Before you start ordering products online, these tips will help you experience the thrill of online shopping as well as forewarn you about possible issues and dangers associated with buying online.
Everyone ordering products online are drawn towards a shop because of a certain product in mind. In most cases, we end up finding about an online store when we specifically search for a specific item. I know for one, since that’s what I normally do. I even wrote reviews of some of the health and beauty products I’ve already tried. See posts Natuform Beauty Breast Product Review and Hokkaido Slimming Pills Review.
As for this post, two products I’ve ordered online were finally delivered. I found out about them by searching for general product categories. Next, I’ve found the shops by searching for a specific product name or brand in relation to the category. Both products deserve a post of their own but it’s best to write about them in a review after they’re tried and tested. But for the sake of mentioning the items, these are the Kzanah Manjakani Sarapat Plus and the Revitol Scar Removal Cream. I mentioned the latter in this post Revitol, Health Buy, and Markethealth.
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| Revitol Scar Cream |
Waiting Period
Going back to ordering products online, the first thing you should know about is the waiting period. Expect for items to be shipped in days or even weeks, such as in the case of international orders like mine. Kzanah Manjakani Sarapat Plus was shipped from Malaysia while the Revitol Scar Removal Cream was from the U.S. Even if you order locally, the speediest waiting time will be overnight, not including the time when you are still transacting with the seller or shop. So if you’re someone who can’t wait for orders, ordering products online is not for you.
For the Kzanah Manjakani Sarapat Plus, it took about 10 business days, not including the delays during the transaction period. But since I received the parcel anyway (earlier today), I’d like to credit the site where I got it from (site no longer active). The product I purchased is more affordable in this site compared to competing sites. It’s on free shipping too. Plus, the store owner Maria Hasnida Adam sent me a watch as a complimentary gift along with the items I’ve ordered.
As for the Revitol Scar Removal Cream, I had the set purchased directly from the distributor through their site Revitol Scar Removal cream site. It’s more than twice cheaper than the ones sold in the local market. It’s even made more affordable by the special promo I took advantage of. I even got an affiliate sale out of my own affiliate link. Is this ethical? Such a question was already posted in various affiliate marketing forums. It does deserve a separate post but let me just say I don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying from the same products you endorse. As for the delivery, it took around 14 business days. This was already a re-ship and the first one was never received even after over a month already. At least, the re-shipping was free of charge.
Customs and Fees
In relation to delays, ordering products online may lead to suspicion and even paranoia. Some had experienced instances where shipments were confiscated by Customs and a fee had to be paid which is even higher than the original price of the order. At least that didn’t happen to me and I only paid our local post office 40 pesos for the Revitol Scar Removal Cream and none for the Kzanah Manjakani Sarapat Plus. It’s because the latter was sent through registered mail and the former had a value of no more than $50. Technically, it’s free and the value is only at $14, the shipping fee paid over U.S.P.S. Customs often confiscates orders at over $50.
The second package for the Revitol Scar Removal Cream is already a reship, I really have no idea what happened to the first order. Health Buy (product support) doesn’t give out the tracking number and FedEx can’t find a package based on my name and other info. So I simply concluded that it may not have been shipped to begin with.
But I discovered a new sort of bogus like seller over Sulit.com selling the Revitol Scar Removal Cream in a major marked down price (Php 1000). It’s cheaper than the actual product price even after the discounts. I was thinking, “Is this person from Customs, got my package, never sent me a notice about it, and is trying to sell the products which are supposed to be mine at a very cheap price?” Wow! My thoughts are amazing!
Products Available Online Only
Despite the issue with delay though, what’s great about ordering products online is that some of the items cannot be found elsewhere and are distributed only over the web. Although you can’t physically see the product, you can at least watch videos, view images, read product descriptions, and compare customer feedback or testimonials.
Research!
Speaking of testimonials, research is another thing you need to know about when it comes to ordering products online. So before you hit that add to cart button, learn about an item as much as you can. Aside from the item, perform a similar extensive research about a seller or shop before you buy anything. There are numerous fake products over the Internet and it pays to know the difference between a genuine item from what’s not.
Payments
Next, be wary about payment processes when ordering products online. If you’re using a credit or debit card or any other payment method, make sure to transact only with trusted merchants. Both shops I got the international products from are trustworthy in their own rights. Also, note the URL of the payment window when you process fees. Is it HTTPS? The “S” denotes a secure protocol over the web with HTTP meaning hyper text transfer protocol.
With that, I’d say that ordering products online is actually not a scary experience. In fact, it is enjoyable if you know what to do. Some of the things you need to know about ordering products online are outlined in this article. So enjoy shopping online!
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