There are two golden rules for ordering CDs online:
1. Use a comparison website such as best-cd-price.co.uk , dealpond.co.uk + twenga.co.uk
2. Order through a cash-back site** (if possible) paying with a cash-back credit-card** (if you have one)
Delivery charges are the main way in which your cheap deal can be transformed. There is a way around this on Amazon where the minimum spend is £5 for free delivery. Most of the time it will be cheaper to add inexpensive products to your order, to qualify for free delivery rather than pay the postage and packaging charge. The website filleritem.com/uk.html can help you find items to take your order to £5.
DVD websites are much the same as for CDs, so stick to the golden rules noted above when ordering from the following websites:
Websites digitallard.com and find-dvd.co.uk will search all websites for your product and include the cost of postage as part of their comparison.
There is only one area of caution to consider when buying DVDs online and that is the fact that all DVD players come with a specific region code. Double check the different region codes using this link - hometheaterinfo.com/dvd3.htm – Europe is region 2 and the USA is region 1. Ensure you order the right code for your player.
There are numerous websites which can teach you how to adapt your region specific DVD player yourself for free, allowing you to buy cheap DVDs from all over the world.
High Street deals
Many of the music retailers (HMV, WH Smith etc) have regular offers for CDs and DVDs, for example 3 for £20. The supermarkets almost always have a music and DVD department and they can often be just as cheap as the online retailers – without the postage charge. If you wait until a few weeks after the new album or film has come out, the price often drops once the initial hype has died down.
Downloading Music
The market for downloads has grown as the popularity of MP3 players has rapidly expanded in the past few years. The best known place to download is ITunes , with around 70% of the market, with Napster.com a close second. On both sites you can download singles and albums, with prices starting at 79pence to £7 respectively.
Emusic.com provides downloads from independent labels and comes with a free trial where you can download 25 songs before cancelling your membership. The site doesn’t have as many mainstream or chart artists but is deemed to be a great alternative to CDs.
Prices between different sites don’t vary too much – it is the special deals and offers of credits for bulk-buying which differentiate from one site from another. A number of charities have also set up download sites, WarChildMusic and bignoisemusic, which is affiliated to Oxfam, with a percentage of each sale being given to charity.
Other sites:
AllCoolMusic
Canadian website offering unlimited free downloads
Amazon
Offers hundreds of free downloads from a range of well known and unknown artists with the aim of incentivising people to buy the full CD
BearShare
Free downloads once the software is installed but cannot be transferred to an iPod
Emusic
Free trial allowing users 50 free tracks which they can keep even if they cancel their trial
Epitonic
Free downloads of independent and unsigned bands – good if you want to expand your musical tastes
Hmv
Unlimited access to music downloads with prices similiar to iTunes
Last.fm
Aims to be the world’s biggest social music platform with music and videos from well known and unsigned bands available to download
My Music inc
100% free music download site
Peoplesound
Allows users to download music from unknown bands for free
Playlouder
Combination of internet access and music downloads – albums are priced by the number of songs with a maximum of £7.99. Also offers a monthly rate combining downloads and broadband services in one. Claims to be the worlds first "Music Service Provider".
Soundclick
Free downloads of mainly unsigned bands but a number of more well known artists are also affiliated
Zunior
Canadian music website mainly featuring unsigned artists
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Downloading Films and TV Shows
It isn’t just music which can be downloaded from the internet TV shows and films can also be viewed, downloaded and bought online. Websites such as youtube.com and alluc.org enable users to watch episodes of American (and British) shows over the internet. All that’s required is a computer with enough speed to download such files, and viewing software such as RealPlayer, Macromedia Player or Windows Media Software.
There are a range of other free websites which provide extracts ranging from 1950s TV shows to modern day dramas pcplanets, TVland and dailymotion. Seabreezecomputers provides a detailed list of television shows which can be viewed over the internet; this is broken down into episodes and series allowing you to mix and match for easy viewing.
Before you start downloading television shows or films, ensure you check your broadband contract's small print to determine your download allocation. Downloading a large amount of data could inflate your bill massively (especially shows which feature on BBC iPlayer or 4oD). Those on unlimited download packages will still be subject to “fair usage policies”.
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DVD Rental Schemes
DVD rental schemes can be a good alternative to buying DVDs if you are a film fan and purchase films on a regular basis. For most rental sites (such as Amazon , blockbuster , cinemaparadiso and sofacinema ) you simply sign up to the website with a direct debit and a list of films you are interested in renting. There is no time limit on the length of hire meaning you can have the rental DVD for as long as you want. Allowing you to temporarily own the DVD and watch the film as many times as you want. The rental rules vary in that some sites are unlimited rentals (you can hire as many as you want) and some are more limited. Most of the websites offer free trials, sometimes for as much as 6 months, perfect while you are a student. However you must remember to cancel your membership a couple of days before the trial ends or else you will face the normal monthly charge. The only downside to rental schemes is that there is no guarantee over how long it will take to receive the DVDs, meaning you could be watiing months for your desired films to arrive.
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Shopping Safely Online
Internet shopping has transformed the way consumers shop. Follow our top tips to ensure your internet experience is the best, and safest it can be.
Look for symbols
If you are shopping on a secure e-shopping site look for little padlocks or unbroken keys at the bottom of the screen. This means that the financial data you are entering is being encrypted or scrambled so that it can’t be read while in transit.
Find the logos
Look for websites which have signed up to voluntary codes of practise, for example “Which?” magazine or Trust UK.
Check the address
The start of the URL web address will change from http:// to https:// if the site is a secure site.
Buy British
If you buy from a UK website then you are protected, as a consumer, by the same consumer rights as if you were purchasing in a shop. The only exception to this is if you buy from an individual who is not a seller or business. Ensure your seller has a physical address and telephone number – a P.O. Box number is not enough. Read the terms and conditions so you are fully aware of their policy in relation to returns.
Use a credit card
Always use a credit card when you are shopping online - something that is particulary important when you are buying high value items. See the credit card section for more information.
Print off any confirmation emails
This ensures you have proof of purchase in the same way that a receipt would for a normal sale.
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