What Not To Do While Shopping Online This Festive Season

Right from the last minute exchange of a dress to a shopping bag gone missing, everybody has some horrifying festival shopping tale to tell. While you may be laughing at it right now, you did not find such shopping disasters funny when they actually happened.

So to save you from any such shopping goof-ups this festive season, we bring you a ‘not-to-do’ list of things, while online shopping this festive season.

Do not forget to check the Return Policies of the stores
Even under the best of circumstances, you may sometimes feel the need to return some of your purchases. Thus, it is very important to check the order cancellation and return policies of an online store. Following are some of the things you must pay close attention to:

· Within how many days can you return or cancel your order?
· Will you be charged anything for returning or canceling?
· Who will pay for the return courier?
· Will the money be refunded to your bank account/ credit card? Or will you only get it in form of store credits?
· In case you get store credits, within how many days do you have to use them?
· What is the phone number and/or e-mail address of the store?

Do not make big purchases without proper research
Diwali is a time for which we save some of our big spends, like buying a new TV, refrigerator, washing machine, AC, oven etc. However, that does not mean you don’t do your research beforehand. Once you have chosen the brand and model, make sure you get answers to some of the following questions before making the final decision:

· Is there a warranty on the product, and who honours it, the brand or the online store?
· How long is the warranty period and does it have any hidden terms and conditions to it?
· How good is the after-sales service of the brand/ company, and is it locally available?

You have the right to expect proper customer service even while shopping online, especially when you are buying something that may need regular cleaning or servicing.

Do not indulge in impulsive buying
Don’t just buy something because it is on sale. You will end up buying things you don’t need and you will overshoot your budget before you can buy things you actually need. So, make a list of things you need and stick to it.

Do not buy directly from online stores
When you come across a can’t-miss-deal on an online store, don’t just buy it. Chances are, you might get a bigger discount on it. Check out various online shopping communities like DesiDime.com, which has all the latest coupons and cashback offers from more than 500 online stores like Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm etc. all in one place.

Do not keep your online shopping cart empty around Diwali
If you have more or less decided what you want to buy before the grand sales begin, sign up or log in to the online store and add the products to your cart. However, do not proceed to checkout; leave the cart loaded and log out. In a few days, you might get an email from the store with a coupon, gift or an offer for a better price on your in-cart products. This trick may not work with every website, but you can still try your luck.

Do not stick to one online store
Even if you have found a really good deal for something you want on your favourite online store, you must go to other online stores and check if you can get a better price. Comparing prices of products across hundreds of stores is really quick and easy with tools like DesiDime’s Price Comparison which will give you the lowest online price of a product and any available deal on it, in a single glance.

(Image Credits: Indiatimes)

(About the author: This article has been written by Vandana Baria, Content Marketing Specialist at DesiDime.com.)