Online Shopping in Germany :
Online shopping in Germany is very popular and the experience is quite similar to online shopping in just about all other countries. There are websites that aggregate and consolidate various items from different suppliers. There are specialized sites that only offer online ordering. There are websites for major chain stores and department stores as well as websites for smaller, independently operated stores that will process and ship orders from online customers. (Many stores that offer British, American and other food specialties have online sites.) And, of course, there is the German version of Amazon and Ebay.
Anyone that has done any online shopping will be familiar with the procedures. Ordering over the Internet requires only clicking your product, the quantity desired, size, and price, then deposit it in your shopping cart. When you are finished, click to check out and your ordere will be automatically totaled. You will be asked how you want to pay, and where the order should be delivered. It's that simple.
Sometimes savings are also possible by ordering online, and the German Trade Board, or "Hauptverband des Deutschen Einzelhandels," reports that 93.9 percent of German households now have computers. You can eliminate the travel agent's fee when booking airline tickets or hotel rooms, and many online retailers have saved themselves the expense of a bricks and mortar store. The big mail-order companies like Quelle and Neckermann have put their entire catalogs online, accessible 24/7.
Another advantage of online shopping is variety. Expatriates can turn to the web to get items from home that are not normally available in German stores. While there are some British and American stores in the larger German cities, many expats don't have easy access to them. To the delight of many customers, enterprising store-owners are now offering their products online with convenient English language websites. Large variety, ease and security of payment, and efficient shipping combine to make on-line shopping a great alternative.
Personal checks as Americans know them are virtually non-existent in Germany. Non-cash transactions are usually by fund transfer or with debit cards from the customer's bank or with an EC card. Credit cards are not as well established as in some other countries, but are becoming more and more popular.