ONLINE SHOPPING

I thought it might be interesting to share some of our online shopping stories with you.  For the most part, we shop through eBay and it does take a while to get used to the best way to search to find the right products.  Using a variety of “names” for an item will return more results.  We like to set the filters to new products that are available right now (as opposed to bid items), shipped from the US for timing and convenience and where possible, free shipping.  Some items cost half the price of the shipping so you need to be aware of those details.

 $5.50 at home, $2.50 on eBay

 cable for lawn mower $40 at home, $19 on eBay

  

We use PayPal for the eBay purchases but there are other sites that require your credit card information.  These sites have separate sections for your billing address (which MUST match your credit card address) and your shipping address.  That’s fine until you discover that their dropdown options for the billing address do NOT include a province or a postal code.  We’ve tried to “trick” the system using Grand Forks, North Dakota or the zip equivalent of the postal code (V3B 2T4 becomes zip 32400) but that hasn’t worked often.  I had to phone a place in Ohio for one order, and even he had trouble with his system accepting the postal code.  He eventually got it worked out and I received the package in the mail last week.

bamboo wine rack $23

Besides convenience, online shopping does not incur sales taxes on the items you purchase unless you have it delivered to certain states.  Most of the states, including Arizona is an online shopping tax free state, so the price that is quoted is the price that you pay.  And we all know that we already pay too much in sales tax!

15 router bits $18

timing light $17

We enjoy getting items from all sorts of unlikely states such as Ohio, Arkansas, New Jersey, and Florida.  I recently ordered some yarn from a distributor in Illinois and today when I received the package, I saw that it was air mailed from Manchester in the United Kingdom.  No wonder it took 9 business days to arrive.  And then there are the slower international suppliers from China or the Philippines.  I ordered a set of double pointed knitting needles on Nov 2 to be delivered between Nov 28 and Dec 8.  I’m still waiting for them….Most of the orders however arrive in 2 or 3 days.

55 knitting needles $8.50

yarn from the UK 

Half of the orders are delivered by the US Postal Service and we can pick them up at our post office here at the resort.  Sometimes they put the packages in the larger mail boxes and leave you a key but most often you have to take a card to the counter to pick it up.  It can get very busy there with long line ups and Stuart has been getting to know the post office workers very well.  We also have the UPS deliveries and lately, they’ve been stopping by almost every day.

new leather credit card wallet $12

Our Christmas cards have been sent and we have lit up one string of lights on the palm tree at the corner of our lot.  Previous renters put the lights up so we got a long extension cord and set it up with a timer.  More decorations to do next week.

A crafty gift from our neighbour