For a lot of people, online shopping is like the ultimate gratification.
However, what’s important to know and acknowledge is that though the ability to buy pretty much everything that you need with a click of a button that too from the comfort of your home has its share of incredible benefits, but can be a bit tricky at times.
One of the most common pitfalls associated with online shopping is overspending, which could result in the quick draining of your bank account.
However, it isn’t the biggest pitfall of online shopping, and you’ll believe it when you understand how online shopping holds the ability to jeopardize your identity.
Though it shouldn’t be a problem purchasing what you like online, it doesn’t mean that you have to click onto the buy button without adequately educating yourself.
So, as long as you have enough knowledge about the existing problems or the mistakes that online shoppers make, along with reasonable ways to avoid these problems, it shouldn’t be a problem shopping online.
Some shopping mistakes you should avoid
Saving the personal information online
Natasha, an executive, who offers online assignment help services at TFTH with a leading homework help portal, says that it was just a few days back that she logged into her Amazon account to track her package, but what she found out completely shook her.
In her order history, there were a bunch of prepaid gift cards ordered using her saved credit card information.
So, she immediately contacted Amazon, they did a quick check-run, and recognized this transaction as fraudulent, ahead of the processing of the order.
Well, her narration does teach all of us a lesson.
It is convenient to save your personal information online for all future purchases, but there are a bunch of risks that come with this.
Saving your vital information online puts you at risk of getting this information compromised.
Think of a situation when a particular retail website undergoes an attack from hackers.
In this case, the first data, which perpetrators reach out to is the account information.
This makes every person who shops from them and has their information saved vulnerable. It does not end here.
From a finance standpoint, you are likely to spend more if you have your credit card information already saved into the account.
It is so because then only a few clicks are required for you to purchase the item.
Kris, who works with TrumpLearning as their online information accumulator, says that she recently cleared out her personal information from all online shopping websites, and that has reduced her spending to a huge extent.
It so happens because then you have to first hunt for your wallet, then take out your card, feed in the information, and then make a purchase.
This gives you additional time to rethink the purchase.
Not shopping around
Suppose you go to a brick and mortar retail store, and they quote you a particular price for an item.
Now, if you think that the price is more than what it should have been, you’ll move on to the next store, which is only a few blocks away with a hope of a better price.
So, why should you not do the same while shopping online?
Tia, who provides the students with brilliantly written essays as part of her job with EduWorldUSA, says that she always uses Google Shopping as her online resource to do comparison shopping.
With it, you can instantly check the prices offered by different online retailers. This would be incredibly helpful in making an informed decision.
After comparison, you should still consider checking the additional details, such as return policy, shipping fee, and store ratings.
However, comparing the prices is certainly the best way to start your online shopping experience.
Not using a coupon
Coupon codes are certainly the best way to save money while shopping online.
However, for getting a good discount, you’ll have to do some footwork.
There are a bunch of online retailers who have great coupons and discounts available, but not always on their site.
Hence, it does need a little elbow grease to find the best coupon code.
Though some websites advertise their coupon codes towards the top of the website, for others, you’ll have to do a bit of sniffing.
Anusha, an educator and an online accounting homework expert at TAE, who loves shopping online, says that she always checks CouponCabin and RetailMeNot before making any purchase.
These websites have compiled a fully searchable list of coupons, which you can copy and paste directly at the checkout step of your purchases.
It does bring in a good amount of savings per purchase.
Let’s understand this with an example. If you are looking for a laptop from Amazon, you can just head to a coupon portal, and type Amazon Coupon Codes.
So, in this few seconds of additional work, you can bag yourself great discounts.
It is painless and must be a part of everyone’s e-commerce shopping experience.