Online Shopping Guide

This is an internet shopping guide I wrote based on my past experience as an e-tailer and my ongoing love of shopping online.

1. You WILL return items, guaranteed.

You are shopping online because you want cool things not easily found near you. This doesn’t mean that you should accept making mistakes and keep what you don’t like.

2. Buy multiple sizes in the items you love.

If you buy an item in one size, the odds of its working out for you are at best 70%. The industry average for returns is 30%. The only stores that get away with low returns are stores that sell basics with a generic, loose fit. You’re not at XenoModa for that.

I admit that I have the results of failed online orders still in my closet. A size small that fit like a tent, a dress meant for a girl with huge boobs and a tail in the back, and something that I didn’t expect to be so stiff. Times have changed. Returning items has never been easier.

3. Order enough to get free shipping, if available.

Say you buy $120 worth of merchandise but you don’t think you’ll keep everything. Even if you send back the entire order, all you pay is about $5 to 8, what they would have charged you in the first place. If you keep the clothes, you’ve saved the money. This means you pay $5 to 8 to try things on to your heart’s content and then return what doesn’t work for you.

4. Take a quick look at their shipping and return policies.

A few boutiques will actually NOT accept returns on sale or clearance items. I think this is ridiculous. You may just have to convert the thing that doesn’t fit into a pillow cover. Some offer shorter return windows on sale items, which IS acceptable.

Many sites also offer free return shipping. Some care about postmark dates, which is great. Some want to RECEIVE them by a certain date. Just pay attention. I purchased from one store, and if you use their free return labels, there is no guarantee the package will get to them on time and it is not trackable. No problem. I printed a Priority Mail label online. You get free Priority Mail tracking by printing a label after you register for an account at USPS.COM.

5. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

The easiest way to ship something back is to fill out a USPS 2976 Customs form if that’s what method you’re using to ship. Rates start at $17 for Flat-Rate International Priority Shipping. If you think you’ll be ordering from abroad with some regularity, it’s worth picking up some supplies from the post office including Tyvex envelopes.

Nothing is guaranteed with international shipping unless you want to pay a lot. Consider UPS for more valuable items. But note that they limit their liability to something ridiculously small. I just crossed my fingers when I had $4000 worth of wholesale items shipped to me from Europe.

6. Unless it’s a sale item, it’s likely you’re paying list price for the designer garment you’re buying.

In my experience, jumping around from site to site is very time-consuming and reaps few rewards. This is because designer labels only approve a finite number of retailers to sell online, and there is an understanding, if not out-and-out agreement, that prices will be kept at a certain level in order not to piss off the brick-and-mortar boutiques, who by the way, are very important.

With sale prices, no problem. You probably are getting a good deal and should jump at it. Some sites don’t admit it, but they sell last-season or overstock designer clothing. In these cases, the price given is probably quite good and you are unlikely to find those particular styles elsewhere.

7. Do visit your local boutiques.

First of all, these boutiques are usually privately-owned enterprises built from sweat and tears. Secondly, there are people there. Did you know that you can actually ask for a lower price? Especially if you are buying multiple items. It will not hurt them if it makes you happy and likely to visit them again. They will not resent you. They will be glad that you took the time to haggle if that means you stayed and bought instead of freaked out at the price and left. Note that if your request is met with a blank stare, ask kindly if they could ask the manager, thank you.

8. Reward positive online experiences.

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I just placed an order for men’s underwear and some lovely new dresses just a few days before I wrote this, using my own advice. Sure enough, there are items to return, but the ones I keep I love.