(MONEY Magazine) – To many of us, shopping online for at least some holiday gifts has become a matter of course. No crowds, no lines, no packed parking lots--not to mention the ability to comparison shop in a matter of seconds--all make it a no-brainer when the alternative is a trip to the mall.

But if you're using the Web just to buy the same stuff you'd get at the mall, you're missing at least half the revolution. Yes, for easy-to-find, commodity-like objects--Palms, popular CDs and books, even plain-front chinos--the Web is a convenience and way to save money. (For such things, our advice is simple: Go to a price comparison site such as www.mysimon.com.) But to get the most out of the Web, use it to buy gifts you simply couldn't get by hopping in your car. As you read this, cybermerchants throughout the world are ready to ship things that you can't easily find locally.

To come up with the list of more than 50 sites that follows, we spent several weeks combing the Web. For a site to make the cut, it had to offer reasonable prices and intuitive navigation, and we gave points for features specifically geared toward gift givers, such as advice sections and real-time online help. But above all else we looked for an impressive selection of truly distinctive goods.

A couple words of caution: As many shoppers learned last year, some websites can't handle the holiday crunch. With the e-commerce field already littered with notable failures, those who plan to remain solvent will likely be making extra efforts to live up to their commitments. Still, we suggest that you order as early as possible--at least three weeks to be safe.

Finally, note that interspersed with our favorite sites is advice on sizing up websites (page 178), posting an online wish list (page 184), giving to charity when you shop (page 186) and last-minute ordering (page 190). And for those who don't have Web access, we've also included phone numbers for sites that let you order by phone.

food + drink

If you're looking to contribute to a holiday table, one of your first online stops should be the Internet outpost of Dean & Deluca (www.deandeluca.com; 877-826-9246), which has been supplying Manhattan's discerning downtown epicures with high-quality gourmet foods for decades. The selection of delicacies is one of the most extensive available on the Web. And though the offerings are definitely pricey, everything is of the highest quality, making it worthy of a splurge. The site also has a wide range of well-conceived gift packages. For example, a one-pound fillet of Scottish cured salmon and a handsome walnut cutting board for serving it are $100.

Every bakery claims to have perfected one classic dessert item or another, but we think the following create truly distinctive sweets. Levain Bakery (www .levainbakery.com; 877-453-8246) makes huge, half-pound chocolate-chip cookies that are wonderfully chewy and not too sweet. Four cookies--or two pounds worth--are $15. At the other end of the cookie continuum are the delicious, thin and light Moravian cookies sold by Old Salem Online (www.oldsalem.org /morcook.html; 800-822-5151) in lemon, sugar, black walnut and ginger varieties. The $34.95 Best of Salem Gift Box has all four flavors. Order by Dec. 4 in the West and Midwest and by Dec. 11 elsewhere in the U.S. to have them delivered by Christmas. Fat Witch Bakery (www.fatwitch.com; 888-419-4824) sells fantastic brownies packed with dried cherries, caramel or white chocolate. A 13-piece Bring Your Own Brownies package is $40.

If you'd like your gift to have more sizzle than sweetness, consider a gift from Mo Hotta Mo Betta (www.mohotta.com; 800-462-3220), which specializes in all things hot and spicy, from salsas to sauces. You can custom-design the labels for your gift recipient. Mo's Picks Six-Pack of hot sauces is $45.

Serious coffee lovers who like their java strong will love Peet's Coffee & Tea (www.peets.com; 800-999-2132). The Berkeley company sells about 30 varieties from around the world. New Orleans' Cafe du Monde (www.cafedumonde.com; 800-772-2927) sells a unique coffee blend made with chicory, giving it a mild hint of chocolate.

And if you're looking for a specific delicacy that's unavailable at any of these sites, go to abc of the gourmets (www.gourmetsmarket.com), a comprehensive directory of specialty food shops worldwide.

Buying wine on the Web usually gets you a wider variety than you can find locally. But what if you need a little hand-holding? Head to Sherry-Lehmann.com (www.sherry-lehmann.com; 212-838-7500). This award-winning New York City purveyor is highly respected for its careful selection of wines in all price ranges. Click on the Unsung Heroes section for great values. And if you need tailored wine advice, the shop answers e-mail queries. If you're trying to track down a specific hard-to-find bottle, use Wine Searcher.com (www.wine-searcher.com), which scans some 450 wine merchants for the best prices.

art

We'll concede that the Internet isn't the ideal forum for buying original art. Those subtle earth tones you see on your computer screen may be downright garish in real life. If you're looking for a valuable painting, you'll certainly want to inspect and appraise it first. And if you want mass-produced art--copies of Rodin's Thinker or Impressionist-like landscapes--you can probably find it locally. With that in mind, we found two compelling exceptions.

