Just now, I finished shopping for some laptop accessories from Amazon.com. It was one of the few times that I go online to shop. On this occasion, it took me three whole days from the time I added the first item to the cart to the time I confirmed my order. To me, this was a disproportionate amount of time spent shopping, considering that I only bought five items.
If the number of items wasn’t a factor in the huge amount of time spent shopping, then what was?
To be honest, this wasn’t the first time that my shopping took several hours to do. It has consistently taken me much longer to do my shopping online than to do shopping at a physical store. This isn’t to say, however, that online shopping must be avoided at all costs. There are benefits, but such benefits don’t override the enormous drawbacks of online shopping.
The pluses
The one overwhelming benefit of e-shopping is convenience. Instead of having to drive or bike to the store, you can do your shopping in the comfort of your office chair. There are even occasions where an item is only available online, rendering a trip to the mall useless. Retailers like Costco, Walmart, and Target regularly do this by putting in their paper ads “Only available on [ourwebsite].com!”
Then, there are the low prices. If you shop on Amazon or eBay, chances are that you’ll come across some stupidly cheap item (I’m talking dollar-menu cheap). During the past 12 months, I got a textbook for $5 with shipping, a bicycle bell for 88 cents, and a novel for one penny. These prices don’t even exist at Dollar Tree!
Besides the sub-dollar items, there are regularly generous discounts with online retailers. Amazon’s popular Super Saver free shipping, for example, kicks in when you’ve purchased $25 USD or more of select items. eBay is right up the alley with free shipping on most products.
The pitfalls
So why then, did it take me three whole days to do my shopping? You can thank the biggest detractor in online shopping: uncertainty. At a physical store, you can pick up items, hold them, touch them, and maybe even try them out. Online? You get a picture and zoom-in. If you’re buying from a reputable online seller, you’ll get a nice description of the item as well. But no matter how hi-res the images, how thorough the description, you can’t reach out and hold the item in your hand. Besides, you don’t even know if the product descriptions are outdated or straight up inaccurate.
Then, you turn to the reviews for more info — if there are any, that is. But how can you be sure that the review is honest and accurate? You don’t know whom it’s from; it could be an average Joe consumer, it could be from a person who was paid to give a glowing review. You’ll have to take every review with a grain of salt, or risk being duped into buying a substandard product.
Maybe if you are really interested in the item but still unsure of some product info, you go on other websites to do a cross-check. Sometimes you may get conflicting information about the product. Now who’s right and who’s wrong? How do you know?
Now, you’re suffering from an information overload and can’t even remember the base price of the item anymore. How in the world are you supposed to compare this item with three other competitors, let alone remember its price and basic specs?
And when you finally add the item to your shopping cart, the uncertainty doesn’t magically go poof. For me, the uncertainty lingers till I receive and open the package. Most of the time, I’ve made the correct purchase, but I’ve made huge purchase mistakes as well.
Now it’s time for checkout. At the last step, you realize that all the savings just gets thrown into shipping and handling charges. Add on the 3-21 business days delay (another uncertainty!), and you may as well just go to a store and buy the item. Fortunately, some retailers have recognized the burden of S&H charges. As discussed before, Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25. But there’s a catch — you must buy $25 in items that are marked “eligible”. Often times, these items aren’t the items you’re looking for. That brings up yet another dilemma: do you buy the item you’re looking for, or do you chase the free shipping and buy an alternate item that you’re not sure of?
Personally, I’ve found myself on the last page of checkout, only to go back and redo my entire order because of exorbitant shipping charges. In fact, these shipping charges were the main reason it took me multiple tries over three days to get my order just perfect, and finally hit “Confirm Order”.
Even then, the uncertainty doesn’t end. Every single time after I place an online order, I find myself thinking, “could I have gotten this for less at a store?”
Then again…
Shopping at physical stores certainly has its own pitfalls as well. There will always be some uncertainty in shopping, because frankly, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a store that lets you use their items in your own home. As with online retailers, price is an ever-present concern. Maybe you could get it cheaper online, or at another store.
My recommendation
Do your basic shopping in person; there’s much less uncertainty in going to a physical store. If you are looking for a very specific product, only then should you seriously consider buying from an online retailer. Even then, I would hold off on an online purchase unless you have several items to buy. That way, you have a better chance of reducing shipping charges.
When shopping online, be sure to read over the description several times so you know you’re not buying the wrong item. Don’t be afraid to go on to Page 2 and beyond of the search results — there may be something that matches what you’re looking for.
Take all reviews with a grain of salt. Remember, different reviewers may use a product differently. If possible, make sure the reviewer has a good reputation on the website.
Before you check out, review all shipping and handling costs. If you don’t, you could end up paying more and waiting longer for your product than if you just drove to the store and bought it.
In short, buying online is okay, but do it sparingly and with caution.
