Doing your Christmas shopping online makes perfect sense – no heavy bags, hostile crowds or horrible queues – and this year is set to be a record-breaker, with internet sales in Britain expected to top £7bn. Last year, online Santa didn’t always deliver on time, but teething problems relating to late delivery and stock shortages have been rectified by all the leading stores for this year. So as long as you check that the website you are ordering from guarantees it will deliver by Christmas, you should be fine: if it fails to do so, you will be entitled to a full refund.
The other key to successful online shopping is to make sure you only use secure websites. Check that the web address starts with ‘https’ (the ‘s’ stands for secure) and that the locked padlock symbol shows at the bottom of your screen before entering personal details. Then, when you’ve placed an order, keep all the details: if you’ve bought from a UK company you have the same statutory rights as if you had done so on the high street when it comes to faulty or poorly described goods (for more on these, see www.oft.gov.uk).
So what should you buy online?
Electrical goods, says Which? magazine. A recent report found huge savings: one Archos MP3 player cost £429 at Currys, but £281 at Pixmania.co.uk. The survey also gave top marks to Amazon.co.uk, Johnlewis.com and Play.com. The internet is also the place to go if you want specialist goods, says Mark Bridge in The Times. With it, a Scottish farmer can shop at Hamleys (Hamleys.com), while a city-dweller can buy organic vegetables (see Soilassociation.org) or Cornish saffron cake (Agold.co.uk).
The likes of Abebooks.com give you access to more than 80 million used, new and rare books, Firebox.com has an “extensive stock of innovative gadgets, games and toys”, while Mungoandmaud.com has a beautiful, if expensive, selection of gifts for pets. For children, try Tridias.co.uk and Letterbox.co.uk. If you are in an altruistic mood, Goodgifts.org has plenty of ideas, from buying bikes for midwives in the developing world to protecting the rainforest.
For those wanting to make life a little easier, there is a host of helpful sites, says Lucy Denyer in The Sunday Times. Chefs from All in Hand (Allinhand.co.uk) operate all over the country and will see you through your party, from shopping to washing up – or even provide a chef for Christmas Day (£350), while Randolphbutlers.com will provide you with your very own Jeeves. And if the thought of trawling the internet for presents is making you yawn, why not hire a personal shopper at Pink-green.co.uk? For £250, the firm will source up to ten special gifts for friends and family, wrap, label and even post them to the recipients.