Nov 26

Nov 26 Top 10 tips for shopping successfully online

Any of you who are regular Heydays followers/readers, will almost certainly have snorted into your tea at the headline of this blog. Because you will know, only too well, just how shamefully often my on-line purchases have been somewhere between not-quite-what-I-was-expecting, and downright disastrous.

In case you need reminding, I wrote about some of them in this blog during the first lockdown. Since then I can report that I accidentally bought a dolls-house size measuring jug (it holds exactly 100ml. Which actually has turned out to be surprisingly useful), an A4 folder which inexplicably turned out to be A5 (I mean, who files anything that’s A5 size?) and a children’s talking/singing farm toy, which talked and sang……in German.

All of which, I fully appreciate, would suggest that I’m neither qualified, nor trustworthy to advise you on the art of successfully shopping on line.

Except that….

….since I’ve only too clearly made many, if not possibly most, of the mistakes it’s possible to, that has given me exactly the necessary (humiliating, infuriating and hilarious) experience of the pitfalls to be able to warn you about them.

So, thanks to all those painfully tried and tested experiences, I bring you my hard-learned top 10 online shopping success strategies. You’re welcome.

Success strategy No 1

No big surprise that this one tops my list.

Before you buy anything, check its measurement/size/dimensions. Then check again. And again. It may be an annoying inconvenience when it’s something small (or tiny as in the measuring jug fiasco) that isn’t what you were expecting or wanted, but it’s far more of a problem when the item is bigger, bulkier, or needs to fit in a specific space.

Also, do check all the details. All the way to the end. The crucial information about the child’s toy being, inexplicably, in German was waaaaay down the list of information about it.

(I would like to report, just to prove that a) I don’t get things wrong ALL the time, and b) the check, check and check again strategy does work, that I had to buy a new, somewhat unusual size, built-in oven on-line and it fitted perfectly. Not that I didn’t lose a significant amount of sleep worrying that it might not. But that’s another story).

Success strategy No 2

When it comes to size and clothes, we all know from when we could actually go into shops and try things on (remember those days?) that sizing varies infuriatingly wildly from retailer to retailer. If you’re in any doubt about what size you take, it’s always worth ordering items in more than one size and returning whatever doesn’t fit.

However, before you do, bear in mind

Success strategy No 3

Check the seller’s return policy and procedures. Fine if you can just bung the item back in the bag it arrived in (that’s a bonus tip - don’t bin the bag or box until you know you want to keep your purchase) and take it to your local post office, or drop off point and return it for free.

Less fine if the item is too big to be collected from the aforementioned drop off shop, and the process of arranging a home pick up takes three days to organise. (Can you tell that’s happened to me?) Or if you have to pay for the return postage (admittedly that’s rare, but it’s not completely unheard of).

Success strategy No 4

Read the reviews. Yes, yes, I know it’s possible that the seller has planted the positive ones, but it’s unlikely and they do give really useful insight into whether the product is all it claims to be.

Success strategy No 5

I realise there’s a risk of stating the bleedin’ obvious here, but do zoom in on the pics of the product you’re considering buying. Especially with clothes, this can be surprisingly instructive. An up-close look at, for example, the fabric texture, fastenings and pockets, or controls and finish in the case of electrical items, can be the make-or-break details that ensure your decision to buy is the right one.

Success strategy No 6

If you’re dithering about whether what has caught your eye will capture your heart when you get it, put it in your basket……and leave it there. If when you come back several hours later, or the next day, it still sets your heart a flutter, go ahead and click on buy.

Success strategy No 7

If you’re a lover of a bargain, or someone who likes to make sure they’re getting exactly the right thing, do your research. Check where else the item is on sale and for how much. Knowing you’ve got the best price/make/model is a pretty good precursor of a successful purchase.

Success strategy No 8

It’s far from rare that an item can appear to be a brilliant bargain…..until you add on the delivery charges. And all too often those charges can be less than obvious until you’ve already got fairly far down the purchasing process. So do have a rummage and check what delivery charges there are, if any, before you decide on the object of your desire. Though if you really love it that much, what’s a few more quid to get it delivered to your door? Just saying.

Success strategy No 9

Avoid shopping when you’re tired, hungry, or sad, late at night, or, indeed, the middle of the night, when you’ve just had an argument or when you’re having a fat day. I’m pretty sure this tried and regretted list isn’t exhaustive, but you get the picture.

Success strategy No 10

As I wrote about in this blog - give your much needed and wildly appreciated custom to as many small, independent and local businesses as you can. Not only will you be getting products that are that little bit different, produced and sourced with that little bit more love and care, and that you’re likely to love just that little bit more as a result, but read through to the end of the blog to see what effect your purchase has.

I’d love to know your on-line shopping experiences - successes and, go on, admit them, the failures too!