Pocket Change - Shopping Blog

The wonderful thing about the worldwide web is that suddenly we have access to stores all over the world. BUT how many of us actually ever shop online outside of our home territory? The answer is not many; less than 1% in fact. What a shame that is. There are so many incredible products out there. In fashion, global shopping is the perfect way to ensure your look is totally unique, after all, who else at the next office party is going to be wearing shoes from Spain, designer jeans from the US, lingerie from France, and silver jewelry from the UK?

The most popular reasons people give for not shopping on foreign websites are:

1. Language – Clearly if you can’t read the site, you aren’t going to shop.
2. Currency – If the store is not in your own currency it is hard to tell what you are spending.
3. Security – Many people are concerned about the security of their card details on foreign sites.
4. Shipping costs – Many sites either do not offer overseas shipping or charge a huge amount for it.
5. Import duties – Many people fear that their orders will be taxed on arrival into their home country. BUT in fact the US duty free allowance is $800, so you shouldn’t get billed any extra costs unless you have really gone crazy.
6. Shipping times – Many people are concerned that their order will take weeks or even months to arrive and they will have no comeback.

These are all fair concerns, but if you shop around, there are some fantastic British sites offering unique and unusual jewelry and fashion accessories you should consider. They are obviously in English, and with the weak British pound, they are also now also great value for money.

If you do decide to try shopping online in the UK, these are the things you need to look out for:

1. Currency – Look for sites which offer the option of switching prices to US dollars. These will be guides only; as your bank will make the final conversion; but the reality is usually slightly better than the guides.
2. Security – Make sure you only shop on sites offering secure, encrypted credit card processing with a reputable provider like Worldpay.com.
3. Shipping times & costs – Look out for sites offering fast order processing and good value delivery. At Corazon Latino, we ship silver jewelry to the US from $6.50, and 90% of our orders arrive in less than 2 weeks.

November is the perfect time to get your orders in for the holidays. There is still time to ship from the UK and by buying overseas, you have a chance to give your loved ones something really different.

Fascinating Fact: The first ever online purchase was a CD in the US in August 1994. Over $800m is spent per day in the run up to the Holiday season.

If you are located in the UK and wish to get the best deals from UK merchants, checkout Become.co.uk for more info.

Guest Blogger: Cathy (CorazonLatino.com)