Beware of Online Shopping: Here Are its Pros and Cons

BENGALURU: The word ‘discount’ or ‘sale’ can hit your pockets hard without you realizing it. Online shopping is in fact a revolutionary concept that came in this century. It is convenient, cheap and saves a lot of time. Online retail market has more than what one could expect, true, but it has its pros and cons as well.

Indian retail industry was predominantly a seller’s market, but with the advent of online retail it has now become the buyer’s market such is the tremendous growth in the industry.

There is no denial in the above statement but from a financial angle we have got to be wise while shopping or these so called sales could get hard on your pockets. Here are some eye opening pluses and minuses of online shopping. ET reminds us to beware!

 Pros:

# Well of course there is an undeniable ease of shopping online. No walking, no crowded market hassles, and no bargaining either. And we no longer need to spend our precious weekends in tiring markets or malls. Shopping apps are now available on our PC and on our mobiles. And most of all there are ‘n’ numbers of discounts what more can we ask for.

# And yes we save the frustrating auto or taxi fares. In fact your orders are delivered to you at your doorstep. And there are all kinds of payment options allowing you to choose from what best suits your pocket. Debit or Credit Card Payment, Cash on Delivery. The best part is you have the easiest ways to return the product.

Cons

# Did you realize that the shopaholic in you cannot resist the cravings for shopping if you have those mobile apps in hand? There is a hidden loss of money when you shop online. Paying liquid cash allows you to count the amount you spend while shopping and hence you know when to shop. Window shopping online doesn’t really exist. More often than not we end up shopping as the deals and products seem so appealing and tempting.

# Like I said the word ‘sale’ is quite dreading. Remember that ‘Sale’ doesn’t always mean that you need those products. Very often the products on sale are not really the kind which a common man would need. Well, it is not bad to buy things off sale but it is always wise to comprehend whether or not we need those products.

# We need to chalk out our budget for each month and reckless online shopping may break into your budget and you might end up with nil bank balance by the end of the month. Sticking to a planned budget is a must. If necessary you can even give an edge to your online shopping every month.

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