Online shopping is your new best friend!

Brand new start to a new week, go forth and conquer dear friends. I have been meaning to put up a post about online shopping simply because someone asked me to and because there is still so much scepticism around it in the South African market.

I personally looooooove online shopping, finances allowing I probably wouldn't even bother entering into physical stores anymore if I could just shop online all the time. I have made some awesome purchases online from shoes to bikinis, even some really useful pairs of spanx! Online shopping boasts a variety of different styles and unique pieces if you like to stand out from the crowd. My go to sites are RunwaySale and Spree.

Some of my many online shopping purchases that made me very happy!

Speaking to a few of my co-workers about online shopping, some told me they think I am a nut job for shopping online and taking such a gamble with my "hard-earned" income. I was showered with questions like "is it safe?", "what about sizes?", "do the items look the same in real life?". 

Look in all fairness, yes, there are risks involved, virtually anything in the 21st century has some risk factor! I have seen many people absolutely enamoured by their online goodies and I have also seen people quite disappointed with their online purchases. So I am going to offer some tips for the timid online shopper.

Number One, only shop on websites that are accredited and legitimate with have proper terms and conditions that you are prepared to be obligated to, read the fine print. 

Number Two, online shopping calls on you to be more vigilant and take responsibility for your payments as most of the time you'll need to use a credit card. Investigate what form of payment the site requires. Some websites allow you to make direct payments into their accounts and then just furnish them with proof of payment. When using your credit card you will be asked to provide certain standard information, which is basically the same questions that are asked of you when making any online credit payment. So your 16 digit number on your card, the expiry date and the CVV number at the back, anything outside of that, proceed with caution.

Number Three, online sites contract with the banks and secured payment platforms to ensure that online shopping payments are made safely and securely, making sure you are notified of the activity in your account and that your money isn't being deposited into the wrong hands. 

Number Four, when choosing sizes, do not lie to yourself! If you know that you have been struggling to fit in to your size 8 jeans, don't now go and order a pair of jeans in that same size because they will also not fit! Know your size and be honest with yourself. A lot of these sites also have bust, hip, and waist measurement indicators for certain items so that you can have more confidence that the item you are buying will actually fit. The same rules apply to shoes. 

Number Five, the magical words... "if you are not entirely satisfied with the item, you may return it within 30 days". Yes return policies apply to online shopping too. A friend of mine bought shoes online from Spree and they didn't meet her expectations, she returned them almost immediately. The Spree team was awesome and very helpful to her and within a matter of days she had her full refund. So if you buy an item online and you don't love it, you can return it without much hassle. 

Number Six, from an administration perspective I would recommend sticking to local online shopping sites so that if you run into any problems, it will be easier and cheaper to communicate with the site support team. Plus delivery costs locally are generally free or very low whereas delivery costs from an international online shopping site are far more expensive.

Number Seven, most importantly, there is this incredible thing that happens once a year called Black Friday. For those of you who live under a rock and don't know what Black Friday is, its a day where online stores have the most ridiculous sale ever, I'm talking 75% off markdowns, sometimes more... I scored an LBD that was originally priced at R500 for R100! Do not sleep on this!

I hope I have inspired you to at least consider the prospects of mouse-clicking your way to a fun new wardrobe. From RunwaySale to Spree to Kapsule Online Boutique, the online shopping industry is growing at lightening speed, don't get left behind!