Hunting down gifts online is a great way to avoid the Christmas crush at your nearest soul-free shopping centre. But would you actually do your Christmas shopping from your work computer? More »
With the Australian dollar having briefly achieved parity with the US dollar last week and looking likely to remain strong for some time, buying from US shopping sites seems more appealing than ever. It can be a great way to save money, but follow these tips to make sure you don’t lose out. More »
Online retail might sometimes seem like an unregulated wilderness, but these days it gets just as much attention as regular bricks-and-mortar stores. This week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a warning to parents after finding an online store selling toy cars that didn’t meet Australian safety standards (which require no small parts which under-3s might choke on). That applies not just to removable elements but also parts which might break off, as the ACCC explained:
“Young children, particularly those under three, put most things in their mouth. They haven’t learned to cough things up that might become lodged in their throat. This is why small pieces of toys or bits that break off easily are so hazardous to young children and must be kept away from them.”
The retailer in question seems to have handled the situation in exemplary fashion, contacting each of the purchases and offering them a refund (something that’s much more difficult with a meatspace store). However, it’s a timely reminder if you fancy setting up shop selling toys on eBay as a sideline, you’d better be across the relevant consumer laws. More »
Enter The Bargain takes users submissions of bargains in Australian online and real-world stores, and lets you browse them via a pretty standard series of categories. While the site isn’t as comprehensive as some of its rivals like OzBargain, it’s well-designed and still worth a quick check if you’re trying to hunt down a deal. The site is free to use, requires registration to post.
Enter The Bargain [via OzBargain BlogOnline computer hardware vendor Tekfix has come up with a novel way of attracting customers – it’s offering a 5% discount to Firefox users. The discount is available when Firefox users enter “firefoxed” as the coupon code during checkout. According to computing industry news site CRN, Tekfix says its offering the discount to encourage people to try out Firefox.The discount offer excludes Apple products. As with any online retailer, check out the service and warranty details before buying, and check shipping costs too. More »
PayPal users can now use their mobile phone to check balances or shop at retailers who accept PayPal. You can activate the new Mobile Checkout payment ability through your PayPal account on the website.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the new Mobile Checkout payment method is available from Deals Direct, Ready Flowers and Mobile Wine Club, while Hoyts and Warner Music are expected to start selling tickets and music via mobile phone by Christmas. PayPal also told the SMH it would add the ability to transfer money peer-to-peer and buy products or give money to charity via text message, by early in the new year.
Once your account is activated, you should type m.paypal.com.au into your phone’s browser to get started. If you want a faster log in, go to m.paypal.com.au and activate your phone by creating a PIN.
Anyone got experiences with mobile payments they’d care to share? All I’ve ever done is paid for a coke from a coke machine using my mobile phone. :)
Amazon’s new ebook reader the Kindle may have gotten some buzz when it launched this week, but we’re about to get a local ebook reader from Dymocks, according to a report in today’s Age. We already reported on Dymock’s recent move into selling digital ebooks and audio books. Will be interesting to see how it goes, once they sort out the overexpensive pricing.
For those wary of using their credit card online, our mates at Gizmodo AU have written up the new Visa Virtual Prepaid (VCARD) – which works as a virtual debit card. You buy a card of the value you want (with a $5.50 set up fee) – and if you want, you only have to use it once and then ditch it.
“You can buy these online, but of course that defeats the point for many this is targeted toward. So you can buy at your nearest Mobil/Quix and then activate the details online. You get a card number, expiry date, and three-digit security code. All smartly delivered part online, part via SMS or email, for extra security.”
A similar concept is Bopo – a prepaid Visa card which you purchase and load with credit at any Bill Express newsagency. Tipster Kirk pointed this service out to us – and said it also lets you SMS money to other Bopo cards.
Thanks for the tip, Kirk!
Dymocks has added audio and downloadable ebooks to its online book store. You can access around 13,000 audio books or choose from around 120,000 downloadable ebooks through its website or through new touch screen kiosks at its main Sydney store.13,000 audible and 120,000 readable titles which can be accessed through the company’s Web site or new touch screen kiosks at its George Street, Sydney store.Dymocks is selling audio books in partnership with Audible.com – the introductory offer is 50% off of the gold monthly membership plan - which works out to $7.49 per month for the first three months.The ebooks are downloadable in 3 formats - Microsoft Reader, Mobipocket Reader and Adobe Reader. the full specs appear here. They’re offering an introductory special off their ebooks until 31 December. Prices don’t seem that much lower than you’d pay for the hard copy. For example the website lists its current bestseller – Minette Walters’ The Chameleons Shadow for sale through its online store at $24.95, or in ebook format for $20.76.Computerworld wrote up the new service and went into some detail about the backend and how it all works.It’s great to see a local player innovating in the online delivery of books, but I have to admit that if the ebook is only $4 cheaper than the hardcopy, I think I’d opt for the hard copy. What do you think?
Savvy buyers of tech online will probably already be familiar with StaticICE – probably the price comparison search engine of choice for antipodean geeks shopping for tech products.
But did you know that there are also Firefox and IE7 search plug-ins for the StaticICE price comparison engine at http://www.staticice.com.au/tools.html? I didn’t know – thanks David F. for the tip. :) More »
