Ordering online

From ADISC Answers Wiki

Ordering diapers online can be a convenient option if you live in a remote location, or if you want higher quality diapers than what you can expect from a drug store or department store. Online orders have their ups and downs, especially for those who live with someone else (e.g. parents). If you can plan things out well enough though, online orders can really pay off in terms of diaper quality.

Payment options

As cash and carry is not possible with virtual shops, it is more difficult to order items off the Internet, than purchasing them in stores. Shipping and handling must also be accounted for with many websites.

Credit/debit cards

Credit cards are available to anyone over 18 with a valid ID. However, it is strongly advised not to get into debt over some diapers unless you are able to pay your bill on time. There are better ways to pay for things. Note however that credit cards usually do carry insurance to a level better than debit cards and PayPal.

Debit cards are like credit cards but linked to your bank account. They are generally accepted online where ever credit cards are, although it may depend on the site and the type of debit card. In several countries you can get a debit card at a younger age than a credit card (it depends on which you country you live in. In the UK you can have a debit card at any age). Generally a debit card with a Visa symbol will be widely accepted, with some restrictions.

Visa Electron

Visa Electron cards are typically issued to younger people and students as they have more restriction (i.e. can only withdraw or pay for items up to available funds). For this reason some stores may not accept them if they have to check your balance before debit.

Visa Debit

Visa Debit cards work more like a credit card in that they are processed through Visa which authorises payment, and then the debit is made from your bank account. The debit may not occur instantly, and you don't need to have funds in the bank to cover payment. Be sure that you have enough money in your bank account, because having insufficient funds will result in an overdraft, or the payment may simply fail.

Maestro

Maestro is a similar debit card from MasterCard. Within the EU Maestro cards work similar to Visa Debit. Outside of the EU they are often more like Visa Electron cards and require balance checks and authorisation.

Prepaid credit cards

Prepaid credit cards can be bought at many drug stores and convenience stores, however, they do cost money to buy them (10$-30$). They don't require any ID, and you can use them at websites like a regular debit/credit card. They are also charged automatically. Also as long as you don't exceed the amount on the card, it's the same as a normal credit card.

A problem with the prepaid credit card, is when you try to use them at a merchant that does Address Verification System (AVS). This means that if they ask for the billing zip code, you will have issues. You can avoid these issues by calling the issuer of the card and getting the zip code set correctly.

Money orders

Money Orders are available to anyone for a fee depending on how much you are spending with the money order. You can get them at convenience stores, drug stores, post offices, banks, or money transfer places like Western Union. Remember to get the right amount, however, because you can't really add or subtract credit with a money order. These are not as commonly accepted as credit/debit cards, but are easier to obtain, as many local stores and banks offer them.

Regarding the cost of money orders, it would be wise to check the website of the place you are buying them from, and seeing if they list the price of the money order.

Example: Say you live in the United States, and you wanted to buy a money order from the USPS (United States Postal Service). Well they have a list of how much the money orders are to obtain from them, listed here.

Getting the right amount

Make sure the price (shipping included) is within your boundaries of cost. If you are ordering multiple things, and it costs too much, it might be best to remove one or a few, and buy them later. More than likely, they will still be available next time you go to buy.

Warning

Be careful because it will take longer to process. You will have to send it via mail and wait for them to cash it before they send out your diapers. It could take a few days for the check to reach them; another two before they cash the money order; another few days to get the package. Its better to go with pre-paid credit cards for speed. If you bought it via money order your diapers might show up when your parents/roommates are home. Plus it overall just takes longer.

PayPal

PayPal is available for anyone who has a bank account with a debit card or a credit card. You can save multiple credit cards and/or debit cards on a single PayPal account, and pay through that account, rather than giving out a credit card number which is alot safer because you can trust paypal and cannot be tricked by any fraudulant sites. Paypal also has insurance. Another good thing about PayPal is that when you order something through your PayPal account, the bill on the credit/debit card/bank account doesn't reveal what was actually ordered. It usually says something along the lines of "PayPal Transfer". Note that some websites require PayPal, and a fairly significant amount of eBay auctions require payment through one.

