do you shop on line?

[emmie]

and is it a good thing. I have on the odd occasion but its got its drawbacks, like someone has to be in to collect the goods, and is it safe enough to give bank details that sort of thing.

[sandyRoe]

I've bought a few items, books mostly, on-line. I always use a credit card rather than a debit card.

[emmie]

i bought some goods recently, and though you can do a tracking search you do not know when the goods are going to show, they couldn't leave things in the garden, not ours anyway, so if courier turns up whatever day, then if no ones in, off they go.
Unless they leave a card you have to do the tracking to see when to deliver next. Also i have something to return to the company, but they don't have free return service, some companies do, so you have to pay to send it back, via the post office. Not sure i would do this very often.

[Ratty2E]

I buy things online all the time and have done for years. I use Paypal to pay for things on Ebay and some other places take it too, I feel that's pretty safe.
As for delivery I am at home most of the time so it's not normally a huge problem for me. You can arrange redelivery if you are out when they call or you can get it delivered to your nearest PO for a small fee. Or why not ask a neighbour to take things in for you if you are out all day.

[emmie]

thanks for advice, neighbours students, some work, some don't know, some don't care for. I won't be doing it too much, buying on line that is, as prefer to see goods before buying, and as something i did get on line has to go back, with the trip to post office and the fact i have to pay the postage, has rather put me off.

[gingejbee]

Very little- never groceries. Only things that are absolute bargains and from trusted retailers. And only with credit card.

[Quassia]

Yes I do em. Never had a problem with security. Love it actually!

[Answerprancer]

Sometimes. I've used Dealextreme quite a bit (torches, lasers etc) Amazon now and then and ebuyer for memory etc. I would only trust known and well used sites and ones that have full contact details and a returns policy.

[mike11111]

I thought you said tasers instead of lasers. I was a bit worried for a minute.

[emmie]

What should concern us all i guess is that the more we shop on line, the more shops for eg Waterstones, HMV go to the wall. I know they are still going, but for how long.

[woofgang]

I shop loads online...compared to petrol for going to town, p and p is a steal.

[Quassia]

I would have thought there would always be a need for ordinary shops. Waterstones and HMV have sold online .. why they are having problems I don't know?

[Answerprancer]

What p!sses me off more is that interesting places like bookshops, gadget/electronic shops, model/hobby shops etc. are all disappearing to make room for nothing but 'moron shops' (eg Carphone Warehouse, Starbucks, Game etc) ...shops for 'the non-thinking'.

[paddywak]

We've bought quite a bit of stuff on line and up to yet we've saved a lot of have never had any problems.In regards to delivery we have a small post office just down the road and an arrangement with the girls there that if we have to go out we just leave a note redirecting the stuff there.

[emmie]

Maybe bad management, but i read recently that many in the retail industry are worried by the downturn in business, because its major supermarkets like Tesco taking a lot of their business, because its not just food anymore.
its one of the one reasons that Woolworths went to the wall, they didn't modernise, but also much of their core business was music and films.
The same reasons high streets now look identical, many of the independent shops cannot compete on price.