Not On The High Street vs Amazon Handmade, John Lewis and Moonpig for Christmas gifts

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A solid oak personalised whiskey tumbler for £45 from a small North Wales maker. A wooden thumb page holder for £12 from a family brand in Nottinghamshire. That's the kind of present Not On The High Street is built around. NOTHS, as it's usually called, has spent more than 20 years growing a marketplace of over 4,000 small UK brands selling more than 350,000 products, and it says each of those businesses has been hand-selected by its in-house curators.

With Christmas about 11 weeks away and the NOTHS Christmas Shop already open, we've compared it with three places many people turn to for gifts: Amazon Handmade, John Lewis and Moonpig. All details come from each retailer's own website.

Curated small brands, not an endless catalogue

The big difference at NOTHS is who you're buying from. NOTHS says every item is made or sourced by an independent UK business, and the seller's name is on each listing. That tumbler comes from MijMoj Design, run by Gafyn and Sean, and the page holder from Pintail Studio, a family brand that has been making things by hand in its Nottinghamshire workshop for over 40 years. You know whose work you're giving.

Amazon Handmade is the closest like-for-like rival: a section of Amazon where artisans sell handmade and customisable products. John Lewis offers a department-store range of big brands and its own lines, while Moonpig is best known for personalised cards and also sells gifts, flowers, plants and balloons.

Personalisation across the whole shop

Personalisation is where NOTHS stands out. There's a dedicated personalised gifts shop, split by recipient (mums, dads, babies, couples, grandparents, even pets) and by product (jewellery, cushions, prints, stationery). Product pages have a 'Personalisable' filter, and many Christmas decorations can carry a photo, date or initials. This year's Christmas picks include:

• a personalised Christmas sack (£24.95)
• a personalised family door bauble (£30)
• a personalised name wooden Christmas Eve box (£36)

Moonpig is known for personalised cards, and Amazon Handmade has a customisable products section. At NOTHS, personalisation isn't a side section: it runs from jewellery and prints to cushions and tree decorations.

Delivery: set by each seller, so use the filters

Because each item is sent by its own seller, delivery costs and times vary. NOTHS says thousands of products come with free delivery and faster options are available on many items. Every listing shows an estimated delivery date and whether delivery is free, and you can filter by 'Arrives by' and by delivery cost. The sale with free delivery section alone lists more than 21,000 products.

• NOTHS: set by each seller, with thousands of items delivered free and an estimated date on each listing.
• Amazon: free delivery on orders over £35 for most items shipped by Amazon, and One-Day Delivery on eligible items for Prime members.
• John Lewis: standard delivery is free on orders of £50 or more and £4.50 below that.
• Moonpig: gifts go by Royal Mail Tracked 24 from £5.99, or by DPD before 1pm from £9.99, with same-day dispatch on weekday orders placed by 9pm.

Returns: know the rules for personalised gifts

For most NOTHS products, you have 28 days to tell the seller you want to return or exchange something, then another 14 days to send it back. The exception, as at most gift retailers, is anything personalised or perishable, and that applies to Christmas gifts too: someone can return a present they've been given only if it isn't personalised or perishable. Moonpig doesn't take back personalised items, food or flowers either.

John Lewis gives 30 days for returns, and Christmas gifts bought from 1 October to 24 December 2026 can go back until 23 January 2027. Amazon accepts most items within 30 days if they're unused and undamaged. Wherever you shop, check names, dates and spelling twice before ordering anything personalised.

Gift services and Christmas timing

You can send a present straight to the person it's for by entering their address at checkout. Some sellers offer gift wrap for a little extra, and many items arrive wrapped as standard. You can add a card from the Cards & Wrap section, and NOTHS gift cards are there if you'd rather let them choose.

NOTHS hasn't published fixed Christmas last-order dates on its website yet. Its advice is to order anything custom, handmade or personalised well in advance, and everything else at least two weeks before Christmas. If you're leaving it late, there's a Christmas gifts with express delivery edit.

A price promise and a membership that pays back

Small-brand gifts aren't always the cheapest option, so NOTHS offers two safety nets.

• Price promise: the price promise covers identical products found for less at Etsy, Moonpig, John Lewis or Next within 7 days of your order being accepted. You get the difference back as a NOTHS gift voucher valid for 12 months, and the item has to match in every detail, including the seller.
• Membership: NOTHS & More costs £10 for a year and gives 10% off everything, including sale items, plus an extra birthday discount and members-only offers. It's a one-off payment that doesn't renew automatically, so it pays for itself once you spend £100 in a year. Moonpig Plus, by comparison, gives 30% off cards only.

Where the others have the edge

NOTHS isn't the right choice for every gift:

• Shops and collection: John Lewis has department stores and Click & Collect. NOTHS is online only.
• One delivery charge: at John Lewis, a mixed basket goes on a single delivery charge, free over £50. At NOTHS, each seller sets its own postage and handles its own returns.
• Speed: if you already pay for Prime, Amazon's One-Day Delivery on eligible items is a real advantage when time is short.
• Longer Christmas returns: John Lewis's extended window, until 23 January 2027, gives more breathing room for gifts that aren't personalised.

Who Not On The High Street suits best

NOTHS makes most sense when the gift itself matters more than speed: personalised keepsakes, jewellery, prints, hampers and homeware from a business you can name, rather than a big-chain shelf. It also suits anyone who buys enough gifts each year to make the £10 membership pay. If you need something tomorrow, want to collect in store or are buying a branded gadget, the bigger retailers are more practical.

Your questions answered

Who actually sends my order?

The small business that made or sourced the item. NOTHS runs the marketplace and the checkout, and you contact the seller about delivery, returns and exchanges.

Can I return a personalised gift?

Not if you've simply changed your mind. Personalised and perishable items are excluded from returns, so check every detail before you order.

Can I use my membership discount with a promo code?

No. Only one code works per order, and the NOTHS & More discount doesn't combine with other promotional or voucher codes. If a site-wide offer is worth more than 10%, enter that code instead.

Ways to save at Not On The High Street

• Members Week: until 11 October, NOTHS & More members get 20% off selected advent calendars and 15% off home and garden.
• Newsletter: subscribers get 10% off a first order over £30.
• Students: 10% off through UNiDAYS.
• Sale: the sale with free delivery has up to 50% off.

We've rounded up the six best NOTHS deals this week, and you'll find every current offer on our Not On The High Street voucher codes page.

Sources: Not On The High Street, NOTHS about us, NOTHS Christmas, NOTHS & More, NOTHS price promise, NOTHS shopper terms, Amazon Handmade, Amazon Prime, John Lewis delivery, John Lewis returns, Moonpig delivery, Moonpig Plus

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