Hello everyone. Some things I love to buy online, like books from Amazon. Today I ordered from Lucky Vitamin and bought some makeup, foundation powder. It's so darn hard to judge the colors online. I hope what I bought will work. I don't wear a lot of make up but prefer to buy animal free products. I have slipped though and buy Burt's Bees Lip Tint. It works and it's cheap. Also ordered some moisturizer and makeup remover. Both repeat purchases so I know what I'm getting there. Are there things you find more difficult to buy online but do?
@Kitty Carmel I buy a lot of automotive parts. Lately, I have found pricing on-line to be much more attractive than those locally, in parts stores. However, and it's a big point, ordering on-line prevents prior inspection: what if the part received via on-line purchase does not match, or fit, or offer the equivalency necessary, i.e., electrical characteristics, or physical shape to allow installation? Recourse? Return to Seller? Fortunately, I can usually "second-guess" those things acceptably. The car forums are bursting at the seams with stories decrying misrepresented parts as far as their origin is concerned. Precision assemblies, for example, such as wheel hubs containing roller bearings, are often found to have materials of inferior characteristics mechanically, roller bearings having inadequately hard steel, which fail prematurely, for example. So, I bought brand-new rear wheel hub assemblies for our Explorer, which had presented a rear wheel bearing grumbling along for thousands of miles. Complete failure of such a bearing could, at worst, allow a wheel and tire to separate from it's mounting completely, allowing the moving vehicle to careen wherever Destiny drove it. At best, a collapse of the suspension, possible vehicle damage, and great inconvenience. I ordered the "cheapies", learned when I received them, they were labeled "Made in China". Just the bearings wailed over as miserably inadequate. They've been in there for 50,000+ miles now, trouble-free. But, I have an "Ace-in the-Hole" possessed by few others: I tested the bearings' hardness qualities, found them in line with USA produced parts. Thus I felt I was not taking a chance. Frank
I've given up buying creams online, they are usually all hype I have found one I like from a store so will stick with that Only buy make up if its a repeat buy - you're right Kitty, colours are very difficult to determine with most things online I buy clothes online if its easy to return
I love buying online especially now we moved abroad. My last purchase a big bum saddle and no I have not got a big bottom. If you cycle distance I find it more comfortable.
I buy stuff for my iPhone and iPad online. Like the covers and charger cables. Don't feel like going to a crowded Apple Store.
My wife bought a "rejuvenating" type facial cream online. She used it daily and we took iPhone pics of her face daily for a couple of weeks. The stuff didn't work at all! Unfortunately, in ordering this cream, that was at a nice discount price, the company ended up sending her another jar (not ordered) and charging her cc $150. She contacted the company and had them stop the automatic sending/charging of the cream, but didn't want to refund the cc charge. She then contacted the cc company and they talked to the company and the refund came thru. This is like the music from Time Life Magazine advertised on tv. A person is suppose to be able to stop the automatic shipments of cd's, but that doesn't happen. The shipments can be stopped, but it does take some doing to have it happen. Basically, some things just shouldn't be bought online, like shoes. Luckily, the tennis shoes we bought me online came from the website of a local store. We were able to return them to the store. Before ordering online, I like to check local stores to see if they have the item I'm looking for. Sometimes they do, other times it's an "online only"/"not sold in stores" type thing and can only be bought online. Currently, I'm looking for a pointed (concial) tip for my soldering iron. A "chisel" end tip came with the iron, that is definitely not good for soldering a wire to a pcb. I tried it and had a heck of a time trying to do with the chisel tip, but was finally able to do it. I called some stores around here, but nobody sells soldering tips. Have to buy this pcb concial tip online. Just bought a wheelchair and crutches online. Stores only have display merchandise for these items and they won't sell those. Really knew the type/cost of the wheelchair and crutches we wanted and when the came to us, both were fine. Bottom Line, when buying online: "Buyer Beware"!!
