Make your life easier with e-shopping

You may not have the guts to buy eggs and groceries over the Internet yet, but then, even in the U.S. not many people do that. However, if you need things like an inkjet printer, a fax machine, a television or a VCD player, you don't actually have to go to Glodok or Mangga Dua, where the air is so polluted that your eyes hurt and the traffic can sometimes resemble a civil war. Add to that the difficulty of getting a parking space, and the many hours that you need to spend hopping from one store to another to compare features and prices, and you will know how expensive shopping in the real world can be.

On the other hand, you can visit any one of the growing e- commerce sites in Indonesia without having to leave your chair. Still don't know which printer or digital camera to buy? Visit Web sites such as www.productopia.com, www.consumerreports.org, www.zdnet.com/computershoppers and www.imagingresources.com, where you can find advice as well as comments and complaints from those who have bought certain products. Add these addresses to your list of bookmarked sites. My favorite Consumer Reports' site even has discussion forums so that you can make informed decisions. Once you know what you want, all you need to do is proceed to a reputable online store such as Wet Market (www.wetmarket.com) and make your purchase confidently.

While the e in e-shopping comes from the word electronic, a growing number of people use it to stand for the word easy. Actually, what it does is help make it easier for us to shop smartly, intelligently. You may still spend a lot of time shopping, but you don't have to leave the comfort of your living room and you can even shop at 3 a.m., while still wearing your pajamas.

Is there any way you can cut down the time spent searching for the best prices? If you live in the U.S., you can get the help from electronic robots -- nicknamed bots -- that will scour the Web to find the stores that offer the products you have in mind. One of the bots that you can count on is mySimon (www.mysimon.com). Using the list that mySimon prepares, you can choose the store with the lowest price.

However, there are still a couple of things that you have to watch out for. First, make sure that the merchant is a reputable one. Again, if you live in the U.S., Bizrate.com (www.bizrate.com) is a great source for information. Unfortunately, here in Indonesia, we are still in the early stage of e-business, and we do not have these resources at our disposal yet.

Then check the store's shipping and handling charges. You should be concerned with the total costs of getting the goods to your doorstep, not just each individual price.

Then check the Return Policy. How many days or weeks do you have before you can no longer return the goods for a full refund? Is there any restocking charge?

Finally, read the "fine print" and check for potential land mines. Remember, there are as many crooks online as there are in the Senen and Blok M areas. (Zatni Arbi)