How to Know What to Get Your Boyfriend for His Birthday

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: July 9, 2022

Men have a (sometimes well-deserved) reputation of being difficult to shop for. The pressure is doubled when you’re trying to figure out what to get your boyfriend for his birthday. No matter how impossible it may seem, every girlfriend is more than capable of getting her boyfriend a birthday present he'll love.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Feeling Out the Gift

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Think about your boyfriend’s hobbies and interests. Put yourself in his shoes. Think about what he might buy for himself if he had the money and wanted to treat himself. People who do this tend to give gifts that the recipient loves more often than people who don't try seeing things from another point of view.
- Think about what he does in his spare time or the sorts of things he reads or watches. Anything that helps him pursue these is sure to make him smile.
2
Listen for hints. He knows his birthday is coming up and that you’re obligated to get him something just as well as you do. He’ll probably try to help you out by dropping some hints into your normal conversations. Expect to start hearing hints about three or four weeks before his birthday comes.
- If he brings something up multiple times, it’s something you should definitely investigate further.
- Some hints can be subtle. Instead of saying that he’d really like it if someone got him the boxed set of his favorite TV series, he might say something like, “I saw this box set came out a few weeks ago. It looked really cool!”
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3
Ask his friends and family. He may be more comfortable talking about what he wants for his birthday with his friends and family than he is with you. Talk to them when your boyfriend isn’t around to see if they have any ideas that might help.
- If you decide to go with something that they mention, make sure to ask them to keep it a secret.
4
Consult your own group of friends. Your boyfriend is probably around your friends a lot of the time. If you’re feeling stressed about how to get your boyfriend a birthday present he’ll love, ask your friends for some advice. They will be able to offer some helpful insight into what types of gifts their boyfriends have appreciated and what might be something nice to get for yours.
- You shouldn't do this if your friends don't know your boyfriend at all. You can still ask them for advice, but take it with a grain of salt.
5
Ask your boyfriend for ideas. Not everyone can be psychic when it comes to knowing what people want for their birthday. If you’re really feeling frazzled and can’t think of anything good, just ask your boyfriend for some suggestions. He won’t mind that you needed a little help from him. In fact, gifts that people ask for often end up being the most appreciated ones.^{[1]
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- For example, you can ask him for a birthday wish list, then buy 1 or 2 items off of that list.
- Alternatively, you can ask him what sort of things he'd like to get (such as winter accessories), then use what you know about him to fill in the details (like color and pattern).

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Planning the Present

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Set a budget. Figure out how much you can reasonably afford to spend on a gift for your boyfriend. Be strict about it and don’t get anything that goes over it. Contrary to what you may think, the monetary value of a gift doesn’t have a huge impact on how much the recipient enjoys it. In fact, recipients enjoy cheap gifts just as much as they do expensive ones, as long as they’re both thoughtful.^{[2]
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- Consider how long you’ve been dating. If you’ve been dating for six months or less, don’t get him something expensive, even if you can easily afford it. You don’t know how long the relationship will last. If you end up together for a long time, you’ll have plenty more birthdays you can spoil him on.
- You may be able to get more bang for your buck if you buy something refurbished or hunt for sales. This is an especially good idea if you’re thinking about getting him electronics. Most of the time they come with a warranty, and your boyfriend probably won’t care or notice that someone used it for a little bit before he did.
2
Do some research on his hobbies and interests. If you don’t know a whole lot about what your boyfriend spends his time doing, then it’s time to do a little research. You can learn pretty much anything on the internet in an hour. Spend some time searching his hobbies and interests and reading anything that talks about them. Read any websites dedicated to bringing hobbyists and enthusiasts together and see what’s new in the field.
- You may need to take his level of experience and expertise when you’re thinking of gifts. If your boyfriend has been skateboarding since he could walk, it doesn’t make sense to get a beginner’s board that he’ll probably hate riding. At the same time, an expensive fly-fishing rod doesn’t make sense if he’s only gone fishing two or three times in his life.
- Ask people with similar interests for help if you’re stuck. There are online communities for pretty much any pastime imaginable. Look for forums and other groups dedicated to discussing something your boyfriend likes to do. Make an account and explain your predicament. Chances are, the members will offer helpful advice that will guide you towards getting your boyfriend something he’ll love.
- You may find lists that say something like “10 Great Gifts for Guys Who Love Hiking.” These can be helpful, but sometimes they are just a marketing tool to sell stuff. If you get an idea from a list like this, try to find some actual reviews to see if it’s worth it or not.
3
Think of some gifts that are either sentimental or practical. As long as your gift fits into one of these categories he’ll appreciate it. It shouldn’t just be another addition to his collection of stuff. It should be something he will actually use or something that he can look at and remember all the happy moments you’ve shared together.
- Don’t limit yourself to products. Sometimes experiences can make a much better gift. Make a video of all his friends and family sharing their favorite memory of your boyfriend. Schedule an activity that you know he’ll enjoy that you can do together. He may not be able to show it off like he’d be able to with other presents, but it will mean a lot more to him.^{[3]
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- Stay away from classically bad gifts. It can be tempting to get your boyfriend something like a tie or shaving kit for their birthday. It makes sense, these are pretty common and obvious answers to the question of what makes a good gift for a boyfriend. In reality, these gifts pretty much always fall flat. If it seems like a stereotypical gift from a girlfriend, consider other options unless you’re positive he’ll love it.^{[4]
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Narrow it down to one idea. Lots of people make the mistake of getting one big gift and a bunch of small ones for their loved ones. It’s easy to see why. After all, isn’t more always better? In fact, giving small presents alongside your large one will make the main gift seem less special.
- It is better to put a lot of effort into one gift rather than no effort into multiple gifts.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Giving Your Boyfriend His Birthday Present

