The online insurance shoppers have some distinct advantages. They don’t need an appointment. They don’t need to be on the telephone. They just need to be prepared. If you are planning to shop online then you need to have some basic information at your disposal. The first time buyer needs to have some basic information. The best resource for that information would be an appraisal. The home appraisal has most of the information necessary to give you an adequate quote. The market value of the home along with the square footage are the two most important criteria used to determine the amount of insurance needed. The market value and age will dictate the type of policy to purchase. The renewal declarations page is a valuable source of information for the comparison shopper.

Actual Cash Value - Actual cash value is one way the insurance companies settle losses. This method will calculate the actual replacement cost at the time of loss and subtract any depreciation because of age or use. You will generally see actual cash value policies written on older homes. Many of your older homes have a market value much less than the cost to rebuild. The older Victorian homes built in the early 1900’s are a good example.

Replacement Cost - This method is used for newer homes or homes under construction. Replacement cost claim settlements use materials of like kind and quality when repairing or rebuilding the structure and there is no allowance for depreciation.

The correct square footage is very important because the online insurance calculators determine the actual cost to rebuild your home based on your square footage calculation. Air conditioning and fireplaces are upgrades that increase the replacement cost value of your home. Finished basements and outdoor decking also add to the calculation.

Discounts are given for smoke detectors, dead bolt locks and fire extinguisher. There are even larger discounts for burglar and fire alarms that transmit directly to the police station and fire department. Be prepared with this information and your online shopping will be so much easier. View our recommended insurers for more detailed information.

View our Recommended Insurance Company This site is simple and easy to fill out a quote and has a lot of great info about Home Insurance and Affordable Health Insurance

With the oil prices at $2 a liter, driving to a mall is going to be even more expensive than ever. Driving anywhere is going to be very costly.

Then there are the traffic jams which translate to more unproductive time in the car, wasting even more precious petrol.

Add to that the lack of parking space especially during peak periods where you have to circle the car park over and over again looking for a space to park. Oh, and the parking charges that would be involved.

Just getting there alone is going to cost you quite a bit.

As for the other factors like the crowds, the long queue to pay up, fighting over that last must have item with someone else who got to it at the same time. Hours going physically from place to place looking for the shop that still carries that toy your child must have for his birthday or for Christmas.

Why go through all that when you can shop without even leaving the comfort of your home?

Besides saving the petrol cost, you can compare the offerings of various stores without having to physically travel from store to store. For example, you can get the best deals on each item you intend to buy, check the brands, see the discounts just a mouse click away.

Some online stores have web only promotions. Others offer free shipping. Yet others offer online coupons you enter into a box when you check out for additional savings. All these add up to substantial savings if you buy online.

Another thing I love about online shopping, especially where gifts are concerned is that you can get the gifts delivered directly to the doorstep of the recipient. I’m really absent minded and tend to forget to bring gifts with me for birthdays and other occasions. What I do these days is to order the gift in advance and send it ahead of time to the birthday girl’s home. She gets a pleasant surprise when the postman delivers her the gift ahead of time. I even send Christmas gifts this way. You can send yours with a note “Do not open until 25th December.” if you want yours to be opened only on Christmas day.

I buy my skincare online too. Some things I just can’t get at the neighbourhood store. Usually, the malls I frequent charge much higher prices for the same skincare product than my favourite online stores. You can find them in this Health and Beauty Product Discounts I don’t blame them. Malls have higher operating costs.. rental costs for example, which they pass down to us in higher prices. Online store operate on much lower overheads and their savings are usually passed down to us, the customers.

All this adds up. By shopping online, saving on petrol, saving on time (time that could be used more productively), saving through discounts.. you end up with substantial savings.

The writer is the webmaster of Cheapest Sale where you can find the best deals in anything to do with health, beauty, watches, jewelry, electronics, fashion, sports, television, movies, animals, plants, christmas, thanksgiving, halloween, cartoons, hobbies, music or even superheros.

Everyone is talking about online shopping. It’s easy and a lot less hassle than a trip to the mall. It puts unbelievable choice right at your fingertips. Despite the advantages, there are certain things you do and don’t do when it comes to your money and your safety. Street smarts are the rule online and off when it comes to safe shopping. Online that goes double.