ArtMecca.com (www.artmecca.com; 800-414-4230) strikes a nice balance: original artwork, but not so expensive that you'd be unwilling to take a chance on it from afar. The site features little-known painters, photographers, sculptors and other artists who pay a nominal fee to exhibit. That means the artwork runs the gamut, from lovely to awful, with prices from less than $100 to thousands. The site posts a wealth of biographical information on each artist, including, in some cases, an e-mail address and phone number. (When we called California landscape painter Lee Adair, she answered the phone immediately and chatted with us about her work.) Best yet, you can return anything within seven days for a full refund.

Since what you see is pretty close to what you get (give or take a few pixels), buying photos online is less risky. For that, our favorite site is Afterimage Gallery (www.afterimage.com; 877-868-5462), a 29-year-old Dallas gallery specializing in original prints by well-known photographers, such as George Tice and Ansel Adams, as well as up-and-comers. The site does a good job of explaining different types of photographic prints and is well designed for browsing. You could spend upwards of $16,000 on a photo here, but you can also find work by talented lesser-knowns for as little as $175. And you can return a photo for any reason.

home

Tavolo (www.tavolo.com; 800-700-7336) sells top-quality kitchen and tableware that's both practical and beautiful--everything from Le Creuset's brightly colored cookware to classic Riedel stemware. You can find some of this stuff elsewhere, but the breadth of Tavolo's selection is exceptional; the site is well designed and easy to navigate; and the more decorative table objects are the picks of a particularly refined sensibility. Also, the site's clearance and special savings sections offer some excellent deals--like 40% to 50% off selected Cuisinart items. And Tavolo will wrap your entire order for $3.50.

Buying limited-production crafts on the Web is fraught with uncertainties. To overcome this, eZIBA.com (www.eziba.com; 888-404-5108) displays large, clear images, prints precise (and interesting) product descriptions and indicates when inventory is running low. But we really like the site for its variety of stylish hand-crafted objects from around the world. We recently found burgundy and gold pillows made in Damascus for $75 and a set of hand-painted Tuscan pottery--platter, pitcher and jug--for $195.

Design Within Reach (www.dwr.com; 800-944-2233) successfully markets to the current vogue for high design, selling lighting, tableware and other creations by design luminaries like Charles and Ray Eames. The paper Akari Cube Table Lamp by Isamu Noguchi ($85) and Alessi round wire basket ($65) make great gifts.

If a gift of household harmony is your aim, go to felissimo.com (www.felissimo.com), which sells Zen-inspired wares like an anodized aluminum wind chime ($65). The site has no number, but you can reach the store, which has even more products, at 800-565-6785.

If you've always marveled at the gorgeous crafts of Martha Stewart--but, like most of us, wouldn't dream of picking up a glue gun--her site (www.marthastewart.com; 800-950-7130) sells readymade goods like a Star Anise Wreath ($24) and hand-blown glass ornaments ($18 and up).

books

There's little mystery about where to go on the Web if you're in the market for a popular new thriller--or virtually any in-print title. Even though their discounts aren't as steep as they once were, the big three Web booksellers, Amazon.com (www.amazon.com), Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com) and Borders.com (www.borders.com), still mark down bestsellers by 20% to 40%. To pay the least amount possible, you can compare prices, shipping fees, availability and taxes at up to 24 booksellers at the shopping bot Bestbookbuys.com (www.bestbookbuys.com).

When it comes to finding a more out-of-the-ordinary gift--a signed copy or a first edition of a favorite author--the site to visit is Alibris (www.alibris.com), a used-book store with a catalogue of more than 10 million titles. What makes Alibris ideal for gift giving is its quality control. The site, which acts as a middleman between buyers and independent dealers, inspects each book before shipping it. That eliminates the chances that you'll be unpleasantly surprised by a missing dust jacket or worn spine. Alibris is also up-front about shipping time, which can be up to 14 days if the book is from a partner store. Alibris doesn't have a customer service number, but they responded to our e-mail in two hours.

