The Ultimate Guide for Online Shopping!

Online Shopping

We have all been there. You want to buy something online, but you’re not sure if it’s going to be delivered in time or if the quality will be as good as what you see on the website while online shopping.

Well with this ultimate guide for online shopping, we hope that things won’t get any more confusing for you.

Online shopping is a global phenomenon. What’s more, it’s here to stay as the internet becomes an increasingly integral part of our lives. Online stores are convenient for those who live in remote areas or don’t have time to go out and shop, but they can also be risky if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Luckily, we’ve compiled this guide so that you can make your online shopping experience as safe and successful as possible.

Know what you’re looking for

The first thing that you need to keep in mind when buying anything online is that you need to know exactly what it is you’re looking for. For most things this rule doesn’t necessarily apply, but when it comes to things like technology such as phones, tablets, laptops, and computers, or appliances like fridges, microwaves, and more, then you should know as much as you can about the product’s specifications as well as your needs. 

This is because a lot of the time online stores don’t give the exact specifications that are needed. For example, you might be buying a laptop and it says it has an i5 processor but doesn’t give the generation, which is important. You could also be buying a refrigerator and the site might give the energy rating, but not the exact energy usage. 

Shop smart

The next thing that you should do is shop smart, and while this might sound like generic advice, it’s something that many shoppers overlook. Considering that many online stores ship to your country, it would make sense then to check as many as you can and compare the prices of products that pique your interest. 

This is particularly helpful since many online stores will say that they are running a special or promotion on certain items and claim that you will be saving a lot of money. This alone can make any impulsive shopper add the item to the cart.

However, you might find that the price of an item that is on promotion is being sold for the same price elsewhere, or even cheaper

Check for shipping prices and delivery time

The next thing that you should do is check for the shipping prices that the site provides and what the estimated delivery times are. Many online stores have incredibly low prices for their products but have absolutely ridiculous shipping prices that can be up to 10 times more than what the product is worth, especially with international shipping.

More than this, it is not uncommon for products to only arrive 3 months after you have ordered them. 

Sometimes it is best to use a shipping service like MyUS to avoid high shipping costs and make sure your items arrive safely and on time. MyUS will provide you with a worry-free shipping experience along with many other benefits such as package consolidation, discounted carrier rates, and superior packing.

Especially with regard to international shipping, using a service like this is the best way forward.

Read reviews before buying

If you truly want to avoid buyers’ remorse, or even better, avoid wasting your money at fake sites, then you should read reviews for the various sites you are thinking of using. By reading reviews you are gaining information that will make the process much easier. For example, by reading reviews you can find out how long it takes for products to arrive. You can also find out whether the site delivers the correct products. 

It would also be worth your while to read the reviews for the actual products themselves, especially if the site you’re buying from doesn’t make their products accessible through other portals or retailers. Lastly, one of the most important things you could do is check the return policy of the online store. Returns policies can vary quite drastically from store to store.

For example, some stores don’t allow for returns if the product has been taken out of the box. Others might not allow for returns at all if the product was inspected by you in front of the delivery team, even if all the functions weren’t tested.

Online shopping article and permission to publish here provided by Charlotte Smith. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on October 15, 2021. 

One thought on “The Ultimate Guide for Online Shopping!”

  1. Explained in a very detailed and professional manner.

    Once i was the one who didn’t know that how to shop online and then how to get it through shipping just setting in own country, someone explained it to me like you explained, so then i know how to shop and ship. most people facing the problem of shipping, so let me help them like you did with shopping.

    once you shop online, search online for shipping companies, package forwarders, like when i shop online i using the services of shippingclear for my bought items.

    i know few companies that ship from usa to world. such as shippingclear, globalshopaholics.

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