Online Shopping -- What's your poison?
 

I LOVE to window shop online for fabrics, but rarely do I purchase. I fall in love with bright colored quilts like the one below, but when it comes to buying the fabric...I chicken out. I just have to fondle it to see if it meets my fabric snob tendencies!! lol -- j/k -- I can't afford to be a fabric snob.

Maybe I just wish I had the disposable income to buy everything I see....yeah....that's got to be it!

How to do control your desire for the latest fabrics?


http://ankastreasures.files.wordpres...6888.jpg?w=640

I check to see if I can purchase at my local quilt shop or big box. Going to have to pay for shipping anyway since they figure that into the cost. I can feel it and decide.

I am afraid to order from any place that won't take pre payed cards. I have had my bank account hacked into twice and my DD has had her credit card info. stolen. Just last week she ordered from a very popular store and within ten hours her whole bank account was wiped out. She also had her pay pal account hacked into. So if I can not mail order by check or use a pre payed card I won't order.

I purchase on line when certain criteria are met - Must be on sale enough to make it worthwhile - shipping must be free or what I consider to be a bargain. Generally buy only brands I'm familiar enough with to feel confident about. I also buy locally, but probably more on line than anything. Although I see lots of fabric I think is pretty, it has to really speak to me to want to buy it and that doesn't happen very often.

I buy what ever calls my name!!! I am a relatively new quilter so I have been buying coordinating fabric lines in 1 or 2 yard cuts. I am trying to build a stash . I order online as there are no quilt shops near where I live and only a Joann's 20 minutes away. My husband says nothing about my fabric purchases as his hobby of classic cars is far more expensive!!!

I have a document on my computer where I write down all my fabric desire, and when it's time to order I look through it and a lot of the desires have lost it's charm. Beacuse I live in Sweden I only order from the US 2-3 times a year, so I might have a benefit in just that. If I would have the same range of fabric in Sweden I would order a hell of a lot more :)

I buy from lots of online shops. I rather use PayPal. I don't have my checking account info on Pay Pal, just a local bank credit card. Never use a bank debit/credit card to shop online. I use a local bank credit card with a very low credit limit for online shopping. We use LifeLock credit protection too. Discover is the only card I've had trouble with. After getting three new accounts because the others were compromised I dropped them.

[QUOTE=Stitch124;6249192]... How to do control your desire for the latest fabrics? ... /QUOTE]

I have to touch a fabric, before I really fall in love with it. Too many times, I've seen GORGEOUS fabric, only to touch it and find it rough or stiff. Hobby Lobby is my weakness. :rolleyes:

I buy quite a bit of fabric online but only brands that I know and when shipping is free or reasonable. can you please tell me what site you saw the fabric you pictured on. I love it.

I've been primarily shopping on line shops for over 10 years now- and I guess I am lucky- I have never had any problems. I have messed up (my error) a couple times over the years- but nothing I could blame on the shop- I do try to support my lqs and spend a lot there- but they are small- I've been shopping at fabric.com for 11+ years- I also shop with Connecting Threads, Superior Threads, Keepsake Quilting and Nancy's notions- fairly regularly- there are times when I need a specific item I shop at different places- but those are the ones I hit most often. I always want free shipping (fabric.com @ $35- I can always meet that) and Connecting Threads@ $50- I like hitting their batting sales...anyhow---I have loved the opportunities the internet provides me with- my quilting would be so very limited if I could only shop locally.

Well when you find out how to resist - let me know. I am trying to stop buying fabric but that line is way cute, what is it?

I don't look.

I'm not terribly tempted by fabric on line. I like to buy in person so I can touch the fabrics and see true colors. I could spend hours browsing from shop to shop.

I have no suggestions about self control when it comes to fabric. But I sure love the ones you've posted.

Unfortunately, Connecting Threads has a sale right now for 40% off lots of basic fabrics. Geez, how does a quilter resist? I keep thinking 3-4 projects ahead, trying to find the most bang for my buck.

I have little self-control when it comes to fabrics! I had to un-subscribe from many of my favorite places to reduce the temptation. LOL I have been trying to use more of my stash and limiting my purchases to batting, thread and only get what fabric I need to finish off a project, such as border fabric. I've reduced my purchases quite a bit, but definitely not down to zero...I don't think I could do that! :D

I put all the stuff i like in the shopping cart but rarely pull the trigger! Just the fun of looking and putting it in the cart seems to be enough...plus when i see the total, it helps to keep me fom hitting that order button!

I browse the fabrics online, but I don't buy anything online.

My method also!

When the balance due get's to a certain figure on the card I use for online purchases, no matter how much I might want the item, it's a no-sale. So that kinda makes me be really sure I want it.

