Tips When Shopping Online

I'm not a big spender and my husband can attest to that. ;) I'm not really into brands but I look for items with top notched quality at an affordable price. These days, products found on malls are really expensive regardless of the quality.  I sometimes find myself leaving the mall empty handed because the prices for me are unacceptable.

Then come to the rescue - Online Shopping! I'm thrilled that this platform is slowly gaining popularity. Why not, the products are much much cheaper you would realized how overpriced mall items are! And I'm not talking about knock offs. A lot of the products offered in the web are authentic brands. It's cheap because sellers don't have to pay for administrative/operational stuffs like space, staffs, utilities, etc. But of course you still have to be extra diligent when purchasing online be it thru Multiply, Ebay, Sulit, Ayosdito, etc.

Here are some tips when buying online:

1. Always search for seller feedbacks. Ebay, Sulit and I think Multiply have these. Buy from buyers with positive feedbacks. At least you're confident that you're buying from a genuine seller.
2. Check the measurements posted in the ad when buying apparel or shoes. Don't just rely on standard sizes like S,M,L because actual measurement sometimes vary. Usually online sellers include measurement in inches or cm in their ads but if not, try to ask the seller first by leaving a comment or PM before buying. Be sure you get your own measurement so that you won't regret buying an item too loose or too fit for you.
3. Compare items from different merchants so that you will get the best deal. Look around in different sites, different sellers. More often than not, the items you wish to buy are being sold by several online stores as well. So compare, compare, compare. Some carry lower prices than others but when you add the shipping cost, it is still more expensive. So consider all that before making your decision to spend.
4. Checkout the payment method offered by sellers. Usually, they accept payment thru bank, money transfer (gcash, smart padala, lbc), paypal, credit card or meetup. Choose whatever is more comfortable to you. I personally prefer paying thru gcash as it is sooooo much easier since i can pay at the comfort of my own home, anytime. I rarely buy from a seller who only accepts bank deposit because I'm lazy to go to the bank and fall in line. :) So when I see that a certain seller accepts gcash, it's an added plus. 
5. If in case you received the item and found a defect or a wrong size/color were delivered, make sure to contact the seller first and let them resolve the issue before leaving a negative feedback. They too make mistakes you know.
6. Lastly, leave feedback. Since feedback from their past customers help you decide to buy from them, it is only right to leave feedback (positive or negative) in order to help other customers as well.

There you go. I hope these tips can help you when you decide to purchase online.

Happy Shopping!