HotZest.co.uk Shopping Blog

Customs Duty Threshold Raised For UK Shoppers

admin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:20:53 +0000

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is giving UK shoppers an early Christmas present by raising the threshold that customs duty is charged from £18 to £105 reports Which?. The new rules apply from 1st December 2008

This means that smaller imports from outside the EU below £105 will no longer attract import duty although VAT will still be charged at the current rate of 17½%. The amount of import duty varies depending on the type of goods: On DVDs and CDs it’s 3.5%, for watches it’s 4.5%, clothing 12% and on DVD players 14%.

There are a couple of things to be aware of before going on a shopping spree however. Not all stores will ship internationally and those that do may charge high postage fees. While the ticket price for a particular item may be cheaper, you could end up paying more overall. As always with online shopping, check carefully exactly how much you will be charged before you commit yourself. Remember too that companies outside the EU are not bound by the Distance Selling Regulations (DSRs).

The timing of this change seems significant to me. December 1st is probably a little to late to be shopping internationally for Christmas. It looks like HMRC wants to give UK sellers the benefit of the Christmas rush, while tempting consumers to buy more afterwards.Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: Customs, dsrs, hmrc, import duty, vat

Are your kids shopping online with your credit card?

admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:49:33 +0000

Card Not Present (CNP) fraud is on the increase and it seems that at least some of it originates closer to home than previously thought.

According to a new survey 1 in 5 of the UK’s under 16s admit to using their parent’s credit card details to make online purchases - spending an estimated £191 million between them.

The survey, commissioned by life assistance group CPP, reveals that the average amount spent is £25 but 1 in 20 are spending between £75 and £100 each time.

With a third of parents storing their credit card details online and a fifth of children knowing the user names and passwords used it makes it very easy for children to make illicit purchases - even if they don’t have access to the cards themselves.

The survey also shows that only 6% of parents think that their children know their credit card details and only 2% would ever imagine their children using their cards without permission.Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: card not present fraud, children, cnp fraud, credit card, security

Visa Tackles Online Fraud With New Credit Card

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:49:19 +0000

Visa Europe are testing a new credit card aimed at tackling the ever growing problem of online and other Card Not Present (CNP) fraud.

The major innovation is a keypad and display on the back of the card. When you use the card you enter your PIN and it generates a one-time security code which replaces the standard fixed code currently found on credit cards.

Visa Europe say that this will help fight fraud in two ways. Firstly, as the one-time code generated is for a specific transaction, once used it cannot be used again by anyone. Secondly a fraudster would need to be able to get hold of a card and know the persons PIN in order to commit fraud.

The card can also be used to establish whether someone who claims to be calling from your bank or credit card company is really who they say they are.

The new card is no thicker than a standard credit card and contains a battery that will last up to three years.

One-time codes are nothing new, but they have always relied on remembering to carry an extra device around. This is a neat solution to that problem.

The card will be tested in the next few months by four banks: MBNA in the UK, Cornèr Bank in Switzerland, Cal in Israel and IW Bank in Italy

There are a couple of short videos showing the cards in action here and here.Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: card not present fraud, cnp fraud, credit card, fraud, PIN, security, visa

Daily Mirror Launches UK Shopping Cashback Site

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:24:39 +0000

The Daily Mirror has launched a new UK Shopping site which offers cashback on online purchases made through the site.

MirrorCashback is a free service that will pay upto 10% cashback when you make purchases from around 1400 UK retailers including H. Samuel, Currys, Boots, British Gas, Halfords and Asda.

When you have earned £25 cashback you can choose to have it paid directly into a bank account or a Mirror Quidity prepaid cardSimilar Posts:

Technorati Tags: cashback, discounts

What the kids want for Christmas - Part 1

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:11:23 +0000

I recently asked my three children to make Amazon Wishlists of the things they would like for Christmas. I gave each of them a quick lesson on how to use Amazon and left them to it. The only rule was that the maximum they were allowed to ’spend’ was £150.

First up is Alice’s Wishlist. Alice is an active 11 year old who loves playing sport and is an avid reader.

Puma Esito III SG Junior Football Boot - Black Size 5 - £30.00 - Alice plays for her school football team and would love a new pair of boots. One thing she was disappointed about was the lack of football boots designed specifically for girls.

Kahuna Ladies Sports Watch - Lilac - £16.99 - A great watch for those that lead an active lifestyle. It has a 100m / 10ATM water resistant rating which makes it suitable for wearing while swimming. It also has a strong Velcro sports strap, a date window and comes in an attractive presentation pouch.

Mamma Mia! DVD starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried and Julie Walters - £12.98 - (Released November 24 2008). The fun feel-good movie of 2008. Alice went to see Mamma Mia at the cinema and came back raving about it saying she wants to see it again (and again, and again….)

Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB - pink - £31.97 - Stores about 240 songs. Alice says she will fill it with Avril Lavigne, Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson and, of course, ABBA.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne - £3.49 -The story of Nine year old Brun and his friend Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling - £3.49 - Alice devoured the Harry Potter books so it’s only natural that she would want this book too. Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling’s legions of readers–as well as Aesop’s wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm–each of the five tales of Beedle the Bard reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike

Converse Allstar Core Hi Mono Canvas (Grey & Purple) - £39.99 - Alice loves Converse baseball boots: “They’re comfy, available in lots of different colours and last a long time. They’re just cool!”

Total spent: £138.91 - which leaves £11.09 for chocolate!Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: amazon, children, Gift Ideas, wishlists

Scotland Leads The Way In Shopping Online

admin — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:47:04 +0000

A new survey has revealed that 78% of Scots plan to do their festive shopping by internet, compared with a UK average of 71% – and just 68% in London.

Despite last week’s interest rate cuts, many consumers are fearful of the looming recession and believe they will save cash as well as shoe leather by shopping online.

The poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the online security firm VeriSign, reveals Scottish consumers are far more likely than those in any other UK region to shop online this Christmas.

Full Story: Scots lead UK in online purchases - Scotland on Sunday

I don’t really find these results too surprising. I would guess that if you did a similar county by county survey places like Devon and Cornwall would come near the top. Many places in the UK have lots of smaller communities that don’t have the access to offline shops that more populous areas do. And that’s the beauty of shopping online - choice. No matter where you live in the UK, you have the same choice and make the same savings as everyone else.Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: christmas shopping, scotland, survey, uk shopping

Focus On: Shopping Safely Online This Christmas

admin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:13:16 +0000

Halloween is well and truly over, Bonfire Night has just about finished (I’m expecting a few more bangs and whizzes over the weekend though), Christmas decorations are going-up in the streets and shop windows. There’s no getting away from it - Christmas shopping season is here.

Shopping online is a great way to do all your Christmas shopping - you avoid the crowds, save on travel costs, it’s far less stressful (especially if you have children), there’s more choice and you can do it in your own time whenever it’s convenient for you.

If you’re online Christmas shopping for the first time this year, or if you’re an old hand, here are some basic tips to follow to make your spree as successful and safe as possible:

Check the Delivery Times

If you’re buying Christmas gifts it’s obviously no good if they don’t arrive in time for the big day. The last recommended UK posting days are:

Thursday 18th December Second Class
Saturday 20th December First Class

Some sites may have earlier cut-off points than these. Remember too that these dates are not guaranteed so it’s best to place your order as early as possible to avoid disappointment

Look for contact details

If you need to get in touch with the company about your order how easy is it? In addition to an e-mail address or contact form, a reputable company should provide you with a telephone number and a ‘real world’ address and these should be easy to find, not buried away in some dark and dusty corner of the site.

Use Secure Sites

Before you enter any payment details make sure that the page you are on is secure. The whole site doesn’t need to be secure, but the payment page must be. The address should start with https:// (note the ’s’ at the end) and there should be a little locked padlock displayed on your browser. When you send information from a secure page it is strongly encrypted so that only the intended recipient can read it.

Use a safe payment method

Use a credit card or, if the site accepts them, an online payment service such as PayPal or NoChex. If things do go wrong you will be able to get your money back. Don’t use wire transfer services and never ever ever send cash in the post.

Watch out for extra charges

What is the Post and Packing price? Is it easy to find or do you have to go through the checkout process to discover what it is? Is VAT included? It should be on retail sites, but it’s best to check. And remember, if you’re buying from a non-UK firm there may be import duties and VAT to pay when your order is delivered.

Print out the order confirmation screen

You should get a confirmation e-mail when you have placed your order but e-mails can go astray, get eaten by spam filters etc. so it’s a good idea to print out the order confirmation page - just in case.

A good tip here is to use a PDF printer such as CutePDF which is a free download. What this does is set-up a virtual printer that you can select when you click on File then Print in your browser. The PDF printer saves whatever you print as a PDF file on your computer. This saves paper and ink, is easier to organise (use file names such as ‘081110_fabmusicshop_com_Best_of_AC_DC_gran.pdf) and is less likely to be found by anyone who tries to find out what you’ve bought them

Check the return policy

Under the Distance Selling Regulations you have a ‘cooling off’ period of Seven working days after the day on which the goods are received. This is the legal minimum and many online shops will offer better terms than this such a fourteen or even thirty days. Some will go one step further and say that the returns period starts on Christmas day so you can be sure that the gift you buy is right for the person you’re giving it to.

