When Buying a Diamond Starts With a Mouse…

Blue Nile Jewelery allow you to ‘build’ your own rings, earrings and pendants online as well as buy ready made gifts from their signature collection.

Vadon, who owns Blue Nile is reported to have started the site after walking into Tiffany’s to buy a ring and leaving empty handed, and annoyed by the snooty service that left him intimidated and frustrated. Last year, Blue Nile outsold Tiffany’s in engagement rings.

Vadon believes strongly in customer service and is reported to personally listen to customer service calls to learn how to improve his company.

When they first opened for business in Canada, Blue Nile partnered with the Chapters Indigo Cole Group and marked the first time customers in Canada would be able to take advantage of the unique benefits of Blue Nile`s award-winning website and customer service.

Blue Nile has built a reputation for providing the highest quality diamonds and fine jewelry at prices that provide tremendous value compared to traditional retail. The company`s unique approach to selling jewelry, emphasizing in-depth product education, a no-pressure commission-free environment, and an extensive selection of more than 55,000 certified diamonds, places consumers in control of the purchasing process.

Blue Nile offers a wide-range of products in Canada including loose diamonds as well as engagement rings (solitaire and three-stone rings), diamond stud earrings, diamond solitaire pendants, and men`s and women`s wedding bands. Blue Nile`s “Build Your Own” application enables consumers to customize engagement rings, earrings and pendants to their specifications. In the “Build Your Own Ring” application customers can choose from classic solitaire settings, settings with sidestones, and three-stone settings. Pendants can be designed using classic solitaire pendant settings and three-stone pendant settings.

“Blue Nile offers tremendous value to consumers as a result of our unique business model,” said Mark Vadon, CEO of Blue Nile. “Consumers are excited to finally be in control of the fine jewelry shopping process and have quickly become loyal Blue Nile customers because of the unique advantages we provide. We`re excited to introduce the same benefits to customers in Canada through our relationship with the leading Canadian ecommerce destination, chapters.indigo.ca.”

“Our unique partnership with leading online jeweler Blue Nile is just one more way that chapters.indigo.ca delivers on its mission to offer Canadians the best in online retail experiences,” said Jonathan Ehrlich, Senior Vice President Online, of Indigo Books & Music Inc.

Zip.ca

Zip.ca is an online movie ordering service similar to Netflix. They have several plans ranging from 1-8 DVDs at a time with a range of maximum shipments per month. They offer a free two week trial (although I have seen coupons on the net for 4 weeks trials on occasion so search before signing up).

Zip.ca has a wide and diverse selection of movies available. You choose your DVDs from 72,000 choices, including new releases and TV shows as well as thousands of movies from over 200 categories.

Shipping is free up to a maximum number of shipments per month and is $2.49 per shipment after you reach the monthly limit. They supply a prepaid envelope for you to ship the movies back and there is an optional plan to let them know it has been shipped so you can get your next movie quicker.

There is no return date so no late fees, keep them as long as you want but you can’t get your next movie until it is returned.

Rogers Video Direct

Rogers Video offer the same service and services are supplied & powered by Zip. The pricing is the same but special offers and sign up bonuses may differ. Plans also include instore saving and rental coupons for Rogers Video.

CD Plus

CDPlus.com offers music, DVDs and video games with free shipping priced in Canadian dollars. For some items (box sets and multi-item purchase) there is also a free upgrade to express shipping. If you do not have a credit card or use American Express (not accepted) you have the option of paying via cheque or money order. They operate stores under the names A.V.E and Music City as well as CD Plus.

Amazon.ca have top selling albums as cheap as $10.99 CD and claim to be committed to being Earth’s most customer-centric company. They offer a 30 day return policy on unopened items and free super-saver shipping on transactions over $39 CDN. They also sell books, DVDs, videos, software, computer & video games and gifts that can be included in the $39 shipping deal. Discount coupons for Amazon.ca can be found at ReadPrint

HMV
HMV Canada are offering great deals at the moment and have introduced interact payment for those that have online banking for their interact card but do not have a credit card as well as accepting Visa, Mastercard & American Express.  They also offer free shipping on purchases over $39.  Like Amazon they have a wishlist program to allow you to share lists of what you want with friends and family.

