bondipom

Does anyone use any online share brokers and if so what should one be looking out for?

PeteY

We use First direct Capital shares. Very pleased with the service. There are a few drawbacks, like you can only trade UK shares, but the trade price is excellent.

I used to use sharepeople.com, but found the customer service VERY lacking. Mitigating that was their website, which was excellent and easy to use.

I hav'nt set one up here, as i don't yet know enough about the australian share market....i am just regularly checking up on the ASX website to get a feel....

Things to look out for....

Can you trade direct from your bank account, or do you need to set a specific on up? With sharepeople they need to setup a bank of scotland a/c for you.

Do you trade in Certs or via a crest a/c? Online will normally be crest... Certs can be expensive to get over the web.

How much will the trade cost? Is the cost fixed or does it do up with investment amount? Is there any tax on the invesment taken at point of sale?

Which stock exchange do they deal with?

How long does it take to secure your shares? Is there a period after purchase where you cannot resell?

Is there a max/min trade amount?

PeteY

Oh...and also there are a few in the Uk which ONLY deal with FSTE 100 shares.....so be careful if you want a wider choice in holdings...

ABCDiamond

In Australia, try HSBC stockbroking side, linked to a HSBC online account.

Fees look like $23.95 per trade up to $10,000 using the internet. That compares to $35.00 with etrade.

montagt

I use Sanford securities the rates are exceptionally good and so far I have had no problems...