What You Need To Know About Online Shopping

In America we're two months into quarantine with little to no public areas to go to, including our favorite stores. But the show must go on- or in this case, the shopping. Although many stores are opening back up with a smaller limit to the number of occupants, the reality is that this virus is still a threat. States are slowly opening back up, but more for concern of the economy. Yes, you should still go out to get groceries (and support local businesses if you can!), but the coast isn't quite clear enough to go out on a shopping spree to Sephora or Forever 21.

However, don't cancel that shopping spree just yet.

The beautiful (and possibly scary) thing about the digital age is that almost anything we need is right at our fingertips, and shopping is no exception. I know many people who avoid online shopping when they can- who can blame them? Tons of websites out there are scams and we've all seen YouTube videos of disappointed girls trying on cheap, paper-thin gowns that have no resemblance to the picture on the website. But now, with everything going on, we have to be flexible for our own safety. If you've ever been skeptical of online shopping, it may be because you're unaware of the certain precautions one should take before ordering online. Here is a list of need-to-know online shopping tips that will definitely save you- and make the most of your money, too.

1. Check the reviews... all of them.

This one may come as a no-brainer, but hear me out. When you're doing you're online shopping, do you just click the reviews, read the first three, and then approve the item and add it to your cart? Well, the truth is that reading the reviews on the website just isn't enough. Most of the time, reviews are fake and written by freelance writers who are hired to write positive reviews on the product. Even if the review and the account look legit, freelance writers are given the task days or sometimes weeks in advance in order to build up a believable profile for themselves before writing the review. Here are some things you could do to ensure that you're getting the product being advertised to you:

• Search up the company's Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter page.

• Read the comments on their social media pages to see how they engage with their audience.

• Search "[Name of Store] [Season] Haul [current year]" on YouTube. For example, if you wanted to see product reviews about Romwe.com, you would search "Romwe spring haul 2020."

• View the pictures of the products in the reviews on the store's website. They often differ from the edited pictures that are taken by the company.

• Watch out for reviews that claim the product runs "too big," "too small," "loose," "tight," "a bit long," "a bit short," etc, and consider taking them into account.

2. Know the measurements.

When shopping online, it's obvious that you won't be trying on the clothes before purchasing them. However, you can still best prepare for a more successful online order if you know your measurements and the measurements of the clothes and accessories that you intend to buy.

If you're buying a bag, pay attention to the size of the bag against the model, and review the length, width, and height in the product description. When buying clothes, take into account where the clothes are coming from. Different body types are commonplace in different areas of the world. Brandy Melville is a popular brand, but the brand is Italian and therefore runs smaller sizes. Yesstyle is a popular website for Korean and Japanese clothing, and so their clothes sizes run small as well. This is when it's important to read the product description to get a more accurate vision of how the product may fit.

It's also important to know your own measurements. I've only had to use three measured areas for my online shopping experience- bust, waist, and hips. Depending on what you're buying, you're pretty much set with just those three. I recommend using a tape measure for accuracy.

3. Check for model info.

Sometimes when online shopping, you may be able to access "model info" in the same area as "product description" and "reviews." They usually just list brief information about the model- usually just their height, weight, and what size they're wearing. Here are certain products that you should consider the model info for.

• Purses. The bag may look to be a certain size in the picture, but compare the size of the bag to the model. How big is the bag compared to her hand, phone, or anything else that may be in the picture. Bags are also sometimes compared to iPhones and tablets- which, in this case, would be the models.

• Dresses. If you're shorter or taller than the average person, this one is for you. You and the model on the website may both be a size small in dresses, but if the hem of the dress is just above the model's knees and she's 5'8, you can assume it'd fit you like a gown if you're 5'1.

• Skirts. This applies in the same way as dresses.

4. Beware "free shipping."

It's one of the four letter words that everyone wants to hear- free. And sometimes, especially now, online stores are offering free shipping with a minimum purchase of a certain amount. But before you aim for free shipping, take these certain things into consideration.

How much is the shipping? Let's say you're shopping online at Sephora, and shipping is free with a minimum $50 purchase. Let's also say that shipping is roughly $8. You're buying your favorite jar of moisturizer, which could easily cost $40 at Sephora. Do you aim for the the free shipping by adding another product? This is where the explanation gets tricky, but it's really simple in reality. If the shipping is already around $10, you could make the most of your money by adding a lip balm or a Sephora brand product and getting the free shipping. However, if you were shopping for more sheet masks and your total only came to about $15, there's really no need to try and stretch your purchase to $30 more just to achieve free shipping. In the second case, you've spent around $50, when you could have potentially only spent around $23.

Free shipping is a great motivation to spend more, but remember that's exactly what it is- motivation to spend more. As in spending more on things you may not really need.

5. Take note of shipping policy.

During this time, shipping time has been extended on most websites. The site should have a Covid-19 statement on their homepage, which usually lists how they're handling it with their company, their staff, and any changes that may have happened in their policies. Here is where you can find the revised shipping policy, and the details may also show up as you're checking out.

If the website you're shopping from is based overseas, that factor along with the pandemic may extend the shipping time up to a month or more. Personally, when shopping from Korean brands, they normally take about a month to ship on a regular basis. Because the shipping time was already so long, I haven't made any orders since their online stores have changed simply because I'm not really looking to wait a possible two months for my order to ship. It all depends on you and your own patience.

Without knowing the shipping policy for a product, two weeks could go by and if you haven't gotten a delivery, you could believe that you've gotten scammed if you're used to three-day or four-day shipping. And if you're just shopping for some accessories or new clothes- no worries. There aren't many places to go out when you're in quarantine. You won't be missing out, even if you don't receive your clothes until the end of the month.

These five key tips for online shopping are sure to enhance your experience and make you an all-around better shopper. It may be hard adapting to these new practices as consumers, but when you know how to do it, it's really not as nerve-wracking as some people think. Please utilize your new online shopping tips, and stay indoors when you can!

Keep things sweet (and safe)!

-xoxo, Sugar Spice