A budget of ₹500 is enough for a good Diwali gift if you start from the person and not from the product. The mistake is to search "gift under 500", scroll a page of unrelated things, and pick whatever has the biggest discount badge.
This page works the other way round. It is grouped by who the gift is for, and each group shows the best-rated listings we track that cost less than ₹500.
For a sister, a friend or a colleague
Earrings, bangles and lipsticks are the easiest choices at this price, because size is not a problem and there is a very wide range under ₹500.
Two things to check on the product page. First, the material: "alloy" and "brass" pieces are costume jewellery, which is fine, but the listing should say so plainly. Second, what is in the box. A photo may show a full set while the listing sells only the earrings.
For a brother, a father or a male colleague
Wallets and perfumes are the usual answer, and both have many well-rated listings under ₹500.
With perfume, look at the volume in millilitres as well as the price. A 20 ml bottle at ₹299 costs more per millilitre than a 100 ml bottle at ₹499. With wallets, check whether "leather" in the title means genuine leather or a leather-look material; the product details section says which.
For someone who likes skincare or fragrance
A single good product is a better gift than a large box of small ones nobody has heard of.
Skincare is personal. If you do not know the person's skin type, a perfume, a body lotion or a lip product is the safer choice.
How to choose between two similar listings
When two listings look alike and cost about the same, three checks settle it.
- Number of ratings. A product rated 4.2 by 5,000 buyers is a safer bet than one rated 4.8 by 20. We explain why in 4.8 Stars From 200 Reviews or 4.4 From 20,000?.
- The low-star reviews. Read a few one-star and two-star reviews. They tell you what goes wrong: a size that runs small, a colour that differs from the photo, a box that arrives damaged.
- Delivery date. For a gift this decides everything. The date shown for your pin code is the one that counts.
Do not let the discount choose for you
A badge that says "70% off" compares today's price with a list price the seller sets. It says nothing about whether ₹399 is a fair price for the thing. Decide on the selling price and the ratings, and ignore the percentage. There is more on this in Is That Deal Actually a Deal?.
