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There are so many advantages to online shopping it is generally quicker, cheaper and more convenient than shopping in person that it is easy to forget the drawbacks. The advantages of shopping online must surely outweigh the disadvantages, but the negatives are still there nonetheless, and so it is important to consider these before going on any wild shopping sprees online!

One of the main advantages of online shopping is the convenience, but that is also one of its biggest drawbacks. It is possible to buy anything at anytime without having to push your way through crowds of people and without even leaving your own home, which clearly takes the hassle out of shopping. This, in general, is a good thing, but it can also be tempting to spend too much money, as it seems as if there is a lack of reality when buying online. No real money is handed over; you may get an email telling you that you've bought something, but until it arrives it doesn't really feel real.

Once you have created your own user account with an online shop, you simply type your email address and password and click on the item you wish to purchase, and it's yours. It is as simple as that, and you console yourself with the fact that it was cheaper than if you had bought it in a shop, thus justifying any further purchases you make. Consequently, you end up with more than you planned to buy in the first place, having spent more money and often ending up with things that you don't even want because they were 'bargains'. EBay is particularly bad for encouraging this kind of behaviour, as you bid on things because they are so cheap, even though you don't really need or want them.

It is therefore very easy to run into debt when you're continually spending with your debit or credit cards, without checking the impact it is having on your bank balance. However, even without online shopping people manage to find themselves in debt, it's just the internet has made it even easier.

Online shoppers also risk having their bank details stolen, particularly if they buy from an unknown source. Large online retailers such as Amazon have the resources to invest in high level security, and so there is less likely to be a problem with these websites, but smaller, less known retailers may find themselves dealing with hackers, which may end up causing problems for their customers. Besides, if shoppers are buying from a website they have never purchased from before they may find themselves being conned out of money paying money and getting nothing in return, and due to the international nature of the internet it can be very hard to police.

Despite the overall benefits of online shopping, there are certain problems which require people to think before they spend. Not everybody has access to the internet, and there is a danger that many well-known high street stores will disappear if they are unable to keep up with their online competitors, meaning there will be people who suffer as a result. In the main, though, people still like to spend money in shops, but are not always prepared to pay the prices being demanded of them when they can get it for much cheaper online. The good thing, though, is that most people actually have a choice how and where they spend their money.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Wilkinson.
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