As Christmas Day draws closer, shoppers have just a few days left to order presents online if they want to receive them in time.
But does it pay to shop online or would you be better off hitting the shops in search of a bargain?
Armed with the UK Toy Retailers’ Association’s list of must-have toys for Christmas, Times of Malta checked whether it would be cheaper to buy the items locally or from online stores based abroad.
Among the most-sought after toys this year is the Leap Pad Ultra, made by Leapfrog Toys. Including delivery to Malta, this was available for €115 from Amazon UK, while it was on sale at a popular local toy shop for €174.99.
A similar toy – also on the UK Retailers’ Association list – was the Inno Tab 3S, made by VTech Electronics Europe. Parents whose child had this on their Christmas list could snap it up for €108.78 from play.com (UK), including delivery. The cheapest this newspaper could find it on sale locally in Malta was €125.
Children are also begging Santa for Nerf guns this Christmas, according to the UK Toy Retailers’ Association. Times of Malta found the Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire on sale in Malta for €79.99, whereas Amazon UK will deliver it to your door for €40.
Toys aside, Sir Alex Ferguson’s new biography is bound to be a popular gift for Malta’s legion of Manchester United fans this Christmas. It can be bought from Malta’s biggest book chain for €23.98, whereas Amazon UK will deliver it for €26.84 and play.com for €22.23.
Mother-of-two Faye Camilleri Preziosi has found herself shopping online more and more over the past three years. She finds it more convenient to browse retailers from the comfort of her home, creating online ‘wish lists’, so she is kept informed of the availability and prices of the gifts she is looking for.
While online stores based abroad tended to be cheaper, this was not always the case when delivery fees were factored in.
“It really depends on the seller,” she said.
For example, UK-based retailers Tesco and John Lewis offer a flat rate for delivery, whereas others use weight to calculate the postage costs, which can have a significant impact on the price.
This year, Ms Camilleri Preziosi has opted to buy a scooter in Malta because it worked out cheaper than ordering it abroad.
One of her tips for getting the best deal is to “share the shipping costs” by ordering with friends and having all the goods delivered to one address.
Ms Camilleri Preziosi thinks it is inevitable that local retailers will eventually be adversely affected by competition from online sellers abroad, although she suspects it will be some time yet before the full impact is felt here.
A survey published in October revealed the biggest online shoppers in the EU were residing in the UK (82 per cent of internet users), Denmark and Sweden (both 79 per cent), Germany (77 per cent), Luxembourg (73 per cent) and Finland (72 per cent).
In Malta the figure was 63 per cent. The number of Maltese who use the internet for shopping has quadrupled since 2008, according to the survey.
The Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU said local retailers had reported business had been “very slow” so far this festive season. However, retailers were confident sales would improve following the Republic Day public holiday (yesterday).
The GRTU will be commissioning a survey of retailers following the feast, which will be published in the first week of January.
A spokeswoman said few retailers had directly pinpointed online competition as the reason for slow sales.
UK Toy Retailers’ Association list of must-have Christmas toys
•City Coast Guard 60014 Lego
•Doc McStuffins Doctor’s Bag Set – Flair Leisure Products Plc
•Flying Fairy by Flutterbye – Spin Master Toys UK Ltd
•Furby Boom! – Hasbro
•Inno Tab 3S – VTech Electronics Europe plc
•Leap Pad Ultra – Leapfrog Toys
•Monopoly Empire – Hasbro
•Monster High 13 Wishes Doll – Mattel
•Nerf N-Strike Elite Rapidstrike CS-18 – Hasbro
•RoboFish – Zuru – Geemac Sales & Marketing Ltd
A Valletta toy shop’s top-selling toys, Christmas 2013
•Peppa pig doll
•Leapfrog electronic toys
•VTech Electronic toys
•Board games
•Minnie and Mickey Mouse
•Craft items
•Lego and Meccano
•Playmobil
•Dolls in general – Barbie, Baby Born
•Big Boys Toys car models
Jake and the Never Land Pirates.