10 rules for online shopping

In the last few years, it has become the norm when planning purchases (especially large ones) to immediately go to the World Wide Web to find out how much something costs and where this product can be purchased. On the one hand, it is undoubtedly convenient. On the other hand, with such an abundance of online stores, the likelihood of ending up with an unscrupulous seller or a low-quality or uncertified product increases. In addition, online merchants have long realized how to profit from consumer laziness. Therefore, let’s put in our “memories” a few simple rules that are worth remembering when purchasing goods on the Internet – both in domestic and foreign stores. Let’s start with the first ones – here everything is more obvious.

It’s trivial, but first you should look through all possible offers for the desired product. To do this, it’s worth browsing through sites like price.ua. Naturally, taking into account all the conditions (delivery payment, guarantee, terms, etc.). You can, of course, follow the beaten path and always buy only in trusted stores. But this way you can miss, for example, some promotions, hot offers or a wider range of other online markets. By the way, there are entire portals on the Internet that collect data on discounts and sales from thousands of stores (like the “Purchase” project), and such information can significantly save time. In addition, a site with store reviews (for example, Stop Shop) can be useful.

By the way, it also happens (you wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t see it with your own eyes) that in offline stores some goods turn out to be significantly cheaper. This usually does not apply to equipment, but applies to cheaper things – most often these are household utensils. Especially if these goods are domestically produced, or are presented only in stores from the manufacturer, and have not yet managed to penetrate the World Wide Web. For example, it is clearly easier to look for bed linen from a Kyiv factory in the stores of this very factory, and not on the Internet, where in any case the markup will be higher.

The most important thing is to choose the right store. Reputable stores have been operating for several years now, have a wide range of goods in stock, indicate their legal address, bank details, and landline telephone number. Managers must be friendly and act promptly, taking into account all the client’s wishes. There are usually several ways to pay for goods. As for the website, its design must be professional, have a second-level domain, and be on paid hosting. It would be a good idea to read reviews about the store and call its landline number.

You should also immediately familiarize yourself with delivery methods, terms of purchase and warranty (from the manufacturer, from the store, certification), and the return policy.

The first sign of unprofessionalism of employees is if the buyer is not called back within an hour after the order, or is not sent information about order processing by e-mail. If the product is rare, or for some reason you need to buy it in a specific store, you should feel free to call with questions about the reason for ignoring it.

You can safely cross out from the list of good sellers online markets with irrelevant goods in the catalog, where “almost everything is out, but they might deliver it soon.”

In addition, another rule of good manners for an online store (unless, of course, it is a wholesale store) is not to limit the minimum purchase amount, or allow inexpensive items to be picked up at your own expense.

Also, store managers are required to clearly and clearly stipulate the final amounts including delivery fees, competently answer questions about the product, and also agree on a delivery time that is convenient for both the buyer and the courier. Unfortunately, the staff of online stores who would meet all these basic requirements is more a rarity than a pattern.

To avoid problems, many pay for the goods after delivery. This way you can verify the integrity and quality of the goods and give the money to the courier immediately after inspection. Many Ukrainian online stores prefer this type of payment. But, as a rule, this type of payment is available only in large cities when goods are delivered by the online store’s own courier service.

There is another relatively safe option – transfer through a bank. The store sends the buyer an invoice by email, which must be paid at the nearest branch of any bank. For its services, the bank will charge 1-3% of the cost of the goods. But in case of subsequent problems with the store, the buyer will have a payment document with which he can go to court.

The most common payment method abroad is using a bank card. This is fast and convenient, although there have already been cases when hackers hacked online stores and read customer card data, after which the money from the customers’ cards “vanished.” Therefore, it makes sense to have a special card for online purchases and transfer money to it immediately before payment in order to minimize risks.

Online stores can also accept cash on delivery payments. The parcel is sent to the buyer by mail and is paid upon receipt. True, the package may get lost, and problems may arise with the return of an unsatisfied product (an unpacked package may be refused to be returned).

And the last option is payment using virtual money (WebMoney, Yandex.Money). This is the most “dangerous” option. You can pay for your purchase without receiving the goods in the end. To avoid such embarrassment, you need to check the seller’s certificate and read reviews about it. In addition, the conversion rate for virtual money is always unfavorable, and not all stores accept payments there.

