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Wire Service
Tips for Holiday Shopping OnlineBuying online is no more of a threat these days than handing your credit card to a store clerk or to a telephone order-taker. We know to look for the "https" in the site address, the gold lock icon at the bottom of the screen and for independent "seals of approval" such as the Better Business Bureau's BBBOnline before we hit the submit button.But here are other suggestions for holiday shopping online:<>Set up a "disposable" e-mail account. All too often, once you've turned your e-mail address over to a retailer, your inbox starts getting bogged down with unwanted offers, either from that retailer or others to whom your e-mail address has been sold. To set up one or more of your own, try Hotmail (www.hotmail.com), Lycos (www.lycos.com), Netscape (www.netscape.net) or Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com). When you buy online, simply use one of these freebie addresses.Do not enter a phony e-mail address on an order form; the company may send you an e-mail receipt or need to contact you. Be sure to uncheck any boxes on order forms that say you're willing to accept e-mails from this and other firms.Set up "reminder" calendars. It's hard for me to keep track of occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. So, I've signed up for services that notify me by e-mail a couple of weeks in advance. America Online has an excellent program; if you're not a member, try AnyReminder.com. Compare. Especially for brand-name and big-ticket items, it pays to do your homework. Sites such as BizRate.com, PriceGrabber.com or mySimon.com let you find the item you want at the best deal. Check for customer feedback.Read the fine print. A bargain isn't always a bargain. When you see a suspiciously low price, check the shipping and handling charges; often, these more than wipe out any savings in the sale price. While you're at it, check the online store's return policy. Can you take it back to a local store for repair, a refund or a store credit? Also, see if you can qualify for free shipping or other discounts by upping your purchase amount.Register. We have several sites, such as Amazon.com and Drugstore.com, where we make frequent purchases. Setting up an account that stores our shipping address and credit card number saves the time it takes to fill out those pesky order forms.Choose gift certificates. Now that the grandkids are older and have everything they want and more, we've become great fans of gift certificates or store cards. Most chain stores, such as Kohl's (www.kohls.com), Penney's (www.jcpenney.com) and Kaufmann's (www.kaufmanns.com) offer them online. Or, head to GiftCertificates.com for one-stop shopping."