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Five things which could cost more when bought online

June 29, 2018 03:09 PM

The Indian ecommerce industry has mainly witnessed its steep rise due to the considerable increase in convenience and reduction in cost for shoppers. While it is true that most of the goods online are considerably cheaper when compared to a brick and mortar store, there are many places where the traditional retail option holds its competitive price and value advantage.

Here are 5 such cases where the same goodwill cost you more when you try to buy it online:

1. Travel & Holiday Packages

It’s very common to book flight tickets, hotels and holiday packages online. They make it very easy to book an entire holiday plan within the comfort of yourhome.

However, many of you might not be aware, but doing the same via a professional travel agent or a hotel directly can help you save money substantially. This is because travel agents have collaborations with hotels and car rentals in different cities. Since they execute the bookings in bulk, they are privy to certain discounts, a part of which they pass on to their customers as well.

Additionally, offline travel agents also cater to one’s customized requirements resulting in improved service at a lower cost.Moreover, hotels often have their own holiday special packages, and loyalty discounts, which get missed when booking through an online agent.

2. Furniture,

Furniture, especially the big-sized ones, come under one’s long term expensive purchases. Their physical inspection is important to be able to properly assess the quality and how well it fits with one's interiors. Ordering furniture online canprove to be considerably costlier with dual costs.

This is because an online retailer adds a standard shipping charge plus a delivery surcharge on the total cost of the furniture. The bigger the size, the higher the total cost of purchase gets, due to increased weight.

Contrarily, a local brick-and-mortar furniture store does not charge delivery fees, if within a certain jurisdiction. Even if some extra charges are applicable, they can be waived off or reduced with a little negotiation and application of discounts.

Additionally, the offline purchase can give a chance to examine the furniture properly. As such, with the real visit before buying, there is little chance of you being disappointed with yourfurniture after purchase. If you need to return the furniture you bought online, the costs to ship back can more than make up for only a slight initial bargain. Ofcourse, the inconvenience cannot be accounted, which results in its own psychological cost.

3. Flowers

Ordering flowers online, even though very convenient, is not at all cheaper. As an item that needscareful handling, flower bouquets are typically charged more by the online retailers.

A local shop always offers a better and fresher bouquet, at a much lower price.Another disadvantage of buying flowers online is that the end product delivered can be damaged due to mishandling during delivery.Hence, if you need to order flowers for delivering in the same city as yours or perhaps, even for someone in your hometown, it is always better to contact a known local florist.

4. Children’s Clothes and Shoes

Children grow up way too fast. So, buying their shoes and clothes online can be difficult. It is rather tricky to estimate the size of your child without trying it on him or her with every buy. Also, the sizes vary from brand to brand. So, when trying out a brand for the first time, you cannot possibly choose the perfect size based on the current size your child is wearing.

In many cases, returns for clothes below a certain price meansincurring an extra return shipping cost. Apart from extra costs, very often buying children’s clothes and shoes online compels you to spend more time than save some.

5. Cosmetics and Skin Care Products

Cosmetics and skin care products are often more expensive online because usually, only the branded ones are available, as against the cheaper but good alternatives.

Additionally, if youare trying to buy a lipstick or a nail polish, you will agree that looking at the computer screen is not particularly an accurate way to ascertain the color.After placing theorder, you’re oftenleft with little choice if the shade is not as per your expectation.Another risk of buying skin care products online is that you cannot physically try them on your skin. As such, the product might turn out to be allergic or not suitable for you after a few applications

Since return for cosmetics is not usuallyapplicable, it renders theentire money invested a sunk cost if the purchase is not made right.

It would seem, that not all products which are available online may be cheaper than the traditional stores, and you need pay attention to what you are buying. However, when it comes to financial products like term insurance and investments, the story is far more reliable.

Buying Term Insurance Online

You should buy term insurance online because it is not only cheaper than the point of sale product, it is also more convenient and transparent. You can compare not just the features of different plans; you can also optimize your cost by adding and subtracting the benefits.

Thus, don’t just buy everything online, make a wiser decision, compare and buy.

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