Courier delivery is now free only for orders over a certain amount. Delivery times are very short (1-2 days), in some cases it is possible to receive the goods on the day of order (although this is very rare). Moreover, online stores of underwear, clothing, shoes, cosmetics and some others provide a “show room” service. That is, the courier delivers several items or a certain size range at once, from which, after trying on, you can choose only the product that suits you and you like. You can refuse the purchase altogether, but you will have to pay the delivery cost (20-30 UAH). All these points are discussed with the store manager at the time of order.

Delivery via Ukrposhta takes approximately 5-6 days. At the same time, at the time of payment for cash on delivery, up to 4% of the cost of the parcel may be charged. You can order a courier directly to your home at your local branch, but this service is paid additionally.

Nova Poshta offers a door-to-door delivery service. Its cost depends on the weight of the goods; you will also have to pay extra for delivery to settlements remote from the service departments.

Prices for delivery by road carrier are also very different. The oldest company in this market, Autolux, delivers in 1-2 days. Gunsel has the same prices and delivery times. “Night Express” will cost slightly less – here the fee for services is set individually and depends on the distance of the customer (usually up to 40 UAH). These and other carriers also offer door-to-door delivery.

Pickup, like delivery by courier, is good for post-payment. In addition, you can examine and touch the product in the office or warehouse of the online store, and if you are not satisfied with something, simply do not pick it up. True, in this case you will have to waste your precious time, but you can save money.

Even in our online stores, sometimes when you look at the prices you get a strong feeling that they are ripping off customers – well, some kawaii notebook or hat can’t cost that much. And stories about frequent sales abroad or about penny American prices increase suspicions. It’s quite easy to check what, how much and where to buy – go to foreign online stores for reconnaissance. Just a couple of years ago, I didn’t really want to bother with shopping there – the process seemed too complicated and confusing. Now, ordering some little thing from eBay or Amazon, or an inexpensive online store in China is a matter of two clicks. Although there are some wisdom here too.

What should you buy in foreign online markets? Yes, almost anything, but with some reservations.

Clothes and shoes can be ordered for people with standard sizes. But at the same time, it is best to carefully look at the so-called Size chart, or at the measurements of a specific item or shoe. In addition, it is worth considering that, for example, Asian stores are often small and designed for short people, but US stores, on the contrary, are larger. It’s worth remembering right away that size “M” (Middle) in Korea, the USA and Europe can differ by 1-2 sizes in any direction. In addition to the alphabetic system, there are various digital sizing systems (British, American and European) – correspondence tables are easy to find online. It’s the same with shoes. In general, experienced shoppers advise first of all to focus on measurements in centimeters.

Small and not very expensive electronics can also be quite successfully purchased in foreign stores. So, if you compare the prices for a laptop battery in Kyiv stores with the price “somewhere in Southeast Asia,” then the choice will immediately become obvious. Various LED flashlights, simple MP3 players, flash drives – all this is worth looking at first. Something larger and more expensive, which may require warranty repair or replacement if something happens, may be best purchased in Ukraine. Although large sellers repair and replace without question, this requires money and time, and still an order of magnitude greater risk than when purchasing certified equipment with a local guarantee for service at a service center.

And of course, large online stores are simply a paradise for collectors. Usually only there you can find some rare series of “Transformers” from 20 years ago, or the first editions of popular books.

Another useful note: not all foreign stores deliver directly to Ukraine yet. In this case, if you desperately need an item, you can look for intermediaries, for whose services you will need to pay another 20-30% of the order cost. By the way, intermediaries can be found for purchases from any site – but is this justified? Most purchases are easier and faster to make on your own, as read below.

You can start searching for products either from the search site, simply by entering the name of the product or its article number. But this approach is only good for rare goods, such as prefabricated models, toys or collectibles. If we are talking about more popular things, for example, classic jeans of any brand, then a better way would be to search for a specialized store or go to an online auction, for example, eBay. By the way, the word “auction” should not mislead newcomers to online shopping. In fact, now many items can be bought new, without haggling and delaying time, at a fixed price. For example, for jeans, you can select the filters “new with tags” and “buy now” – as a result, you can see a list of products that are in stock at sellers. The eBay mechanism is now used by many e-merchants literally all over the world. For companies from Southeast Asia, this has become a real window to the world, and for buyers, accordingly, an opportunity to save a lot of money. For example, some sellers from Hong Kong offer free delivery anywhere in the world, and what’s most surprising is that they don’t cheat.

