how reliable of the online stores?

deannawalter

I want to buy some items online, but don't know how reliable of the online stores, and how can i find out a reliable store, i want to buy some clothes or maybe books, can any one introduce me some stores? thanks

kaj70

hi
I shop online alot, my main shop is amazon. i shop with a credit card, as this is covered with insurance, in case of any problems that make occur.
i never store my card details on any sites, just in case!!!!
i usually judge how good a site is by looking at the
cashback sites i am on, and seeing if they are on there, if they are, im likely to trust it more!
the cashback sites i use are - quidco, my shopping rewards,
top cashback, nectar, and greasypalm. there are many more.
also there are many benefits with shopping of the internet,
including the cashback, more choice. comparing prices to get the best deal!! i will make a list of shops i use, what sort of stuff are you looking to buy??

jenniewb

Many stores are safe- what are you looking to buy?

The main thing you wanna look for is the payemnt page- you see the address bar which starts with http:// well, when your makeing a payment, you need it to say https:// (you need it to have an 's'), also, a little yellow cartoon padlock will appear too. It means your details are encrypted many times over, so scammers can't uncode what you submit to get your details.

Clothes, I'd go for any of the high street brands- the major ones (like Topshop, Topman, M&S...etc) who have safe sites. If your unsure of the address, most stores will have it somewhere on a receipt or carrier bag. Asos is also a well loved (and big!) online clothes store, as is Oli, very, shudoo and laredoute.

For books, pricewise Amazon tend to out do everyone else, but there may be random books that it does not have or are cheaper elsewhere. Try also Borders, WHSmiths..etc (and any others you can think of) or even compare them with an online price comparison site which takes prices from many different websites and gives you the best of them. Kelkoo, pricegrabber and even google will do this for you.

Food wise- Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbutys, Waitrose, Ocado, M&S...all sell food online.

If your unsure of a site, you can always ask on the shop-but-don't-drop board which has people who can advise.

Some links are:
http://www.asos.com
http://www.laredoute.co.uk
http://www.shudoo.co.uk
http://www.topshop.com
http://www.yoox.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk (n/b, http://www.amazon.com is only if you are in the US or fancy customs charges, make sure you only use the .co.uk site!)
http://www.borders.co.uk
http://www.tesco.com
http://www.sainsburys.co.uk
http://www.boots.com/
http://www.cheapsmells.com
https://www.lush.co.uk (click yes when the nonsecure items message comes up- it just means they are moving rather then out to harm your wallet!)


Tonnes more, but these are some of the ones from the top of my mind

kaj70

yes, i agree with those shops you have mentioned, i do think all the catalouges are safe, they are all available on the internet. and it is easy to set up an account, and you still have the option to pay off in one go, or to pay in installments.:)

deannawalter

I would like to shop for some dvd box sets.
I notice there seems to be many website located in asia, the price is really good, and i see the comments of the store are not bad. can i buy from them?

kaj70

Hi,

I often buy dvd's off the internet, but i am careful where i buy them. For the uk they have to be compatible for the dvd player that is being used, it is likely to be a region 2 player and would need a region 2 dvd to play on it!!! if that makes sense. if not this link explains it better http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=502554

I buy from
play http://www.play.com/
Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/
HMV http://hmv.com/hmvweb/home.do?ctx=280;5;-1;-1;-1
Tesco http://www.tescoentertainment.com/dvd/offers/huge-savings-on-tv-boxsets.list

I am sure there are many more sites, but i would be careful from buying from too far afield. im sure other people will have different opinions, but i hope this helps!

You coud always use a price comparison site, like kelkoo http://films.kelkoo.co.uk/c-149201-dvd-bluray.html put in what you are looking for and you get a ist of shops where it is available, along with the prices. if you buy from one of the less known retailers, then make sure it is a region 2 DVD.. (if your in the uk that is!!)

happy shopping

jenniewb

kaj70 wrote: »

Hi,

I often buy dvd's off the internet, but i am careful where i buy them. For the uk they have to be compatible for the dvd player that is being used, it is likely to be a region 2 player and would need a region 2 dvd to play on it!!! if that makes sense. if not this link explains it better http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=502554

I buy from
play http://www.play.com/
Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/
HMV http://hmv.com/hmvweb/home.do?ctx=280;5;-1;-1;-1
Tesco http://www.tescoentertainment.com/dvd/offers/huge-savings-on-tv-boxsets.list

I am sure there are many more sites, but i would be careful from buying from too far afield. im sure other people will have different opinions, but i hope this helps!

You coud always use a price comparison site, like kelkoo http://films.kelkoo.co.uk/c-149201-dvd-bluray.html put in what you are looking for and you get a ist of shops where it is available, along with the prices. if you buy from one of the less known retailers, then make sure it is a region 2 DVD.. (if your in the uk that is!!)

happy shopping

Also some great sites- but please be aware that Play.com has had many posts on MSE about fraud:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1531695&highlight=play+com+fraud

Think from reading it, people have decided its an inside job. Still happening unfortunely- I used to use Play but this scared me off- I may use again in the future but not unitl this has all been resolved or died down.

kaj70

Oh ok, i have always used Play. and never had a problem nor have i heard anything from anyone that i know that uses it. I am sure that everyone has different experiences of shopping on the internet though. I will keep using it, although for you to avoid any bad experience maybe avoid it.

I did recently purchased a £200 phone from the site and it arrived very quickly, great costumer service.

Swan_2

find-book.co.uk is a good book price comparison site, you can search by author, title or ISBN

also, if you scroll down, on the left-hand side there are links to compare CDs, DVDs, games & electrical goods too

superscaper

kaj70 wrote: »

Oh ok, i have always used Play. and never had a problem nor have i heard anything from anyone that i know that uses it. I am sure that everyone has different experiences of shopping on the internet though. I will keep using it, although for you to avoid any bad experience maybe avoid it.

I did recently purchased a £200 phone from the site and it arrived very quickly, great costumer service.

Me too, I've been using play.com for more than 8 years and not had a problem. The thing that made me wary was that they aren't in the UK and so not covered by the same consumer laws, but they've caught up now and you have the same consumer rights as you would in the UK.

kaj70

I did need to get my phone repaired and the service was very good, good clear instructions of what i needed to do, i found them very helpful. i know that for every site, just like every shop people experiences will be different.