Online ordering makes life easier and hassle free because sometimes stepping out of the house and taking time out of a busy schedule can be pretty difficult. So, the last resort becomes online shopping. But, there are a few things you need to consider before shopping from an online shopping store:
1. What are the return policies?
An online store should always have return policies. If the store does not allow you to return the merchandise or only allows returns under certain circumstances might be a danger sign for you. The online store website should definitely have a return policy outline which is comfortable for everyone. It is very risky if you make online purchases form new ecommerce websites without looking through the return policies. It is great for an online store to provide free returns which offer some flexibility to the customers as well. This way you won’t be stuck with products that are damaged or counterfeit or not as per your liking.
2. What is the expected shipping time?
You should always have knowledge about when your order is arriving. Most of the sites let you know the estimated time of arrival while you place the order. But, if the website does not show you all this, you need to be concerned about it yourself. What if you want a dress for a particular event and you spend a hefty amount of money there but it does not arrive before that date. Your money will be wasted and there’ll only be disappointment.
3. Where is the merchandise coming from?
Do you know where your merchandise comes from? You should in case you don’t. If your order is coming from a warehouse in China, you are likely to receive the product a little late but incase you ordered the same product from an American based vendor, then you will probably get them earlier. However, even if the store is based in some country, you should always find out where it is being sent from. This will make it easier for you to figure out the quality, and time.
4. Do they have a size guide?
Size guide is the most important thing to see when you’re ordering clothes online. You might order a medium size and it can turn out large because you probably missed out the size guide and the website have different sizes. You should look for the site’s sizing guide or measurement chart and take your own measurements to make sure you have ordered the right size. To be on the safe side, you can always order a size larger than yours because a large size can be altered to a small one but a small size cannot be altered.
5. Have any of your friends ordered from this site?
If your friends or family have ordered from the site before, all the answers to your questions can fall in one place. This can solve all your problems and you can easily get to know about the quality of the product, the shipping time, the arrival time, the sizing ran etc. This way, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble.
6. What are the customer reviews like?
In case you do not know anyone around you who has ordered from the website before, you can always go to the reviews and check how the customers have rated the site. This is will save a lot of time and money for you. It is very hard to be certain about a product that you can only see in pictures and not feel it or look at it in person until and unless you purchase it and see its real existence. With customer reviews, ratings and feed backs, you can get great insights about the product, its quality and its arrival time etc.
7. What is the item made of?
Ordering online is pretty easy but photos provided by the seller can be quite deceiving. You might see something but receive something completely different. You might order something that looks like a satin dress but on the other hand, you receive a cotton dress which can be very upsetting if it was for a specific occasion. You need to check the item description and more than that, you also need to make sure the item description on the website is 100% true. A lot of materials/ingredients of a particular product might not be suitable for you. So, it is always a good idea to see what your order is made up of.
8. How do you have to pay?
Payment method is the most important thing to be considered. Most of the websites offer payment through credit cards but if a site asks for cash or check instead of the normal payment methods, do not just make the payment. Do a proper investigation and then get the products 9. How safe is the website?
Sometimes, the tough question can be if the website you’re using is safe or not. You are punching your credit card, giving you address and personal information and it can surely be a big risk if the site is new. In order to figure out if the server is secure, you need to make sure the URL starts with https:// and it should definitely have an ‘s’ at the end of http because that’s how security is indicated. This only happens when you start adding your personal information or card details so make sure you look through it before making a purchase.
10. Do they offer any coupon codes?
The website you are placing your order with should offer some discounts or coupons too. Some websites have exclusive online discount, some offer discount on first time purchases and some even offer codes.
Author Bio:
Alice Watson is a creative writer; she works in an IT house. Alice loves researching new trends and share them in her writing pieces. A writer by day and a party animal by night. Alice holds a dual degree in Creative Writing and Marketing. Twitter