The invention and widespread use of the Internet turned the world of shopping upside down. These days you can find almost anything you can think of online, including online outlet stores. While about 80% of Internet users shop online, the other 20% are still lagging behind. If you’re one of those 20%, these are probably some of the top reasons you haven’t joined the online shopping craze Savings. These are also five of the biggest myths of online shopping that we’re now going to debunk with the truth.
- Myth: Private Information is at Risk
Identity theft is at an all time high, so many steer away from shopping online because there is a big concern that your information is at risk. Shopping online requires you to be as careful as you are when shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. In a physical location, you wouldn’t leave your purse in the cart while you browse the racks or aisles. When you’re shopping online, you simply need to make sure that you do so on a secure network that encrypts your private information, such as your credit card number, before submitting your order. Secure websites typically have a secure icon at the top or bottom of the website to indicate your information is safe.
- Myth: It’s More Expensive
Many shoppers believe that the added cost of shipping and handling makes shopping online more expensive than shopping in the store. If you’re a savvy online shopper you can often reduce your shipping cost or avoid paying shipping and handling altogether. Many online stores provide free shipping if your order meets a certain amount or offer a drastically reduced shipping rate, where you may pay a few dollars for shipping rather than full price.
- Myth: Returns are a Nightmare
Return instructions typically come in the shipment box when you receive your order. While return instructions vary by the merchant, returning the item is typically as easy as affixing the pre-paid return shipping label to the same box your order came in and sending it back to the online store where you purchased it from in the first place. Other stores require you to pay your own return postage, so it may require a trip to the post office, which is equivalent to having to make a trip to the store where you made a purchase to return an item anyway.
- Myth: You Can’t Find What You Want
With millions of online stores, including online outlet stores, you can literally find what you’re looking for and more on the Internet. If you know the specific name or model number of the item you’re looking to buy, you can easily enter this into your favorite search engine to find a list of websites where the item is for sale. This is even easier than heading out to the one store in town that may carry the item to find out that they do not sell it. The Internet provides practically endless access to the products and services you’re seeking.
- Myth: It’s Easier to Go to the Store
It may be a matter of opinion, but you have to get dressed, get in the car, make sure the car has enough gas, fight traffic and locate a parking space before you even have the opportunity to see what items are for sale at a brick-and-mortar store. Shopping online only requires you to turn on your computer and connect to the Internet to begin your shopping journey. Which one sounds easier to you? Now that the truth is revealed for online shopping, you have the information you need to decide whether Internet shopping is for you.