You should also look beyond the megasites if you want a book on tape, a favorite of commuters and seniors, among others. RecordedBooks.com (www.recordedbooks.com; 800-638-1304) has the most extensive collection that we found. Recorded books can be expensive--$54 for a cassette of Kent Haruf's novel Plainsong, for example. But you can save by renting titles for up to 30 days (it's $13.50 to borrow the Haruf). And gift certificates can be redeemed for rentals. The site doesn't officially offer gift wrapping, but a rep told us it will do so on request.

flowers + garden

Proflowers.com (www.proflowers .com; 800-776-3569) links you directly to growers, so the flowers it sells are less expensive and longer- lasting than those that go through a floral shop or another middleman. In fact, Proflowers guarantees that its flowers will flourish for at least a week. Potted dendrobium orchids, which typically flower for three months, cost $29.95. Holiday wreaths start at $44.95.

People who love flowers know that far too many arrangements--especially those sent via the big flower agencies--are laden with baby's breath and other filler flowers. Needless to say, perhaps, that is not true for those from the Martha Stewart website (www.marthastewart.com). The bouquets and simple vases are lovely enough to, well, appear in her magazine. Roses? The site offers 14 colors, from velvety red-black varieties to delicate pink-and-white Lagunas, at $58 for 25 stems. A hydrangea wreath in pale blues, purples and greens is $145.

Gardening-related gifts can be hard to find locally in the winter months. Garden.com (www.garden.com; 800-466-8142) offers more than 20,000 products, including flowers, plants, gardening tools and accessories, clothing and books. If you feel overwhelmed by the choices, the site makes helpful gift suggestions. We like the $34 birdhouse made from edible sorghum, birdseed and milo to help keep your feathered friends going through the winter.

sports

For one of the widest arrays of high-quality sporting goods on the Web--and tools that make wading through the vast inventory manageable--go to Fogdog Sports (www.fogdog.com; 800-624-2017). Like many sites, Fogdog sells equipment and apparel by name-brand companies like Marmot, Nike, Oakley and Wilson--but, unlike others, doesn't make you toggle through countless pages to see what's for sale. With Fogdog's pull-down menus (one for each of 48 different sports), you can see what's available at a glance. When you select an item, Fogdog automatically displays specs and prices for every similar product for sale. If you find the choices overwhelming--which of the 18 lacrosse sticks does your granddaughter need?--the site comes through with detailed descriptions, customer feedback and advice on whether a particular product is better for experts or beginners. Fogdog says that starting Nov. 15 it will wrap gifts for $4.99. (In October, Global Sports bought Fogdog, but the change of ownership shouldn't mean significant site changes.)

When it comes to buying workout clothes for women, you'll find that most stores don't have much to offer beyond sneakers and sports bras. Lucy.com (www.lucy.com; 877-999-5829) is an exception. The site boasts loyal female fans who rave about its seemingly limitless choice of outfits for activities as diverse as boxing and Pilates. You can search by body type, style and sport. And don't worry if the clothes don't fit; Lucy.com ships every item with prepaid postage for exchanges and returns.

Finally, if you're shopping for someone who appreciates the game more than actually playing it, consider memorabilia from the National Baseball Hall of Fame (shop.baseballhalloffame.org; 888-425-5633) or jerseys, watches and other gifts from NBA.com (www.nba.com).

beauty

When it comes to selecting soaps, lotions, fragrances and other beauty supplies for someone else, you may value a helping hand above all. That's what you'll get at ibeauty (www.ibeauty.com; 800-843-6461), where customer-service reps dispense advice in real-time online chats. When we asked for a cleanser for a friend who doesn't wear much makeup, the rep asked about her skin type, lifestyle and taste and came back with a gel for $32--less than we said we'd pay. The site also stands out for its selection of creams, soaps and scrubs from spas like Elizabeth Arden and Bliss. A Thymes Limited Relaxation Meditation Candle, made with thyme, clove and lavender oils, is $22. Shipping is free for orders over $40; gift wrapping is always free; and ibeauty will ship to multiple addresses with one order.

With 156 stores in the U.S., Crabtree & Evelyn (www.crabtree-evelyn .com; 800-272-2873) may well be within easy driving distance. But if you plan to mail a present, save yourself the trip and use the website, which excels at presentation--and wraps for free. Thanks to beautiful English garden-themed packaging, almost any lotion or soap from the company's 38 fragrance lines makes an elegant gift. We also like the preassembled gift options, such as the Aromathology Restoration Office Survivor Kit for $25.