Online shoppers, just like those in the physical world, know to be aware of the neighborhood where they are shopping. They know the reputations of the places where they do business. They watch their wallets, and they know to be aware of who might be scrutinizing them just a little too closely.

Do a little research. Anyone can build a website. If you encounter an unfamiliar company where you want to shop, find out who they are. Look for an address. Be wary of any company that does not list one. An address is no guarantee, but you can use it to check references with the Better Business Bureau, BBB. Their online site at http://bbb.org/ has nationwide listings.

Sometimes you may want more information than the BBB provides. In this case, after the BBB check, use your favorite search engine and try an “about search.” The difference in an “about search,” and just looking for the site, is that you already know where the site is; now you want to find out what people are saying about it. Generally, just putting “about” in front of the company name will get you started.

For a very small purchase, you might want to dispense with all this investigating. But do use a low limit credit card. That way if anything does go awry, it isn’t that far awry. Yes, we all know about the $50 liability limit, but the low limit card can be a hassle saver online.

You may choose not to use a debit card online at all. Many debit cards do not offer the same protections against fraud as credit card companies. You could be putting your whole bank account at risk.

While you are at it, be sure to check out the return policy and guarantee. Online and off, most good companies do accept returns, either by providing a cash refund or product exchange. Note, however, shipping costs are typically not refunded for online purchases.

Online Security:

After you’ve found exactly what you have been looking for, checked out the seller, and their return policy; the next thing you need to do is make sure the site is secure. Secure means your personal information is encrypted in transit to the seller’s server. This prevents unauthorized (hacker) access and possible misuse of your credit information.

Examine the URL in the address bar. If the site is encrypted you will see an “s” directly after the http - like https://. The whole site will not be encrypted, but the order page for the transaction should be.

Other things to look for - depending on your browser, you may see either an open or a closed padlock, or a whole or broken key. If the key is broken or the lock open, you should assume that the site is not encrypted.

Sometimes security issues get tricky. Suppose you personally know the owner, it is a solid local business, but there is no encryption system in place and they expect you to transmit your credit information online. With small businesses, this is most often a case of not knowing better, that does not, however, mean that you do not. In cases like this, look for a phone number and call in your order. If there is no phone number and no mailing address, you should seriously consider whether you want to risk an unsecured transaction.

Common sense is the rule online and off. Guard your personal information, including Social Security Number, bank account information and passwords. No reputable merchant has a need for your Social Security Number and it is not standard policy to ask for it when you buy your groceries for instance. Requiring this for a routine purchase should send up a red flag. You should immediately take your business elsewhere. Some will do whatever they can think of, in all kinds of official looking ways, to get you to provide private personal information. If you call, they may personally assure you that they do indeed need your bank account and password to sell you that CD. No way, just because it looks good, and they sound sincere, doesn’t mean that it is or they are, and you may not know there was ever a problem until you see your credit report.

The last big rule is to keep copies of everything. Print out the pages with the description and prices of items you order. Print out your credit card receipt. Most companies will email you a copy as well. Keep that too, and make sure it matches your online information.

And remember, online and off, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t let the heat of the offer lull you into abandoning your good common sense. Of course, you could miss the deal of a lifetime, and that is exactly what the unscrupulous want you to think. Likely as not, online and off - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Shopping the net is destined to change the way we do business, but it is still a new frontier, with many of the uncertainties that go with it. The only way to really be secure online is to develop your street smarts and sometimes, that may not be enough. It will certainly level the field though, and by keeping your cyber smarts well honed, you should be able to safely shop the net.

Regina Garson has lived and worked on the Internet for many years. She teaches computer classes at Virginia College in Huntsville, Alabama. Online and off, she has helped many learn their way around the net. For more about online shopping, you can visit her website: LaFindz of the Net at http://lafindz.tripod.com

If recreating the old experience of subscribing to magazines by filling out a subscription card is essential to the success as an Internet retailer, then MagMall.com takes top awards. The retailer has created a web site with all the ease of use of the original pop out cards through fast loading graphics, and an intuitively designed layout that is both easy to follow and navigate.

