Online Christmas Shopping Tips
For several years, my husband and I lived on the other side of the country away from our families. We weren’t able to fly home with tons of gifts, and shipping Christmas gifts was just way too expensive. At that time, we started doing all of our Christmas shopping online and we still continue to do much of our shopping online, even now that we’re back in our home state.
We prefer online shopping for several reasons: First, we hate crowds. Mall shopping is just about the last thing in the world that sounds appealing to me. Second, it’s easy to find good deals online. With literally thousands or retailers online all competing with each other for your money, you have a lot of leverage.
Here are my tips for shopping online for the holidays:
Make a list. Write down everybody that you need to buy gifts for and jot down some ideas for what to get them. What do they like? Do they have any specific interests that could help you in choosing a gift. If you keep an open mind about what to get them, you’ll be able to get the best deal. For example, I am looking for a small keyboard for my daughter this year. I’m keeping my search general and I am open to all reputable brands so I am more likely to find the best deal. If I narrow my search one brand and model, I’m going to have a harder time finding a good deal.
Check out your vendor. Before you plug your credit card number into a website, make sure that you can trust them. Have you ever heard of this retailer? You shouldn’t have to dig for a customer service phone number on a website you’re shopping on. My personal rule is that if I don’t find a customer service phone number within 10 minutes of browsing, I move on. I learned this lesson the hard way and my bank account suffered. Somebody ripped my card number off online and went on a shopping spree in California with my money! This probably sounds cheesy, but I really do use Smarter when I shop online because they weed out the bad guys and show you the best deals first.
Check the shipping and handling times. Order early enough to account for the busy season for the shipping carriers. There are often great last minute Christmas deals, but many times the items arrive after the holidays. This is great if your family has a late holiday get together (my in-laws get together in January), but not so great if you show up to a Christmas Eve get together empty handed.
Pick your card carefully. Use a credit card that offers protection if you don’t get the item you paid for or if your card is used in a way that you didn’t authorize.
Look for free or cheap shipping. If a retailer really wants your business, they won’t charge you an arm and a leg for shipping. You can find free shipping coupons at CouponMountain.com.
Make it personal. If you’re going to be giving the gift in person, wrap it yourself. Paying a vendor to gift wrap is usually pretty expensive and you want to make sure that the recipient knows that you put more thought into their gift that just pointing and clicking online. If you’re shipping the gift directly to the recipient, include a personal card. Tell them why you chose the gift that you did. Your sentiment is just as important as the gift you chose.
