I live on an island,

there's nothing about

Such a lack of good shops

Makes me want to shout

And now that Im pregnant

only one thing to do,

Grab my trusty old laptop

Visit google! Thats who!

A shopping sensation!

So much better than mum,

who sends me odd parcels

That I wish hadn't come.

A sale on Queenbee?

Why not give it a whirl?

Oh there's some cute shorts

Just the thing for this girl.

Fast delivery too

Oh they fit like a glove!

Making pregnancy sexy?

I think I'm in lurve.

I'm fast finding other

fun places to shop.

Sites like Remo.com

Are quite hard to top

Some Candella's were bought

As a friends baby gift

Softly lighting the way

For feeding nightshifts

So this new way of life

Shopping online's for me

And it all happened to start

with a click on Queenbee.

xox

winner two:  maxine eades (nsw, australia)
is the parcel delivery guy our new 'milkman' ladies?!! - queenbee

I love online shopping.  If I know what I want and the site is easy to use its great –plenty of information, lots of pictures, easy returns process if it’s not right.  When it comes to clothes I think pictures from different angles and close ups are really important – The Queen Bee site is great for that! Most of the time the goods are delivered promptly and the service is excellent.  Price is important too.  If it is something you can buy at the shops you want to be able to buy it online cheap enough for the postage not to make it more expensive than buying it at a store.

My favourite sites are – Queen Bee (seriously, it ticks all the boxes for great online shopping), and Babyzone direct.

I think the important things about online shopping is for the business to provide the customer with regular updates so they know what is going on.  There is nothing worse than parting with your credit card details and waiting…and waiting… and waiting wondering if someone is off shopping with your credit card in Uzbekistan whilst you are looking out the window waiting for the mail to arrive!

Another great thing about online shopping is I’ve become great friends with the parcel delivery guy!  He’ll even bring my mail and newspapers to the door when he delivers something for me.  Without online shopping, I’d have probably never met him.

No parking hassles, no impulse buys – and you can shop in your PJ’s!

What do I love about on-line shopping? Allow me a little poetic license to explain…

A Sonnet (with apologies Mr William Shakespeare)

Shall I compare thee to a shopping centre?

Thou art more relaxed and more enticing:

Rough small boys do shake the walls of Target

And Pumpkin Patch hath all too short a range:

Sometimes too loud the mouths of babes resonate,

And oft’ his rear complexion is soiled;

And every promising start sometimes declines,

By impatience, boredom or number 2’s sticky fingers smearing the trinkets at the counter:

But thy lure of uninterrupted browsing shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that small special toy back in Aisle one;

Nor shall closing time brag thou wanderest in his shade,

When in eternal opening hours thou flourishes:

So long as my mouse does scroll, or eyelids remain open to see the screen,

So long lives on-line shopping…and this gives life to ME!!!

winner four:  deborah holtham (VIC, Australia)
thanks deborah - very informative and well thought out answer. online shopping can be addictive, I know!! thanks so much- queenbee

Hi Queenbee,
 
Apart from the odd book from Amazon, I did not really see the point of online shopping until I fell pregnant with my first child.  Well, that event unleashed the online shopping addict that was obviously hidden deep inside!
 
eBay was my first point of call, and allowed me to furnish the nursery and buy all those essentials like prams, baby carriers and even some pre-loved baby clothes. 
 
In my last trimester, I started shopping online for maternity wear - earlier in my pregnancy I had stocked up on maternity clothes from traditional shops, driving far and wide to find the odd shop here or there.  I bought some great clothes, but it took a long time and was very expensive.  Unfortunately, I put on a lot of weight and outgrew all my maternity clothes and had to buy more.  At that stage, I could not face driving the streets of Melbourne suburbs to revisit the few maternity shops that exist, so started searching online, and found some lovely clothes at great prices, with all the convenience that online shopping provides!  I was initially nervous about buying clothes without trying them on first, but in the end the convenience factor made my decision.  The best sites were those that provided detailed sizing information, with measurements and so on, so that I could be confident that the clothes would fit.  The sites that showed several images of each item from different angles were also helpful.  Finally, sites that offered full refunds if the items were not suitable were also useful.
 
After having my first bub, the online shopping extended to buying nursing tops and sleepwear - almost impossible to find in the shops - and here, Queenbee came into its own, with a great range.
 
As time went on, my online shopping addiction has probably grown, and I have purchased books, toys, children's clothes, food storage containers, bottle warmers, digital thermometers, kitchen knives and a huge range of other items.  In summary, the most helpful features of any online store for me are:
 
* Offer PayPal as a payment option; 
* Offer full refund if item is not suitable;  
* Show several of images of each item from different angles; 
* Show all the colour options available; 
* Provide sufficient product information about each item; 
* Offer shipping discounts for large $ spend; 
* Offer discounts for regular customers;
* Use Australia Post for shipping (couriers can never find my house!); 
* Be easy to navigate and look professional;   and
* Provide regular newsletters and specials by email (but not too often!).
 
Thanks Queenbee for being one of the sites that meets my criteria!

winner five:  kate vale (NSW, Australia)
thanks for sharing kate and I love shopping overseas too! - no need to buy a plane ticket or sit on a gruelling flight with kids, just shop from the comfort of your home!.... - queenbee