Shopping online!  Be careful but have fun!

As we start to wind down the year and get ready for more parties and food and family, I was stuck on what to write about and then it occurred to me.  If you are like me and one of the 88% of the shoppers who do all of their shopping within the 10 days leading up to Christmas, then you want to get started on shopping online. 

There are tremendous benefits to shopping online. 

• Convenience
• Shop any time you like
• Don’t have to look for parking

Of course there are down falls too.

• Cannot touch and feel the product
• Have to factor in shipping costs
• Returning an item can be a pain!

But once you weigh everything out and still want to do your shopping online, then follow a few of these tips and you should not only have yourself a wonderful Holiday Season but a great experience. 

1. Shop at a reliable source.  Of course ebay.com is a reliable avenue but it’s the vendors that are there.  You have to make sure that if you ordered a SONY camera, you are getting a SONY and not a SOTY or a SOMY camera.  Read everything. 
2. All reliable internet shops have contact information.  You should get in touch with them prior to confirm things like shipping to Hawaii.  Either email them or give them a phone call!
3. Don’t assume that you wont pay taxes.  Some of these online stores do have presence here in Hawaii too and they will charge you sales tax. 
4. Check out the return policy very well.  Sometimes, you may have to incur the shipping fee and be charged a restocking fee.
5. Consider an in-store pick up.  There are a lot of items you can purchase online and pick up at the local store.  Some of these stores include COSTCO, MACY’s, Circuit City and Sears.  It saves you from walking the aisles!
6. Make sure that the website you are ordering from has a secure page to make your final purchases.  Look for the domain address to either have an HTTPS: or look on the bottom right corner of your web browser and look for the image of the padlock.  Most websites will have both and some will have either.  If it isn’t there, give them an email or phone call.
7. Read the item descriptions VERY closely.  Make very certain that the item you are looking is the item you are buying.
8. Check out your check out.  Take a look at all of these charges before you click for the purchase.  If you don’t want gift wrapping, then don’t get it and make sure you unclick it. 
9. Make sure you opt out of future sales and notices.  There might be a button to unclick.  Otherwise, you may have just opened yourself up to spam.  That’s for next months article!
10. Common Sense.  Don’t ever give out your social security number even if it has SSL encryption on the website.  There is never a need to and be suspicious if you ever get asked for it.
11. Print out copies of your order and keep the receipts. 
12. Try and avoid shopping from locations outside of the United States.  Your credit card rights and protection would be harder to process if something happens.
13. Wanna price shop? Or look for awesome deals?  try looking at some websites I check out regularly.  http://www.spoofee.com/ http://www.dealcatcher.com/ are a couple of websites that scour the realm of the internet looking for deals. 
14. A lot of websites ask for passwords to register you as a buyer.  Don’t be silly with it and make it pretty obvious.  Treat your passwords like you would with your social security number.  Don’t leave it lying around the computer or make it as simple as your name.
15. Have fun!  Internet shopping can be such a fun thing to do.  Waking up in the middle of the night and  remembering to  order flowers or looking all around Hawaii for a 6 inch DOMO mini monster and finding it online can be so fun. 

Some awesome deals are also out there and by using a little bit of common sense, a lot of the tips listed above and a little bit of awareness, all of your shopping for the Holidays can be a click away.  Oh, a couple of really neat websites I wanted to share with you so you can get gifts for the person who has everything!  (These are your bonus additions):

• http://www.thinkgeek.com/  This place is awesome.  You have someone who has everything?  You shuwa?  Look on this website and get some outrageous items.  Practical too!  like the 6 inch DOMO mini monster. 
• http://www.amazon.com/  This website is as good as it gets.  Get a look at all of the reviews from people and other options for similar items on sale.  All just a simple click.
• http://www.buy.com/  wow.  When they say they have everything, they really do.  and a lot of the shipping can be consolidated as well for a not too bad experience shipping all the way to Hawaii!
• http://www.redenvelope.com/ Don’t know what to get your boss?  You should definitely check out some things on this website.  Everything from classic stationery to little foot massagers. 
• http://www.geeks.com/ this is one of the few websites that ship with USPS.  This is a really cheap option especially since we all live in Hawaii nei! 
• http://www.newegg.com/ if you are a geek and know what it is that you want with minimal customer service, you have a great and CHEAP source for computer parts and electronics.  The shipping is amazingly fast and with the prices that they offer, how can you go wrong!

Thanks for making http://www.aroundhawaii.com/ one of the best websites from Hawaii.  We offer more than anyone can and it is not only consistently rated a popular web site, an informative website and most of all, a reliable source for safe and honest information!  On behalf of everyone here at COWABUNGA! COMPUTERS, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, a Wonderful New Year and most of all, a SAFE Holiday Season.  Mahalo Nui Loa and see you in (gulp) ’09!