9 tricks of online shopping we constantly fall for

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Lack of cashback, useless bonuses and paid conditions under the stars. Here's how you can be tricked in online stores.

1. Useless bonuses

• A promotional code for certain products. Some sellers return the percentage of the purchase in the form of a discount, which can be used next time. True, it applies only to the selected category. For example, you bought a dress and received a promotional code for goods for a summer residence, but you do not have a country house.
• Unprofitable exchange. Cashback or point refunds are also not ideal. An online store may offer an unprofitable conversion - for example, 1 cashback point is awarded for every 100 rubles. And to spend them, you need to accumulate at least 300. Collecting bonuses will take a long time, besides, you will have to make purchases almost every day.
• Lack of cashback. When there is a choice, it makes no sense to make purchases and not return interest. In addition, most of the online stores work with cashback.

Choose stores where cashback is charged in large volumes and is suitable for paying for all categories of goods. You can find out how the bonus program works on the store's website with information for customers.

2. Paid delivery or conditions under the asterisk

Online store advertising is often based on the fact that the goods in them are cheaper. Sometimes this is true, but the difference in price is more than compensated for by shipping. It can cost several times more than the thing itself. So, buying one protein bar online is not at all profitable: it costs around 100 rubles, but the minimum delivery amount may be more than 200 rubles.

Another problem is the lack of choice. Some online stores offer delivery only to parcel terminals or only by courier service. Serious problems can arise with the latter option. For example, the courier only works during the day or refuses to call before arrival. To wait for your things, you have to sit at home all the time.

delivery options before buying and choose the most profitable one. If after a certain amount the delivery becomes free, try to finish the order before it. Ask your friends: what if they also need to buy something in this online store.

3. Old or fake products

It is impossible to inspect and touch the goods when buying on the Internet. Hence, there are three problems:

1. Fake. Most often found in perfumery, clothing and accessories. It will not be possible to identify counterfeit by photograph or description.
2. Used goods disguised as new. This is often the case with small online electronics stores. If you see an incredibly cheap iPhone, it's most likely a refurbished used device that may be tied to someone else's Apple ID.
3. Delay. Perfume and cosmetics can deteriorate in the warehouse, and food and drinks can also deteriorate during delivery.

Check the seller's legality on the tax office website. To do this, you need the official name of the company or TIN. They can be found on the store's website in the "About the Company" tab or in the special section "Requisites". So there is less risk of purchasing used or counterfeit products from abroad. Do not buy perishable food if delivery takes more than a few days.

4. No guarantee and no return

An inexpensive flower vase and serious equipment can break or get lost on the road. But not every seller is ready to enter the position of an annoyed buyer. If there is no return and exchange option in the online store, say goodbye to money.

The problem may arise even after some time after receiving the order. For example, electronics stopped turning on or started lagging after a couple of months of use. If the seller does not provide a warranty receipt upon purchase, the product will have to be repaired at its own expense.

Check if there is an option on the website to return or exchange an item. Read the terms of warranty service: the package may need to be opened carefully, and not torn apart anyhow.

5. Inconvenient promotions

Specials are a cool gimmick that sometimes gets us to shop even when we don't need them. Let's say an online cosmetics store offers a bag as a gift when ordering 1,500 rubles. It sounds interesting, but most often such presents are branded or poorly made. Therefore, you are unlikely to use them, you will take the maximum with you to the beach.

Another problem with most online stores is that promotions are not cumulative. But when shopping, you can forget about it. And during the payment, you will be surprised that you have collected a bunch of goods under the "40% discount for the entire brand" promotion, and the store canceled free shipping for you.

In order not to get caught, it is enough to study the conditions of the promotion, written in small print under an asterisk. The thing that comes as a gift can be asked to be shown in the photo.

6. Goofy discounts

More than half of Russians have discounts and are even willing to wait for special offers so as not to overpay. But the sale does not always help to save money.

• Sometimes sellers use a discount as an advertising strategy and keep it to a minimum. For example, before the dress was sold for 1,497 rubles, and then it began to cost 1,490 rubles. The difference is tiny, but the inscription "discount" motivates to buy.
• Another option is to increase prices before the sale. The cost of goods is first artificially, and then allegedly reduced. Sometimes the final price is even higher than the starting price. Russian online stores are committing such a sin before Black Friday.
• During seasonal sales, the previous tricks are rare. But there is an uneven distribution of the discount. For example, a store says: "Discount for everything - 70%." But in fact, only cheap and unpopular goods make the maximum reduction in cost, and 10-15% for really worthwhile ones.

