While online shopping is not without its problems, it is the most hassle-free - and almost certainly the cheapest - way to go about your festive business. According to Deloitte's annual Christmas shopping report, published recently, the vast majority of Irish adults will use the web in the run-up to Christmas, although just under a third of those polled will spend money online, with most using it for research purposes.
While the deadline for ensuring online orders are delivered ahead of Christmas is coming dangerously close, it has not yet passed on some of the web's biggest, best and best-value sites. Amazon.co.uk and its parent Amazon.com both offer tremendous value when it comes to books, CDs and DVDs, and the sites routinely offer Irish shoppers savings of over 20 per cent even when expensive delivery charges are factored in.
The savings on toys and electronics are even greater, but many of these savings are not open to Irish shoppers as the online retailing giant refuses to ship electronic goods and many computer games into the Republic. This is as infuriating as it is inexplicable. While the company says it is precluded from shipping such items here because of recycling restrictions, other online retailers based outside this jurisdiction are able to sell electronics here without any problems.
The last delivery date on amazon.co.uk is December 13th. On the US site, the deadline for normal shipping has already passed, but priority delivery is available until December 18th. Another source of Christmas presents, from vintage Velvet Underground T-shirts to full-size Volkswagen Beetles, is eBay. The auction site now has a natty gift finder to help you through the maze, and, while delivery times depend on individual sellers and how much you are willing to pay, you should still have plenty of time to buy for Christmas.
THE EASIEST AND possibly most entertaining place on the web to do your Christmas shopping this year is the aptly named iwantoneofthose.com, a site which contains the cheapest, tackiest presents you never knew existed as well as some of the coolest, classiest gifts you can imagine. It is still open for business and promises to deliver to Ireland within five working days. Unlike Amazon, it does not have any restrictions on electronic goods.
Closer to home, www.pressieport.ie is selling a range of unusual and eclectic gifts and offers next-day delivery. The site was set up just a year ago by Fred Schelbaum, a self-confessed "gadget and technology freak". In the last few months he has widened his range and now sells an impressive array of unusual gifts.
He says that "most people struggle to come up with good, novel present ideas, so what we have tried to do is source products that you won't find anywhere else". Business has been brisk in recent weeks after a "very quiet" start, and he is now predicting a happy Christmas for the site which, he says, guarantees delivery on orders made right up until the afternoon of December 22nd; in most cases it is overnight.
An unexpected benefit of online shopping is that you actually have more rights that the traditional shopper. Online retailers must offer a seven-working-day cooling-off period, during which you can return the goods for whatever reason and be reimbursed the total cost, including postage or delivery charges, although you do have to pay the return postage. This does not apply to auction houses such as eBay, and it doesn't cover plane, train or concert tickets or hotel bookings.
You might also have to make a bit of noise to make sure your get your way. Last month British consumer magazine Which? surveyed the 51 most popular retailing sites and reported that 16 failed to comply with at least one rule from either the Distance Selling Regulations (DSRs) or the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations. Some retailers made shoppers returning goods pay for the original postage while others got the cancellation period wrong.
"The benefits of shopping online are great: you can save time, money and see a whole range of products all at the click of a button," says Jess Ross, editor of which.co.uk. "However, it's worrying that some of these websites are getting simple shopping rules wrong and putting their customers at a disadvantage."
While online shopping generally offers choice, value and convenience, there can be another sting in the sale. There are persistent problems surrounding delivery, according to a report from the European Consumer Centre published earlier this year. Analysis carried out by consumer centres across the EU on over 10,000 complaints shows that 50 per cent of problems last year were connected with delivery while a further 25 per cent were concerned directly with products or services.
Then there is the duty, tax and administration charges which can take some of the gloss off the savings. While customs officials make only the most cursory attempts to catch the many smugglers of Abercrombie Fitch and Canon who pass under their noses each year, the post police are more vigilant.
THERE WILL BE AROUND €2 million in Vat and duty collected from An Post's two main parcel centres in Athlone and Portlaoise this year, while private delivery firms such as FedEx, UPS and DHL also take in significant sums on behalf of the Government.
Online shoppers have to pay import charges on goods bought on the internet from locations outside the EU, and these purchases are also liable for Vat at the same rate as applies in Ireland. While the rates depend on the purchases, all told you can expect to pay around 30 per cent extra in Vat and excise duty.
If you're buying gifts online, make sure they are marked as such on the package, or the recipients will be hit for the tax. If you are buying gifts for a number of people at the same address and you don't want them to be presented with a less-than-festive tax bill, then you might consider having the items shipped individually, instead of in one parcel.
