Ways to Avoid Being Disappointed When Shopping Online
We’ve all been there. You spot a pair of trousers online that looks like it will fit in nicely with your wardrobe—the kind of pants that seem to match your needs, your style, and your budget. Everything looks right. You get out the credit card, place the order, and wait.
Then, the trousers come. They’re not like what you saw online, and when you try them on, they look nothing like how you imagined this pair of pants would fit. Disappointed, you fold the pants away into some forgotten corner of your dresser. Years later, when you move, you find that old pair of pants and wonder where they even came from.
Needless to say, that’s not the kind of “five-star review” situation you were hoping for when you first made the purchase.
Avoid these moments of disparity by following these five tips:
- Match up your size with each company’s sizing chart. Most online shops feature a sizing guide that tells you exactly what you can expect from their shirts, trousers—whatever it is you may be shopping for. If you make a purchase while ignoring this sizing chart, then you only have yourself to blame when the item comes in too big or too small. If you don’t know your size, purchase a tape measure and take the measurements yourself—or, better yet, visit a tailor and have them write down all of the relevant measurements you need.
- Check each site’s return policy. Don’t make a purchase online until you know what will happen if you’re not happy with it. If you don’t peruse the return policy of the site you’re browsing, then you should be prepared for the purchase to be a total loss. Luckily, in the world of online clothes shopping, many stores like Berle offer a reasonable return policy if an item doesn’t fit or match your expectations.
- Take care of your item, even if it’s not right for you. Return policies tend to require that your clothes are returned in the same “brand new” quality in which they were delivered. Even if you don’t like your clothes, you should be ready to return them, which means taking care of them in the interim, before shipping them back to the online retailer.
- Purchase from reputable websites. It’s one thing to buy from Amazon—another thing entirely to make a purchase from a website you’ve never heard of before. Try to do some online research to find a reputable online store so you can ensure that you’ll get the customer service you want.
- Look for complimentary tailoring. Berle, for example, offers complimentary hemming on trousers to ensure that you’re getting the pair of pants that you want. That’s the type of touch you should look for when you’re buying online. Otherwise, you’re simply playing a game of “trouser roulette” and hoping for the best pair of paints.