I only buy online through Amazon and mostly online prime. They are very good about returns and refunds.
Being new to buying anything online I ordered a remote control for an audio/visual system made by Sony. My mistake was assuming that all remote controls were the same and purchased the wrong one. Fortunately, the cost was one that I could live with and didn't ask for a refund. A lesson learned.
I'm learning to love shopping online. Seems I find what I need there, and seldom, even searching every store, do I find what I want, at the right price. I like Ebay so far, Overstock gave me a really poor service on a contour pillow so doubt I will shop there again, maybe one, more try. We'll see. I've bought Stevia online, and other herbs and vitamins and good prices. Some makeup, if I already know the brand, and tried it. It's just easier too online, for me. I don't enjoy getting out to the stores, especially in crowds. I don't mind walking to a store, and grabbing small amounts of things I need. But driving to a Mall, or any store, and doing full-blown shopping, yuck. But my town is small, and is not stocked very well. They order too much and people don't buy, they order too little, and too many buy, go figure
That's another thing I'll buy online, electronics, but only after researching the product. I bought a remote for my DVD player, a new MotoE phone, and case to match, DVD's, only new ones in the products I buy. A new keyboard for my laptop just to name a few things so far
I never buy shirts or pants online. Shoes usually turn out to be what I expected them to be as far as size goes, but it seems that every online retailer uses a different sizing scheme for pants and shirts. Having never received anything that was the right size that I have ordered online, I have quit doing that. In the store, I don't usually have a problem. I seldom try anything on before buying it, but the stores that I shop in use the same sizing scheme so I know what fits and what doesn't. The only brick-and-mortar exception that I have come across has been Burlington. Although I used to have no trouble buying clothes at Burlington, the last couple of times I was there, nothing was even close to being what I expected from the label.
I didn't think about clothing bought online. I don't like the idea because I can't try it on. Especially shoes, but really, anything. When I go to a store, it's always hard to get things that fit well because I'm out of proportion, or at least I don't "fit" the popular sizing methods. I hear a lot of women complain about finding things that fit right yet they look great whether they are into the larger sizes or small sizes. Clothes seem to be made to fit some sort of robot people, lol not real folks I was just now looking for Stevia online, I'm going to shop for an ounce of that and see if it's any good. It's a hard thing to find in this small of an area, atleast the bulk product, or what I call "the real deal"
Thanks for all your replies everyone. I think shopping online can vary greatly. I do like to shop online but somethings can be more difficult than others as it seems all experience. I had a chuckle at Cody's wife's experience with the face cream. What I ordered is something I've already used. I'll go to the health food store, try samples and then usually order online because it's cheaper. I've ordered a couple of clothing items from QVC. Not my favorite but at least if they have an item they have it in all sizes. Luckily since I wear a uniform to work, I don't have a lot of clothes.
@Cody Fousnaugh "Currently, I'm looking for a pointed (concial) tip for my soldering iron. A "chisel" end tip came with the iron, that is definitely not good for soldering a wire to a pcb. I tried it and had a heck of a time trying to do with the chisel tip, but was finally able to do it. I called some stores around here, but nobody sells soldering tips. Have to buy this pcb concial tip online." Are the tips easily removable? Judging by the work description, this is not a big soldering iron, perhaps 50 watts or so. Can you simply re-shape the tip to what you need? Some are plated with iron to resistant heat corrosion better than copper, so grinding one off would reduce it's useful life. Frank
My biggest On Line Purchase was a 2001 Toyota Camry XLE that I negotiated while living in New Zealand and planned to pick up on my return to the U.S. I knew exactly what I wanted and what I wanted to pay. A deposit was made using my credit card and I picked the car up in Sacramento and paid the balance. It was the best car buying experience I have ever had. I still have the Toyota which just turned 90,000 miles. Living half of the past 17 years in NZ where I had another vehicle didn't put many miles on the Toyota.