I am an online fashion stalker. There I've said it. I am addicted to browsing fashion blogs and Google images of items I find interesting, and lately I've been trying to control my online shopping urges.
Don't get me wrong, online shopping is a real blessing for those of us who crave something different, something at a great price, perhaps even something exotic. But my recent splurges have not been kind on my wallet.
It's not just the money spent, but my impatience in waiting for the goods to get here. For example, I bought these gorgeous linen palazzo pants from Etsy recently. As they are custom-made to my size, they took approximately 2 months to get here so in the meantime my short-term memory went hazy and I splurged some more in real-life stores too!
These Etsy pants are super comfy and I'm even wearing them to work today with a fitted black shirt.
The other dilemma with online shopping is not always getting what you expected. I bought these 'skirt-pants' from the same buyer at Etsy. They look so good in the pic, rather they look so good on the petit model! The material and workmanship is lovely, but on me they come above the ankle (not exactly the look I was after). Will make do with these for casual wear, but given the price tag I was hoping to get more wear out of it and mix and match it for more semi-formal gigs.
And then there was the famed Asos website. Many seasoned online shoppers told me how wonderful this site was given they offer free worldwide delivery, and are super fast at it too. So good old shoppaholic me loaded up a virtual basket and counted days for the delivery. Sadly my stash never arrived. A month later, I sent them an email and they asked me to wait another 2 weeks (their free worldwide delivery system is not trackable so they were equally clueless on the parcel's whereabouts). Fast-forward another 2 weeks and they agreed to refund me the money, which was great. But it was a long wait and I really was looking forward to wearing the polka-dotted pants.
Another online shopping site I visit often is Ebay . Like Etsy, it is a collection of different sellers so its best to go through their ratings and selling histories before commiting to a purchase. Ebay is great as they cover you for any disputes, and here too I have recieved refunds for items that never made it here.
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| I am in love with this boho linen jacket on Etsy! |
Etsy and Ebay are great sites for looking up hard to find items. Etsy specialises in artisans who create handmade products, so this is the site to visit if you are looking for something unique and crafty. Ebay has anything and everything. Hubby wanted to get me an EcoDrive watch for my birthday, and we found the exact same watch would cost far less through Ebay! You can be a clever shopper these days thanks to Google!
In a nutshell, here are my tips and tricks on shopping online:
1) Only buy from reputed sites.
2) Check the reputation of a site - Google is your friend, look up reviews.
3) When using sites like Etsy and Ebay, check the seller's credentials.
4) Contact the seller before the purchase. Ask about the product, confirm they ship to your location and what the shipping fees will be. You will also get a hindsight on the buyer by their response time and enthusiasm.
5) Set up a Paypal account, its alot safer than using your actual credit card details.
6) Have patience! For me, this is the major negative as compared to realtime mall-hopping.
7) When the approximate arrival date nears, follow up! It's ok to be a nag, it should be a part of the service fee!
And here's my review of the sites I have bought from so far:
Ebay : This is a great site to look for anything and everything, you can literally spend hours here! And Ebay has its own disputes center should you face issues with a trader. Best to still be vigillant and do your research on individual sellers before hitting the "Buy Now" button.
Etsy : A site full of crafty people offering gorgeous crafty things! I love this site. Although some pieces can be expensive, in most instances these pieces are unique and hand-made. Once again, like Ebay, do your homework on the individual seller - unlike Ebay, Etsy does not have a disputes center.
Asos : I have heard rave reviews from many here and in New Zealand. Sadly I never got my parcel, so can't comment on product quality. The service was average. It took some clicking around to find where I needed to go to lodge a complaint on missing parcels, and the responses were a little slow. I finally got a refund after approximately two weeks of email exchanges.
InOnIt : This is an Indian shopping website featuring funky Indo-Western outfits and accessories. Their service is excellent (I got responses within a couple of hours!) and delivery time is also super fast and on schedule. The only downside is the shipping fee is pretty steep. Might make sense to buy a few products in one shipment to average out the delivery cost.
I hope my online shopping insights have been useful to you, happy shopping!
- Big Sis.
lovely items!
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This is really good information thanks for sharing this blog.
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