10 Things I Hate About Online Shopping

Last week I talked about the things I love about being able to shop online. It seems only right that I should provide balance by sharing ten things I hate about online shopping. I know, you didn’t think it was possible but it’s true. Please note, this list does not apply to every online clothing shop.

In no particular order:

Lack of Product Info

When it comes to online shopping, there are a few things I consider standard information when it comes to clothing. They are things I would look for if I were in a store: material, washing instructions, sizing information. Not all shopping websites offer product info and this is a sure fire way to turn me off because there is nothing I hate more than buying a $20 top and finding out when I get it that it is dry clean only. It’s different if I know ahead of time.

Paypal

In this day and age, if they want to do business online they should be offering Paypal as an option for making purchases. It annoys me when it is not offered (or worse if they offer it only for credit card sales), mostly because that is where I keep my online shopping money. I’ve been using paypal for seven years and I love the convenience and security it offers.

Sold Out

High on the list of peeves, items that are sold out and still listed on the website, is near the top. If something is sold out, take it off the site. I hate clicking on an image and finding an item is sold out. If it is sold out it should disappear. Plain and simple. It wastes my time with the extra clicks especially if there are more than a few items.

Longer to Get Answers

One of the things I hate about online shopping is the lack of support. Now this doesn’t happen often but it does happen; usually when the site doesn’t provide enough information for my shopping experience — shipping locations, costs, return information is standard and I should not have to email or worse, call to ask a company about them. They should all be easy to find on their website. But with the times I have had to email, in most cases, I have heard back within 24 hours. Depending on the stores online hours, (some are 24 horus) within the hour.

Invisible Plus Size Section

I’m referring to multi-size websites that do not have the plus size tab or link on the main page but make you go looking for it. This is a good way to lose shoppers. Also using uncommon descriptions; when I glance over a website I’m looking for the term “plus size” not “full-figure” not “womens” and not “extended”. Plus size is the recognized standard and has been for some time. Use it and make it easy to find.

Inconsistent Sizing

Couldn’t they all get together and use the same sizing? It would make shopping so much easier if they all adopted the same units of measurement for busts, waists and hips.

Returns

I seldom return things but it is definitely more inconvenient than going to the store. Although some shops are working to make it incredibly easy to make returns from online purchases.

No Personal Fashion Show

Trying on clothes is like having a mini fashion show starring me. One of the things I hate about online shopping is that I can’t try things on that I know I won’t buy but want to see what they look like on anyway. It is very minor and definitely would not deter me from online shopping but still something I hate about online shopping.

Poorly Designed Websites

Loud music, flashy, too many clicks to get to where I want to go, and constant pop-ups are key factors in a poorly designed website guaranteed to piss off more people than please.

Shipping Costs

This is my absolute constant complaint. I hate being gouged when it comes to shipping costs; especially between the U.S. and Canada. If it costs $9 to get clothing shipped from the U.K. it definitely shouldn’t cost me $30+ on the same continent. There are shops out there that have a minimum shipping cost of $30 to $50. As soon as I see that I’m gone. There’s no way it costs $30 to ship a skirt and top at one shop and $9 at another.

You might think from looking at all these that I don’t like online shopping but that could not be further from the truth. For every shop out there doing things wrong there are at least five more doing things right.

Be sure to read the 10 Things I Love About Online Shopping.