I Love Shopping Online

Do you love shopping online - or hate it? Either way, Kate O'Raghallaigh can help!

One of my favourite one-liners to come out of Sex and the City (sorry boys) is the defence invoked by Carrie Bradshaw against online shopping. Egged on by her fellow socialites to join the online revolution and get a'clicking, she curtly replies: `No way - shopping's my cardio.'

Technologically primitive she may be, but the girl's got a point.

Despite government statistics showing that 53% of all UK adults in 2007 had made an online purchase at some point during their lives, there clearly remains a core group of people that would prefer to wade through weekend crowds and huddle like empire penguins around sale racks for hours on end, than click away to their heart's content in front of a computer screen.

So, what's stopping them? Believe it or not, some of us still have reservations about buying online. Not everyone is comfortable buying from third party sellers or buying clothes without trying them on first. Equally, there are a number of pitfalls that online shoppers can fall into.

Beginners, take note

1. Look out for postal strikes. If they slip past you, so will your purchase.

2. If you have ordered something using express delivery, will someone be there to sign for it? If not, check whether you can have it delivered to your workplace.

3. Large items - this is where online shopping can potentially lose points. If your order won't fit through the letterbox, you will be left with nothing more than Royal Mail's kind notification that your item awaits you at the depot. If this happens, have the item delivered to your local post office, which is usually closer, and will only cost you 50p.

Clothes

Buying clothes online probably has more scope for things to go wrong than buying books or DVDs. But the bottom line is this: know your size.

If you're a regular of high street retailers then you are likely to have a fair idea of what size will fit when shopping on their websites. However, if you're unsure, most websites will usually have a size guide. This is where the measuring tape that fell out of last year's Christmas cracker will come in handy.

Even if you do wind up with an ill-fitting garment, most of the high street retailers including Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins allow you to return items bought online to high street branches.

Online boutique Asos is great for picking up rip-offs of the latest trends. The site has collections from independent designers -- some of whose designs are often exclusive to the website - as well as more established names like D&G, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs. You can view items on video beforehand, which helps you gauge what it looks like in real life.

Shoppers can also select clothes according to celebrity trend, which undoubtedly proves handy for those in search of the latest Kate Moss-like handbag.

Self-confessed label fiend? Try Net-A-Porter. In terms of costs, it's certainly not for the faint hearted. But it's certainly less intimidating than walking into a designer store in real life.

Books

Why should I pay ten quid for a trashy crime novel - or indeed a literary great - when I can get it for a penny on Amazon? Nothing new here guys, Amazon has (from what I hear) already got quite a following.

However, when I tell people that I get my books second hand from the site's third party sellers (where all the cheap stuff is) rather than going direct, many people question the idea of buying something from an unknown and presumably `untrustworthy' source.

In the four years that I've been using third party sellers, I've only ever had one not deliver the goods. In that case, I was, at the very least, alerted to the efficiency of Amazon's complaints handling policy. In the case of being stitched up, you simply report the problem and they will refund you as soon as possible - in my case, two days.

Remember that each book carries its own postage charge! During one Amazon-ian frenzy I racked up ten second-hand books (all costing a penny each) only to realise my entire order had amounted to nearly £30. Most sellers charge £2.75 for packing up a book and sending it off, with some offering express delivery which obviously costs a bit more.

DVDs

Play.com is a firm favourite in this category. Unlike Amazon, this website delivers all its new goods for free and at no expense to speed. It also has third party sellers offering second hand stuff but they don't have as much of a presence as those on Amazon.

You can get books and posters as well, which are also delivered for free and there are always bargains to be had. Check out this week's bargain: Gavin & Stacey Series 1 - only £6.99.

Top tip: When ordering DVDs, check the region. Region 1 discs are often sold in the UK but will only play in computers imported from America. If you live in the UK or mainland Europe, you're after Region 2.

But while online shopping provides the convenience of, well, only having to lift a finger (or two), when it comes to ordering breakable things like plates or ornaments online, personally, I wouldn't risk it unless I had to.

Some things, unfortunately, should just be carted home on the bus.