Xmas shopping - without leaving the house!
Love it or hate it, Christmas shopping is one of those annual activites that we try to streamline every year. A computer with an internet connection is the best way to cut out the crowds, tired kids and sore backs.
Although I really believe it still has a long way to go in Australia, if you know where to look there are quite a few things you can find online that will help you cross off a major portion of that list you’ve created.
Even if you don't use the Internet to make purchases, you'll find it useful even for looking up the websites of the shopping malls you plan to visit - check their opening hours and store listings before you leave home!
Start surfing at Global Reviews - where you'll find independent reviews of over 80 Australian online retailers.
Gift Ideas
Stocking Stuffers
You’ll keep kids and kids-at-heart smiling with some nifty ideas from the Dick Smith website at http://www.dse.com.au.
At the Dick Smith website listed above, check out:
Glo Gear Necklaces - $12.87. Made from acryllic and activated by a magnet clasp, these gorgeous necklaces light up, and look great in the dark. Catalogue No: y2918.
Bring back a new Yo-Yo craze – this time with sound and light. The Disc Yo ($6.98) comes in great neon colours and is a great reminder of ‘those days’. Catalogue No: y2876
I love the ‘Flashing Hands’ – A moulded plastic hand that sits on your desk, holding your mobile phone – when the phone rings, the hand starts flashing! $22.18 Catalogue No: e2025
All at the Dick Smith website at http://www.dse.com.au
dStore is back
Although it’s gone through some major changes over the last year, dStore.com.au assure me that they have got everything sorted out with this new incarnation, which concentrates on music, DVD’s, videos and games. Order 2 or more things and get free delivery. You’ll find the prices on most things quite competitive. The one disarming thing I will warn you about is your credit card statement - the listing didn't come up as dStore, it appeared as 'internet.au Birkdale' which is the location they ship from.
The Shopping section at Ninemsn has recently been updated in time for Christmas, and you'll find links to many different retailers including Chaos Music, Cellarmasters, Roses Only and more. Search by Retailer, Brand, Gift Guide or price range. A nifty idea is also the online gift voucher - your recipient will get an email with a unique serial number which they can use to buy online.
The newly updated David Jones site is worth a visit this Christmas, as always for their hampers, but additionally for their new categories including Children, Homewares, Leisure and Beauty. Get your hamper order in before December 14 in time for delivery before Christmas (Dec 12 for overseas deliveries)
Bag a bargain
If you’ve never had a go at online auctions, now is your chance – they are a great way to find a bargain, with lots of items available that have never even been used. Visit both http://www.sold.com.au and http://www.ebay.com.au and sign up for free.
Once signed up, do a search for your favourite bit of memorabilia and see what you find. I’ve used it to try and locate Barbie things for my daughter and Swarovski crystal for my mother in law!
If you’ve got time before Christmas, online auctions are also a great way to sell unwanted goods for extra spending money! (there are small fees for listing items)
How do you pay? Once you’ve won an auction, the seller will contact you via email and offer you your payment options. Sometimes they’ll give you their bank account details so you can use internet banking to transfer the money into their account, otherwise they’ll wait for your cheque or even use a system called PayPal (check it out at http://www.paypal.com). At PayPal, you sign up for a free account, enter your credit card details (it’s a secure site, so there’s no concerns there), and then you can pay anyone with an email address.
Online transactions
When purchasing anything online, always look for a padlock along the bottom of the screen on the page that’s asking for your credit card details. If it’s not there – don’t go ahead, the page is not secure and your data will not be encrypted on its journey to the retailer. Choose another method of payment, such as phoning your credit card through or sending a cheque.
So, shop around! Shop around! Where else can you compare prices, delivery times and customer service without getting sore feet? Look for free delivery, gift wrapping and greetings cards closer to Christmas.
For my fact sheet archive, visit http://www.getmega.com/getmega/todayshow.html
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