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The internet is a most amazing market place. There is
nowhere in the physical world where you can so quickly and effortlessly
compare prices, lookup other user's comments and source information on
that item. Everything is available from the most staple of foods
to the most extravagant of purchases (want to buy an island?). So
where do you start?
On a page like this. I have been using the 'net for
shopping for years and have followed it through from the rough and ready
'outlaw' beginnings through to today's hustling and bustling market
place. One thing remains constant, if you know where to look, you
can save a lot of money.
So let's get into the, "how to do it" part of this page,..
Only shop with those who offer secure transactions; you can
tell by looking at the address at the top of the browser window (the
URL). If it says http:// it is an "open" page, but if it says https://
it is a secured page. The key is the little "S" at the back of the
http. These letters tell your browser what format the pages are
in; these pages are in Hyper
Text, so a browser knows by seeing the HTTP
that it is looking at displaying in Hyper
Text Transfer
Protocol. When an "S" is shown at the
back, that means that the information is Secure
(coded and encrypted).
Be aware of exchange rates and import duties. If you
have not read the guide for those buying
in auctions, please do so now. Many of the same concerns
effect you here too. I have re-published the relevant information
below for your convenience too.
The best way I feel to find good bargains and stay safe is to
use a site like this one (obviously, I want you to use this one only!
☺) where much of the research and
checking is already done. This is best because site publishers
like myself have already put in the search strings, found several
thousand responses in a search engine and checked many of them out to
see who is really doing good value-for-money deals and who is
pretending.
From this page, you will see
the menu on the left change as you are offered a huge range of
categories in which to browse. Each of the merchants have either
been checked out directly by myself or my team and/or passed the open
forum test and/or proven themselves with other products of a similar
nature.
Remember the Golden Rule
though, if you did not need it an hour ago, do you really need it now?
The internet is a mighty enticing place to browse, so be disciplined and
make sure you don't go and wipe out your credit card on purchases of
items you do not really, really want.
Buying tips BEFORE you start shopping - essentially repeated from
the Auction advice section but well worth absorbing again!
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Make sure you
actually want the item. Read the item
description
fully, look at the pictures, read the shipping
costs. It is no use getting a bargain for
99 cents for something that retails for five dollars
and then paying fifteen dollars for shipping!
Amazing bargains are most decidedly out there to be
found and snapped up, but make sure you look at the
whole price, not just the simple purchase price. |
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Decide how
much you are happy to spend on the item BEFORE you
start shopping. Once the 'fur' starts flying
and you find yourself "needing" that special item you
just found,
decide where your point is where you will say,
"enough". Research
the item a little or read reviews or recommendations
from trusted sources. |
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Before you
commit to buy, look at the payment methods. PayPal
is my total and absolute favourite payment method
and I am happy to deal with almost anyone who uses
PayPal. A great variety of secure credit card
merchants are now online also and offer excellent
security and tractability of transactions.
Bank deposits, Western
Union transfers etc. is essentially untraceable cash
sent to someone you do not know. How much
trust do you really have? |
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Check where
in the world you are, a close friend just bought a
watch from a town named Newcastle; problem is the
one where the watch was is in the UK and they
thought it was the Newcastle in Australia! A
difference of 12,000 kilometres! It is very
easy to discover the hard way that the internet is
truly global.
Do not underestimate the costs
of international shipping once items get a little
larger, but again, do not let this put you off
either if the purchase price is right AND they use
an accountable payment system like PayPal.
I have bought some amazing bargains overseas and had
them shipped here for far less than local retail
prices.
What
really threw me recently is finding an Australian owned
and made item overseas which I had shipped to me for
less money than I could find it anywhere in Australia -
even with two lots of international freight! |
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Check what
currency you are buying in. If you thought
you were spending Australian Dollars and got a
bargain, you might cry a bit when you discover you
were actually spending Euros (over a 200% mark-up on
exchange rates!).
Most
large sites
generally show a converted currency equivalent as
long as you have filled out your personal
preferences with that site. A neat currency
converter can be found in the above row of buttons. |
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If your item
is coming in from another country, any import
taxes, customs duties etc are yours to pay.
Do not let this put you off buying from overseas.
I recently purchased some computer equipment that
still worked out 20 - 25% cheaper than the best
local price I could find after all shipping and
expenses AND it got here in five days. |
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Overseas
media like DVDs and Videos may be different formats or
regions
from yours. For example, residents of
Australia live in DVD Region 4 and need an
all region player to watch a Region 1 (USA) DVD.
Likewise, most video machines sole in Australia will
play PAL, NTSC and a variety of other Video
Formats, but many playback devices sold in the
US can only play NTSC. It pays to check it out
before finding out the hard way. |
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Overseas
electronics
may not be compatible, especially if they use AC
power. Devices that use DC power can often be
powered by a locally sourced transformer as long as
the ratings are the same in voltage and amperes as
the original. Check with a local technician if
in doubt.
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Parts may not be available for
overseas or obsolete models.
Again, do not let this put you off looking at the
goods from around the world. Something
second-hand or obsolete but bought at one
fourth its replacement value only has to operate for
long enough to owe you nothing. I have a
printer bought second hand (saving about 60% off its
new price) that has just printed its 300,000th page
for me with not one glitch except a replacement
paper tray feeder guide (<$20 installed). You
will be amazed at what parts you can find in obscure
places if you decide to look too.... An adventure!
An adventure! |
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