The danger of falling for scammers, of course, exists, but you need to understand that for most it is more profitable to trade honestly, especially since eBay has a seller rating system. Before you make a purchase, you just need to look at the seller’s rating (it should be close to 100%) and the number of transactions already completed.

When purchasing in foreign online markets, you should remember that the price of a product is often not the final amount that you will have to pay. To get an idea of the cost, you need to find a section on the website with the word Shipping.

There are quite a few different delivery services – regular mail (called differently in different countries), DHL, UPS, FedEx, EMS, Air Mail… Sometimes stores use just one, but if there is a choice, there should be information on the website prices (based on parcel weight) and delivery conditions are indicated.

The so-called free shipping is also found, most often in Asian markets. But with such a shipment, if you are unlucky, the purchase can be received a month after the order, for example, due to unknown holidays. The same Chinese celebrate their Independence Day and New Year every week (and is it the Slavs who are reproached for their love of idleness?). Although often the order arrives within the promised two weeks. In addition, small parcels cannot always be tracked using tracking, and our postmen like to drop them directly into the mailbox (from where an unscrupulous neighbor can safely snatch them away). And to reduce the cost, larger parcels are divided into small parcels, which can arrive several days apart, and for which you will have to run to Ukrposhta. By the way, they are often marked as a gift, so they do not pass customs clearance.

On the other hand, even with paid parcels that arrive by mail, almost the same thing can happen – for example, delays in delivery times. When ordering from online stores that focus more on wholesale and with low prices, this delivery method will be the most reasonable when purchasing just a couple of things. At least the shipping fee won’t cost more than the items themselves. Such prices are not uncommon in the notorious Chinese home sales (wholesale stores) with clothes that we like to sell on social networks as Korean and which actually cost $5-10.

Services like DHL or EMS usually provide so-called “doorstep” delivery. It makes sense to order shipping through them if the purchase is more or less valuable, or fragile, or is needed in a short time.

Most foreign online markets accept money through the PayPal payment system. Therefore, in order to make your life easier for all future purchases, we advise you to immediately register there. To do this, you need to get a payment bank card in any bank, a class not lower than Visa Classic (when opening it, it is better to ask the manager about all the nuances, after all, each bank may have its own characteristics), preferably immediately with the Internet banking service. When registering on the PayPal website (it is step-by-step and quite simplified), a physical bank card account is linked to the virtual account. For verification, after registration, a few dollars are withdrawn from the account, which will then be returned to the card.

Voila – now after filling your cart in the online store you need to click “Pay with PayPal” and enter the required data. The purchase report usually comes by email, and the money withdrawn from the card is sent as an SMS message to your mobile phone (if Internet banking is connected).

They receive the ordered items, as mentioned above, depending on the service. Ukrposhta usually brings a notification with the parcel number – you can receive it at the office at your place of residence, having a passport or other identification document with you.

Other services usually call back when the parcel arrives in Ukraine (although if the tracking shows that the purchase has already arrived, you can call yourself – it will be faster) to the phone number specified when placing the order. Delivery “from hand to hand” is agreed upon at a convenient time, or the parcel can be received at the company’s office (it’s best to find out the address of the nearest one, again by phone). Documents are also required to receive it.

After the long-awaited purchase is in hand, the further scenario can develop in two directions: 1. The buyer remains satisfied and happy. 2. The purchased item turns out to be completely different from the one in the picture/defective/low quality/etc.

In the first case, you can be happy and use what you bought, or you can also do a good deed – add a rating to the seller (if it’s an auction), or write a review on the online store’s website and post a photo of the purchase there. As practice shows, this greatly simplifies life for other buyers. The principle “you give me, I give you” works, and it is very likely that these same reviews about other necessary products may be useful in the future.

In the second case, you need to cancel the purchase and write an email to the seller. Believe it or not, most often it works – most stores and sellers are very important to a positive image. The purchase may be asked to be returned (return shipping at the store’s expense), and the money will be transferred back to the buyer’s account within a few days.

In any case, even if not all purchases turn out to be successful, you shouldn’t be disappointed, because everything comes with experience. And it also plays an important role in the art of online shopping.

Internet shopper’s reminder