Yes, I love buying books from BookDepository.com They have a large and diverse inventory, and there is always something to interest me 
Many of the books on offer I have not seen locally. Mostly the prices are very reasonable, and with free delivery it is marvellous. I donāt like driving, so having things delivered to the door is wonderful.
I have bought books from other websites in the UK as well, usually because they are not readily available here, or are much more expensive to buy here.
I do a lot of online shopping, mostly within Australia but a few things from overseas. Locally I tend to purchase kitchen gadgets, appliance, craft supplies, clothing/shoes, DVDās etc, really anything I canāt be bothered going shopping for. I find it really frustrating spending hours going from shop to shop trying to find items when I can do it all from the comfort of my living room. I find some things like pet flea treatments a lot cheaper online as well.
Overseas purchases are mainly books from Book Depository, although I have bought clothing and gadgets from Think Geek. These choices are based on price and availability. The weirdest thing Iāve bought was an awesome metal litter scoop from Amazon. I could only find silly little plastic ones here that are useless. We have family in the US and itās easier for us to buy gifts from Amazon and have it posted directly as itās usually free.
I live in a small town <500 about an hour from the next biggest town. While we try to shop locally (often asking the shop order it in), but so many of our stores have closed that I can no longer get goods like - clothing, electrical etc and the next town lacks choice and some things like books. I used an on-line bookstore which charged over $20 for one book delivery - I paid extra for tracking because I knew it would come through at least 3 companies - it did, but ended up going to Australia Post in our closest town, which meant it had then to backtrack 600km to be sorted and returned through that town to mine. Just because of the waste of petrol I looked further afield. I wanted a recently released non-fiction book; the publisher had it for $160, Booktopia $117. I use Booktopia for their flat $6.95 delivery fee, it comes with tracking which has been accurate and quick. I donāt use Australian sites for much else, except checking stock before driving 100ās of km to their store.
Overseas shopping - only for things we cannot get (reasonably) in Australia. Particularly aviation parts as these are mandated by CASA and often have strange āAustralia onlyā requirements - eg the USA manufacturer Cessna certifies and provides fibreglass parts, but CASA only approve plastic and only genuine. The Australian agent is three times the price of the same item from the USA. Only problem we encountered was with a USA kit manufacturer - we wanted to replace a small tank - they were the only supplier - quoted $216 - paid, then they told us freight would be $798UDS. We arranged cheaper freight but they would not co-operate with the company. We cancelled & repaired, weād be over a barrel otherwise unless we could get a US agent. Another example - we needed a manual for an old engine - ordered one in Aust - 9 months later (after many reminders) they posted us a reprint of the wrong but similar manual. Went on-line to the USA site they got it from and downloaded for $16; that was $40AUD cheaper with no postage and no wait.
I buy many items online. Books (Booktopia/Book Depository), camera equipment, art and local/hand made products. I use Amazon to buy items for family in the US and my partner gets his uni books online. So much cheaper than buying locally. We buy shoes, music via iTunes and theatre tickets online.
To me, (as opposed to my husband) itās not always about cost, itās about availability. I live in a city, but book stores/libraries donāt always have what I want. Iād pay a bit more, but they just donāt always stock it. If I have to wait for THEM to order it in, I might as well do it myself for less.
I love buying handmade one of a kind and quirky objects from Aussie artists.
I do a lot of online shopping (1-5 purchases a week) and mostly use Australian retailers as I like the security and getting my parcel sooner, as well as supporting Australian jobs and paying tax here.
Mostly the things I buy from overseas are impossible to get here e.g. specialised clothing, though sometimes Iāll buy something because itās a lot cheaper online (usually through eBay). Example: I was in Howardās Storage World looking at a plastic nail polish organiser/shelf. I liked it a lot and wanted to buy it, even though it was $40. I could see the display model but couldnāt find a boxed version anywhere. I was looking for ages and no staff came to help, so I stepped outside the store and loaded up the eBay app on my phone. I found a very similar product for $18.00 (free shipping) straight from China and Iām really happy with it.
I live in a small regional town, so many items arenāt available here. Some items Iāll wait and buy when I visit the big smoke (mostly food).
Locally I buy most food, hardware, some clothes, some electrical goods, Op shop items
From overseas I buy:
From Aus online sites I buy:
I donāt really like shopping in person, especially in shopping malls.
And the search and comparison options tend to be better online.
Even if I might have to exchange or return, I still think it saves me time and money to shop online.
Australia Post parcel rates are expensive, which doesnāt help Oz online sellers (I knowāI am one!)
I buy a range of things online from overseas based on the huge price difference. When the AUD and USD were about equal, I asked The North Face if they price matched themselves, they replied that the difference was similar to postage. 300 v 200 = 100 postage?! Um, nope. Iāve been moving away from local and international major brands just because of the āAustralia taxā. None of that is actually going to the people slaving away in the factories.
I live in a rural area. My kids and I shop on line most weeks for everything from clothing to sheets to whitegoods, to horse equipment, to smart phones. I usually look for Australian sites just because they are generally easier to deal with if there is a return involved, but I buy from overseas as well. Occasionally if Iām in the city I go into clothing shops (shoes are best tried on), but for the rest why would I trawl through places like Harvey Norman when I can shop from my ipad with a cuppa in my lounge chair and someone drops it off at my door, usually for a very reasonable delivery charge and sometimes with no charge at all! I noticed on the weekend my father is ordering his medications on line from a Chemist interstate for price and convenience. I thought that was interesting.
I buy a lot of stuff online - mainly musical and electronic equipment which tends to be much cheaper that buying locally, if itās available locally. I donāt mind paying a reasonable premium to support local business, but not the common 50% or more.
Except for groceries and clothing I shop online A LOT, even living in a major city.
Of 21 online purchases in the last 2 months (quite a pre-holiday spend), 2 were from USA, 2 from the UK, 1 from the Netherlands, 4 from China, and the rest from Australia. During the same period I made 3 purchases instore, of which 1 of those I tracked down online first.
The overseas purchases were due to a combination of price and choice available. I donāt mind paying a little extra to shop within Australia, but not double the price, especially if it isnāt exactly what I want and can get elsewhere.
Electricals are different, of the last 5 electricals purchased, all from within Australia, 2 were purchased online & delivered, 2 were paid for & picked up and 1 was researched online then purchased instore.
Although I do walk into a store if Iām not looking for something in particular, now I always go online when I want something specific.
I still purchase clothes instore without researching online first, although I now sew at least half, since fit and quality arenāt what they used to be in middle of the range stores.
I lost faith in stores. Too many purchases over the years to find things were cheaper, of better quality, or more range was available elsewhere.
Iām accustomed to having the choice now. Why drive around all weekend, when I can track down everything Iām looking for, and some I wasnāt, in a few hours online?
I buy my Lady Grey tea leaf tea online as it is no longer available from supermarkets reason not enough sales but when looking online their a so many people asking where you can buy it. I know most people use tea bags but surely there is someone who has it for sale off the shelf.
for someone living in a small country town with limited supplies and relying on a bicyle or bus for transport I shop frequently online, both from within Australia and overseas. It is by far more convenient and cost effective for me this way. I support local business whenver I can though they donāt always meet my needs. Electronic goods I buy in town whenever possible because their pricing is competitive and their service excellent.
I shop online for lots of different items. These have included bedding, furniture, linen, computers, computer hardware, software, music, films, books, e-books, food, drink, holidays, cars, almost anything that I can also buy in shops. When buying from overseas it is usually because the item is not available here and/or the price is substantially less (even with GST included). An example of price difference is Office 365 Home from Russia is 1/2 the price it is here (only requires the use of a VPN to buy and register it).
Hi i regularly buy things online and this could be anything from electronics to food footwear pharmacy items. I guess i do it because i know what i want and they may not have it in store but is online. I donāt buy my groceries still easier for me to just go in store to buy my weekly food. On the other hand can be inconvenient if im not here to receive goods as i still have to go to the post office but im happy to still do it some times.
Some types of materials might last but its like everywhere with clothes its all made off shore.I worked on a fabric wholesaler for a short period several years ago and one of the workers said that years ago many retailers made there own things here but now its all imported. That guy at the fabric place said they are one of the few that remain as most buy it cheaply elsewhere.
I agree with you about clothes buying those online are easier than buying instore unless you want to ook before buying. Is a hassle queuing up and waiting for others to finish. Same if you get a pushy sales person in a place like good guys etc.
Re online shopping, and especially ebay, it also requires one to āpay attention to prevailing pricesā to avoid being ripped off from oneās own ignorance.
I was just in the market for a garden sprayer. One product of interest was on ebay, shipping included for $82.99 and also at $133.90. Bunnings has the same product for $41. Another sprayer was $179 at Bunnings as compared to $335 from the ebay merchant. (I bought a different product on ebay that was well reviewed, priced OK, the seller had high satisfaction and volume and was responsive to contact).
FWIW one selling technique on ebay is to list a product at a high price a few times, and also at a lower price making the lower price look like a real deal, but it might or might not be. YMMV.
NSW Fair Trading is running a survey to help improve the online shopping experience for consumers. You can take the survey here if you wish: http://bit.ly/2lVm5n4
Job done. (Apparently the post here must be more than 20 characters before Iām allowed to post it, so ignore the words here between the brackets. Iām just making up the numbers.)