PayPal isn't really recommended for those under 16-18, as there are other options available.

Physical money

Big online stores put aside, private dealers often accept physical money mailed in an envelope. This method of paying is one of the less safe routes and should always be handled with as much care as possible. The good thing about sending physical money is that you will leave no traces of your order whatsoever, and you will remain 100% anonymous if you decide not to write a return address on the back of the envelope. The downside of mailing physical money is that postal services often require you to use special envelopes for sending banknotes. Such envelopes are not see through, which makes theft less likely. Such envelopes can be purchased at any postal office. Keep in mind that mailing large amounts of money is very dangerous unless you request a priority stamp and/or the letter to be signed before the receiver may receive it.

Online diaper stores that accept cash

• North Shore Care

Exchange Rates

If you buy from another country to import, the transaction may involve an exchange of currency using the current exchange rate for that country.

Most credit and debit card companies will apply an exchange rate conversion, usually not quite as good as a bank base rate, and will usually charge a commission fee on top. This can work out quite expensive. Some don't charge commission however (e.g. Nationwide in the UK).

When paying by credit/debit card using PayPal, by default they will convert using their own rates which may be unfavourable compared to your card issuer. Make sure you change the payment to the local currency and not your native currency to avoid PayPal doing the conversion.

Alternatively, you might have funds in PayPal in the correct currency (e.g. from a sale on eBay to a foreign seller), and it would be best to use those funds to avoid conversions.

Watch out for retailers who apply their own exchange rate conversion. Again this may be an unfavourable rate compared to your card rate. Some may allow you to change the billing to their local currency.

Dangers

Even after you get your prepaid card, money order, or your banknote (see physical money) ready; you still might be too scared to order online even though you know what diapers you wanted. Here is a list of dangers that you can avoid. If one of these incidents do occur, it's best to not to try to order again without knowing if they have received your order. The best thing to do, is to check your email for any confirmations on the order or log into the website and check your order history. If you want to be really safe, wait a week or two to see if your order comes.

Postdata

When you hit the back button at the page that says your order is sent, and hitting forward again without reading the windows pop-up you will send the order again. Do not do this! You will order the same bag of diapers twice, which, if you have that enough money on your payment method, will send out two bags of diapers instead of one.

Browser stops responding

If your browser stops responding, depending on your internet browser, it make give you a pop up with these options: "Close the program" or "Wait for the program to respond". You should click the second option, and go through the pain of waiting. It usually doesn't take that long, but if it does, it might just be better to end the program and check your email for any confirmations of your order.

Typographical errors

Read over every page more than once, to make sure everything is accurate. Otherwise, you could make a costly mistake on your order.

Order timing

When ordering from any online store, you should check the shipping time (if you can). Most online stores will have a pretty good idea of ground shipping time, given your zip code when you go to make your purchase. The customer service desk (by telephone or email) will be glad to tell you what their usual transit time is. You can also get an idea of how long it may be just by looking at the location of the store you are ordering from.

Take XP Medical for example: You can find their location, just by scrolling down and looking at the left hand toolbar. As you can see, they are located in California, so if you are ordering from them, and you also live in California, your shipment may arrive a lot sooner than someone ordering from the other side of the United States.

Just carefully plan ahead when you are ordering, so you don't get an unpleasant surprise. If you can, plan for possible delays.

Order Shipping Speed

Sometimes a site will offer a faster method than ground transportation or the default shipping method. Overnight or second-day service are examples of potential methods, but they are usually at an increased cost due to the bulk and weight of what you're ordering.

Testimonials

For testimonials, please include the company's name [from where you ordered], your location (state/providence/etc), the shipping method, the carrier, about how long it took from the time you ordered to when they arrived. You can also include any other information you would like.

• Example: Dry 24/7. California. Their shipping was pretty fast. It took about half a week. I'd say their boxes are greatly discreet, which I find reassuring.

Shipping options

When you make your diaper order, you have a few options. While not everyone has the same level of scrutiny placed on them, there's nothing like knowing your options.

Ship it to where you live

If you have parents who don't know about your diaper buying, or roommates who may ask questions, etc, this may not be the best option for you. This will, however, work rather well if you live alone.

