Shopping Online 101
- Aug 14, 2018
- 5 min read
Oh online shopping... how I love thee. How freeing, how delicious! No crowds to muscle through, no parking to find, no pants required! Plus, getting packages in the mail is kind of the best. That thrill just doesn’t wear off. Although, it’s super great to order your wardrobe from the comfort of your own bed, it’s can be a little tricky navigating the choppy seas of online shopping. I shop online a decent amount and, let me tell you, there’s nothing worse than opening the long awaited package only to feel your giddy heart sink with disappointment.
That's when the 5 stages of shopping grief sets in.
Denial: This must be mislabeled- this can’t be a large. This must be an extra extra small with the wrong tag.
Anger: *Wordlessly hurls box into back of closet. Pouts for hours. Eats all ice cream*
Bargaining: Well I guess I can re-purpose this into a pillowcase or maybe they have a great, fast, friendly return process…
Depression: I don’t know why I even try. Clothes are pointless and so is existence.
Acceptance: F*ck it.
We’ve all been there. With a little bit of preparation, you can minimize the disappointments. There’s still a bit of risk involved in shopping online, but with these lil' tips you can make that risk a little bit more calculated.
Know your body (and love it)
Sizing is the biggest issue I’ve had with online shopping. Clothing companies like to pretend sizes are relatively standardized but… no. A large in one brand could be a medium in another. A 10 could fit like a 12 or a 6. And if you’re ordering from another country…. Forget it. This is why you need to pay close attention to the measurements. Most sites provide item measurements which can seriously help you know which size you should order. Drape a tape measure around your neck and measure yourself as you shop.
And remember, measurements are just numbers. Knowing your numbers is simply a tool to help you get clothes that show off that beautiful bod. Don't let them have any power over you.
Not all measurements are created equal.
Most measurements will measure all the way around the area, but some places use flat measurements.
Flat measurements are taken when the garment is lying on a flat surface. This means if the bust is a 16” flat measurement, it'll be 32" around.
Waist Vs. Hips. Some people use waist and hip interchangeably. They are NOT the same. The waist is usually referring to the smallest part of your mid section, usually near your belly button. Hips are the widest part, encompassing your buttocks. Some companies provide you with an image showing where on the body each measurement referrers to. If so, that is awesome. If they don’t, it’s good to know the difference.
Here is a great site that explains different measurements
Get to know size translations.
Each country uses different numbers or letters to notate sizes. What’s an Italian 42 and will I fit into that? I usually do a few google searches to figure out the comparisons. You’re lucky I like to get nerdy. I like to use this site to compare sizes.
ALSO inches are not used everywhere. In fact… pretty much no one but US uses inches. SO I use this CM to IN converter to quickly see where I’m at. If you’re a real over achiever, you can write down your measurements in CMs so you have them handy.
Shipping
Watch this video and thank me later. You won't regret it.
The other complaint I hear all too often is how dang loooooong it takes to get your items. Let’s face it. A lot of online shopping comes to us from Asia. And, I don’t know if you know this but…Asia’s a hella long way away.
The shipping times quoted to you on a clothing site are usually AFTER processing time. So if something says 4-6 weeks, that’s after the 2-4 weeks of processing. LOOK AT THE SITE’S FAQ’s for this valuable info. If you’re fine waiting 30 days for your stuff, that’s great, but check to see how long their processing time might take. You could go through 2 fricken months before you see you beloved purchases. Sometimes this isn’t a bad thing. I often forget about my purchase and then out of nowhere: YAY a present from past me!
Also- be aware of shipping costs. Sometimes it’s only a cool couple dollars to grease dem wheels and get it quicker- often it’s a hot $20-$30.
Deals
I'm a deal hound. I love a good steal. But sometimes that means I end up with some real sketchy stuff. Simply put: you get what you pay for. If it seems to good to be true…. It probably is. I know… I hate it too. It’s BS. BUT it’s kinda true. BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t get some decent stuff for a low price. I'm a real cheapskate so I tend to stick to sites that are ideal for my broke-ass lifestyle.
Here are two of my favorite places to snag things for a low price.
You’ve definitely at least heard of this popular app. It puts a ga-jillion used and new items at your fingertips.
Pros:
Price- People sell gently used and new items for quite a bit off the original price. You can get name brand for mid to low prices.
Offers- You can make offers on items you’re interested in. As long as they are reasonable, most sellers will accept your offer.
Tip: click like an items you actually… ya know… like. any time they lower the price Poshmark notifies you. And sometimes when a seller sees you like an item… they’ll lower it quickly to pique your interest.
Cons:
Overcrowding- Anyone can post clothing for sale on this baby and boy do they. It’s definitely saturated with sellers. So if you want to sell your stuff, it can be a little hard to compete.
Item representation- You’ve got to be aware that some items may be misrepresented. Ask questions, look at measurements, view the pictures. Make sure the item is going to be close to what you think it is. Most sellers are happy to clarify for you.
Shipping price- Everything costs a base 6.95 for shipping. No matter what the item is. Sometimes you can score discounted shipping, but that’s up to the seller.
Wish:
It’s like Amazon’s weird little sister.
Pros:
Price- Oh man, this stuff is CHEAP. I found my dream swim suit for $50 elsewhere, and then ordered the same baby on wish for $9. Be careful, it's easy to go hog wild.
Reviews- Most items have a bunch of reviews discussing things like quality and fit. SUPER helpful.
Cons:
Size- Since most items are coming from China or Japan, the sizes are usually on the small side. My Large swim suit ended up fitting like a smallish Medium.
Quality- Some of the items can be cheaply made or look a little different than the picture. That’s why those reviews come in handy.
Ship time- It’s a bit of a wait. I think 4 weeks has been my typical wait time.
And here's an awesome list of places I haven't tried but really want to.
Now I want to hear from YOU. Where are you favorite places to shop online? What problems have your faced? Lay it on me baby.
We’re all in this together.
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