Online shopping these days is like a walk in park, unless you get stuck with delayed returns, a bad shipping policy, or worse – fraud! Yes, we get it that most of you are super adept at shopping online, courtesy of some very popular e-commerce sites in India. However, when lesser known websites and Instagram/Facebook shopping pages are concerned there’s always a tiny voice in our mind that warns us. While most of us have learnt from our mistakes, those of you who have just begun buying, can learn how you can fool-proof your online buying experience. Let’s read on to find out more!
Know what you want
Doing this will help you differentiate between ‘what you need’ and ‘what you want’, the former will narrow down filters for you, and also help save you money. The later will only put you in a mindless buying spree. Once you are sure as to what you are looking for, it will be far easy for you to look for it online. Whether it is an outfit, or jewelry, or even precisely which kind of bag you NEED. Just like window shopping does no good, online shopping can also be a bane, and doom you into being a shopaholic.
Brand presence & Reviews
Always, always look for reviews posted by genuine followers and people who have bought from the website/social media pages. Reviews make it far easier to believe what you will be investing on is worth it or not. Most genuine pages always post reviews of people along with images of the sold merchandise on their social media platforms, which makes it a lot easier to trust these sellers. A lot of bloggers these days do Youtube reviews of online brands, make sure you research well. Always make sure if you are investing a good amount on online shopping, to research before you even come close to taking out your credit cards.
Genuine or not/Website rating
Always look for a small padlock symbol in the address bar and check if the web address begins with https:// (the s stands for ‘secure’). Considering how wide the Internet is, and the endless number of online shops that have come up recently, it can quite overwhelming to choose which one is better than the other. The best way to narrow things down is checking whether or not the website is secure. Once you know you are browsing on a safe space, get to shopping keeping the other tips in mind. Also look for a secure site while typing in your card details, to save yourself from some serious fraud.
Return and Cancellation policy
Make sure you have a good look at the Return and cancellation policy of the website/page you are shopping from. If there isn’t one mentioned, make sure to call and check on the given numbers, or better still, avoid a seller who hasn’t mentioned their policies clearly. It can be very frustrating to return/exchange an online purchase! There have been people who’ve spend considerably on sites, only to come out unsatisfied with their purchase. Therefore it is super important to check, and re-check the return and cancellation policy of any site or page you are buying from.
Looks can be deceiving
It is so easy for platforms to post well photographed images of celebs wearing outfits they stich replicas of. Don’t fall for their low prices, since more often than not, the material, look and feel of the outfit is not as it looks in the photograph. More often than not, the Sabbyasacchi replicas that you swoon on are not as you expect them to be. And not in terms of clothing, it can be your wallets, wrist watches, or even accessories. But ofcourse there are first copies and second copies of the merchandise that come as close to the original, but one can never be sure of the manufacturing quality.
Read fabric/product details carefully
Always make it a point to read fabric details before you order online. Read through every detail before you set your heart on any product online. This is one of the most important steps while buying any clothing online. Make sure to know which fabric has been used, and read about the given fabric online, if unsure. It is very easy to fool and sell of things online, imagine how many fabrics we reject while shopping in person. If you believe in quality over quantity, do know the fabric quality/ product specifications clearly.
Know the worth
At times the local markets have better in variety and cost as opposed to online websites and Social Media Pages. It’s best to know what the markets near you have to offer. Online deals can be fruitful only when they have something better to offer in a decent price. Always know the worth of what you are putting your money in online.
Be realistic
No matter how good a website is, or how promising the reviews look, your screen settings and the contrast setting of the picture may result in a colour variation. What looks great on screen may be off-putting when you have it in front of your eyes. A lot of times we set our hearts on how things look on-screen, not realizing that there have been studio lights used, angles reframed, and editing done before you get to see an image. Though one can never be too sure of the variation, it shouldn’t be very different than what the website/page shows.
There are endless sites and Facebook/Instagram pages that offer endless categories for online shopping. What people don’t realize is, at times we end up buying things we never knew we needed. However, one cannot deny the fact that there are endless discounts, some fair deals, and a whole lot of shops to explore. We hope you could find some great tips to help you purchase better online. If you have some more tips, or feel otherwise, feel free to comment below!
