Will's Web Watch: Hassle-free Christmas shopping

It's time once again to do your Christmas shopping. If like many people you're planning to make most of your purchases online, Will Sturgeon offers eight suggestions for making it go smoothly.

It seems like the Christmas lights went up on Oxford Street about mid-April this year and most stores were already setting up Christmas displays while the rest of us enjoyed the long hot summer.

But for all the false starts and premature marketing, it's an inescapable fact that Christmas is soon going to be upon us once more. I'm going to resist the temptation to add 'where has the year gone?' at this point, lest it make me sound older than I am (though it does fly by these days doesn't it?).

In fact, aspects of Christmas 2006 have already been and gone we're told. For example, one consumer group last week warned that 23 November was the last day to place orders online if you wanted to see your goods in time for Christmas.

That seems something of an over-reaction but it does flag up the issue that shopping for presents online is not without its hassles - though the outside chance of a few delayed deliveries is still hugely preferable to even two minutes on the high street at this time of year. Here are my top tips for taking the pain out of Christmas shopping.

1. Order in good time
In common with around 50 per cent of UK adults, I tend to do as much of my Christmas shopping online as possible, and while things have moved on light years from the days when you could buy any present online - as long as it was a book - Amazon remains one of my first ports of call each year.

This is despite the fact Amazon is the only site I've ever experienced problems with regarding delays. Presents arriving on 28 December is a pain and I'd advise we'd all do well to take with a pinch of salt any guarantees about delivery in time for Christmas.

Avoiding these problems is still largely within our powers. With this much advance notice - given Christmas has an unerring tendency to happen on the same day each year - it's not unreasonable to suggest we, the consumers, could get our orders in a little earlier.

Charlie Morgan from the excellent boys'-toys website Firebox.com - if you're buying for a gadget fan then look no further - tells me that even though Firebox.com is actually guaranteeing delivery on orders taken up to 21 December, it is of course a no-brainer that leaving a little more breathing room is wise.

2. Keep it simple
The more complicated the order the more time you should leave, as some e-tailers seem to have had problems in the past when asked to ship more than one item at a time.

And if one part of your order isn't immediately in stock the whole order could be held up.

You can get around this by ordering items separately, or asking for them to ship as each order is ready, meaning you'll pay a premium in postage and packing. But remember you are already likely saving money on the high street price - so invest it in postage. This approach does also increase the likelihood that it will only be one present, rather than a shipment of ten, that you are traipsing to the high street on Christmas Eve to replace.

Single orders are quicker orders - remember that.

3. Make sure you know where you want it delivered
It sounds obvious doesn't it but it's very easy to get this wrong.

If it's likely that an item will need to be signed for, make sure it's delivered to your work. And if you're going to be breaking up from work early for Christmas make sure you get those orders in early.

Of course if it's a 32-inch television or similarly bulky item and you happen to take the tube to work you may have to make other arrangements, such as using the delivery address of a friend or relative who can sign for the delivery.

Most e-tailers will let you choose any delivery address, or some, like Virgin Wines (another service I use regularly - despite some recurring downtime issues of late) will allow you to choose a number of delivery options, or specify what the delivery person should do if you're not in to collect the order - such as "please leave it out of sight round the back of the house" or "please leave it with a neighbour".

4. Make free delivery work for you
Sometimes it can work out more cost effective to buy extra items from one e-tailer so as to push orders beyond the price barrier at which free delivery kicks in (though again, remember to get those multiple orders in very early).

5. Shop around
You may have your favourite e-tailers - and the run-up to Christmas is possibly not the time to try an untested service - but using a price comparison site such as Kelkoo.co.uk if you're prepared to put in the time can also reap real rewards. Sometimes the differences between different e-tailers' charges can be considerable.

6. Know who you are dealing with
Check in advance what options there are for contacting the company should problems arise. For example, is there a phone number where you can speak to a real person?

Some websites don't offer customer service phone numbers. So unless you've used the site before and are confident there won't be any problems with your order, you might want to try elsewhere.

Likewise, if a website is new to you, or new to the web and you can't vouch for its service or reputation, you may want to avoid it at Christmas. Sadly many niche websites for unusual gifts may fall into this category so just use your own discretion.

7. Be secure
We all like surprises at Christmas - unless that surprise happens to be a massive credit card bill full of fraudulent payments. Deal only with reputable e-tailers and make sure you take some basic precautions such as checking the site is secure (look for the padlock icon in your browser and an URL beginning with 'https'. These aren't foolproof but it's a good indication).

8. Enjoy yourself
And finally, remember Christmas is meant to be fun so enjoy it. If you relax, have a drink and put your feet up while doing all your shopping from the comfort of your armchair, the hustle, bustle and hell of the high street will seem even further away.