With many friends who are pregnant at the moment, I have spent a great deal of time shopping for baby shower and newborn gifts. So here are some sites I came across while shopping:

AllCuteGifts.com
All Cute Gifts are based in Calgary and specialise in ’softies’ and baby merchandise. Their prices are reasonable and the snugglies are adorable and make great gifts for those on a budget. The prices can be shown in both Canadian and US dollars and they offer a range of shipping services starting from $5 (free if over $40) for 2-7 business day delivery in Canada and optional upgraded shipping. They ship from within Canada so no duty fees are attached to the package when it arrives. They are also partnered with the Salvation Army and you can make a donation of a toy through their website to a needy child and receive at 10% discount for doing so.

A Kids Corner
A Kids Corner are based in Oakville, Ontario and sell furniture for children and baby’s rooms. They have some really cute stuff in store but do not allow you to buy online at this time directly from their website. However they say feel free to email them to arrange a buy online link - just let them know what you are interested in.

Trendy Baby
Trendy Baby has hard to find in Canada Items and are based out of Toronto. They have many partners to ensure items can be bought in Canada that are usually only available in the US.

www.thriftytots.ca
Most tots grow out of their clothes before they get a chance to wear them out…or sometimes even wear them at all! At Thrifty Tots you will find nearly new, high quality, brand name children’s clothes at a fraction of their original price!

www.SalsaBabies.com
Latin beat for tiny feet…Dance your way back into shape with the best partner of all – your baby! Classes offered for babies from approx 6-8 weeks all the way up as long as you are comfortable supporting onto your baby in a carrier!

www.sweetsandtreats.ca
Your one stop party shop, offering cake pan rentals, party decorations, custom cakes and much more!

www.BelaBaby.com
The innovative Nurse-n-Glow lighted pillow allows for a more relaxed and successful breastfeeding experience in the comfort of your own bed.

www.3dbaby.ca
3D BABY Fetal Imaging is a fetal imaging centre that offers parents-to-be an opportunity to view their baby using the exciting technology of 3D and 4D ultrasound. “Love at first sight”.

The Mini Tree
The mini tee has trendy, affordable and original baby and toddler t-shirts for that special child. We carry a range of styles and colours, because we believe that every baby is unique and deserves to be distinct.

Canadian Momz
Your source for everything fabulous and Canadian! Canadian Momz is a website dedicated to Canadian Momz and their families! From our business directory to marketplace and blog, Canadian Momz is the “must have” resource for Canadian Momz!

Tiger Direct (Canada) offers computers and components, digital cameras and other electronics and gadgets both online and are now branching out into stores, in fact they just opened one locally and it is full of bargains. Their online store ships same day on many items if ordered before 7 p.m. EST.

They are headquartered in Richmond Hill, ON and ship from within Canada so no extra duties are assessed on your shipment. They also have retail stores in Burlington, Etobicoke, Markham and Mississauga. They have weekly and daily deals so it is best to sign up for their newsletter and watch for a deal on the item you need.

They accept paypal and have a guarantee on credit card charges and will refund you any losses your credit card does not resulting in your credit card information being used fraudulently as a result of their site.

They were ranked among New York Times’ Top 25 Online Retailers and the one time I have had to call their customer service, my call was answered quickly and the problem solved.

Their deal of the day can be found here

I hate seeing something online to find that it isn’t available up here in the great white North or that shipping makes it too expensive to be worth buying.  So I decided to star www.shopohcanada.com to find deals and products that are available in Canada or reasonably shipped to Canada.  If you would like anything added, feel free to email me at admin (at) shopohcanada.com.