“Visitors to the magazine subscription site get the feeling that subscribing online is just as easy as subscribing through the mail, but with added benefits,” says Fariman Dejouli, head of graphics design for Mountain Network Systems LLC. “It is a well laid out site for finding magazines and filling out subscription forms.”

A recent addition to their arsenal of web-based tools is the ability for shoppers to search for magazines by price range, first letter, category or even description. Shoppers can use their advanced searching feature to combine different search parameters. Of course, the fastest way to find magazines is to just type in a title in their search box or to click a fast category link in their fundamentally simple left navigation system.

The web site enhancements were developed in conjunction with Mountain-net.com, which offers one of the original ecommerce shopping cart platforms called Webcart. The inclusion of the new web site searching tools is part of a multi-pronged strategy by MagMall to cater to consumers who want to subscribe to all their magazines from one place.

“MagMall does a much better job than its competitors when it comes to evolving its web site,”, Dejouli says. “From a purely ecommerce transaction standpoint their site works extremely well.”

Jason Ciment
jason@magmall.com
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http://www.magmall.com
Magazine subscriptions - Save up to 85% off retail prices
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http://www.mountain-net.com
Webcart - The Total Ecommerce Shopping Cart Software Solution

If you’re trying to find unique gift ideas for a friend or loved one, you can get great bargains and products by discount shopping at an online gift store. No matter what the occasion, there are plenty of items to choose from, all marked at great prices. Online gift stores became popular years ago as an alternative to in-store shopping. With busy schedules, many people just don’t have time to go from store to store looking for a great gift at a bargain. Below you’ll see just how much you can benefit from discount shopping online for gifts.

Discover Great Gifts for All Occasions

By discount shopping at an online gift store, you can browse through many categories and products to find the gifts you need. Some gift items you might find at an online mall include jewelry, lingerie electronics, luggage, blue tooth, etc. An online gift store will usually be categorized to make it easier to find items.

You can find interesting items for anniversary gifts, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, wedding gifts, and many other occasions. For the holidays, you can buy multiple Christmas gifts at one website and take advantage of tremendous bargains. Discount shopping is much easier and faster than going from store to store in your local town and struggling to find the gifts you need through crowded aisles.

Unique Products Available Online

Another advantage of discount shopping at an online gift store is you can find unique products that may not be available in your local area. You have the advantage of choosing from a variety of brand names and saving dollars on brand names that would otherwise be too expensive.

For instance, a Sienna luggage set that would normally cost around $600 at a department store might cost you only around $200 at an online gift mall. That’s an amazing savings!

You can also get great bargains on toys, electronics, jewelry, blue tooth, lingerie, painted glass, pet supplies, etc.

Save Valuable Time by Discount Shopping Online

When you shop online for gifts, you are saving valuable time because you don’t have to shop around from store to store. It’s convenient to be able to shop from your own home computer any time, day or night. Online stores are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Business Opportunities

If you’re thinking of going in business for yourself, some gift stores will sell items to you in bulk so you can receive huge discounts and resell the products. For example, if you’d like to start your own jewelry shop online or offline, you can buy items like earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. in bulk as you need more stock for your inventory.

Discount shopping for unique gifts is fun once you become familiar with your favorite online mall. It’s like having a mall right inside your own home!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about Discount Shopping for Unique Gifts or Majon’s Gifts and Collectibles directory.

Probably everyone by now has at least heard about eBay or Amazon, right? These companies are still capturing the majority of the e-commerce market among other sites such as Walmart.com and for you technology buffs, Buy.com, Circuitcity.com and Bestbuy.com. All of these sites of course generate large revenues in online retail.

E-tailers: Shopping Comparisons Sites like Shopzilla.com, Pricegrabber.com and Consumerclub.com actually will give you the best deal by comparing the prices of major retailers like Sports Authority, Target, Macys, Barnes & Noble and JC Penny. A major goal of Consumerclub.com of is to offer consumers the best deals and make the shopping experience easy. Instead of spending the time of researching every site for the best deals, try one of these online comparison sites. They will do all the work for you and find you the best deal.

