Trap 1- currency
Check the currency of the website. Even if you’re shopping with an Australian based website their clientele may be predominantly offshore so the currency may be displayed in anither currency like US dollar, pounds sterling or euro. If you can’t change the currency to Australian dollar, simply go on google and search for the conversion. For example, I usually enter “convert 100 USD to AUD” in google then search and it gives me a rough estimate in Aussie dollars.

Trap 2 – shipping on purchases
Always check the cost of shipping in particular when shopping from websites based offshore. I have found that some Australian websites charge up to $25 shopping within Australian for clothing! There are some websites eg www.magnolia-jewellery.com.au, www.minimate.com.au and www.wittner.com.au that offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount ($65, $100 and $100 respectively). There are other websites like www.witchery.com.au and www.strawberrynet.com.au (I love this website…more on this one another day!) that offer free shipping. Witchery is offering free shipping for a limited time.

Trap 3 – refund/exchange policy
Always checks the returns policy. I cannot emphasise this enough. This is often where people go wrong with online shopping and get turned off the experience. If you’ve been lucky enough not to pay shipping on your purchase (www.shopbop.com.au offer free worldwide shipping) then you should consider that you may need to pay shipping when you return the item. I recently had an experience where I did not pay shipping for a suit from my husband from the UK from www.ctshirts.co.uk. Alas the suit did not fit, so I had to return it and paid $80 shipping to the UK! Ouch that did hurt but there was certainly a lesson in that for me. It may have cost me less if I had removed the suit from oversized box it was sent to me in and opted for a postage bag. Anyway, the lesson is to always think, with every online purchase, what if I need to return it? What is their return/exchange policy? How much it will cost me to return it?

Trap 4 – credit card fees
When shopping on from offshore site, check there are no additional fees for international transactions or currency conversions. We got quite a rude shock after our trip to NYC in 2003 as we paid a significant fee for every international transaction….hmmm definitely left a bad taste. Before buying from an offshore website, check with your credit card company whether you will be charged anything exktra if you use youur credit card.

Slight tangent – Some of us detest paying for shipping to or from anywhere. Consider shipping costs akin to paying for petrol or the value of your time. Online shipping is available 24/7 worldwide. Where and how else can you shop in the comfort of your own home, any time of the day right? Taking it to the extreme, shipping costs are significantly cheaper than having to fly overseas to shop!

That’s all for tonight folks. I’ll be back tomorrow with Part 2.

Shop-on!!
XO from your online shopping guru
Maria

Tip 2 – Sign up to online newsletters of stores you like

You would be surprised how many retailers have online stores. You may be further surprised by how many special offers (eg free shipping), discounts and gifts are provided exclusively to online shoppers.

Here are some of the many (probably too many!) online newsletters I subscribe to:

www.portmans.com.au (women’s fashion)

www.witchery.com.au (Witchery sends frequent newsletters with their sales)

www.amazon.com and www.bookdepository.com (Great for new release books and specials. I will dedicate an entire post to the book depository ‘cos I love it!)

www.petersofkensington.com.au (Peter’s of Kensington – need I say any more?)

www.bigw.com.au and www.kmart.com.au (There are often some exceptional discounts for online shoppers)

www.strawberrynet.com (perfume, cosmetics, skin care and haircare for ladies and men)

www.lifestyled.com.au (this is a website/blog that always provides links to great online stores.  I will dedicate a separate blog to Lifestyled.com.au in order to do it justice!).

www.shopnaturally.com.au (specialty online shop for safe, natural, organic & chemical free cleaning products, skin care, homewares, pet care, baby care, bpa free drink bottles, bpa free food storage and more)

www.freez.com.au (affordable women’s fashion)

www.minimate.com.au (Aussie made kids clothing label)

www.toysrus.com.au (There are amazing online sales communicated through their newsletter)

www.netaporter.com (high end women’s fashion)

www.mrporter.com (high end men’s fashion)

www.theoutnet.com (high end women’s fashion on sale)

www.myer.com.au (often offer online only specials that are absolute bargains)

www.davidjones.com.au (will often enter compete with myer and offer great online specials too) 

www.snapfish.com.au and www.harveynorman.com.au (great for specials on digital prints, canvasses, photo books and photo gifts. Especially around festive times (Christmas) and special days (Valentine’s day, mother’s day, father’s day).

