?
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What should I buy your brother for his birthday?

Something he uses 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 brother?

£15 to £40 is normal between siblings, and matching what he spends on you is the real rule.

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.