Thursday, September 8, 2011

College-Style

College-Style

Online Shopping: To Buy or Not to Buy

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 12:03 PM PDT

By Megan of George Brown College. Follow me on Twitter @meggles_07.

Online shopping has become popular and most stores now have the option to shop from the comfort of your own home. I mean, who doesn’t want to be able to sit on her couch at 1 a.m., after finishing your final paper, looking at shoes to reward yourself with? Online shopping can be a little daunting at first. There are so many choices, and not only do you have to take into account the price of the specific item, but all the added costs that come along with it. Then there are the rules that are store specific and the return policies! Whew, it can all make a girl go a little crazy when all we want are the latest pumps.

I’ve already shown you tips on Dressing for your Body Type, and tips on Updating your Look, so because shopping is inevitable, I’ll share some tips on online shopping. I’m going to break these tips down into several categories; Payment, Items for Purchase and Website Policies.

Payment

Before you even look at all the things you want to buy, you need to figure out how your going to pay. Every site will have a section that tells you what methods of payment they accept, be it credit card, pay-pal or otherwise. If you don’t have a credit card or it’s something meant for emergencies only, there are plenty of other options. Websites will typically accept their stores gift card’s, and you don’t have to wait to be given one. You can buy gift cards for the stores you like, and keep them on hand to online shop with. Another option is have someone with a credit card buy it for you, and then pay them back. I don’t recommend this as much with friends or roommates, depending on your relationship. I prefer to do this with family. They are more likely to help you out when you need it. If you are going to choose this option, don’t abuse it. Pay them back immediately. I like to set a time frame and say that you will pay them back within a week or within a time frame that fits both of your likings. A final tip for payments? Set a budget. When shopping online it’s easy to get carried away because everything is at the click of a button. So set a budget to avoid going crazy.

Photo Credit

Items for Purchase.

When your shopping online, you can come across anything from furniture to clothes and more. The problem that comes with that is the difference between one brand to the next. When you’re in a store, you can try on all the items to check for fit and comfort, which you don’t have the ability to do online. Pay attention to the size guides on the websites, and read the reviews on the product if they have them. Reviews will tell you simple details like if the fit ran large or small, or if the colour of the item wasn’t exactly the same as the picture. With this in mind, you won’t be able to tell how it fits and looks exactly until you get it in the mail. If your shopping on websites like Ebay, be very careful, used items can be deceiving, if the seller has a photo from the internet to depict their product it can sometimes mean that their item has been damaged and does not look the way it does in the picture, which is where the website polices will come in.

Website Policies.

Every website will have different policies on returns and shipping. This is where you need to watch out: just because your item costs $29.99, doesn’t mean that’s what you will be billed. A lot of websites will claim they have a set price for shipping, however it all depends on where you live and what type of shipping you want. In addition to that, please check the return policy!!!!! I cannot stress this enough. I have bought countless pairs of shoes online and I’ve even bought a couple prom dresses online to try out. None of those would have worked out if I hadn’t checked the return policy. Not only should you take into account the timing of returns, be it 14 days or more, but look at payment for returns. Does the company pay the return shipping? Can you return the item to the store and get your money back? Or, do you have to pay the shipping fee to return it?

Thoughts?

So, what do you think of my tips for online shopping? Do you shop online a lot? What rules do you stand by when shopping online? Comment below, email us at info@college-style.com, or tweet us! Let us know what you’re thinking.

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