10 Drawbacks and Disadvantages of Online Shopping
The internet is revolutionizing the way we shop. As people embrace it, the adoption of online shopping is increasing each day.
Currently, a majority of people prefer online to offline shopping because of the convenience it offers. On a single platform, you can find a wide variety of products, and some great offers or discounts.
Although online shopping has many advantages, it has some drawbacks. Not everyone who has tried shopping online is happy with their experience. Many people prefer shopping at Burlington Mall or other retail stores instead.
The following are the top ten disadvantages of online shopping:
Disadvantage #1: Fraud
Fraud is the biggest disadvantage of online shopping. There are several fake online shopping portals on the Internet today, which display some great products on their websites to attract customers.
In most cases, websites that sell fake products don’t accept cash on delivery. They’re strict about customers making online payments. In the end, customers either receive a fake product or nothing at all. Cybercrime cases where credit or debit card details of customers are misused to make fraudulent transactions are also common.
Disadvantage #2: Delay in Delivery
When you go to a physical shop, you can purchase and receive a product immediately. In online shopping, this isn’t the case. Although it takes 5-10 minutes to buy a product online, it can take more than 4-5 days for it to reach your address. During big sales, the delivery time is even longer due to high traffic.
Even the best online retailers and shipping companies have their bad days. More often than you would imagine, items get lost, damaged, detoured, or delivered to a wrong address.
Disadvantage #3: You Can’t Touch or Test the Product
Another disadvantage of online shopping is that you don’t get to touch the product or test it before the transaction takes place. You only get to see an image and read the description.
Unless you’re intimately familiar with a product or brand, purchasing online is a leap of faith, which doesn’t always end in the customer’s favour. You can’t determine quality, fabric, cut, fit, heft or durability just by looking at a photo. Sizes are often imprecise. A product that looked great might feel cheap, awkward or chintzy when you hold it in your hands.
Disadvantage #4: You Can’t Bargain
Although you might have good bargaining skills, you can’t use them effectively when shopping online. One is only offered discounts, cashback and coupons, which aren’t the same as bargaining. With good bargaining skills, you can save a significant amount of money when shopping offline.
Disadvantage #5: Unknown Sellers
When shopping online, there are many sellers to purchase from. These include small businesses, individual sellers, and established and trusted chains or brands.
You can’t fully trust all the sellers you find online. While some have good intentions, others are just out to make a quick buck and disappear into the thin digital air.
It gets even more complicated if you place an order through a third party. You might not receive the product, or you might receive something completely different from what you ordered.
Disadvantage #6: Shipping Costs
When you first spot a product online, it often seems cost effective at first glance. Once you proceed to check out, you find extra charges like shipping, tax and packing costs.
In most cases, there are shipping costs involved, but if a product is being delivered within the country, or you spend beyond a specified amount, you may qualify for free shipping. When purchasing an item from abroad, these costs can rise to a point where it’s cheaper to physically go to the nearest physical store rather than shop online.
Disadvantage #7: Returning a Product Is a Headache
If you don’t like the item you ordered, you have the option of returning it, but the process can be daunting. While some sellers make this process a breeze, many make it extra hard. They do this to discourage customers from returning products for whatever reason.
Return policies differ from one company to another. Some require the buyer to cater for the cost of returning a product. Besides, shipping charges are non-refundable in most cases. On the other hand, if you physically hand-select your merchandise, you won’t be returning items so often.
Disadvantage #8: Unfriendly, Scammy or Complicated Websites
Some sites require you to join their mailing list before making a purchase, and they make unsubscribing impossible. Some go to the extent of selling your email address to others, leaving you with an email inbox full of ads.
Others don’t provide accurate descriptions of the products they’re selling. In some cases, you may not be able to figure out how to purchase an item or how to contact the customer service.
Disadvantage #9: No Sales Assistance
In a physical store, there’s usually someone ready to help you, but when shopping online, you’re on your own. If you have questions or you’re confused, you just have to rely on your instincts. You end up having to make blind purchases.
Disadvantage #10: Negative Environmental Impact of Packaging
Having your product packed in several layers of protective cardboard and plastic and delivered to your front door is a good thing. However, this is not good for the environment. The packaging methods for online shopping affect the sustainability of the environment. Even if you recycle the cardboard, shopping online results in unnecessary waste.
Even with the popularity of online shopping, many people have already experienced the adverse pitfalls of ecommerce. Sometimes, shopping in store is best.