This is one of the
most comprehensive e-malls we have seen in India. There are 14
broad categories of items available from computers and
electronics to food, flowers, chocolates and accounting software.
It has the feel of the real thing as you take a shopping basket
and keep adding to it. You've got to register first for the
service before you start filling up baskets and taking advantage
of the goodly discounts offered. You finally check out through a
Verisign-certified secure system, paying either by credit card or
selecting a cash on delivery option. An online tracking system
lets you find out the current status of your order. iBaya.com is
a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) enabled website, so you can
also place orders if you have access to the Internet via a cell
phone. Other features include a gift-reminder service so you get
reminded about special days ahead, and a wish list where you can
enter the things you would like to receive. Now just pass broad
hints to friends and relatives about such a list and wait for
something to drop into your lap.Fabmart
Fabmart
specialises in three items: music, books and jewellery. Besides
offering the products at a reasonable discount, the site has a
three-level rewards programme based on a customer's total
purchase value: The Silver Account (Up to Rs 5,000); Gold Account
(Rs 5,001 to Rs 25,000) and Platinum Account (Rs 25,001 and above).
The reward points that you earn varies from store to store (music,
books, jewellery), with one Fabmart Reward Point equalling one
rupee. This Bangalore-based store has an offline customer service
from 8am to 8pm, where you can call up a number in your city to
solve your queries. Fabmart offers a seven-day money-back
guarantee during which time you can return the goods bought for
whatever reason provided the cassettes and CDs have their
original packaging or the book and jewellery are in their
original condition. Delivery is made to about 850 locations in
India. Payment is made through credit cards and the site uses the
latest 128-bit encryption technology with a secure digital
certificate from Verisign to secure the transaction.MumbaiMart
This
Mumbai-based site is part of the family of sites owned by WizWork.It markets a wide range of goods like electronics, household articles, leather goods and movie tickets. In Mumbai, delivery takes between 6 and 48 hours depending on the items ordered. Orders below Rs 500 will draw a Rs 50 delivery charge, otherwise delivery is free, but you must pay cash on delivery. For delivery outside Mumbai you will have to wait for a period ranging from 2 days to a week depending on whether you are in a major metro town or a remote village. In all these cases standard courier charges will apply. No, credit cards are not accepted and payments would be effected through demand drafts, so the question of secure digital certificates does not arise.
Baazee
If the coming
festive and wedding season is one for buying gifts, it is also
the time when you receive them. So what do you do with the three
casseroles, two picnic sets, the wrist watches and other things
you don't really need? Why, convert them into hard cash by simply
auctioning them off on bazee.com. You just post your item on the
site, providing a picture if possible, state your reserve price,
give your e-mail and wait for buyers to contact you. Everyone's
out for a good bargain, so if you're reasonable enough you can
surely get rid of your unwanted items. When buyers click on an
item, besides the details, he is also given the date when the
auction closes, the reserve price, the starting bid and the
current bid value. When the deal is concluded, the transaction is
wholly between the buyer and the seller and the site does not
accept any responsibility for this. After all, the service is
provided absolutely free. There is a section called 'My Auctions,'
where you can keep track of your auction activity in one place.
Since no payments are made to the site itself, the question of
security for online payments does not come into the picture.Bid or Buy - India
This partner site
of Rediff.com has a similar structure to the Bazee site. Here too
there are a number of categories of products where the seller can
post his item for auction along with a reserve price which is
never disclosed anytime during an auction so as to protect the
seller's confidentiality rights and to facilitate the buyer to
decide the worth of the item. After the final successful bid,
both the buyer and seller will receive an auto-generated e-mail
providing each other's e-mail address. The buyer will then have
to contact the seller for all queries regarding the closing of
the transaction. Payment is made as per the terms mentioned by
the seller on the item page. You have to register to take part in
the auction. Featured on the home page are deals like 'Crazy One
Hour Auctions,' where the deal is open only for an hour; 'Featured
Auctions,' which are a pick of the various auctions available;
and 'Crazy Auctions,' which are on for just a day. Here too there
are no online cash transactions with the site, so security
features are absent. Vasool
Unlike the above
two auction sites, Vasool.com, from the stables of Satyam/Indiaworld,
has a limited number of products up for auction. This is not a
place where you can sell your second-hand stuff, for the products
are chosen by the Webmasters and they are available for a limited
period of time. There is a weekly 'One Rupee' auction of original
branded products or services for you to bid. As the name suggests,
the auction starts at Re 1, and there is no base price, though
the MRP is indicated. In the 'Buying Club,' the price drops for
all as buyers increase, so the more the number of buyers, the
lower the price. Then there is the 'Deal Of The Day,' where a few
branded products are available for two to three days at great
bargains. These are special promotional or introductory prices
available only on Vasool.com. To take advantage of all this, you
need to buy a Vasool Card for Rs 500 which you can get within 24
hours. Payments for products can be made by credit card or by
cash on delivery. In some cases, even a cheque is accepted.
Though you get a regular warranty for the products purchased, the
site speaks of no other electronic security for the transactions.