Buying Pilot Supplies Online
PPL Mania advice when buying online
Updated: 24 September 2005

The web houses a vast selection of aviation websites offering a plethora of pilot goodies. PPL Mania has trawled the Internet to bring you some of the most competitive and safest places to buy online. We have compiled a list of approved online retailers. Our approved online retailers have met our standards of ease-of-use, reputation, safety whilst being overall reliable in their services.

If you frequently shop online then you will know that it is relatively safe, in fact it could be argued that it is more safer than handing over your card at a petrol station! You will know which sites have served you well in the past. But what do you do if you come across a site that you haven’t used before?

Well, if you haven’t had any past experiences from the website you are buying from then pause for a moment before handing over your credit or debit card details. Take time out to carry out some ‘common sense’ checks:

• Does the online store have adequate contacts details?

• Is there a UK postal address that can be contacted?

• Is there a telephone number on the website?

• Perhaps ring the company number to check it is real!

• Does the site use secure channels when purchasing?

We would strongly advise against entering your personal information / credit card details on a site that does not use secure channels. You can see if a website is using secure channels by looking for a key icon within your browser at the point of entering your personal details. Another check can be examining the address ‘https://’ usually indicates that the site is using encrypted communication.

Other common-sense questions

Several other common sense question you should ask yourself before buying online is to ask yourself is "What is the refund policy on the product(s) you are buying?"

"Is there a customer services department that can help if problems are encountered with the order process, the product itself or delivery of that product?"

Consider doing a ‘Google’ search on the company! It may reveal some interesting things! Good or bad reviews!

Does the website have a ‘terms and conditions’ statement? If so read this. I would generally not use a website that didn’t have a terms and conditions or data privacy statement in place. But some may chose to otherwise.

At this point, if you feel uncomfortable with going ahead with the purchase then consider an alternative online store.

Things to be aware of

Remember those postage and packaging charges! I always check first before browsing the online store so I know what to add on the end. Different stores differ in their postage and packaging prices so keep a close eye on this! It is a bonus if the site offers ‘Free postage and packaging’; offers like this are not to be sniffed at!

Does the price quoted include or exclude the 17.5% value added tax? Sometimes when shopping for pilot supplies I think to myself ‘wow, that is really cheap’ only to discover at the checkout that VAT was not included in the initial price and then 17.5% is added! Quite annoying to say the least! I presume it is beneficial to a buyer who can reclaim the VAT.

Look out for those online discounts. I have seen a couple of online stores that offer 2% when ordering online. That 2% discount will save you about a fiver when buying a middle of the road David Clarke headset. Also lookout for certain coupon codes from magazines / Internet, these promotional codes can save you a small fortune as well.

If you are purchasing items from a website that isn’t listed as a reputable online pilot supply website, that does not mean it is disreputable by any means.

Be cautious buying from websites that are outside of the UK or European Union. Last year I purchased the David Clarke 10-13X headset in the United States saving a whopping £150 only then to find out that UK Customs and Excise intercepted the headset and calculated an import duty charge of £80. Do check this. On another note I have heard of people who order from websites outside of the UK to ask the seller to prepare the package as a gift, and write the words “Happy Birthday” on the parcel. Apparently, a one off gift is not classed as taxable items that enter the UK. But you may wish to confirm this yourself.

Approved Online Retailers

Here we have listed a series of online pilot supplies website that we feel meet the standards we have discussed in this article. We also list only the sites that offer a wide range of products that are reasonably or cheaply priced. In other words we believe that these websites are not going to rip you off and run away with your money!

www.thepilotshop.co.uk

www.transair.co.uk

www.flightstore.co.uk

www.pilotwarehouse.co.uk

If you are a retailer and would like to be considered by PPL Mania on becoming an approved online retailer, then please feel free to contact us.

To contact the author of this article click here