How to smartly shop online

Whenever my friends come over to my place, I order food online. It’s easy, convenient and a popular option as most restaurants are simply a phone call away.   

During birthdays, I prefer buying presents online, and preferably have them delivered. This is all possible because of online shopping; a trend that is now growing rapidly in the country and is recognised as a popular mode of trade.   

But it goes without saying that accidents and deceptions happen, and customers should know the smartest way to shop online. The Daily Star has interviewed some of the buyers and sellers and listed down tips for ‘smartly shopping online’.

Read review: Online stores in Bangladesh provide all types of products ranging from home appliances to apparels, books, gift items, grocery and even beauty products. Therefore the buyer should always go through all the offers in different websites before deciding on the best value for their money, says Tasnuva, a university student, adding that one must not purchase anything online without reading a detailed review.

Don’t take a big risk: Online shops let buyers choose from a wide range of products, but also leave them confused. Sayeed, an employee of the Le Meridien Hotel in Dhaka says the biggest problem of online shopping is that you only see the picture and not the original product, and in some cases you are deprived of your desired colour or quality of a product. Therefore, it’s advisable to buy products which do not come with such risks. Simple options include books, gift items, toiletries, groceries, etc.  It’s better to avoid ready-made dresses, electronic goods and shoes, he added.

Not too expensive things: Although online shopping in Bangladesh is a growing trend and the total online sales is calculated at Tk 200 crore per annum from over 500 websites along with around 2,000 Facebook pages involved in this sector, buyers are often suggested to avoid buying expensive items like electronics from local online stores, said Saniyat, a businessman who alleges that he was tricked when he purchased a camera from a Facebook page. 

Keep track of evidences: It’s important that you keep evidence of your order, whenever you buy things online, says Maisha, owner of an online boutique. A buyer should always keep a print out of the receipt after ordering from an online shop however if you are purchasing directly from a buyer online, keep a screenshot of the conversation as evidence, Maisha advised.

Think twice: Sometimes to hike customers, online shops come up with very lucrative offers. In such cases a buyer should always follow the traditional ‘buyer beware’ rule said Faria, a student, adding that before giving in to such ‘lucrative’ offers, a customer should check, re-check and cross check – that is an additional research on the seller and to ensure that there is a contact person if anything goes wrong with the delivery.