Some Successful Gifts - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

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Some Successful Gifts
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Posted by: Riversnow

On my initial trip to Ukraine, I was visiting some old friends who had come to the USA on a work / exchange program and meeting my (now) wife. A good friend tipped me off to Parfum1.com. Most women in the FSU will like French perfume; it has immediate status if it says made in Paris or France. I didn't need to worry about favorite colors, sizes of garments for women that I hadn't met. For the men (I had met most) and some children (guessed sizes) I brought some clothing that obviously was from the USA (logos, teams) although they may have been made in Asia. On a recent return trip we brought some clothing for infants / small children and Osh Kosh + Carters clothing were well received.
Two gifts that may be a bit pricey for some were a Minolta 35mm rangefinder camera (for my colleague Ivan) and a Minolta digital camera for my (now) brother-in-law. They both still use them and value them greatly. Ivan's family borrows his camera when they go on vacations. Each year when I go to visit, I bring him more Lithium batteries as a standing gift. In general cameras and electronic things cost much more in Ukraine than in the USA because of import duties and lack of competitive shopping on the internet. On a recent trip we brought a video camera for Lena's god-daughter, who just had her first child. We found one in a USA store with multiple formats NTSC (USA) and PAL (FSU).
Other electronic goodies that will please teens and young adults are CD/mp3 players (under $50 in the USA but more than double that there). I have made several gifts of these. The CD's and mp3's are dirt cheap over there. I would think that iPods and the like would also be big hits. American blue jeans and sports shoes are big hits with our family. Good quality cosmetics go over well with the women, fortunately for me my wife picks these out.
Some gifts that are best purchased over there and are fairly expensive unless you have a serious relationship are washing machines and computers. Most women in Ukraine still wash clothes by hand in the family bathtub and dream to own an automatic washer. My mother-in-law is a sweet woman and treats me like a son. We purchased one for her before Lena came to the USA. Later we purchased one for my sister-in-law; she was dumbfounded when it was delivered and even tried to send the delivery men away saying that they had made a mistake. A microwave makes a good gift - also purchased over there - also more appropriate for longer relationships.
I have occasionally seen discussions about purchasing laptops and bringing them to Russia / Ukraine. Unless the recipient specifically needs a laptop, I would recommend purchasing the computer over there. Computer shopping in Ukraine today is like it was in the USA 15 years ago. Lots of entrepeneurs are builing them in small shops. The prices are fairly good but you need to shop a little. You can get a good basic computer for $400 or less. Tons of software will be added for free or a nominal price. In our case we did some upgrading to add a TV/FM radio tuner, and serious video processing cabability. All the directions and the keyboard will be cyrillic and any warranty issues can be handled locally.
A few gifts for a man - multitool (Leatherman, Gerber or similar), an LED headlamp/light or a toolset. You can get a toolset at Sears (remember to get metric) or better yet get a professional grade set (usually chrome vanadium steel). The toolset is probably not for the first time over and it can be heavy but my brother-in-law loves his.

Posted by: Jill

Great tips, Riversnow! Thanks for posting--this kind of information is very helpful for members

Posted by: Khashyar

Yes, very good detailed and useful information, River...