The week before Black Friday, write down the prices of the items you are going to buy. Then compare them with promotions. If, of course, the goods you need are on sale. Or choose sites that have the ability to track the price change schedule.

7. Poor customer support

Customer support helps out if the product is lost during delivery, arrives damaged, or your order is confused with someone else's. In the end, the operator can help if you do not understand how to arrange delivery or on what basis bonuses are awarded.

If the support works according to its schedule, it will not be possible to get advice quickly and comfortably. Operators can work not around the clock, but 8 hours a day and Moscow time. Then, if you live in Vladivostok, you will have to resolve issues at night.

Bad customer service can respond to all requests with standard, stamped responses. And he will not understand your situation personally. In addition, now some online stores are launching helper bots instead of customer support with real people. They respond to requests using a neural network - they can also send them if something happens.

Look at the contacts and the schedule of technical support on the website. Explore the available ways of contacting: a good company should have several options, such as a hotline, email, social media, and instant messengers. If an online store has a special window for contacting customers, try asking a couple of questions there before buying.

8. Fake reviews

Before buying on the Internet, be sure to check product ratings and customer reviews. But picking the highest rated product can sometimes be dangerous. Some sellers pay for good reviews to artificially create a perfect rating for their product. Most often, in such cases, the comments will praise the technical characteristics and they will all be almost like two peas in a pod.

Don't trust comments if they are carbon-copy or sound unnatural. Look for negative reviews and see how the store responds to them. If the seller is trying to solve a problem, he can be trusted. Positive reviews can also speak about the quality of the product: if the site offers cashback for comments, buyers want to share their opinion and get their bonus.

9. Low Price Guarantee

If you find it cheaper, we will refund your money. This is what most of the sellers on the Internet say. But not everyone is ready to really compensate for the difference. Sometimes, in order to achieve a refund, you need to knock on technical support for a long time. In addition, the difference is often given not in money, but in the form of a discount coupon for the next purchase.

Compare prices across multiple online retailers and don't chase sales.

Most gimmicks can be saved if you buy everything in one trusted place. The marketplace has all the conditions for this:

You can buy more than a million goods of different categories on goods.ru

Prices from other online stores are shown directly on the product page

There is a price change schedule

In the basket you can check how many bonus rubles you will receive for your purchase

The most advantageous offers are marked with the "Best Price Guarantee" marker

Click on the "Prices" button and you will see offers from different sellers

• Single shopping cart. The site has over a million products from different categories from 2,500 verified sellers. You can put your smartphone, book and juice in one basket and get everything together through one courier.
• You can compare. On the page of each product there is a button "Prices", click on it and you will see offers from different sellers.
• Delivery. Choose the method that suits you: PickPoint parcel machine, courier delivery to the door, pick-up points or M. Video stores. When buying from 1,000 rubles, you need to pay only 1 ruble for delivery. Goods.ru delivers orders to 149 cities in Russia.
• Cashback. It is charged on each purchase and in a large amount - up to 25%. During some promotions, cashback increases to 40%, and on birthday bonuses are given just like that. Cashback can be saved. To get extra points, leave reviews for the products. They can be both positive and negative; the main thing is to share your impressions. And participate in contests in social networks goods.ru. Bonus rubles can be saved in order to later pay them up to 50% of the value of the goods.
• Price change schedule. There is on the page of each product. If you doubt the honesty of the discount, just look at how much the item cost a week or month before the start of the promotion.
• Best price guarantee. On the product page there is a button “I want it cheaper”. Click on it if you find a similar product at a lower price in another online store. Fill out the form and the cost even before placing your order. But most likely, you won't have to do this: goods.ru has a special system that compares the cost of goods in other online stores and, if it finds it cheaper, automatically changes the price. The best deals are marked with the “Best Price Guarantee” marker.
• Exchange and return. You can send the product back if it came with a defect, does not correspond to the order, or simply because you change your mind.
• Customer support. It works around the clock, and you can contact the operator by phone, in messengers or on social networks.

It also has its own mobile app. With it, you can not only conveniently order goods, but also constantly be aware of the current marketplace promotions.

The goods.ru marketplace gives the readers of Lifehacker a promotional code for the first order. Enter the word Lifehacker when paying for purchases from 5,000 rubles and get a discount of 1,000 rubles. The promo code is valid until October 15, 2019.