Shopping Online is daunting to most of us cautious South Africans. We are not as fearless as Americans when it comes to the online world. From the endless amount of scams we hear about we are happy to stay clear of purchasing anything online for fear of being swindled out of our hard earned money.
So here is what I've learnt as an online South African shopper.
#1. Where to buy?
If you are new to shopping online you may not know where to buy from, the best thing to do is a little research on the site. One of the easiest ways of finding out if a site isn't dodgy is how popular it is. You've probably seen ads on TV, newspapers and magazines for certain online stores, these are most likely to be safe. I've found that if a site has strong marketing, they tend to be genuine. Websites like takealot.com, zando.co.za, spree.co.za and computicket.co.za are amongst the most popular and safest online stores in S.A.
Another way to find out if a store is secure is to check out their social media like Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. I usually go to their Facebook page and browse through the comments on the wall made by their customers. What the customers say can give you a real idea of what the site is like as well as give you an idea of their quality of goods.
But it's not all about popularity there are amazing smaller online stores out there, which are just as good and sometimes cheaper than the bigger stores. Finding out if they are secure isn't difficult at all. Take note at the caption on items, if its riddled with spelling errors and screams something like "SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE, GET YOURS NOW!" in all caps red flags should go up immediately! Stores generally take their time to focus on their websites, streamlining it to be as professional as possible, they are seldom sloppy so if you ever come across something that looks like its been put together by a 4 year old, stay clear!
Not all stores have websites though, some work through social media like Facebook and Instagram to sell their products. These are a bit trickier to judge, but again look at the comments on the page and I don't mean the first 3 comments you see, really go through as much as you can. Also messaging or emailing an online store can help determine how safe they are. If they take the time to give you a detailed reply on their products and they don't avoid your questions they are most likely safe.
A lot of it actually is based on how you can suss out what is safe or not. You can usually tell if something is fishy just by your intuition.
#2. Prices
So you've found an item that you simple love and can't wait to add it to your cart, but before you do this it's best to have a look at the sites FAQ (frequently asked questions)page. There you will find out all you need to know about the products you want to purchase.
A lot of the times you see an item on an online store at a really good price but there are things you need to consider first before you get an unwanted surpises! Make sure the VAT is included in the price, most places include VAT in their price but it is always good to know before you get to the check out and you wonder why 14% has been added to your total.
Most times we can get caught off guard with the additional cost for delivery. It's sometimes not stated clearly on the site due to the fact that delivery costs can vary and this is dependant on:
- weight of your purchases,
- where you live,
- if you need a next day delivery,
- if your package is coming via a courier or through the post office.
Saving Tip: Some stores offer free delivery on purchases over a certain amount, this can work in your favour if you have a couple things that you would like to buy, because you will be saving on shipping costs.
Just like shopping at physical stores we often like to get the best and cheapest prices we can. You can look at online stores the same way. While shopping online for jewelery one day, I was ready to proceed to payment but decided to look around and see if I could find the items I wanted somewhere else. Sure enough I did and at a cheaper price as well!
Saving Tip: It is always good to look around before buying from the first place you find. Another thing to consider is, getting the items from physical stores at your nearest mall. This can save you the cost on delivery fees.
#3. Purchasing
What is important to remember when purchasing online is that no legitimate online store will ask you for your:
1. Bank Pin
2. Online Banking Password
3. Online Banking profile number
4. Online Banking Pin
Most sites require you to make a purchase from a credit card or cheque card.These cards usually have a really long number on the front, the expiry date and the 3 digit number on the back. .
When you get to the process payment page you will have to fill in the name on the card as well as the required numbers. A safe site will always allow you to go through your purchase again to make sure everything is correct. You should double check all fields as well as the total and if you are happy with everything you will be redirected to another page that will require a pin from you. What happens is, after you have entered your credit card details a pin is sent to the cellphone number registered to that bank account. Once you get the pin you can enter it in and your purchase should be complete. This is a real safe way of making payment as the only way to complete the payment is by use of a one time pin that also expires after a certain amount of time. This means no one can use your information to make any other payments because they won't have your cellphone or email adress which is linked to your account.
Another way of making payment is through EFT (electronic funds transfer). Doing an EFT is simple, you just need an invoice from the site with their banking details. Use online banking to make payment and save the POP once it is done to a PDF and email it to the store. Once payment is confirmed by the store your package should be on it's way.
#4. South African Sites vs International
I personally prefer South African Sites compared to International. S.A sites to me seem more reliable in the sense that your parcel is less likely to to lost in the middle of the Atlantic! Not to mention when you buy from an international store you have to pay much, much more. Delivery costs are higher, there is also a possibility that you will have to pay all the importing costs such as tariffs, taxes and duties. Also if you have to return an item it's easier to do so with a company based in the same country as you. I dislike sites that price in dollars because when I look at something I need to know immediately how much its going to set me back without the hassle of converting Dollars to Rands. A nice thing about shopping online is that you can track your delivery, when I've made purchases I was able to track my goods online so I know exactly where they were from the tracking number given to me by the store. It's nice to know when your parcel has left one city and arrived in yours and when the parcel is on board the courier vehicle.
#5. Where I shop
I haven't shopped many places but I am starting to love shopping online because I don't have to put on pants to do online shopping, also online shops are open 24 hours a day so I can browse through clothes and jewellery from the comfort of my bed at 1 am in the morning!
Takealot.com is one of the best places to shop as you can find so many wonderful products, from electronics to nail polish! I haven't personally made a purchase there yet but I did scout out my own Birthday Gift from my parents and they just completed the purchase! I got my Remington Hair Curler there which I couldn't find anywhere else.
Onesie Original I got my unicorn onesie from them. They are a proudly South African store that makes affordable and fashionable onesies for all ages. I really wanted a unicorn onesie as unicorns are my all time favourite mythical animal! It was difficult to find onesies in S.A and I would have had to get it internationally until I found Onesie Orginal. You can create your own onesie from the colours and patterns they have available and the animal faces from cows to unicorns. They can also make custom onesies but you would have to contact them to find out more.
NailCandi for all your nail art needs this store is packed with so much! You could get lost in cyber space looking at their products, I got myself a few nail rings from them. They also supply different nail decorating items as well as nail art brushes and so much more.
Blue Bubblegum is a geeky store with from jewellery to figurines. They do not have a website but you can browse their Facebook page and check out what's on offer. You will find items from Lord of the Rings, Pokemon, Star Wars and many other fandoms. I got my Game of Thones Targeryan House necklace from them.
Other stores that are worth checking out is wantitall.co.za, loot.co.za, yuppygadgets.com, spree.co.za. If you are looking for products you can't find in S.A you can try importitall.co.za. I haven't purchased anything here yet but I am planning to in the future. All prices stated on the site are inclusive of all importing costs. Their delivery costs to major cities in SA is R60.00 and to other parts of SA its R99.00.
Now that you know more about shopping online, get your mouse finger ready to click on those purchases!
Now that you know more about shopping online, get your mouse finger ready to click on those purchases!
Extended Life Battery is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.
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