E-commerce has taken the world by storm. The post-Covid-19 pandemic has only strengthened online shopping behaviors for all. The ease of sitting in the comfort of your home, in your PJs, with a coffee in one hand, and shopping, sure sounds like a blissful shopping experience. And this is possible today because most brick-and-mortar stores also have their online presence for ease and convenience for online shoppers.
Online shopping is a completely different experience in itself. Unlike retail stores, you can visit as many stores as you like and not have to stand in queues for billing. Forget waiting for your turn in the trial rooms too. Choose the dress, shoe, or belt you like, check for the size chart, and simply place your order. Shopping simplified!
However, there are many online shopping pitfalls too. You have to be careful where you shop and how you shop. The surge in online shopping also attracts many scammers who try to cheat you and steal your money, and also missing packages from USPS is common nowadays. You should shop wisely and be wary of unknown brands and sites. There are some online shopping mistakes that are commonly made by all. Read about what they are and why you should be avoiding them.
Using the public WiFi connection
Using public WiFi connection is never a good idea, especially if you’re filling out personal and sensitive information. Cybercrime is on the rise, and you could easily fall prey to hackers waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal your important information. This could lead to identity theft, or worse, cleaning out your bank account dry. Shopping online on a public WiFi connection seems tempting when you are out of your house and low on personal data. Hackers could get hold of your bank details and misuse them. It is best to hold that urge and wait until you can shop securely from your personal WiFi connection.
Forgetting to check refund, return and exchange policies
Although online shopping has become so advanced in recent years to provide the best user experience, you can’t deny the fact that, at times, items don’t turn out to be the way we anticipated them. No matter how well you inspect the item or even measure out the sizes before you make that purchase, things could happen. Products could get damaged during the shipping process, or a damaged product could get shipped, or the color or size of a dress just isn’t the right match. It is always a good idea to make sure the e-commerce store has a return or an exchange policy. Make sure to read their policies before you hit the “buy” button. Certain items could be eligible for return only until a certain number of days, or some may not be refundable, or some might not be exchangeable.
Saving personal information
Nowadays, most websites give you the option to save your passwords and other personal information. It does look like it will make your life easier the next time you use the same website, however, you need to be aware that by doing this, you are more prone to having your data stolen by cyber thieves. In the event of a website being hacked, all your personal information, your address, and your banking details could fall into the wrong hands. Although it sounds like a primitive thing to do today, you are better off manually typing in that information every time you want to make a purchase.
Using your debit card to pay
While making online purchases, credit cards are a far safer option to transact with than debit cards. Credit cards offer more protection than debit cards. If your credit card details are hacked by cybercriminals, you can simply inform the bank, block the card and get it investigated. On the other hand, if your debit card gets hacked, hackers will get access to your personal bank account and your money. It is also wise to dedicate only one credit card for online shopping transactions. In that way, if it gets hacked, you know that only one credit card was compromised. Another safe way to make online payments is to use smart pay methods like Paypal or ApplePay.
Shopping from unsecured websites
It is always best to shop from online stores that you know and are genuine brands. No matter how tempting an offer or price looks on a shopping website, it is best to steer clear from such sites as you might end up losing not only your money but not receiving the item as well. Be a smart and alert shopper and always keep your eyes open for the “https” in the urls. The ‘s’ in the “https” signifies that it is a secure website. Also, pay attention to a padlock icon in the url. The padlock shows the website uses encryption to confirm security.
Forgetting to check the shipping costs and process
Shopping is no doubt an exciting experience because you are looking to buy new items or products. In all that excitement, you might forget to factor in the shipping costs and process. Before you make that final payment, check to see if the e-commerce store offers free shipping. If not, you should try and look at other online stores offering similar or the same products but with no extra shipping charges. Shipping costs could get expensive and add to your final price. Also, check to see which package delivery service they are using.
Delivery services are struggling with raging issues of missed deliveries in San Francisco. Shop safe and shop right, and use a safe shipping address to ensure you receive your shopping. Package lockers are one way to receive your online shopping deliveries. Another way to receive deliveries is to send your shopping to a Stowfly address. It is a package storage and receiving service to facilitate your package receiving process. With an extra spend of $2 for each package received, you can rest assured that you will receive your package. And to put your mind at ease, every package is insured by a sum of $1000. With multiple locations, Stowfly can be your safe alternate shipping address.
Keep the common online shopping mistakes in mind and enjoy shopping for multiple items at multiple stores. Be vigilant and beware of hackers and scammers trying to steal your identity, personal information, and money. Stay safe online and happy shopping!
