The Pros and Cons of Shopping Online

I remember a time when the first online shops started popping up. While we understood the convenience of it all, a common phrase you heard was “I am not putting my credit card online.” Fast forward to 2020 and a common phrase now is “Why should I go into the store when I can get it online!”

Today, there is an abundance of e-commerce platforms where you can buy anything you wish, whether locally or shipped from abroad. You can get fresh milk delivered to your front door and buy that must-have didgeridoo from Australia. But with every convenience there are pros and cons which one needs to be aware of:

The Pros of shopping online

Convenience

We all have those days when we don’t feel like leaving the house. You want to chill and relax, the weather isn’t so great and it’s been one long week. But stuff still needs to get done – groceries still need to be bought, bills need to be paid, and of course, that shiny new phone is still in on your wish-list. This is where online shopping really comes in handy.

Search for whichever products you want, select everything you need, enter your address, make the payment, and place your order. A couple of days later, the item arrives without the hassles of long ques or finding parking at the nearest mall.

I would recommend checking out these best e-commerce sites to avoid scammers too.

Easy price comparison

What I also like when shopping from the comfort of my computer is that I can open multiple windows and compare prices. I can set price-watches as well so when a specific item reaches a price I am willing to pay for, I get notified and a few clicks later it is in my shopping cart.

When you physically head to a store, you tend to pay a bit extra but you tell yourself that it’s worth it as you can walk out with the item right now.

Coupons and Discounts

With the rise in competition amongst e-commerce stores, vendors are trying their best to lure buyers to their site. Issuing coupons and discounts when visiting the website is common. Some even offer store-rewards and cash backs just by signing up for their email newsletters.

Return Policy

One of the biggest concerns when shopping online is what do you do is the shoes don’t fit? or if the jeans are not right or don’t look as nice as they do in the photo? what if the gadget doesn’t actually work? Smart sites offer an easy and free return policy!

The Cons of shopping online

We all know that while online shopping has changed our lives, it does come with some pitfalls. Here is what to look out for;

You cannot try things on

This applies to clothes and shoes. For you to enjoy online shopping, you must be sure about your exact size. Otherwise, you will end up in disappointments. This is where being aware of the site’s return policy is critical so you aren’t stuck with an item you can’t enjoy.

Delivery might fail you

Some stores might take longer than anticipated to deliver the goods to you, which is such an inconvenience if you needed them urgently. Be aware that “Guaranteed delivery” doesn’t always work and here is what you can do when Amazon fails that guarantee.

Something that irritated me is when some sites only show you the delivery options and costs at the checkout point. This means that an item that seemed affordable might not be when adding the shipping charges.

You could be scammed

Online shopping comes with trust issues. It can be a bit hard to distinguish scammers from legit sellers. If you shop with a credit card or with PayPal you do have protection but only as long as you follow the rules – otherwise you are out of luck! [check out some of these common PayPal scams]