Take Advantage on Shipping Deals Most of the major online retailers offer discounted shipping or even free shipping if you buy a certain product or spend a certain amount of money. Also, after Thanksgiving heading into the holidays, many online retailers will offer free shipping and giftwrap services.

Check Coupon Sites Check sites like Valpak.com, Coolsavings.com and Eversave.com. These sites offer all kinds of discounts to major retailers. Coolsavings.com offers up to 30 percent off on groceries and travel. You can even print out coupons and drive to the retailer to purchase merchandise. These sites also offer freebies and free samples of products that are not on the market yet.

Try Overstock.com Overstock.com is an online retailer that has partnerships with many brand-name companies. Their relationships with these companies allow them to purchase product at huge discounts. Overstock.com takes advantage of the products that the major manufacturers overestimate for their yearly sales. Overstock.com buys those products at below wholesale price. Also, Overstock.com takes advantage of stores that are moving or downsizing. If this is the case, these products that the stores don’t want will be sold to Overstock.com also at a below wholesale rate. Then they pass their discounts to the consumers. The site claims it can save you up to 80 percent every day, which is true after looking at a deal for iPod/mp3 speakers normally listed at $59.99, selling for $12.95, which is a savings of 78 percent. .

Is Online Shopping Now Safer? The answer to the question is yes. It is now safer to shop online. According to an article on AllBusiness.com, e-commerce is actually much more secure than real-world commerce. When you leave your credit card receipt on a restaurant table or give your credit card number to a telephone operator, you’re accepting the risk that things you didn’t order might appear on next month’s bill. Yet when you enter a credit card number on a reputable e-commerce site, you’re sending it over a secure connection to a server that’s accessible only to authorized personnel and protected against even the most determined intruders. Just make sure you shop with a reputable company that verifies that payment button is encrypted. Many sites will have padlock emblems verifying this. Pay Pal, which is a payment system made most popular from eBay, has state-of-the-art encryption that protects your information from cyber thieves. You don’t have 100 percent protection while shopping online, but your odds are not as great being a victim of identity theft as you are lead to believe.

Copyright 2006 Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp.

Pete Glocker is employed in the Education and Charitable Services Department at Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp. (”DMCC”), a 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization located in Boca Raton, Florida. Pete graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Multimedia Journalism and is an experienced web producer for Tribune Interactive products Sun-Sentinel.com and SouthFlorida.com. DMCC provides free financial education, personal budget counseling, and debt management plans to consumers across the United States. Debt management plans offered by DMCC help consumers relieve the stress of excessive debt by reducing credit card interest rates, consolidating and lowering monthly payments, and stopping collection calls and late fees. DMCC financial counselors can be reached for free education materials, budget counseling and debt management plan quotes by calling 866-618-DEBT or by visiting http://www.dmcccorp.org . Pete Glocker can be reached by email to pete@dmcccorp.org.

If 299,999 planes land safely that’s not news. It takes just one to crash and that becomes news around the world and flying is seen as unsafe. Over 100 countries are at peace but the few that are fighting wars make the news. Understandably, a newscaster is not likely to think it’s a lead story to say, “Well, everything went well today. People went to work, returned home, showered, ate and slept. They are expected to get up next morning and do the same thing.” Media has become entertainment. We need to give the people information to excite them or at least to pull at their heartstrings.

The same happens with the Internet. As I watched the news last night, I saw a story about some attempt to defraud clients of a bank online. So some quack decided to “try a thing.” He/she of course got international media attention. The $8 billion that was spent safely on the Internet over the Christmas holidays, however, didn’t get the same kind of attention. So there is a news bias and we need to be aware of it.

It’s important to be alert but there’s no need to panic. The Internet is probably one of the safest places to do business because there is usually very little, if any, human intervention. A credit card is charged, a secure server sends the money to a bank account and the seller in most cases never even sees the number. You can tempt a man but you can’t tempt a computer. It would just do what it is programmed to do. This, of course, means that computers can be programmed to do fraud. This is why it’s important to be on the look out and make sure you’re not the one out of 300,000.

Here are the basics to keep in mind when shopping online: