With technological advancements increasing each year, most of our life has become dependent on them. It’s impossible to think of our days without some form of modern convenience. Especially during covid, literally everything had to be done online, including shopping. 

However, shopping on the internet is a tad different from buying retail. Especially with sizing, since you can’t actually try the product. But Whether you’re a rookie, or proficient in the art of online shopping, we have you covered.

It’s All About the Size, Baby

The first step to cracking the online shopping game is to know your measurements. (Bust, waist, hips, inseam, height). A soft tape measure that wraps around your body is recommended for this task. 

When you’re looking up sizes, compare them against yourself for an accurate assessment. If possible, scour the reviews to see if someone of your height and body type has something positive to say. This way, there’s a lesser chance of you ending up with a garment of the wrong size. 

Another thing you can do is measure some items of clothing already in your closet that you really love. That gives you a template to mold your future purchases on. (Remember to measure all dimensions – hand-span, waist size, length from shoulder to hem, from armpit to armpit etc).

Material, Material, Material

I can’t stress the importance of finding out the material enough. Take a look inside your closet and inspect the tags. Which ones are itchy, irritating or just plain uncomfortable? Are there fabrics you’re allergic to? What’s the weather like where you live? What kind of activities do you plan to wear this in? Has the material been sourced sustainably? How long do you want this to last? These are some questions that need to be answered while choosing the fabric. Such information is usually available in the product description or the “About” section of the website.

There’s No Online Shopping Without Reviews

Thank you, captain obvious. But seriously, only a fool would but a product online without looking at the reviews. Some sites even let you filter reviews for body type and height. Not to mention that you can post pictures and receive responses from the company in question! Reviews are an effortless way of determining the quality and experience of the product without jumping headfirst yourself. So use it well. 

A word of warning though- Many brands purchase bots to flood an item with fake reviews. If an item seems to have a lot of 5-star reviews from suspicious accounts with no description, it’s probably a bot.

If It’s Not IRL, It Could Be Edited

I hate to say this, especially during an age when internet is more of a home than our actual place is. But as it goes, anything you haven’t inspected irl could be edited. While some red flags like blurry, unclear and overused images are pretty obvious, others may not be. 

Ideally, the item should be photographed from multiple angles and from each side.

Specific details like zippers, tags, and embellishments should also be displayed clearly. If it’s just randomly laid out (rather than someone wearing it) or if the angles and colors don’t add up ( one particularly sneaky way sellers do this is by photoshopping the same item into different colors and pasting them on the same model), you’re better off not buying it. 

Nothing is Too Good to Be True

It looks great, it’s in your size and is so cheap that it wouldn’t have cost more had you stolen it? Something’s going on here, and no it’s not just your excitement. More often than not, in such conditions the quality may be  lacking, or the photos have been morphed to make the piece appear better than it really is. Either way, this could be a scam, so keep your guard up when you come across such items.  

Extra Tips

Even though online shopping isn’t that big of a landmine, it still helps to remember these tips-

1. What fits the model won’t necessarily fit you.

2. Check the length and width of the garment when you’re checking your measurements.

3. Check the sizing system by country to get the correct size(Eur/Us/Aus).

4. Check all the angles, labels, shipping costs as well as return policy.

5. Secure websites that encrypt data are the only ones you should log into. (For reference, the ones with ‘https’ are the secure ones)

Closing Thoughts

Like it or not, online shopping is here to stay, especially with newer variants of covid coming up. So look on the bright side and have fun with the latest fashions as you shop them online! 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Give the Gift of Hollywood Glamour this Year