Online Shopping - a Time Saver and Money Waster

In today's society many people use the Internet to do their shopping since it is so convenient, especially for clothing items. Just type a few words, click a few links, type your credit card number, and there you go, in just a few minutes you found exactly what you're looking for and it's on it's way, right? Maybe not. You may think you found what you're looking for but you won't know until it arrives, after you've paid for nonrefundable shipping and handling charges. Online shopping may not be the perfect solution you had hoped for.

So you're thinking, a few dollars in shipping isn't much in comparison to the time you would have spent driving to the store, looking through racks and racks of clothes, and waiting in line, so online shopping is the way to go, or is it? Online shopping may be convenient but it is more costly than people think.

You get your package in the mail a week after you ordered it during your online shopping spree, you try on your new clothes and realize they don't fit. Of course your online shipper has included a handy return label in case you aren't satisfied, to make your life easier. Easier? Yes. Inexpensive? No.

Now you need to send the package back to the retailer for a refund but of course you need to pay for shipping again and you won't get that money back, or the money for the original shipping which is usually at least $7 or $8 either. Some online shopping companies will also charge a restocking fee, I've dealt with companies that charge up to a 20% fee for this. If you bought a shirt that cost $15 or so, it may actually be cheaper to keep the shirt than to return it. After all the shipping, handling, and restocking fees, there is a chance that you'll end up spending even more than the value of your clothes. Do you still think onling shopping is that great?

Is your time really worth losing this money? Only you can decide if online shopping really is the solution for your needs. Different brands produce clothing that fit differently so you never know how something will fit until you can try it on. Maybe it's time for people to stop relying on online shopping so much and return to the old ways of shopping in person. Shopping in a mall may take longer than online shopping but without being 100% sure that your purchases will fit, the mall will be the better, cheaper option.