At 1-800-Flowers.com, which includes brands like Harry & David and Wolferman’s Bakery, spokesperson Kathleen Waugh said that many items — including baked goods, candy and pears — originate from the United States, so they don’t face international delays.
In an email, Waugh explained that the company expects strong demand this season and has worked to prepare for it. Last-minute shoppers can also send gift notifications electronically, and the recipient can accept or exchange it before it is sent.
3. Handmade arts and crafts
At Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade goods, many sellers make items from home with supplies they already have on hand or that are locally sourced. Shoppers can also message sellers to confirm the items are available for timely shipping.
Brandi Ann Garcia Salinas, who runs the WhimsyTreeLane shop at Etsy along with her husband Rodrigo, makes wooden toys, including peg dolls and nesting dolls. “International stocks don’t affect us because we are selling what is already available,” she says. If some supplies are slightly delayed, as they can be sometimes, then she just shifts what she sells, such as selling a different size doll that she can make based on the supplies she already has in stock.
“A handmade business can adjust,” she says. Garcia Salinas, who is based in Fort Myers, Florida, says she expects demand for handmade items like hers to be high this season, so she encourages shoppers to place their orders by the first week of December.