Shop around

Shopping online makes it incredibly easy to find the best deals and you can often make significant savings by shopping at the right place. Use one of the specialised UK price comparison sites such as Price Runner or Kelkoo to find the best all-in price for particular products. There is often a significant saving to be made

Share your experience

Had a particularly good or bad experience with an online store? Tell others about it by rating or writing a review in the Hotzest UK Shopping DirectorySimilar Posts:

Technorati Tags: christmas gifts, security, shopping advice, shopping tips

Free £5 Firebox Gift Voucher

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:15:46 +0000

Firebox are giving away free £5.00 gift vouchers. Just go to their voucher request page, fill in your e-mail address and they’ll send you a unique voucher number which you can use on all their cool gadgets and gizmos. The normal vouchery type terms and conditions apply - only one voucher per order, one voucher per e-mail address - that kind of thing.

The great thing about this offer is that there’s no minimum spend, so here’s a bunch of Firebox goodies you could get for just the cost of post & packing:

Screaming Flying Monkey £4.95 - Simply put two fingers in the little pockets in his paws, pull his super-elasticated bungee arms back and let him go. He’ll then fly a good 25ft or more, issuing blood-curdling monkey screeches from a hidden speaker as he soars over startled colleagues.

LockLite £4.95 - This ingenious gizmo transforms any standard round-headed house key (Yale etc) into a powerful LED torch. Simply snap the slimline stainless steel assembly on to your door key and you’re away. To activate the ultra bright LED just press the rubberised pad and a lock-dazzling beam of light shines directly ahead up to 3 metres. It’s quite literally brilliant!

Star Wars Phone Flashers £4.95 - Just like MoPods, these clever little charms flash and spin the parsec a call or text comes in. The difference is, these transparent domes come all the way from the Star Wars universe and contain Darth Vader or a Stormtrooper.

Lump of Coal £4.95 - Deeply ironic, this genuine chunk of coal has been gift wrapped (well, there’s some nice tissue paper round it) and placed in an extremely Christmassy presentation tin. And that’s it. No special features, no hidden treats, no nothing. And why should there be, because this spectacularly miserly gift has been created for the sole purpose of presenting to people who don’t deserve a sausage, let alone a lump of coal.

Stress Pills £4.95 each - These satisfyingly squidgy stress-busters are fashioned to resemble two of the world’s most popular pills. Simply scrunch ‘em up and your worries will float away. Well that’s the idea. There’s two to choose from: The Arouzer and Man Flu

QWERTY Magnets £4.95 per set - These quirky little keyboard-style magnets are fabulously romantic as they spell out LOVE Ü or MISS U. Ideal for the fridge or filing cabinet, they really are the perfect gift for smitten tech-heads who need things spelt out. Better still, they’re not half as soppy as most romantic message-style magnets. In fact they’re rather chic in an executive-in-love kind of way

Waboba Ball £4.95 - Waboba! It sounds like something Tarzan might say. Or maybe it’s some kind of Australian bush critter, or an obscure character from Star Wars. Actually it’s not nearly as exotic. It’s a ball. Do not adjust your computer, we said it’s a ball. But the Waboba is no ordinary ball because it skips and bounces on water. Unbelievable!
Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: firebox, gift voucher, gizmos and gadgets, less than £5

Free Delivery at Amazon on orders over £5

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:21:41 +0000

Amazon.co.uk have dropped the eligibility requirements for getting free UK delivery with their ‘Super Saver Delivery’ from £15 to just £5 just in time for the big Christmasg Christmas Shopping rush.

According to Amazon this means that 90% of their UK deliveries will have no post & packing charges.

The delivery time for Super Saver Delivery orders is 3 to 5 business
days after dispatch. Orders placed using Super Saver Delivery will
generally be delivered to you 2-4 days later than the same order placed
using First Class Delivery. So if you want your order quickly you’ll still have to pay but Super Saver Delivery is ideal for Christmas shopping where all that matters is that your order arrives in time for you to check it over and wrap it before the big day.
Similar Posts:

Technorati Tags: amazon, post and packing

Save on Christmas Gifts at Feel Unique

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:32:44 +0000

Feel Unique have put together pages and pages of fantastic Christmas gift ideas - everything from boxer shorts and Bert’s Bees products to Estee Lauder gift sets and GHD IV stylers.

Everything is categorized by price and for Him/Her so it’s easy to find the perfect gift to make your loved one feel unique.

Feel Unique’s prices are already low (and they include P&P) but you can save 6% on everything in the Christmas gift section with the discount code XMAS6 - just enter the code when you check out. This code is valid until 14th December 2008