Gift Basket Reviews and Valid Coupon Codes

Gift baskets make the best gifts for any occasion. Gift Basket Review provides free insider information about the top gift basket companies. We provide you expert comparisons so you'll know you are buying the top-rated gourmet gift baskets at the best possible prices.

1. We've ordered $100 gift baskets from the leading gift basket providers and written reviews on them so you know we are recommending the best.

2. Exclusive Gift Basket Review 20% Discount Codes: We've done our due diligence and selected our top recommended gift basket providers in the US. We've also negotiated unpublished 20% discount codes for you to use to buy gift baskets from them. We have 20% off coupon codes for Harry and David, Gourmet Gift Baskets, Mrs. Fields, Manhattan Fruitier, Golden State Fruit, and The Fruit Company. We can't post the codes, but we'll email them to you immediately if you go to our Coupons Page and request them.

3. Over 150 Gift Basket Reviews: At the bottom of our website you'll find reviews of all the different US providers of gift baskets and fruit baskets. On our Coupons Page you will find gift basket coupon codes for about 40 different providers.  If you want our exlcusive 20% coupon codes from some of our top rated gift basket companies, we'll email them to you immediately if you go to our Coupons Page and request them.

Gourmet Gift Baskets Providers

There are very few companies in the United States that actually pack and deliver gourmet gift baskets. These companies are usually started by families that have been involved in the gifting industry for many generations. They often are in artisen areas of the country near wine, cheese, and other gourmet items. To get gourmet gift baskets with the best gourmet meats, cheeses, and chocolates, you will want to buy your gift baskets directly from the people who are making them.

Online Gift Basket Websites and Gift Basket Drop Shipping

Many gift basket websites will also offer gift baskets, but they will have someone else make and ship it directly to your recipient. This business arrangement between gift basket websites and gift basket providers is called Drop Shipping. Gift basket website owners like this arrangement because they can offer gift baskets to their clientele without having to make the gift baskets themselves. The gift basket manufacturer will give the gift basket company a significant discount off all the gifts they purchase on behalf of their customers. These volume discounts usually range from 25%-50% off the manufacturers retail price.

These gift basket websites will markup the price of the gift baskets they resell to usually double their cost. Doubling the wholesale price of a gift is a common industry practice called "keystone pricing", meaning you could be paying 25%-50% more than the manufacturer's retail price. Purchasing directly from the gift basket provider will help you avoid overpaying for your gourmet gift baskets.

Same Day Florist Delivered Gift Baskets

Another gift basket delivery method we have seen in the gift basket industry is when gift basket is delivered through the florist network. Gifting websites simply post pictures of attractive gift baskets and when one is purchased, that order is sent to the closest florist of the recipient for same-day delivery. The florist, who receives the order, is given a picture of the gourmet gift basket that was sold online and told how much they are going to receive for preparing and delivering the gift. So the less money the florist puts in to preparing your gift, the more money they'll get to keep. The preparation of the gift baskets usually includes a trip to the grocery store and selecting from the available candies, chocolates, wines, and cheeses. Unless you absolutely must have the gift basket delivered on the same day you should avoid this delivery method because the items in the delivered gift basket will never match the picture upon which you originally based your purchasing decision.

So Who Should I Buy Gift Baskets From?

At Gift Basket Review we have ordered edible gift baskets from all of the different gift basket providers to see how quickly the gift basket arrives, to evaluate the quality of the packaging, and to review and sample the gourmet items. We have done this so that you can feel comfortable knowing that our reccomendations are based on the fact that we have witnessed that the gift basket picture that is on the website is an accurate representation of what arrives. Click through and read our reviews and make note of the promotional codes that will provide you extra discounts on your gift basket purchases.

Gift Baskets History and Overview

You don't have to think hard about giving gift baskets today. This practice seems engrained in the culture of the world and is actually one thing that most countries around the world have in common. From gourmet gift baskets filled with the finest chocolates and preserves to simple baskets filled with Easter eggs and grass, gift baskets are just a natural expression of gratitude, love and devotion in the human world.

Gifts are given for one of two reasons:

1. To celebrate a holiday or special day.
2. To show some type of emotion or care to someone else.

No matter what occasion you may think to give gift baskets, you will find that they fit into one of these two categories. Even if you are giving a gift "just because" you have to acknowledge that there is some type of thought or care leading you think of that particular person and send them a gift at that time.

When you want to show that you care about someone or that you are thinking about them for whatever reason, gift baskets naturally come to mind. This is because they can be filled with delicious goodies, warm cuddly stuffed animals, or even ripe, juicy fruits fresh from the fields.

Gift baskets become whatever you want your gift to be. You can use a simple wooden basket or go with something colorful and fun made from plastic. You may add bows and decorative plastic pieces or paint parts of the basket to give it a personality all its own.

You can shop from a variety of gift stores and create your own gift baskets or order gourmet gift baskets already assembled for you. Some people like to have their gift baskets delivered right to the doorstep of their recipients as a surprise while others have it delivered to their own home so they can see the look of surprise and delight on the faces of their recipients upon delivery.

Gift baskets are the most versatile gift ever, so it's not surprising that they have actually bee in use around the world since the beginning of known times. The history of gift baskets is actually rather interesting, especially for those who don't realize how far back in time these baskets go.

The History of Gift Baskets

Gourmet gift baskets filled with delicious chocolates and hand selected fruits may be a modern concept, but gift baskets in general are far from modern. You can find references to many uses of baskets in the Bible and other religious texts from cultures around the world. You can also find references to baskets and their many uses in historical texts.

You can find references to baskets being used to transport goods from one place to another and baskets being used to carry small babies over the water safely. Then there are the many references to gift baskets heaped with valuable goods being handed from one person to another as a sign of respect, love and care.

Since baskets have been produced for so many years and can be pointed to in historical texts dating back many centuries, it is not clear when the very first basket was created. That is something that we simply don't know in our modern world.

Since baskets have such a rich history of being used to carry goods and as gifts, there is no clear record of when the very first gift basket was handed out either. There are accounts of kings and royalty giving out gift baskets to special people in their charge as far back as the 1600s and possibly earlier. So, you can see from that gift baskets are far from a new concept.

The Beauty of Gift Baskets

What makes baskets such a prominent feature of cultures around the world is its versatility. Baskets are extremely functional and can be used for everyday purposes but they can also be used to create some of the most elaborate gourmet gift baskets. You might have small baskets in your home collecting small items that get tossed around on tables and then you may squeal with delight when a gift basket comes to the door for delivery steeped with fruit, preserves, and other gifts.

Baskets were once vehicles for keeping babies safe in water and useful for hauling fresh goods from remote locations to homes. Today, we have gourmet gift baskets stuffed with fresh made chocolates, hand picked fruits, and some of the cutest stuffed animals and other small toys. There are even gift baskets made for certain occasions, such as welcoming a new baby into the world or celebrating someone's 100^th birthday.

Then you have homemade gift baskets that people put together for their loved ones in their own homes. This takes more work but allows every item in the gift baskets to be hand selected and gift giver approved.

This versatility to create whatever type of gift you want is the real beauty of gift baskets. They can become literally anything the gift giver wants them to become. One gift basket may look adorable in pastel pink with white grass and loads of colorful plastic Easter eggs while another is an elegant woven wooden basket filled with the finest gourmet foods ever created.

When you give gift baskets, you give from your heart. Recipients know that your gift was designed just for them and that you put real thought into putting it together or picking it out for them.

It may not be known exactly who created the very first basket or who handed out the very first gift baskets, but we know that baskets will remain a central part of cultures around the world for as long as man exists. They are just too functional and versatile to give up.