8 Advice for buying from online as lockdown eases

Buying from online can be very hectic and sometimes even dangerous. Primary of them all is the issue of trust. As customers online buying consists mainly of three broad processes and phases; the marketplace or store where goods are displayed in simple terms website, the payment system after getting what you really want to buy, and finally the delivery method. Three simple but complex steps. The issue of trust runs through every phase of the process. Whether pictures of products are photoshopped or not, real or fake reviews on website, credit card and information security, delayed or express delivery and the likes. Here are eight things to lookout for when buying things online especially from another country.

1. Check for the country of origin of the marketplace

It’s twice important to check for the country where the website and seller is located for proximity purposes and trustworthiness. The website should have good reputation when it comes to listed products and sellers. Normally, you can scroll down to the extreme bottom of the page to find more information about the website’s country of origin. For the top three renowned and global marketplaces such as Amazon, e-Bay, and AliExpress such information are easy to locate. You may want to desist from purchasing from certain countries with reputation in fake goods.  

2. Terms of use, return and refund policies, and privacy information

This is a very contentious area when it comes to online buying and selling. Any reliable marketplace makes this information readily available to customers because they are obliged to, it is however customers responsibility to check for those. Conditions under which items can be returned and payment refunded, and most importantly “cookies” and or customer data collection and usage. You’ll need to read more about this information if you’re a frequent buyer from a particular marketplace.

3. Credibility and proximity of the shop and seller

Buying from online is not much different from entering a brick and mortar store, window-shopping for a while, getting out quickly because of something unusual you saw about the owner or products on the shelves. This is not much different with online stores. Check for reviews given by other buyers of the product (not all reviews are real though), check for the location of the seller, how many of the product has been purchased or sold over which period and how many still in stock, etcetera. A good shop will display these specifics. Any credible website offers a lot of details about the sellers just as much as the product(s) they sell.

4. Quality of the product

There’s been two occasions where I’ve had to return products purchased online because of quality concerns. For products like fashion look out for closeup pictures of the materials used, more pictures from different perspective of the same product, and colour variants. Most photos are filtered to reveal the real colours and physical properties of the product. Those that cannot be captured in pictures such as smoothness or roughness (texture) are described in detail for buyers either linen, polyester, satin, cotton etcetera. Height, length, width, net weight, are not to be overlooked.

5. Your own timelines

When you need a product for immediate use, don’t buy from another country unless you are sure of an express delivery. Some products may arrive already expired or having missed the need for purchasing. It’s always up to you to be vigilant on the timelines and details on the period of delivery.

6. Delivery method and timelines

After you’ve found what you really want, the next is to check for delivery method and period before proceeding to the payment section. Free or charged shipping is very important. Cost of delivery is mostly cheaper when you buy from marketplaces with fulfilment centers or warehouses within your country. You don’t want to pay more for delivery than the cost of the item. Sometimes bulk purchasing can prevent having to pay more. One thing to note is proximity normally determines the cost of delivery, that’s why it’s good to find out where the product will be delivered from. This also affects the period for delivery. When delivery period is more than 1.5months, rethink the purchase. Seller may not be shipping to your country or place of residence so watch out.

7. Be sure of the payment system

Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, PayPal, Apple pay, direct bank transfer and many more are means for making payments. They all have different charges and refund policies. It’s better to know your bank policies as well before you lose any penny. My $60 is yet to reflect in my account after it was refunded 3months ago. The payment system should also be very secured. You must be given the option of whether to allow the system to keep your card details for next purchases or not.

8. Promotions and special offers

Marketplaces that offer promotions and giveaways are the best to shop from. Always look out for special discounts on certain product especially seasonal promotions such as Christmas, new year and so on. Most importantly don’t forget to subscribe, follow and engage in customer loyalty programmes because they offer tickets to getting good discounts on your purchases.