With Manic Monday upon us, Robert Powell takes a look at the gifts that are almost always cheaper on the web...
Do online stores feel a little more crowded than usual today? Well if they could then they certainly would, as it’s Manic Monday – the busiest online shopping day of the year.
Kelkoo estimates that internet shoppers will spend £22.4 million an hour today – reaching a total for the day over half a billion pounds!
The good news is that prices for popular online gifts are on average over 10% cheaper than they were last year. So before you brave the packed high street in search of prezzies for loved ones, take a look at my run-down of gifts that you should always buy online...
DVDs & Blu-rays
DVDs and Blu-Rays are a great prezzie for any member of the family. Perfect for post-Christmas dinner viewing when you don’t fancy watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or the Great Escape for ANOTHER year!
I found I could get this year's most popular DVDs online for at least 20% less than they were selling for on the high street.
|
Product |
High street price |
Online price |
Online retailer |
Saving |
|
£14.99 |
£11.99 |
20% |
||
|
£12.99 |
£9.97 |
23% |
||
|
£19.99 |
£14.85 |
25% |
High street price: HMV on 25th November 2010
A lot of sites offer even bigger savings on DVD pre-orders – so if you’re after the new Twilight film, Shrek 4 or Inception it’s best to get your order in now before they’re released on December 6th.
Top tip: If you’re planning a DVD-filled Christmas afternoon, then you’ll surely need a way to keep the children quiet and entertained whilst you get stuck into the Downton Abbey boxset! Find out where to get the best kids toys for cheap this Christmas at Top 12 Christmas toys for less.
Books
Whether you’re after recipe books, biographies or novels, there are often even bigger savings to be had if you buy them online:
|
Product |
High street price |
Online price |
Online retailer |
Saving |
|
£12.99 |
£9.48 |
27% |
||
|
£20 |
£12.50 |
37.5% |
||
|
£15 |
£9.98 |
33% |
High street price: Waterstones on 25th November 2010
As you can see, buy Tony Blair's biography online and you'll save as much as 37.5%! Whether you think it's worth getting, even at a bargain price, is another story.
Top tip: I did my high street price-checking at Waterstones and found that, despite the online savings, it does have some good deals on this Christmas – most new hardbacks have money off, and there’s also a healthy selection of paperbacks on 3 for 2.
But then again, if you’re after several weighty hardbacks it may be easier to order online than cart them all the way home from the book store!
CDs
I found you can save 10% by shopping online for CDs:
|
Product |
High street price |
Online price |
Online retailer |
Saving |
|
£9.99 |
£8.95 |
10% |
||
|
£9.99 |
£8.95 |
10% |
||
|
£9.99 |
£7.99 |
20% |
High street price: HMV on 25th November 2010
OK, so you're only saving a £1 on each CD, but every little helps!
Of course, digital downloads dominate music sales nowadays – but you can’t put an mp3 in a stocking! That said, if you really don’t know what album to buy as a present, iTunes gift vouchers are on sale online and in most high street CD shops.
Top tip: If you’re after some free Christmas music for the festive season, head to the website Feels Like Christmas and download hymns and carols as well as modern Christmas songs. Read 10 ways to legally download free music to find out more.
Electronics
There’s big savings to be had online for high price electronics - as much as 22% in some cases. Just remember to check the return conditions and guarantee before you purchase – and make sure you have a good stock of batteries at home!
|
Product |
High street price |
Online price |
Online retailer |
Saving |
|
£144.99 |
£129 |
11% |
||
|
£449 (VAT Cashback offer) |
£349.99 |
22% |
||
|
£419 ( in Apple Store) |
£385 |
8% |
High street price: Currys Digital/Apple Store on 25th November 2010
Top tip: Sony are running a VAT cashback offer in all of their Sony stores as well as Currys, Comet and many other high street electronics shops. You’ll need to buy the product before Christmas and claim before the end of January. But it’s definitely worth checking online before hitting the shops, as even with the discount, many electrical goods are still cheaper on the web. Using an iphone app like Red Laser can help you here.
Beauty products
Now, beauty products may not be an obvious choice for online purchases, but there are huge savings at a variety of cut price beauty e-shops.
|
Product |
High street price |
Online price |
Online retailer |
Saving |
|
£23 |
14.95 |
35% |
||
|
£26.50 |
£20.95 |
21% |
||
|
£46 |
£30.99 |
32% |
High street price: Boots on 25th November 2010
Online beauty shops are perfect if you know exactly what type of moisturiser your wife uses, or the brand of aftershave a relative always wears. Even if you’re unsure of what to buy, there’s nothing stopping you from popping into the local Boots, having a sniff of a few different fragrances and then buying online!
So there you have it, everything you need to have a manic online shopping day!
Be aware it's worth checking the last order dates for Christmas when planning your online purchases. To qualify for free delivery from Amazon, you’ll need to order by Thursday 18th December (but you can leave it until the 20th if you're willing to pay for first class delivery).
Most final order dates are around the 20th – you can view a full list of last order dates for a range of online retailers at savoo.co.uk.
Finally, if you’ve given the card a bit of a battering today and fancy picking up a few freebies this festive season then read Top 10 freebies for winter.
NB All online and high street prices are correct as of 25th November 2010.
More: 10 deals you can't afford to miss This scam will ruin your Christmas