Here is the link to the fabric in the picture... I love this fabric and will probably buy it when I use up some more of my stash. http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/

I agree with those who don't buy online as tempting as it may be. I have had to change all my banking info because my email was hacked into. Besides it is more fun to see and feel the merchandise.

I buy online probably a couple of times a month with about $30 each time, so I guess I'm the wrong person to ask. Sometimes my local sources don't have what I think I need and I really enjoy getting those fat envelopes in the mail. Last year I did notice that my PayPal account had a couple of strange mailing addresses in there, with no idea how that happened. I deleted them and every time I place an order I make sure that the shipping address is mine.

Just an FYI, many places online would be happy to send you some samples for you to feel if you're not quite sure about the quality.

The nearest quilt shop used to be 45 min. away but then one opened within a 10 min. drive. I am trying to keep it in business! Still, I browse online and in catalogs (love the Hancocks-Paducah one) to get ideas and sometimes shop if I can't find what I need locally. I still drive 45 min. to my favorite (bigger) shop about twice a year, too. It's just an addiction!

often i'll put items in shopping cart, print and go back for a look the next morning. the excitement (or shopping while bored) goes away at the second look sometimes. if not, order away! (yes, i do support lqs, i'm luck to have more than one close by)

Oh, I love Heather Mulder Peterson's 'Here fishy, fishy' line of fabrics. While I haven't seen this one in real life, her other lines are all beautiful. I especially love that it's a line dedicated to boys. So many fabrics are geared toward girls, it's hard to find appropriate fabrics for a quilt for a little boy. While I rarely shop online for fabric, this is one line I would order online if I couldn't find it in my LQS.

Discover has been a life saver for us. Right there when we had a prob.
We once got a call from Az - we live in Ohio. Did my dh buy a $9,000 compressor - no. They didn't have the correct validation or dates, so he called us personally. Says he gets it all the time. He is 15 min from the border. Person will charge it, be across the border in 15 min and sell it for $3,000.

I only buy from online stores and not ebay or yahoo sales sites. MY quilt shop is 23 miles away so it makes it difficult for me to go there; I do check their website to compare prices. When looking at fabrics to purchase I include the shipping costs to determine actual price. I have had excellent luck with purchasing online.

I don't use Lifelock but they used my debit card without my permission. They hacked into my bank account. I had to cancel my debit card and get a new one. They aren't what they say they are. They apologized, but I had two things bounce as they took over $500 out of my account!!!

As far as shipping goes...I just bought 20 yards of fabric from Hancock's, (their big sale, LOL) it was delivered by Fedex...shipping was less than 6 dollars...gas for a trip to a quilt shop round trip would have cost me the same..plus i got to sit and drink coffee while I browsed!
Also JoAnne's has coupons for free shipping sometimes, too. Where I live I could never get the choices locally that I get on line, it is just too rural and there are very limited choices. I wait for the sales and have fun.

Not necessarily the latest fabric but one I can't live without, there's no control. My delimna is how much and then later wondering if Maybe I shouldn't have bought fabric. My best anti-purchasing method......don't walk into a quilt shop!

Ordering online
 

My guy at Chase had a good idea since he had someone hacked. I have a separate account with just a little $$ in it linked to Paypal. I can add whenever I want and my main account isn't linked.

I hate shopping so it is online all the way for me. Only once have I been disappointed. The colors did not match as I had planned. I use equilter, Connecting Treads, Keepsake Quilting, MSQC, you name it, I have used it. Never a problem with my credit card or PayPal.

Me too, with the Discover!!! I've had 3 cards within the last 18 months. My suspicion is that the hacking came from Ebay.

I shop online a LOT. Only in January did I have my two debit cards compromised thru a popular fabric/threads website.. Other than that I've had no problems.

"How to do control your desire for the latest fabrics?"

My husband will be retiring next year at the ripe old age of 55. His job is being phased out so our income will be cut drastically. We will be fine but it has my husband very scared. So I try real hard to focus on not adding to his fear. Hoping he gets over this soon!!

So far as having problems with accounts being hacked or identity theft, I've been shopping online since online shopping was a twinkle in Al Gore's eye and have never had a problem. One hint I can pass on is to took at the http in the Internet address for the ordering page. If there is no "s" (https), don't use it. The "s" indicates a certain level of security - not foolproof but better than those without.

I was like you for a long time. Then one day I just took the plunge. I have bought from many places and have never been disappointed.

I used to buy fabrics online. Now I seldom do as some places use flat rate shipping and that seems to be at least $10 for just one small item; not worth it.
I have 3 LQS that I buy from, I want them to stay in business as long as possible.
Sharon

I put my self on a monthly fabric budget. So I order every month and DH doesn't complain. Figure out what you can afford and stick to it. I have to order online or pay double here. I buy a lot of moda because I've never had a problem with quality of their fabrics