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Click n' shop

Shopping in crowded markets has become a thing of past

Photo: G. Moorthy

BUSY browsing Internet

Internet and the World Wide Web have truly changed our lives. We no longer write letters, we email. We don't send cards, we mail e-greetings. In fact, some of us don't even talk to our real friends, we chat with our virtual friends. Is it any surprise then, that we don't need to go and hunt around crowded markets for books, music, movies, clothes, household items, footwear, home furnishings and furniture? We can simply order them on the Net. Oh yes, there is a virtual shopping complex right there, just a mouse click away.

In fact, not only is shopping on the Net extremely simple, it's also a lot of fun. You can buy stuff for yourself or surprise loved ones by gifting them things they like.

Birthday cakes

Supposing, your best friend has recently moved to Chennai and it's her birthday. Want to surprise her. Log on to www.fabmall.com or www.ndtvshopping.com and order flowers or a chocolate cake for her for Rs 300-400. It will be delivered at her doorstep along with your message. Now, won't that truly make her day.

And while you are logged on, may be you would like to buy your brother a shirt or if you are feeling generous, a watch. There is a huge variety to choose from and some of them are available at great discounts too. And how about buying your mother some new cushions for the living room, and while you are at it, you may like to browse through the jewellery section. Besides real diamond jewellery from brands such as Tanishq and D'Damas, there is a lot of fashion jewellery also available.

For book lovers

If you are looking for books, log on to www.firstandsecond.com, India's largest on-line bookstore with nearly 30 lakh titles varying from arts and photography to business, law, medicine, books on romance, mystery, thrillers, science fiction, autobiographies, entertainment, spirituality, travel, cookery etc. You can browse by category or search directly for a title or by the author's name. Books are shipped within 2-4 working days and shipping charges are around Rs 30. Once you have registered with them, you can even order books that may be out of stock. Give them a few days time and they will get it for you. They have a discount section, where you can get discounts of up to 40 per cent on selected books. Truly a bargain. So you can gift books to friends and families on birthdays or other occasions.

Site on music

For music buffs, www.hamaracd.com, a website launched by the music company SaReGaMa, is a real treat. It has a collection of over 25,000 songs spread across 12 genres including Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindustani and Carnatic. The site gives you the freedom to create your own CD. So browse through the various categories, listen to the songs and then select them to be added to your CD. For Rs 275, you get a 60 minute CD of your favourite songs. You can browse by category such as devotional or marriage songs, or names of artistes or music composers. For instance, you can search for all of Illayaraja's songs. Or even all those, which featured Sivaji Ganesan.

For a good bargain

And if you are looking for bargains, log on to www.ebay.in, which was previously www.baazee.com. This is an auction site and some auctions start at 1 paisa. If you are lucky, you may get yourself a real bargain.

Right from cameras and optics to laptops, jewellery, watches, clothes, furniture, music, DVD and MP3 players etc, the range of times available is wide. However, shopping on this site requires a bit of caution, since the site simply acts as a platform for various buyers and sellers and therefore if a seller defaults, you have to undertake the lengthy process of trying to get your money back.

The site refunds up to Rs 10,000, in case of default.

All websites accept payment by credit cards, cheques, demand drafts and even cash on delivery.

Of course, in case of cheques and DDs, your payment has to be realised before they ship you the product. Shopping with your credit card is extremely safe.

In fact, First andsecond.com even has a security guarantee, which says that they guarantee that there can be no unauthorised use of your credit card because of the information provided by you to them. Cash on delivery is also a good option, but generally in this case you have to pay a premium.

So, what are you waiting for? Just click and shop.

SMITA TRIPATHI

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