Lush Handmade Cosmetics (www.lushcanada.com; 888-733-5874) sells its playful soaps and bath products in stores around the world, from Toronto to London to Sao Paulo--but not in the U.S. Right now, that's to our advantage, because the dollar's strength vs. the Canadian dollar effectively discounts everything by about 30%. Some favorites: bubble bath sticks that look like dynamite (a case of six is $17.25 U.S.) and bright-green soap made with mint, apple juice and peppermint for $4.10 (U.S.) a bar. The site's deadlines for holiday delivery are Dec. 5 for regular mail and Dec. 19 for FedEx.

museum shops

Purists often bemoan the growing amount of museum space taken up by gift shops. But the reason museum officials devote so much space to merchandising is that people love this stuff. Museum-bought gifts--whether explicitly related to an exhibit (like a print) or just inexpensive reproduction objets d'art (a Roman bust, for example)--carry the imprimatur of good taste and historical significance that we associate with great museums. And, of course, because of the Web, you no longer have to actually travel to a museum to tap into its sensibilities.

If you don't know where to begin, there are two good websites that aggregate merchandise from dozens of prominent institutions--MuseumCompany.com (www.museumcompany.com; 877-213-9778) and MuseumShop.com (www.museumshop.com; 888-872-0080). The inventory at these sites is constantly changing, and both allow you to search by museum, artist or category. Another fine one-stop site is operated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (www.metmuseum.org; 800-468-7386), which offers a collection of gifts so varied it contains something for just about everyone, including art books, educational toys and games, limited-edition prints, jewelry, silk scarves and tableware.

Many museum shops cater to more particular tastes and aesthetics. Among our favorites is the Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org; 800-447-6662), which, not surprisingly, specializes in 20th-century high design. We especially like the translucent layered candles for $10 to $20. The Sumac Shop (www .sumacshop.com), which operates out of Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, Ill., features housewares and other gifts inspired by the architect's designs. The walnut Coonley Wall Clock ($175) is based on Wright's famous confetti window design.

The Heritage Map Museum site (www.carto.com; 717-626-5002) sells original 15th- to 19th-century maps, plus reproductions, books, globes and atlases.

Political junkies can get their fill at presidential museums. Mount Vernon (shops.mountvernon.org; 703-799-8691) features high-quality reproductions of housewares that George Washington used, such as silver letter openers ($31) and bookends with his family coat of arms ($157). Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (www.monticello.org; 800-243-0743) also features gifts inspired by history. What really caught our eye was its collection of Minutemen Christmas tree ornaments for $9.95 each.

If the people on your list would prefer something kitschy, there are museum shops that can help with that too. The ever-popular Graceland gift shop has an outpost on the Web (www.shopelvis .com; 888-358-4776), where you can get official collectibles like a ceramic Elvis jukebox piggy bank ($79.95) that plays "Don't be Cruel" when you deposit money. The Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas (www.drpeppermuseum.org) sells dozens of "I'm a Pepper" mementos, including reproduction Dr Pepper diner signs for $9.95 to $19.95.

There's also no shortage of museum sites that cater to kids. San Francisco's hands-on science museum, the Exploratorium (www.exploratoriumstore.com) has a particularly thoughtful selection, including a construction set primer on kinetics and scale called Chaos World of Motion ($155). The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose (www.thetech.org) has great science gifts as well. The Slime Science Kit ($12.95), which lets kids make five types of ooze, has obvious appeal. (The minimum order is $15.)

The point of all this, of course, is that there are few enthusiasms that don't have a museum devoted to them--and most museums now sell their unique wares on the Web. To find them, check MuseumSpot (www.museumspot.com), the most comprehensive directory of museum website links.

babies

Let's face it, babies aren't terribly discriminating--it's really their parents that you're looking to please. With that in mind, you can go one of two ways: First, you can help out with the seemingly endless amount of bread-and-butter equipment necessary for raising a baby. For such things, check out BabyAnt.com (www .babyant.com), which we regard as the best one-stop baby site. The huge selection includes clothing, toys, travel gear, strollers, bedding, furniture and health-related products like humidifiers and thermometers. If it's made by a mainstream manufacturer, it's probably there. The site offers useful suggestions based on your budget. And gift wrapping is just $2 (and free for orders over $30). Our one gripe: We couldn't find a customer-service number--but we did get a savvy response to a product query via e-mail within three hours.

The other option is to go for an item--maybe an outfit for a special occasion or a really unusual toy--that impresses the parents with your taste and discrimination. For that, we have some other suggestions. The baby section of eStyle (www.babystyle.com; 877-378-9537) has some cross-over with BabyAnt but skews toward higher-quality, harder-to-find items.

Frenchkids.com (www.frenchkids.com) stocks clothing by European brands like Petit Bateau, which can be so stylish that even adults will be jealous.

