A step-by-step guide to online shopping

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

We have accumulated life hacks about shopping on the Internet and prepared a guide for you. Beginners will be able to find and order what they dream of, and experienced buyers will receive valuable information about discounts, secure card payments and various force majeure events.

Step 1. Choose where

Typical fear of an online shopping pioneer: "The web is full of scammers: I'll pay and get nothing!"

Asia, Europe, America or Russia? Delivery terms depend on where the store is located. So, Asian retailers usually have free shipping to the CIS countries. In the case of European and American sellers, you will most likely have to go to intermediaries.

Buy from reputable stores. Information about a particular site can be found at. Read reviews. If negative prevails, refuse to purchase on this site.

Step 2. Choose when

Typical fear of an online shopping pioneer: “It's expensive. Pay for the order, pay for the delivery, pay the intermediary …"

«»kicks off the Christmas sales. This is the first Friday after American Thanksgiving (falls somewhere between November 23 and 29). On this day, discounts reach 80%, and people take queues to shops in the evening.

Cyber Monday- Monday after Black Friday. On this day, the price drop occurs in online stores: when they come to work, people continue to buy gifts. There are certain."

- short-term promotions of online stores for registered users, during which discounts up to 90% are announced. Motives: desire to sell unclaimed goods and PR.

In addition, online stores often timed sales for the holidays. For example, Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States. On this day, big discounts are offered by clothing stores. Asian sellers cut prices on Spring Festival (Chinese New Year, which falls between January 21st and February 21st).

Step 3. Choose what

A typical fear of a pioneer of online shopping: "You buy blindly, and the thing may not fit, not fit into the interior …"

Having decided on the store, register or log in through social networks. If you use a pseudonym on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to edit your profile: upon receipt of the parcel you will have to show your passport.

Remember, even if the store interface is translated into Russian and prices are displayed in rubles, the site search may not respond to Cyrillic queries. Search better in English. Also, use filters to make your search easier. Products are usually sorted by price, size, color, and other parameters.

Use. They will help not only find the right thing, but also save money on purchases and track delivery.

Always read the product description carefully: material, characteristics, dimensions, weight, and so on. The thing in the photo may be visually different from the one in life! She was not replaced. It's just that the pictures for the catalog are taken by professionals: good light, in which colors play, macro photography, in which it is difficult to assess the real scale, and so on.

You should be especially careful with your clothes. Have you seen the photo a la "expectation and reality"? To avoid such mistakes, be honest with yourself and do not buy things that are out of shape.

Sizes may vary not only from country to country, but also from brand to brand. Therefore, be sure to use the size charts. All major online stores have them. Have a tailor's tape handy. It will help you determine your size correctly. And it will help to measure yourself correctly.

Finally, read the comments of other users. Do they write that the thing is "small in size"? Take one size up.

Step 4. Making an order

A typical fear of an online shopping pioneer: “I don’t understand anything about this, I’ll click the wrong place yet.”

Fill out the order form in the language of the seller. Provide a valid phone number and email so that the store manager can contact you if necessary. Don't ignore the markup box, if there is one. Please indicate your special requests: "Double layer of bubble wrap please."

Step 5. We pay

Typical fear of an online shopping pioneer: “Enter your card number? Never!"

The safest way is to link your bank card to an electronic payment system like PayPal. It provides additional security guarantees: payments are made through a secure connection, the user does not enter the card details on third-party sites. When buying on eBay, the money is credited to the seller's account only after confirmation of the delivery or after the expiration of the time for opening a dispute.

There are others. For example, connect SMS-banking and quickly track the movement of funds.

What to do if extra money was debited from the card? The algorithm of actions is described in detail. The main thing is not to panic and contact the online store as soon as possible. The error may have occurred due to fluctuations in the exchange rate. The money will be returned.

Step 6. Choosing delivery and intermediaries

A typical fear of an online shopping pioneer: "If the delivery is free, where is the guarantee that I will receive the order safe and sound?"

When you reach the shipping section, please check the following:

1. Does the seller ship to your country / city?
2. What delivery methods does the online store provide and what is their cost?
3. Can a third party be specified as the recipient?

If the answer to the first question is no, contact the facilitator. Online shopping resellers are companies that provide shipping addresses in the United States and Europe and forward purchases to their owners. The service is paid. It will help to navigate among the many intermediaries.

The intermediaries will not only forward your order to you, but can also help you with the customs declaration. Attention! Do not underestimate the value of the goods for customs: if something happens to them, it will be extremely difficult to get the money back.

Direct delivery can be carried out by mail, transport companies, courier services or by self-pickup. The first and last method is usually the most cost effective. So, in most cases, regular mail delivery is free, which cannot be said about EMS, UPS, DHL, FedEx and other express services. Also, delivery usually costs nothing if the store in your city has a pick-up point.

For some retailers, it is essential that the payer and recipient data match. Check this point in the FAQ before buying if you plan, for example, to make a gift and order something in someone else's name and address.

Step 7. We track and receive the parcel

Typical fear of an online shopping pioneer: "The package will be lost!"

If the delivery is carried out by "Russian Post", then you can monitor the movement of the coveted box on it. In other cases, it is convenient to use aggregators - sites or. They collect tracking information from various resources and notify about changes.

The tracking number is important for more than just knowing when you receive your order. According to the rules of "Russian Post", if a mail item does not have a tracking code, its weight does not exceed two kilograms (the so-called small package), and its dimensions allow it to be dropped into the mailbox, then a notification will not be issued to it: the order will simply be put in your mailbox like a regular letter or newspaper.

Force majeure

Having received the notification, do not rush to joyfully grab the parcel at the post office and run home. Make sure everything is in order with it: there are no dents or traces of an autopsy. If there is, the parcel must be opened on the spot.

It’s worse if the package didn’t arrive at all. In this case, you need to go to the post office and write an application for the search for the postal item. A receipt must be attached to the written request, which, in turn, must be requested from the seller, because it was he who was the sender of the parcel.

The cherished package on hand - do not rush to open it. In order not to be unfounded in case of disputable situations (incomplete order, the product does not correspond to the description, and so on), remove the opening of the parcel on your mobile phone.

In addition, according to Article 26.1 of the Consumer Protection Law:

1. The consumer has the right to return the product of inadequate quality, demand its replacement or receive monetary compensation.
2. The consumer has the right to refuse the goods of good quality within seven days from the date of receipt, and if written information on the procedure and terms of return was not provided upon delivery, within three months from the date of transfer of the goods. Provided that the presentation and consumer properties of the thing are preserved.

In any unclear situation, buy something you need. Whether the situation becomes clear or not, the thing will remain.

You are now ready to shop online. Share your life hacks in the comments.