The pros and cons of online shopping

The boots Liz bought last week from Styletread.com.au

The Internet can be a really dangerous place. Particularly for those of us with credit/debit cards… Ever since I turned 18 last year and got my first debit card, I have loved online shopping. It’s really easy, it doesn’t make you feel as guilty about spending as when you’re in an actual shop, and EVERYONE loves getting parcels!

Of course, for all the reasons that online shopping is fun, it’s also dangerous. When you’re not actually in a shop, parting with your hard-earned money suddenly becomes a lot easier, and you find yourself spending much more much more frequently. I ordered a bunch of stuff from Typo late last year (for uni! To be organised! I promise!) and it was free shipping over $50, so I bumped my order up to get the free shipping. Normally I would NEVER spend that much at once, but with my hand on the mouse it all felt a lot less real. Of course, when I checked my bank balance later that day, it felt real!

Another thing I’ve found is that if I buy something online, the purchase doesn’t go into my ‘brain-catalogue of shopping trips’, so the next time I go shopping I think to myself “wow Liz! You’ve been so good and not been out shopping for ages, you’ve been really responsible and saved well, so you can treat yourself today. A few new books, maybe a scarf and a lipstick…” and then I get home and I remember that last week I ordered a dress from Modcloth that’s going to be arriving in the mail sometime soon.

Of course, the final dangerous thing about online shopping is that what you get might not be what you expect. This is particularly important with clothes and shoes when you can’t try them on and check sizing or style, but even ordering a notebook or some sort of household trinket can be risky when you can’t touch or see the actual thing you’re buying.

I’ve been pretty lucky so far in my online purchases, but I did once buy a dress from Modcloth (which I generally love for online shopping!) that ended up being way too big. As this site is based in America, shipping it back for a refund would have been way too expensive, so my mum got the dress and I got a box full of disappointment.

So online shopping is dangerous financially, and it’s a risk, but as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s also brilliantly fun and a great way to save time if you need something, or if you’re stressed and need a little instant ‘retail therapy’ without leaving your bedroom (which I do not necessarily condone…).

If you’re going to enter the world of online shopping, I’ll recommend my two favourite sites:

Modcloth.com

American-based, as I mentioned, and a little pricey for tops and bottoms, but if you’re after gorgeous, indie dresses that hardly anyone else in the country will have, seriously check them out. Shipping is fairly reasonable, particularly if you buy a few items. I have bought two dresses, a skirt and a coat from Modcloth and I love them all. One of the dresses is my absolute favourite (it’s a ‘Too Much Fun’ dress on the site, if you’re interested!) and the bright-green coat is going to get a lot of use this winter. Returns and refunds are hard, but sometimes the risk is worth it. They also have up to 20 new items every day.

StyleTread.com.au

This is an Australian-based shoe-shopping site, and offers free shipping, returns and refunds, so you can basically treat it just like shoe shopping, but a slightly more drawn-out process. I have two pairs of shoes from StyleTread, I Love Billy gladiator sandals, which were $35 on sale, and brown Therapy ankle boots, which I bought last week for $59.95 (appropriately named given that they were a stress-induced splurge that I didn’t think all that much about!). Both pairs have fitted me perfectly so far, which is surprising considering I have tiny little size 5 feet, but I bought these shoes without much worry anyway, because of the returns policy.

So final words: Maybe you're safer not to get into online shopping, because let me tell you, it is SO easy to spend way more than you intended. But at the same time, it's a lot of fun. I'm still deciding myself, but I am thinking about giving my debit card to my parents to mind...