And, finally, we highly recommend Oliebollen.com (www.oliebollen.com), which offers a relatively small but brilliantly chosen selection of clothing, toys, books and bedding. In fact, this site has some great ideas for those who, however quixotically, try to please the baby instead of the parents. We especially liked the hand puppet ($11.90) that looks like a can of worms--one per finger--each wearing a different style hat.

toys

If you're looking for mass-market toys like Barbie dolls or Legos, you're probably best off at a megasite like eToys .com (www.etoys.com; 800-463-8697), where the selection is huge and prices are low. (We compared the prices to the ones at Toysrus.com and found them to be, for the most part, identical. But for certain purchases, eToys offers a refund plus 10% if you find a better deal elsewhere.)

Of course, the Web gets you well beyond mass-market toys. For that we suggest SmarterKids.com (www.smarterkids.com; 800-293-9314), which specializes in toys, games, books and CDs that both entertain and stimulate young minds. A team of educators--you can check their credentials online if you're skeptical--selected the site's offerings. We looked for a gift for a seventh-grader and found Chronology: A Card Game for All Time, a history-events game, for $17.49. For fourth-graders, there's Newton Undercover ($11.99), a kit full of instructions and materials for performing basic science projects.

The site recognizes that children have different skills and abilities--so you'll find presents designed for gifted students and for those with special needs, including kids with attention deficit disorder. There is also advice tailored for grandparents, who sometimes lack a good eye for age-appropriate gifts. Gift wrapping is only $2.50 an item. The site provides prepaid-postage labels for returns. SmarterKids also offers a free service that sends e-mail reminders when birthdays (or other gift-giving events) approach.

seniors

Tired of gifts for an older parent or grandparent that tend toward "Grandparents Are Sexy" sweatshirts or other quaint but impractical products? You'll be delighted with Gold Violin (www.goldviolin.com; 877-648-8465). This store starts with what many (if not all) seniors like to do--travel, read, garden, exercise or drink a good bottle of wine--and then comes up with gifts that make doing so easier. At 4 1/2 pounds, the 50-foot garden hose ($29) is lighter to haul around the yard than the typical hose, which can weigh 20 pounds or more. The $29 Personal Safety Pedometer displays the time, distance traveled and workout time--and includes a 120-decibel alarm for emergencies. In Gold Violin's advice section, you can search based on criteria such as the senior's interests and your budget. Gift wrapping is $4.95 a box, and personalized gift tags are free.

pets

Would you forget your best friend during the holidays? If not, you can swing by the local pet store, but chances are you'll find more choices and better prices on the Web. In particular, we like Pets.com (www.pets.com) for its wide variety of toys, bowls, treats, apparel and other gifts for every kind of pet, from fish to French poodles to ferrets, at prices that can beat even the big chain pet stores. A Sun Pet Buddy Glow Ball, which will let your dog play fetch at night, is just $4.99. The best price we found for a similar glow-in-the-dark ball at two Manhattan pet stores was $14. Pets.com doesn't wrap, but we have a hunch your pet won't mind. Now go fetch that gift!

clothing + style

Your local mall is, no doubt, packed with places to buy clothing and other accoutrements of style. So why check the Web? Because of sites like GirlShop (www.girlshop.com), which sells clothing and accessories usually found only in small, hip--and mostly urban--boutiques. Among the several dozen up-and-coming designers that GirlShop draws from are lulu M and stephanie k. The prices aren't notably low, but you're paying for a gift that is almost certain to be unique. If you don't trust your gift-giving instincts, gift certificates are available. Our one complaint is that returns must be mailed back 14 days from the initial shipping date, a ridiculous rule at holiday time.

Girlshop has a companion site for men (www.guyshop.com). But if the guy on your list prefers a more traditional look, check out the site of English shirtmaker Charles Tyrwhitt (www.tyrwhitt.com; 877-647-4478) where, for just a few dollars more than what you would spend for a basic Oxford button-down, you can buy something truly distinctive. Tyrwhitt's dress shirts come in bold colors and patterns and have those high, semi-cutaway collars that leave room for a Windsor knot. At $67 plus $12 shipping--the site converts from pounds to dollars for you--the shirts cost just over half what other high-quality British dress shirts sell for in the U.S.

We also recommend BlueFly.com (www.bluefly.com; 877-258-3359), which pretty effectively translates the designer outlet mall concept to the Web. You'll find designers like Burberry, Prada and Donna Karan. Unfortunately, it also means selection and sizes are limited. BlueFly allows returns for 90 days and plans to add gift wrapping by the holidays.

LAFunk.com (www.lafunk.com) does just one thing but does it better than anyone else: It sells fun, trendy accessories and makeup for teenage girls. Great for inexpensive stocking stuffers, the site lets teens post product reviews, so clueless parents can figure out what's hot and what's not.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LYSA PRICE