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Have it ready well in advance. Few things are as stressful as not knowing whether your present will be ready in time for your boyfriend’s birthday. Give yourself a couple of weeks to buffer yourself and make sure everything is right. Check how long any online orders will take to ship.
- Give yourself extra time when buying gifts online. Sometimes items come late or damaged. Sometimes, they don't come at all!
2
Keep it a surprise. If you know any of your friends or your boyfriend’s friends are likely to spill the beans, don’t tell them what you got your boyfriend for his birthday. Drop your boyfriend a few hints if you want to, but not anything that’s specific enough that he’ll be able to guess what you got him. He’ll appreciate what he gets a lot more if he isn’t expecting it.
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Pay attention to the presentation. A beautiful presentation will make your boyfriend excited to open the gift he’s been anticipating. Not only that, but it will show your effort and that you really do care. For example:^{[5]
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- If you got him something you can wrap, make sure the paper and ribbon complement one another and that the gift is neatly wrapped.
- If you got him something that’s better off written in a card, pick a card he’ll like and put some effort into making your handwriting look good.
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Pair it with a thoughtful note. Talk about why you care for him and why you thought he would like the gift. Even if it isn’t perfect, the old saying, “it’s the thought that counts,” has been proven to be true. People hold gifts that people spent a lot of time and energy thinking about in just as high a regard as they do gifts they’ve been asking about for months. As long as you really put some effort in and got reasonably close to the mark, he’ll love it.^{[6]
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- Keep it light if you’ve only been dating a few months. It’s pretty awkward to go on and on about how he’s your entire world if you haven’t known each other very long. Talk about how much fun you have spending time together, but don’t drop anything too heavy on him.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do I give an experience as a gift?

Julia McCurley
Certified Professional Matchmaker
Julia McCurley is a Certified Professional Matchmaker, Relationship Coach, and the CEO of Something More, Austin's premier matchmaking service. She has been creating happy couples in Austin for over 12 years and has helped hundreds of singles on their journey to finding love. Her blogs have been published on the Huffington Post, Good Men Project, SheKnows, Emlovz, and The Dating Truth. She also just published her first book, Game Set Match: A Professional Matchmaker's Advice on How to Win At the Game Of Love. Julia holds a BA in Business and Communications from The University of Puget Sound and received her Master Executive Matchmaker Certification from The Matchmaking Institute.

Julia McCurley

Certified Professional Matchmaker

Expert Answer

Try booking a hotel room for you two without him knowing! Take him to a fancy dinner on his birthday and then give him the hotel room key as a surprise!
Question

Is buying a nice t-shirt for my boyfriend as a birthday gift a good idea?

Community Answer

Sure. Clothes are a great gift to show you care about someone. Just make sure it's something you think is his style, not just something you like.
Question

My boyfriend's birthday is next month, but I don't know what to get him. He says he doesn't want anything, either. What should I do?

Community Answer

Get him an experience, like lunch out or a birthday hike in the woods. Write him a letter. You might also make or buy him his favorite dessert.

Warnings

Don’t forget his birthday! Don’t rely on Facebook to alert you. Write it down if you don’t think you’ll remember.

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Helpful 16 Not Helpful 4
Don’t expect him to give any presents back if you break up. He might, but he is in no way obligated to.

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