Elizabeth September 28th, 2009

The other day I wrote about the 30 presents I bought for Tim’s birthday this year, and that I found most of his presents online. A bunch of my coworkers were amazed that I knew where to find some of that stuff, and some were even a bit shocked that I was comfortable using my credit card online to pay for it.

It made me realise how much online shopping has transformed the way I shop, and how many people are yet to embrace this modern-day advancement!

Some of my favourite US-based stores still don’t deliver to Australia (are you listening, Urban Outfitters? Anthropologie?), and others charge far too much to ship here (American Eagle, I’m looking RIGHT at you).

This post focuses on Australian and NZ online stores. Later on I’ll write about the many US stores who have taken the time to calculate the true cost of shipping to Australia.

Here it is – enjoy!

#1: FISHPOND – Books, music, movies and games
Fishpond.com.au is Australia’s answer to Amazon, providing an enormous range of books, music, movies and games to the Australasian region at the best possible price. Fishpond guarantees that its prices are lower than Amazon’s, and as they are based in NZ they don’t have to charge GST. How good is that?

#2: PETER’S OF KENSINGTON – Homewares, Cookware, Glassware, Collectables (etc)
Peter’s of Kensington is a Sydney institution, and in 2000 they launched the online branch of their store. I’ve bought a mountain of great stuff from Peter’s – everything from my coffee machine, to my Global knives and my incredible Jamie Oliver Tefal frypan. I’ve spent a lot of money there, but the savings are so massive that it’s all been worth it.

They stock major brands, making it easy to “window shop” at a physical store if you ever want to see the item before purchasing it, and shipping is lightening fast and very inexpensive.

(Plus, I actually look forward to my weekly email full of specials!)

#3: COLES ONLINE – Groceries
You might be surprised to see a grocery store on my list, but Coles Online is the reason that I was able to survive in Melbourne without a car for as long as I did. I’ve never been good at buying a carry-bag of groceries every few days, preferring to do one major shop every couple of weeks, and discovering Coles was the answer to all my prayers.

Now that I have a car, Coles is no longer my supermarket of choice. However, there is no denying that they do online groceries better than anybody else in the market right now. I’m sure that shopping this way helped me to save money too, as it was simple to sort items by unit price and identify which brand was the best value. Better still, they regularly throw in a bag of sample products – one week it was three cartons of rice milk, another time it was a couple of big bags of dog food.

#4: BISCOTE – Womens clothing
Biscote is a store that I have purchased from many, many times. I find their range of clothing to be really inconsistent, and much of it doesn’t interest me, but I’ve found it to be really good for basics.

You can’t argue with their prices, or the reasonable shipping costs, and that’s what brings me back time after time. I’ve bought a couple of great winter coats for under $30, and several marino wool knits for work that are Country Road quality (at a fraction of the price). I only wish that they would update their range more regularly, as about half of the items in their store were there 18 months ago when I first discovered it!

Their returns policy is fantastic, shipping is as fast as it gets, and I’ve found the customer service to be impeccable. Just take your time and pick through their offerings, and you’ll find some terrific gear. Their Hawthorn store feels more like an office, but it is worth dropping in there for more bargains if you live in Melbourne.

#5: RED BALLOON DAYS – Experiences, gifts
Red Balloon Days is a place you want to know about, if you want to find a gift that’s out of the ordinary. They specialise in “experiences” like hot air ballooning, rally car driving, spa packages and getaways. They also have an interesting range of gift boxes.

It’s always best to compare their prices with other sites like Wishlist.com.au

That’s Noice is another great resource for Aussies, as they regularly review websites and products that cater to the Australian market.

What’s your secret Aussie shopping obsession? Give me your tips!

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