I have so many more but at the risk of bombarding you, I will save them for a future post.

The beauty of receiving online newsletters is that it gives you insight into the world of online shopping and the breadth of what you can buy.  If you like something you see on sale or you see a special offer like free shipping, click on the link in the newsletter and it will usually take you to the website. From there you can start your online shopping purchase. 

Look out for Part 3 – Traps of online shopping

Shop-on!!
XO from your online shopping guru
Maria

I truly love the convenience, ease and efficiency of online shopping. Where else can you shop anytime, anywhere and from the comfort of your lounge, bed or wherever you wish!

I hope you find my posts helpful.

My first post today is simply to provide some start up tips for first time online shoppers:

How do you start?

TIP 1 – Make an inexpensive purchase

I would suggest starting by making a reasonably inexpensive purchase.  Perhaps something for yourself or a family member like clothes, accessories, kids school essentials like backpacks, waterbottles etc.

By purchasing something inexpensive the first couple of times, it will give you some confidence about using online stores and the internet for shopping purposes without worrying about spending copious amounts of money.

Some of my favourite stores for great products, reliable customer service and value for money are listed below.  They also all happen to be Australian.  I do intend to cover international online shopping stores in future posts for those of us that love the international designer brands (not that I would know anything about that of course!).

Here are my top 3 websites to start with:

1.             www.shopnaturally.com.au – Shop Naturally Healthy Households is a specialty online shop for safe, natural, organic & chemical free cleaning products, skin care, homewares, pet care, baby care, bpa free drink bottles, bpa free food storage and much more. It is Australian owned and operated which is another reason why I love it so much.

2.       www.minimate.com.au – MiniMate is Australia’s favourite fashion label for trendy boys and cheeky tomboys. Their Australian made range includes designer t-shirts especially designed for kids with copyrighted prints of dinosaurs, surfer boy, cars, motorbikes, eagles and much more! Don’t be deceived into thinking that they’re expensive because they’re Australian made. Mini Mate is affordable, have great quality products and efficient service. Prices start at just $9.95.

3.       www.freez.com.au – there’s something for all the cool ladies out there on this website.  Freez stocks ladies fashion including clothing and accessories at very affordable prices. Prices start from an unbelievable $5.

You can subscribe to newsletters issued by each of the websites above that keep you updated with their sales, news etc.  You can also email them directly with questions.  They have a very quick turnaround in responding.  The customer service is way better than some department stores (which I will cover in a future post).

I hope you take something from this post and can apply it to your online shopping experience. Part 2 will be posted shortly.

Shop-on!!
XO from your online shopping guru
Maria

Applicances Online is Australia’s largest online applicance retailer. Some might say they sell everything but the kitchen sink, but they sell those too. You can buy fridges & freezers, dishwashers, washing machines & dryers, coffee machines, kettles & toasters, barbeques, air conditioners, air purifiers, coffee machines and much more. With close to 150,000 followers on Facebook who rave about their excellent customer service, this site should be on your short list when shopping for whitegoods and home appliances.

Cheeki
In 2011, the manufacturers of the popular Cheeki water bottles have extended their range to include a leak-proof travel mug. Available in three colours, these coffee mugs have a narrow base to easily fit in virtually every cup holder in every car on the road.

350ml in volume, they’re big enough for the morning coffee and with the lid removed, are the perfect size for your local barista to pop it under the coffee machine when they’re making your brew.

Simply push the button on the lid to open, and push again to close. RRP is $25.95 and they’re available from Cheeki stockists Australia-wide or they can be bought online from Cheeki stockist, Shop Naturally.

Klean Kanteen
Quality but a little pricey, the Klean Kanteen travel mug comes in three sizes and is a multi-use product. Simply take one of their wide mouth insulated bottles (which can be used as an insulated drink bottle and an insulated food jar) and add the Klean Kanteen Cafe Cap. This cap is not leak-proof, so not ideal for transport. The lid that comes with the bottle should be used for transporting hot liquid.

The cafe cap is much nicer to drink out of than most other versions (including the Cheeki brand above) but it comes with a price tag.

The 355ml size starts from $37.95 for the bottle (pictured left). The cafe cap can be purchased for $8.95 turning the bottle in to a travel mug (pictured right). The best priced Klean Kanteen online comes from Shop Naturally or visit the official Klean Kanteen website for a complete list of stockists Australia-wide.