Top Tips for Shopping Online

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s really time to get going with your Christmas shopping  otherwise it’s going be one mad panic.  Looking for gift ideas for women is tough enough but on top of that, you also have to look for presents for other members of the family and probably some of your friends as well, so where to start?

From now right through to Christmas Eve, shops up and down the high street are going to be especially crowded with desperate shoppers all looking for the best deals.  If the thought of joining the crowds is not something you cherish, then this year try doing your Christmas shopping online, it could be the perfect solution to your Christmas shopping nightmare.  Not only is it more convenient than driving into town, but you’ll also have access to a much wider selection of gift ideas for women, children and anyone else who you need to buy for.

Begin by putting together a list of people that you need gifts for and an approximate budget for each.  One of the best things about shopping online is that as well as being able to find almost everything that’s being sold on the high street but usually for less money, you can also find some amazingly unusual items often from small independent businesses who only trade on the internet and furthermore, everything is delivered right to your door and in many cases, there is no extra charge.  For those looking for gift ideas for women, there’s an endless supply of jewellery online, for the kids there’s more toys than you can shake a stick at and for everyone else, searching for “gift ideas” or “gift ideas online” will bring up and endless list of websites which sell all kinds of weird and wonderful things.

Womens jewellery is always a popular choice for birthdays, anniversaries and especially Christmas because it’s very personal and most women love wearing it.  If you’re a little hesitant about buying jewellery online, our top tips are shop early so if there’s a problem, you have enough time to return it and buy something else, when you go to a jewellery website or any website for that matter for the first time, before you start shopping, make sure there is a contact telephone number and an address and not just a PO box number, search Google for the business name to make sure no negative comments have been posted about it, on the website itself have a quick read through some of the information pages to see what else you can find out about them and most importantly of all, check their terms and conditions to establish how they deal with items that need to be returned, whether there’s a time limit and whether you will receive a full refund.  This can all be done literally in a few minutes and once you’re totally satisfied that they sound like a legitimate trader, you can start shopping online.

With regards to payment, although credit card is the most popular method, if you don’t feel comfortable with this, you can always use a payment gateway such as PayPal which will enable you to use your credit card through them or alternatively, you can also upload funds to your PayPal account and they will pay the trader on your behalf.  They also offer excellent protection for you as a buyer and as they currently process the payments of around 60% of all internet transactions, it’s pretty safe to use them.

Something else to do before shopping online with a particular website is to check their delivery times to see if they offer any guarantees and maybe even drop them an email to ask if you order today, when can you expect your goods to be delivered.  This will firstly enable you to get a feel for the standard of customer service they offer by how quickly they respond and their reply can also help you should the items you purchase not arrive within the specified time period.  The dispatch time with small independent traders is likely to be much quicker than when buying from a larger company and where you are required to leave feedback for the seller, for example when buying on eBay, it’s worth noting that positive feedback is extremely important as negative comments can have a serious impact on a small company’s online trading success.

Christmas shopping for popular toys and electronic items, should always be done in good time as these can often sell out in the run up to Christmas.  When buying expensive Jewellery Online or anything that is fragile, check the delivery method and makes sure that it will be insured and that you need to sign to confirm its safe arrival.  Ask if items come gift wrapped so that you don’t spend money on wrapping paper only to find it’s already been done for you.

Shopping online whether it be for the latest gadgets, consumer electronics, toys for the kids or perfect gift ideas for women will in the vast majority of cases, be easy, successful and hassle free.  Just be sensible and do some research first and consider sharing your experience with a particular company or website with others by writing something and posting it online.  This is the best way to get information out there on who is safe to shop online with and who should be avoided.