by Sam E. Jones

Created on: May 31, 2010

While there are clearly many benefits to shopping online, such as not having to get dressed or leave the house to buy a new dress, shoes or computer, there are clearly some pitfalls as well.

One of the biggest problems with shipping online, just as it is for buying through a catalogue, is that things don’t always look like you think they will based on a picture on a web site. This applies to clothes, shoes, linens, and any other product where how it looks matters. Along the same lines, you can’t be sure how well things will fit if you buy them online. Sizes vary by manufacture and sometimes it seems even by season. So, it’s very difficult to shop online for clothes, because you just don’t know if they will fit or not.

Also, similar to worrying about what something will look like, is the problem of how something works once you have it in your hands. Let’s face it, online marketers make their products look like they will all be fantastic deals that will leave us smiling for decades. Unfortunately, the reality is, some products do live up to expectations, but a lot of them do not. Some don’t run as fast, others are too loud, some are clunky and awkward to use, others take an engineering degree to assemble or operate. With online shopping you always feel like you’re taking a little bit of a gamble unless it’s buying something you already bought from that site before.

Another big problem with shopping online is when you want to return something. Not only is there the so called “proper” way to return something, i.e. all the red tape you have to go through to return an item, such as filling out forms or looking up information, there is also the physical hassle of doing so. Consider the difference in this situation: You buy a microwave oven online, but when you get it, you discover it doesn’t work. To return it, you have to put it back in the original box, get a return ID or whatever they call it at the online store, take it to the FedEx place, or post office then pay to put postage on it. If on the other hand, you bought that microwave oven at say Wal-Mart, in person, and you get it home and find it doesn’t work, all you have to do is grab it and your receipt and take it back. That’s it. This is just one example, there are countless more, but the bottom line is, it’s always difficult not to mention a hassle returning stuff you bought online.

And finally, unless it’s a name brand place, when you shop online you always have to worry about whether the place you want to buy something is legitimate or not. And, you have to worry about whether your credit card information might be stolen.

So, the bottom line is, even though there are some real nice things about buying stuff online, there are always at least as many pitfalls.

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