Two Tips For The Online Consumer

The holidays are just around the corner, and you may or may not have already started shopping for your holiday presents. The global economy has taken a beating this last year, and more than ever it makes sense to spend wisely.

The internet is, if nothing else, a global marketplace where anyone can find anything with a little digging. It’s also a very competitive market where a smart shopper can do a lot better than they would in a brick and mortar store, and that competition also means that looking in more than one spot can yield even more savings.

I don’t need to tell anyone how to Google for something, but I thought I would pass on a couple tips I use when I am shopping on the web:

1. Shop reputable e-tailers. Great price isn’t the only consideration. Good customer service goes a long way toward my loyalty. The best price is not the best value if you can’t get satisfaction in the event you hit a snag with the purchase. You can sometimes get great deals on ebay, but if there is a problem you are on your own. Similarly, there are a lot of e-tailers out there that we have never heard of. Some of them are reputable, some aren’t. How to tell? One test is to check their About Us or Contact pages. NEVER buy from an e-tailer that doesn’t list a mailing address. NEVER EVER buy from an e-tailer that doesn’t list a mailing address or a phone number. Resellerratings.com has feedback on a lot of e-tailers, so take a look there if your spider sense is tingling.
   
   
   I am more than willing to pay a little more to buy from a legitimate business that I know has great customer service. Big nods of approval go to Amazon, Overstock.com, Newegg, and Woot!. Also, online operations for B&M retailers often have internet specials, and the same goes for them. You wouldn’t think twice about buying from that big box store, the same goes for their website. Just remember, you’re still paying sales tax if they have operations in your state.




2. Research your purchase. Buying online is great if you know what you’re buying. However, if you’re shopping for say, a down comforter, it kind of helps to see the merchandise before you make a decision. Not an option online. What now?
   
   
   There are several sources for consumer product reviews on the internet. Just because someone out there bought the same item you are considering doesn’t mean they aren’t an idiot, but consumer reviews viewed on the whole can provide a yardstick to give yourself some purchasing assurance. Amazon, Overstock and Newegg all have customer reviews on their product, which is doubly nice because you don’t have to go looking for it elsewhere. A third party option is Epinions. My beef with Epinions is that there is nothing to stop people from posting bogus reviews, so caveat emptor.
   
   
   Case in point: within the last month my wife and I were shopping for a new mattress. We loved Tempur-pedic, but were a initially a little shell shocked by their price. Internet shopping wizard that I am, it didn’t take me long to find an internet-only mattress vendor that made a product that was competing directly with Tempur-pedic, at about half the price. Everything about this company looked good, and the reviews on Epinions were solid. I was hours away from ordering a mattress from them. Then something just wasn’t right. My spider sense was tingling. Nobody hates buyer’s remorse like me, so I did a little last minute homework to put my mind at rest. After talking to the company I found at that yes, they did have a lifetime warranty, but no, they accepted no returns if unsatisfied. Big red light. I read all the Epinions feedback again, and it just didn’t sit right that it was so positive. In fact, a lot of these people were hitting the same bullet points, and I decided that I felt a lot of those reviews were probably left by employees of that company. End result? That week my wife and I went to a store that carried Tempur-pedic, found a mattress we both liked and bought it. I know we made the right decision, and the moral of this story is that crucial point has to be the end result of your homework: satisfaction with your purchase.
   
   
   Utilize consumer reviews, just realize that they can be false, and know how to read between the lines. Trust your intuition. Go with a purchase that “feels” right, and run away from one you have misgivings about.

If you successfully avoid the potential pitfalls of shopping online, the experience is great. The best deals, access to items that may not be available in retail stores near you, not having to fight the holiday shopping traffic and crowds, and the luxury of doing your shopping in front of your computer in some comfy sleep pants with a big cup of the hot beverage of your choice.

The most important point is that you and the people you love have the best possible holiday season.

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