The online dilemma
Remember how you would have to spend hours to find the right travel agency to buy plane tickets? No, you do not, because you have been doing that online for years now. Online shopping has indeed made our lives easier.
You want the new Chanel lipstick from USA? Order it online! With plenty of reviews available, not only do you get a larger variety while shopping online but you can also ensure quality and the actual price of the product. But like every blessing, online shopping comes with its own set of risks. And here are just a few things you should consider while shopping online.
Security is key! You never know when you can be a victim of identity theft. Believe it or not, there are plenty of fake online stores that are just waiting to steal your credit card details the minute you enter them. So, make sure you use only trusted sites for shopping.
First, check the address and contact number of the online retailer to ensure its authenticity, and also read their privacy policy (no matter how boring!). If all of that seems legit, only then proceed with the buy, but still be sure to save the emails regarding payments just in case.
For the shipping expenses, while some companies may offer free shipping services if you order in bulk, others may increase charges as the weight increases. This would make bulky items such as bicycles or big musical instruments like pianos and sitars very expensive.
The simplest way to avoid paying too much is to opt for those companies who provide flat shipping rates. Depending on the products, the site may take from two days to even two months to deliver! So, if you need that gorgeous Indian lehengha for your cousin's wedding which is in 15 days, it would obviously not be wise to order from stores that will take a month to ship the product!
Moreover, many stores may not want to ship to Bangladesh, or the cost of doing so may be considerably higher, especially if it is from overseas countries such as the USA. Banks often charge a currency conversion fee, thus increasing costs. So it is better to check out the international shipping policies before purchase.
Return policies and warranty are another area of concern. Since most things do look better in photos, there will often be occasions when your ordered product disappoints you upon arrival. Phones and electronics may have functional disabilities or may stop working altogether, while items like dresses may just not look that appealing upfront. While many companies only allow returns and warranty for a certain time period, there are still re-shipping charges or re-stocking costs involved. In fact, they may not even give a full refund! So, do remember to check out the return and warranty policies before buying things online to save you such troubles.
Size discrepancy is a major concern while buying. Even if you know the right size, brands usually have a bit of variation in measurements, depending on their origin and target sales audiences. That expensive medium sized shalwar kameez may be too big for you or those bright red stilettos may be really uncomfortable when you wear them.
As there is no way to judge either size or comfort online, it is much better to go to the store to shop for these kinds of products. That way, you can not only check the size, but also make sure that the fabric and the materials used are of top-quality. Especially with children's stuff, online shopping is risky since they are constantly growing, and their sizes keep on changing far too rapidly for you to notice.
Things that vary from person to person, like the sense of smell or taste, can be tricky to buy online. There is no way to tell if that expensive Hugo Boss perfume is going to smell amazing just from looking at the tiny perfume bottle on Amazon or whether that candle from the new local DIY online shop really smells like strawberry. Anything with olfactory or taste implications should obviously not be bought online, unless you have used the product already and know exactly what you want.
If you are re-stocking your favourite perfume, online shops are preferable since there are often discounts on such products.
By Adiba Mahbub Proma
Photo: Collected
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