What you need to know about shopping from home

If you're looking to shop from home, here are a few things you should know first.

1. No crowds, no traffic: Shopping can be a chore, especially during busy times like holidays when you have to fight crowds and overflowing parking lots to get to the stores you want. Busy stores are often out of the most popular items or sizes, making your trip futile and frustrating. Shopping online is a more relaxed choice for many people who prefer to shop in their pyjamas at their computers.
2. Price advantage: Prices are often lower than those in the stores because you can order direct from suppliers who have low overhead costs.
3. Wide range of choices: You can shop for goods from all over the world and find unique items that aren't at your local mall. Many Canadian stores offer online shopping in addition to their street locations. Check out your favourite store and you may find a bargain online that may not be found in the stores.
4. Stress-free catalogue shopping: If you want to shop from home but are not comfortable ordering online, there are many companies that continue to print catalogues. Of course, you can also view their merchandise online and find current sales and special offers. Only some of these will be listed in the catalogue. Increase your options by looking at both. Browse a catalogue or a website, then order by phone or online so you cut out the hassle of shopping and can try on clothes in the peace and privacy of your own home.

1. Extra costs: Keep in mind the extra costs of shipping, and if you're ordering from the United States, there will be taxes, duty and brokerage fees. Make sure these extra costs don't outweigh the savings.
2. Try for size: Sizes aren't always standard, so if you're new to a company, you may have to order and try a few garments before finding the right size. To counteract this, use a company that offers a heavily discounted first order — if you have to return anything, at least you won't lose out.
3. Return policies: It can be frustrating to shop online in Canada, as some sites are based in the United States, and so you have to figure in the exchange rate, taxes, any duty and brokerage fees and higher shipping costs. What appeared to be a bargain price may not work out to be worth it. If you have to return or exchange an item, you may have to pay postage and packing — check terms and conditions before ordering as some companies offer free returns or don't charge if you return an item within a set number of days.

Purchasing from the comfort of your home can be a great time and money saver, but make sure you know what you're getting so there are no surprises when your package arrives.

Browse for the best deal, choose carefully, enter your payment information, and wait for your order— shopping has never been so easy!