How To Work Safely With Online Retailer
Choosing an online retailer can be a daunting task, but it is very important. Just like traditional local shoppers, online shoppers must carefully compare online retailers, rather than just jump on the first option offered by the search engines.
Traditional shoppers have learned since childhood where to go to buy what they want, but a brave new world beckons – and many shoppers are clueless about how to navigate it. They order an item and it is the wrong color lot. They take a chance on a new lawn mower and it fails upon encountering the first rock.
The first step that the fuming consumer takes is to blame the online retailer, but there really is enough blame to go around. Choosing an online retailer is an art, not a science. Even if you do everything right, you could still be wrong. Here are some of the reasons why your retailer might not be at fault.
The Price Driven Decision
This may be the biggest of the consumer crimes. Thinking of your pocket-book, as opposed to what you want in a product can cause you to see things that really are not there at all. It looks great in the picture, the description is spot on, and at this price how can I say no? This is the wrong way to go.
First, do your homework and learn the easy way what earlier customers paid dearly to learn. You must read customer reviews – wherever you can find them. Many online stores are offering reviews now, although amazon remains head and shoulders ahead of most of these for completeness and number of reviews available.
You don’t need to buy here, but it should be your first stop for information on the product, and on the online retailer who sells it. If a retailer screws a customer, that customer is welcome to say so on the record – and nobody will write a review faster than angry customer will.
The angry reviews are the most informative. If a product, or an online retailer pulls a fast one, the offended customer wants YOU to know. Once a review rises above two stars its value falls in terms of helping you to size up a product from the negative point of view. Study as many of these as you can, take notes and make your decision after a day or two of deliberations.
Making Price Comparisons
Once you have done your homework and selected a product based on your needs, the next step is to find that very same product at the best possible price. You will need special tools for this step, such as a good comparison catalog. There may be many places online to find a good catalog able to do this, but we offer a very good one right here at Sincere Product Reviews {link to catalog} that will do the job quite nicely. Just enter the product and up comes a list of stores with current prices. Just visit that store directly from the catalog and make your purchase.
Prices vary wildly among online retailers. Type almost any product in this catalog and you can see price variations as great as a hundred dollars or more.
These price deviations are NOT trying to cheat you. These typically happen when an 
online retailer wants to reduce inventory to make room for new products or simply because the retailer is planning to discontinue a product. Heck, the retailer might even be planning to go out of business. To benefit from these fluctuations, you need to know the price of the product right NOW. A catalog like the one that we recommend {link to catalog} is always up to date – and can help you to save a heap of money. Use it to select a reputable online retailer who is selling what you want at the best price.
online retailer wants to reduce inventory to make room for new products or simply because the retailer is planning to discontinue a product. Heck, the retailer might even be planning to go out of business. To benefit from these fluctuations, you need to know the price of the product right NOW. A catalog like the one that we recommend {link to catalog} is always up to date – and can help you to save a heap of money. Use it to select a reputable online retailer who is selling what you want at the best price.Failing to Understand the Product
Now, you have selected your online retailer, we have a larger problem.
Certainly, cost is one of the first things that consumers consider when comparing online retailers or even traditional retailers, for that matter. However, even more important than the price is your need to understand the product – especially where online shopping is concerned. You might pay more – but you are more likely to get exactly what you thought you were buying.
The online retailer has limited options to help you here. You must read the reviews as suggested earlier – but you must make sure that you really understand the nature of the product. Do not skimp on the information. The specifications are there for your protection. Take a moment to understand them. Too often we read a complaint from an irate customer that another customer points out a solution for – found right there in the manual!
They will buy a power generator and complain that it quit after a week, when the manual clearly says to oil it first. Alternatively, they will buy a cooking pot and claim that the handles melted when canning their favorite fruit – when the product description clearly says that the handles are plastic, and not ceramic or metal and should not be put to use in such circumstances.
The point is this: if you miss these things then others likely will too – and they will warn you ahead of time, if you take time to do some homework. As we said earlier, you want to be sure to read the “one star” and “two star” reviews to understand what the problems with your intended purchase might be.
You should also contact the store and talk to someone who understands the product well enough to answer your questions and if the product is available locally, take a run down to the store and kick the tires.
These steps will help to guide you toward a more informed choice.
Ignoring the Online Retailer Returns Policy
Here it is, real simple. Online shoppers must also always understand the return policies of the online retailer in question before making purchases online. Ideally, what you want is a no questions asked return policy – and if you can’t get it, you might consider either buying from another online store or putting an agent such as amazon or PayPal between you and the seller.
Behind such an agent, if you have issues with the product, your powers will amplify substantially. You should find that you can get a refund almost immediately, with little hassle or delay. If a retailer won’t (or can’t) sell through these agents, this only serves to benefit them – not you - so tread carefully.
There is soooo much more to say in this post that I hate to end it here, but you should have enough tips to help you to work effectively with an online retailer. If you need more information, there is plenty of it over at the Sincere Product Reviews main website. You can find the link below.
Shop Smart & Prosper
Sincere Product Reviews
Main Site: http://sincereproductreviews.com/
Shopping Center: http://sincereproductreviews.com/products/
The secret to dealing with common problems of any kind is simple. You simply need to factor these possibilities into the online shopping experience, right from the beginning. Then, when these problems do occur, they will cause less stress and frustration because you will have developed a plan to deal with them.
They are disappointed that after such a long wait, they must now be bothered with a difficult company bureaucracy, stubborn store policy that resents losing a sale, and foreign support agents who understand little of what you are saying, and you understand them even less.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of our Founders Series where we get insights and analysis from founders of various different companies in the tech industry. Justin Garrity is the VP of Product and Marketing at Postano. Justin has over 15 years…