Discreet packaging

Some companies offer this option. Many ADISC members have reported mixed luck with this, and varying degrees of discretion. All of the companies that offer this as an option make claims that they will send it out in a 100% safe manner. Some companies are very good at this, while others have proven that they cannot be trusted for various reasons.

Ship to a trusted friend

If you don't live alone but have a friend that knows that you want to get diapers, you can have them shipped to his or her house. Then you can arrange a convenient time to get them, either by getting your friend to bring them to you or by going to pick them up at his or her house. While many people don't have DL-aware friends, it can help to mutually arrange something like this, especially if shipping it to your own place of residence in discreet packaging will not work.

Local pickup

Shipping carriers such as FedEx and UPS can hold a package at their nearest location if you want to be able to pick it up at your convenience. Even if the company does not offer the option online or on the phone, if you talk to the right people, you can set this up. Typically, the store will telephone you when the package arrives and require a photo ID for you to pick it up.

If you live in the United States, you can have packages shipped to your local post office. If you want to use this option, detailed instructions are usually available at each local post office.

Find your carrier's nearest office

Below are guides that allow you to input your location and see which office is nearest you.

• Fedex: Put in your Zip and maker sure to check the box Hold at Location
• UPS: Put in your Street and Zip code, then uncheck all but UPS Customer Centers
• USPS: Put in your Street Address and Zip, Post Office Locations should be set by default
• KCKMedical; when you are in California will ship using Ontrac. Only use the addresses that says "Facility," it can be tricky to find the one the right one and you just have to scroll through the list to find the one nearest you. If you don't live in a big city, you probably will have to travel to the closest big city near you. Ontrac only does overnight shipping and KCKMedical is slow on updating with tracking information, best policy is to order after they have closed and then it will shipped the next day and just go in after 12pm the day after it is shipped.

Import Fees

If you buy from another country, you may have to pay you local Customs import duty, taxes and fees. The fees are usually applied by the receiving country, and the amount varies per country and with the type of item, but they can be a significant cost. Usually there is a value limit under which no fees are applied. Again this varies per country and type of item.

Some items may have an exemption so you won't have to pay and some have exemptions for use or age (for example in the UK, children's clothing is zero rated for VAT, but there are restrictions on what is considered child's clothing. Typically it is anything that will fit an under 14 year old so that it is unlikely to fit a typical adult, and HMRC have sizing guides to determine this).

EU

Within the EU, import duty is generally not required except for some valuable items and things like cigarettes & alcohol (and only in large quantities).

VAT has usually already been paid on purchase when you buy within the EU, although the rate of VAT applied may be different to that in your own country.

When importing into the EU from outside, duty and VAT may be applicable.

Handling fees

Many carriers will charge a handling fee on top of any duty and taxes. This is their fee for collecting the money. It will vary wildly between carriers. Typically a courier will be more expensive than a state run postal system.

Avoiding charges

A courier is often more likely to apply charges, whereas items that enter the country via some state run postal systems may be let through without charge if you are lucky (often the case with Royal Mail in the UK). A package can be marked lower value on the customs declaration to avoid a charge, although technically this would be illegal, and local customs officials can decide to apply charges based on their estimate of the value rather than the declared value. They could decide to seize the item, but this is rare.

The description on customs declarations is often important (e.g. for import to the UK, if it is childish clothing, ensure it says "children's clothing" as that may exempt it from VAT, whereas "clothing" will not).

Plain packaging that looks to be from an individual with a low value and better still marked as 'gift' may help reduce the chance of being charged. This may be difficult when ordering from companies, but worth a shot with private eBay sellers.

Importing personally on travel

If you buy an item abroad when travelling and return to your own country, again import duty, taxes and fees may be applicable. Some countries have higher limits for travellers than for postal imports so often it is not an issue. Technically you may have to declare if you have over the limit. If you fail to declare and are singled out for a check you may be faced with paying the fees and potentially a fine (or worse).

Discreet shipping: where to order

Main article: Getting diapers#Over the Internet

See Also

• Getting Diapers - Over the Internet
• Blacklist