The Perils of Apparel: When Online Shopping Goes Left
So I have a confession. Last week's OOTD (see prior post here), was on a whim. I didn't quite plan on wearing those items besides the floppy hat, and I took a second to be disappointed before I had to gather myself and get ready for church. I had PLANNED on re-creating one of my Polyvore creations (link below to my Polyvore page). I had everything all put together. All I needed was the faux fur vest to go with it. So off I went to my favorite online superstore, Amazon.com, in search of the perfect vest to pull off my mid-winter look. I plugged in my search words, looked through about 30 vests, attempting to find the right color and size for my ensemble, and then I ordered it. The whole process took me about 30 minutes (because who just buys one thing when items are literally at your fingertips?!)In hindsight, I should have known that it was way too easy. My vest came at warp speed (2 days in online shopping world), and I was SOOOO excited...until I opened up the package. Please see below for the reason behind my ensuing sadness at a #FAIL.
I could go on and on and on about how much of a disappointment this purchase was. But in all reality, this was partially my fault. In my haste to create my newest look, I had overlooked my rules for scoring the perfect item online. And because I do not want this to happen to you, I'm going to give you some tips and tricks for sorting through the "Too good to be true items" of the online warehouse.
1. Read, read, read the reviews!- Your online shoppers in crime are here to help! Take a second and scroll through the reviews of the item your heart currently desires. And when I say read through, I mean read through the 2-star reviews just a fervently as the 4 or 5-star reviews. And if there are more 2-star reviews, it may be time to look away.
2. Has anyone bought items from the store?- On websites such as Wish or eBay, sellers have their own personal stores to virtually set up shop for us to peruse. One of the biggest red flags when I go to someone's online store, is if they've been around for over 6 months with less than 20 purchases. A lack of clientele screams a lack of experience in online customer care.
3. Is it too good to be true?- In my case, YES. I "scored" this vest for lest than 12 dollars. Now while we all love a steal, we also have to be realistic when buying items. Doing research here is KEY. If you've shopped around at a department store and found that your item cost $50, realistically you will be looking at a 15-25% decrease at an online shopping warehouse-type site. Anything less than that is either a knock-off, or the lovechild of really good stock pictures and shoddy workmanship. You've been warned! Don't cheat yourself by being cheap!
These tips along with plenty of preparation can save you time, money, and hurt feelings when shopping online. Shops like these were created for their convenience and quickness, and the consumer who specializes in social avoidance. That being said, the online scammer preys on the super thrifty with ease because sometimes we don't take the time to research our decisions. Below are some of my favorite online marketplaces. Keep these tips in mind and happy hunting!
Faithfully,
Brieana
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| It is NOT as fluffly as it looks! |
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| As you can see, we have 2 of the 3 offenders; can you find which ones? |
1. Read, read, read the reviews!- Your online shoppers in crime are here to help! Take a second and scroll through the reviews of the item your heart currently desires. And when I say read through, I mean read through the 2-star reviews just a fervently as the 4 or 5-star reviews. And if there are more 2-star reviews, it may be time to look away.
2. Has anyone bought items from the store?- On websites such as Wish or eBay, sellers have their own personal stores to virtually set up shop for us to peruse. One of the biggest red flags when I go to someone's online store, is if they've been around for over 6 months with less than 20 purchases. A lack of clientele screams a lack of experience in online customer care.
3. Is it too good to be true?- In my case, YES. I "scored" this vest for lest than 12 dollars. Now while we all love a steal, we also have to be realistic when buying items. Doing research here is KEY. If you've shopped around at a department store and found that your item cost $50, realistically you will be looking at a 15-25% decrease at an online shopping warehouse-type site. Anything less than that is either a knock-off, or the lovechild of really good stock pictures and shoddy workmanship. You've been warned! Don't cheat yourself by being cheap!
These tips along with plenty of preparation can save you time, money, and hurt feelings when shopping online. Shops like these were created for their convenience and quickness, and the consumer who specializes in social avoidance. That being said, the online scammer preys on the super thrifty with ease because sometimes we don't take the time to research our decisions. Below are some of my favorite online marketplaces. Keep these tips in mind and happy hunting!
Faithfully,
Brieana
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