Shopping is arguably one of the best stress relievers of all time. If before, you’d have to head to the nearest store or mall around to cheer yourself up, these days you can do that in the comfort of your own home in your pajamas. Not bad at all, right? However, it’s convenience can wreak havoc on your bank account.
Online shopping has its upsides and downsides. Like traditional shopping, if you don’t resist the temptations and control your shopping habits, you could soon find yourself in bad financial shape. We don’t want that, do we?
Shop as much as you want so long as you have the means. But we warn you not to commit these common mistakes that can undermine your online shopping experience.
Not checking the reviews
You’re already shopping online, why not get past the bare minimum and actually look for reviews about the product? You can get answers in just a few taps and clicks which can eventually help you decide whether or not to put the product on your cart or look for other alternatives.
Not comparing prices
Traditional shopping makes it hard to canvass and compare product prices. This is where online shopping swoops in and make this task a breeze for you. Get updated on your favorite and reliable online shopping stores and see which one serves the best deals of the day. This could mean promos, discounts, and the works. Who doesn’t want to save more when shopping?
Shopping at unsecured sites
Make sure that the online site you’re visiting begins the URL with “https” for the “s” indicates that you are visiting a secured website. Also, note if the address bar contains a padlock icon for this indicates encryption for added security assurance. If you think the new website you come across with feels fishy or off from the usual online sites you visit, trust your guts. If the prices and deals are too good to be true, always double check.
Not checking the dimensions
If you’re buying something that comes out in different sizes such as shoes and pieces of clothing, make sure to check the dimensions and/or size chart to get a good grasp of the product before you add it on to your cart. There’s nothing more frustrating than buying a pair of shoes that are a size smaller than you are. Base on the measurements for some products may not be true to size.
Ignoring the return policy
Before you finalize your purchase, check out the online site’s return policy first. This is important wherever you shop online. In case you need to return an item that doesn’t fit you, you’re unsatisfied with or arrived at your doorsteps damaged, it’s important to know the window time you have in returning an item and who will shoulder the return costs.
There are even online stores that have a policy of “no return, no exchange” so it’s better to check that out before you check out.
Saving your personal details
For your future online shopping experience, do not, I repeat, do not save your personal information to autofill the form/s. Sure, that sounds very convenient especially if you frequent the online site, however, your account information saved on there can make you vulnerable to perpetrators. Filling up these forms only take a few seconds, just do that.
Got more tips and tricks to maximize the online shopping experience? Share your thoughts with us!
About the author: When she couldn’t be found eating pizza or indulging on sweets, Chie writes for Zapals — a global shopping site that delivers one of the largest innovative online department stores to people in the world.