Buying camping gear online

If the web-shopping bug hasn’t yet caught you then let’s begin simply. If you know exactly what you want then a straightforward Internet search will generally bring up the relevant suppliers and the product’s price tag. Use one of the search engines like Google, Yahoo and Ask – choice is down to experience or your personal taste. There are also shopping-specific price comparison sites like Kelkoo – run your search through a number of these to get the best spread of offers. Many include customer feedback and ratings to help you gauge the shopping experience – remember to add yours to help other Internet shoppers make their choice.

The list of Internet sites that your search will take you to will usually be a mix of three types of business: pure Internet sellers, or e-tailers; conventional shops that have both bricks-and-mortar outlets and linked electronic websites; and manufacturers selling directly via a website. Some will be big brands or chains that you will be familiar with, or smaller businesses with maybe just one or two shops. The e-tailer can be of a varying size of business, even down to a one-man band operating out of a back bedroom or garage. It is this virtual nature that creates a certain anonymity that may be off-putting. One thing for sure, there is no guarantee that one will be better than the other – big businesses can be unreliable or excellent, one-man bands can give a brilliant dedicated service or be a complete rip-off merchant. An attractive looking web site can actually hide a multitude of problems and you the customer cannot tell what is happening on the other side of that computer monitor.

The best piece of shopping advice is to use a credit card to make your purchase as the law currently provides a great deal of protection under the Consumer Credit Act if the goods you are buying costs more than £100. However, you do need to make sure that the web site you are using has a secure payment system, watch out for words such as ‘encrypted’ or ‘you are being transferred to a secure server’ or something similar. A little padlock icon will also appear at the bottom of your browser screen when you enter the secure payment pages.

Many credit card providers operate Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode that you can register your credit card for on-line purchases. This will bring up an identity check when you come to pay to ensure you have the right to use the card. Some sites will also take payment from an on-line source like PayPal. Again, pre-registration and security checks allow you to pay for goods without revealing the details of your primary source of payment.

Before you buy make sure that you check for hidden extras like delivery charges and VAT, the price you see on the web site might may not turn out to be such a bargain when you add other costs. Also, take note of delivery times, last minute purchases are not going to work if the web site quotes a 7-day delivery schedule. While you are about it check the delivery method – remember you have to be in to take delivery of an item from a courier company or supply an alternative address. In our experience, it is often the poor levels of service provided by the transport companies that tarnish Internet shopping.

It pays to check your credit card statement afterwards, make sure that the quoted price is the same as the amount that’s been taken from your card account. Good e-tailers send emails with details of costs and delivery times – a good tip is to print these out and save them till the transaction is complete.

Check the source

As with most things in life the best way to buy safely from the Internet is to take advice if you can. Talk to friends and see if they can recommend good sites. Chat to people on campsites and ask for their experiences. Check the website and search engines for consumer ratings and service reviews. Use relevant Internet forums (visit ours at campingmagazine.co.uk) and chat rooms – these are usually a part of a web site and are specific areas where questions can be asked and answered.

Once you have selected the site that you want to buy from, follow the instructions given to make your purchase carefully and to the letter. Computers are logical not intuitive and the process for buying is usually in a clearly defined sequence of steps, so don’t try and take shortcuts.

Like mail order, the biggest problem with Internet buying is that the process is done from a distance. Generally what you are presented with is a small photo and some text and technical specification. You cannot touch it, walk round it or talk to a sales person. Sometimes that’s fine and lower overheads, minimal staff, no shop building and fewer running costs can mean that the e-tailer is genuinely cheaper. But, what about the service element? Can you quickly access more detailed information from experienced staff? Are your after-sales queries or problems quickly and efficiently dealt with? Check to see if a contact phone number and address exists and is highlighted on the home page. It implies that the e-tailer welcomes customer contact and does not hide behind the anonymous email or PO Box.

Do not dismiss the real world retailer when in pursuit of a bargain. Not only do you get advice, but you can also inspect the items bought before you take them home. Unfortunately, many retailers suffer from shoppers who use them to get the service and advice only to walk away and make the actual purchase from a cheaper web-based seller. On the face of it that is great for the shopper looking for a bargain but consider the implications if the ‘real world’ retailer goes out of business – that isn’t good for anybody involved in the process of making, selling or using outdoor gear. At the end of the day you pay a retailer to carry stock, for his knowledge and the availability of a face-to-face aftersales service. Do not expect a retailer to help you out with a faulty web-purchased piece of kit…

However, the Internet has become an important resource for established bricks-and-mortar shops. Low overheads, a wider audience and simple distribution make Internet sales an attractive source of revenue and it provides extra presence in the outdoor market. In fact, many retailers offer their own Internet deals that are lower than the shop prices and rival those of an e-tailer. Manufacturers also find it a good way to promote new ranges and get rid of old stock.

Given that your contract is with the outlet that sold you the goods there is another problem with some e-tailers that will only appear when a purchase needs replacing – and there is no way of telling if you may come unstuck from the information displayed on a web site. Some e-tailers advertise goods for sale without holding any stock. When an order is received they order the product themselves from the manufacturer or distributor and send it on to the web site customer. The e-tailers quoted delivery times reflect those of the manufacturer or distributor that hold the stock and you receive the goods without being any the wiser. However, if the manufacturer/distributor has not got stock then the e-tailer cannot supply its customers – and this is especially inconvenient if it is to replace a faulty item. Of course, the appeal to the unscrupulous e-tailer is that there is no cost to their business other than those involved in the creation and management of the web site – but that’s no help if you need that tent sending to you overnight to replace the faulty unit you are just about to take on holiday. Always do your research and get recommendations of which e-tailers to use.

For me, the killer feature of buying camping gear on the web is the auction website, which makes buying second hand products a lot more interesting and safe. It still amazes me how many people buy camping gear for a holiday, often spending a lot of money, only to discover that they don’t like it and want to then get rid of the kit. All of this can make for some fantastic bargains for experienced campers that know what they are doing.

Previously this unwanted gear would have just been advertised in the local newspaper classified section or Camping. Now it can be found on websites that provide secure national coverage. The biggest has to be eBay and it provides security by monitoring the records of sellers and buyers. There is great customer feedback and the company will step in to mediate if there is a problem. Purchases can usually be made using a secure on-line banking system called PayPal – go to paypal.com/uk to find out more.

Before you enter the fray, take time to become familiar with bidding. It is not rocket science but it is still time well spent to help you bid effectively. Although addictive it is not a game and all successful bids are legally binding contracts.

Always research the item you want to bid for, set yourself a maximum price and do not get carried away. Our editor once sold an old ice axe on eBay. The bids became frantic and, to his delight, it fetched more than the axe’s recommended retail price…

Before entering the Internet and addressing your camping habit through a little retail therapy you should secure your computer with up-to-date anti-virus and firewall software. Always ensure your passwords are of the highest level – for guidelines and to check any you want to create visit microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx