Christmas is just a few months away and I know this season is just about the busiest time to shop. When I was in the Manila, I used to scour Manila’s bargain paradise, Divisoria a couple of months before the season to buy those gifts for my scores of “inaanaks” (godchildren).

Shopping for gifts is no small feat for anyone. Specially if you’re shopping for a number close to hundreds. Well it all starts with careful planning and the three most important things – a list, of course – money, and the sincere thought of giving.  Going to bargain places, and shopping malls is surely enjoyable for  any shop o’holic  like me but there’s really a limit to how much you can take. It would eat up a lot of time and just squeezing through those crowded places would be enough to drain you of energy.

What I would usually do then is to combine shopping the traditional way with online shopping. I pick things I can get from the malls and I have things listed I could buy online.

When I was in Manila I was a big fan of Ebay.ph, Auction.ph as well as Multiply sites. Though at first I was wary but  I only had one bad experience with online shopping when I bought a web camera and when it arrived it wasn’t working but the seller was still very helpful and replaced it as soon as I contacted him.

Shopping online of course has its cons. You can’t see the product physically before making the purchase but more often than not online sellers have a return policy. There is also the possibility of it having defects etc.

The best advantage I could think of is the convenience. Simpy choose from the products online, pay for it, then wait for it to be delivered which usually happens within 2-3 days tops. You also get bigger deals and discounts from shopping online. Online sellers don’t have the added burden of paying for store rentals so they could pass on the savings for customers. I also got a lot of freebies from online sellers. I remember I bought 2 dresses from a Filipina Multiply seller and with it she sent me a set of grooming items and a pricey face cream as bonus.

Another advantage is that you can get really unique items online. Wether you’re looking for a one of kind dress, a last season designer dress, a comfy Naot shoes, accessories, bags etc. you can easily find these online. If you’re looking for a different outfit, online shops are one of your best bets.

Here’s some tips on how to clinch a good online deal:

• Have an idea of what to buy. Make a list. If its your first foray into online shopping buy items whose prices are not so astronomical, I mean I don’t think you’d want to buy an LCD TV for  your first item would you?
• Research well and compare prices. Once you know which vendors you want to deal with, then read more reviews about them, check out testimonials from their previous clients. If you have friends who frequently shops online, get their recommendations.
• Make sure you understand the terms and conditions, payment options, return policies.
• Factor in the shipping charges as well as shipping locations. Some vendors does not ship to provinces while others agree to meet-ups.
• If you have questions about the product or any pre-sales questions more often than not, sellers can easily be reached via mobile or private messages and they would most certainly welcome your questions so don’t hesitate from contacting them.