How Can I Tell If An Item I Buy Online is Good Quality?
Shopping online is a great time saver, and there are tons of options for online retailers these days. But how can you tell if an item is in good quality when you are shopping online? Let’s look at some tips to ensure you get the high-quality items you want when shopping online.
The Brands You Trust
Shopping online for your favorite brands is a great way to ensure quality. If you have had good experiences with a retailer in the past, sticking with them is a great strategy. For clothing, you will want to buy items made from quality materials, well-constructed, and delivered to your door with great customer service. For example, if you always buy your women’s activewear from a specific retailer, there’s no reason to change what is already working.
In addition to having good experiences in the past, be sure to learn about retailers from their websites. How long have they been in business? Where are there brick-and-mortar locations? Do they have reviews online from previous customers? Do they have a sustainability policy that aligns with your values? The more you know about a prospective online retailer, the more information you will have to make a good shopping choice.
Read Up!
When you shop in a brick-and-mortar store, you can pick up a garment, feel the fabric, inspect the stitching, and try it on in the dressing room before you decide whether to buy it. When shopping online, you need to take a different tact to achieve the same level of success. In addition to searching for garments that look like they could make you look and feel great, research them. An online description of the garment should describe the style, fabric content, details about the construction, and available sizes, colors, and designs.
For example, if you are shopping for a women’s polo shirt, you should be able to click on it and see content, including a thorough description of details like the collar, side vents, and fabric content. It can be helpful to have a list of qualities you like in clothing and see if it matches. Do you prefer wrinkle-resistant shirts? Does it need to be machine washable? Do you like to know where the fabric comes from or where the garment is made? If a site doesn’t have good descriptions of its garments, that is a red flag.
A Little Help from Your Friends
One of the easiest ways to find high-quality items online is to ask a friend who buys similar products what their favorite online retailers are. Do they have go-to women’s dresses, jeans, blouses, or T-shirts that they would recommend? A trusted testimonial is invaluable.
If you don’t personally know someone who shops there, do they have online reviews of specific garments? If so, dig into these. Don’t just look at the fact that it may have four stars and assume it is fine. If this is a new retailer to you, read through the reviews and learn about how other customers rated the women’s shorts, tank tops, or sandals you are thinking of buying. You should be able to learn about quality, fit, price, and customer service. Sometimes reviews will go into helpful details like a pair of women’s shoes run small, so you should order a half size larger, or an item looked nice, but then the stitching ripped a week later.
If you follow influencers to get fashion ideas, over time, you can get a feel for not only whether their style meshes well with your preferences but also how trustworthy their opinions are concerning the quality of items they recommend.
Returns Happen
Even when you do your homework and go with a trusted brand, sometimes you need to return or exchange a pair of jeans, a skirt, or a swimsuit. Ensure the retailers you buy from have a great return policy. Before you buy, read the fine print and make sure you are okay with the terms. Does the retailer require a receipt to return an item? If so, hang on to it for a while until you are positive your new shirt or jacket is a keeper. What is the time frame in which it allows returns? 30 days? 90 days? When does the clock start on that? The day you order the item, the day it ships, or the day it is delivered? If you do have to return an item, does the retailer pay for shipping? If not, is there a flat fee for return shipping, or do you have to foot the bill yourself?
By doing a little homework, you can buy fabulous high-quality items online. Happy shopping!