Picking up the latest fashion trends online is an absolute joy that’s unlike any other…at least if you’re a modern day fashionista, that is! There are so many incredible online fashion stores these days, there’s barely any reason to ever give thought to braving the High Street. Of course there will always be purists who prefer the old-school approach, but for the vast majority of uber-connected 21st century folk, online fashion retail is the only way to go.
In a technical sense, buying online is safer and more rewarding than ever before. However, this doesn’t mean it’s not possible to drop more than a few proverbial clangers and find yourself regretting having ever made that all-important mouse-click in the first place. According to the experts at www.bellafashionqueen.co.uk, pretty much every unfortunate online shopping experience these days comes down to one thing…buyer error. And while you’d think it was nigh-on impossible to go wrong, there are several simple slipups you’re likely to fall foul of if you don’t keep your wits about you along the way.
Here’s a look at six of the most common of all:
1 – Not Being Size Wise
First up, never forget that what passes as a size 12 for one brand may actually be closer to a size 10 for another. As most women are painfully aware these days, it’s impossible to take size standards for granted as they differ quite radically from one store and brand to the next. As such, before even thinking of buying anything you should do a little research to find out whether their size 12 garments are comparatively small or large. And if you’re unsure, just ask!
2 – Tugging Those Tags
Oh yes, the urge to tear-off those tags the moment the garments arrive is almost too much to bear. Sadly, doing so might just render your right to return the garments null and void – a bit of a bummer if a few hours later you decide it’s unbearably uncomfortable. So before tugging those tags, try and hold out for at least 24 hours just to give yourself time to think and get better-acquainted with your purchases.
3 – Buying Bargains Blindly
Online specials are almost impossible to resist – at those kinds of prices, you can’t afford to turn them down, right? The problem with the online ‘bargain bin’ is the way in which those few random bits and pieces soon add up despite the fact that you didn’t want them, don’t look good in them and probably wouldn’t wear them even if you did. It’s a common mistake and one that usually becomes a costly one – buying bargains blindly just for the sake of it and to hell with the specifics. Savvy shopping online is all about knowing what you want and limiting things to that.
4 – Not Shopping Around
Assuming you plan to buy something that’s available at more than one store, the worst, worst and WORST thing you can do is not bother to shop around. It takes no more than a minute or two to use any number of comparison services or even do the work yourself, in order to find out whether you could be making big savings somewhere else. Nothing sours the glow of a great purchase quite like knowing you could have saved 50% and thus bought twice as much elsewhere. Well, unless they’ve got a good price-match policy in place, so it’s a good idea to check for this too!
5 – Overlooking Returns Policies
Yes, they accept returns, but what if they’ll only do so if the clothing has never been taken from its wrapper and must be ferried back by super-pricey private courier at your expense? It sounds a bit OTT but it does indeed happen in some cases, which is why it’s in your best interests to read all returns policies in full prior to making any purchases.
6 – Ignoring Feedback
Last but not least, it doesn’t matter what you’re looking to buy or who you’re out to buy it from, there will be plenty of feedback out there to help guide your purchase decisions. Buyer feedback tends to be the only advice you can trust as gospel as these are the folks that have nothing to gain by lying about the brand, or the garments they sell. So before putting your faith in a brand or a large order of products of any kind, see what the good people on the street have to say about them – it can be quite eye-opening to say the least!
