Shopping 'til you drop has hit new highs thanks to the internet. In the old days working people had to wait for late nights to buy what they wanted. Now you can shop 24/7 for a vast range of goods from all four corners of the earth.
The most popular
online shopping categories in New Zealand are travel, followed by computer software and then books and magazines. But while these items are convenient to buy online, internet shopping really comes into its own when it comes to hard-to-find goods.
Where, for example, do you buy international or alternative music if you live in Mercer, Waihi Beach or Raglan? Realgroovy.co.nz is the answer - or Amazon.com if you're looking for a wider range. If you do live somewhere out of the way or are just time poor, then you'll also appreciate having your purchases delivered to your door.
For really obscure items, internet users head for the auction site TradeMe.co.nz. TradeMe has around 300,000 items for sale at any one time, and according to Nielsen/NetRatings it is the most popular online shopping destination in New Zealand with nine times more page impressions than its nearest online shopping rival Traderpoint.co.nz. New Zealanders' other favourite online shops include Gameplanet.co.nz, XtraMSN.co.nz, Farmers.co.nz, SmokeCDs.com, SafeTrader.co.nz, Monotapu.co.nz and NZflower.co.nz.
Online auction sites, such as TradeMe and eBay.com, sell virtually every consumer item ever invented, and you can often buy new products as well as second-hand goods. If the item you're looking for isn't for sale, you simply save a search for that item and you're automatically emailed if an auction is listed that matches your request.
One thing that you wouldn't buy on TradeMe is your groceries. But you can do your weekly shop online at Foodtown.co.nz, providing you live within a delivery area. The company even delivers the cold and frozen stuff.
Some of the best online shopping deals are to be found overseas, especially in the US. As a rule, it's worth checking overseas prices whenever you're buying anything expensive. If you do decide to buy from abroad, then use specialist shopping engines such as Bizrate.com and Froogle.com to find the most competitive prices. If you're buying from Australia, merchants should remove the local GST from the price you pay. And here, customs and excise will only collect excise duty and GST if the total exceeds $50. So most purchases worth less than $200 escape the clutches of the taxman.
Online shopping tips:
- Use a secure web browser. The address of the website should begin ``https'' - the ``s'' means secure
- Keep your passwords secret, just as you keep your ATM PIN secret
- Protect your card details by only giving your card numbers and other details when making purchases. Don't provide them for any other reason
- Check delivery/return policies before buying and find out who bears the cost if you return an item