With the COVID-19 lockdowns, online shopping has become almost ubiquitous. You can buy just about anything online and have it delivered right to your door. Some online sellers, like Amazon even offer free shipping (Amazon Prime gives you free next day shipping on many items). Sometimes you may have to pay extra for expedited shipping but it still save you a trip to the store, which is significant if, like us, you live 40-50 miles from town! Many stores offer to let you shop online and then they will deliver your order to your car so you don't even have to go into the store. Home delivery is also sometimes an option, either by the merchant or through one of the online delivery services like Grubhub, Ubereats, or Doordash. Delivery charges may apply but the added convenience and the extra protection against COVID-19 may be well worth it if they are available to your address.
Online shopping works well for things you don't need to try on. You may be able to make informed choices for shoes and clothing if you know your sizes but always check the return policy in case things don't fit when they arrive. Most manufacturers follow pretty commonly accepted sizing practices but some items run larger or smaller than normal. Be aware that shoe sizes are very different between U.S. and European sizing. Conversion tables are available if you need them. Less personal items, like tools and appliances that don't require fitting are good candidates for online purchase. That being said, personally I find the way a tool feels in my hand is kind of important so if how something feels is important to you, you might want to make sure you can check it out in person before buying it or the the seller has an acceptable return/refund policy. Keep in mind it is fairly common for you to have to pay the shipping costs for returns and you may have to pay re-stocking fees so returns are not always free! Sometimes it is better to just buy your new item and hang on to the old one in case you find a use for it or can resell it online or at a garage sale.
One good thing about online shopping is it is usually pretty easy to check around to make sure you are getting the best price and the best product. Some websites, like Amazon, even offer alternate sources. Ebay usually has an option to sort your search results by lowest Price+shipping so you can at least see if there is a better price from another seller on ebay. There are also many online price comparison websites that will search the web for you. Just Google "online price comparison" to get a long list of candidates. Being able to compare products and prices can help you get the best products and the best value. It is a lot easier to check multiple sellers online than it is to drive around town checking products and prices at various retail stores.
Many of the items we need or want to support camping, RVing, or boating can be purchased online and usually don't require personal fitting. Many of the tools and pieces of gear we use are readily available online and usually don't require any hands-on fitting make them excellent candidates for online purchasing. You can usually find several possible sources that can help you make better choices whether you complete your purchase online or at a retail location. Online sources for camping, RV, OHV, and boat items include websites for retail stores and online retailers like Amazon.com. I often find what I need on ebay.com or craigslist,org. I have been quite amazed at the extensive variety of products now available on Amazon.com, many with free shipping if you have Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime started out at $99 a year but now I think it costs $129. It includes free shipping on many items on Amazon.com and access to many streaming online programs. Many items that qualify for Prime are even available for next day delivery! Keep in mind that free shipping has to be paid for somehow and sometimes it is added into the item price so very often it can pay to do some comparison shopping. Always compare the total cost, including shipping and handling, not just the item price!
When shopping on line you won't be able to do the kind of hands-on quality checking your would be able to do at a retail store. That isn't a problem if you are buying brand name merchandise you are already familiar with. For other items, consider the reputation of the seller and look for product reviews by other buyers. If you have any doubts be sure to check return policies. If how a clothing item feels is important to you or you have any concerns about how it fits, make sure you check it out at a brick-and-mortar store before buying it online unless you already know how it is going to feel.
Country of origin might be of concern to some shoppers. Made in U.S.A. is often used by American manufacturers to promote their products. Today's global market place has largely erased the differences between countries of origin. I remember, way back when I was a kid, that "Made in Japan" had very negative connotations. For a time you would sometimes see things labeled "Made in USA", note that was USA, not U.S.A. Japan actually named an island Usa so they could play that name game! You might remember a little exchange about "Made in Japan"between Marty McFly and Doc Brown in Back To The Future. In Doc Brown's 1955, it was a slur, but in Marty;s 1985 "all the best stuff comes from Japan". I also recall an amusing comment by a Russian astronaut in the movie Armageddon where talking about computer components he quips "Russian parts, American parts, all made in Taiwan!" Country of origin might affect shipping times and is sometimes, but not necessarily always, a factor in quality or durability. That being said I am still a big fan of anything "Made in the U.S.A."
It can be helpful to check out customer reviews if you have any questions, but reviews are not always accurate or honest. Less ethical sellers may post multiple positive reviews of their own products and dishonest competitors might most unfavorable reviews. You can sometimes detect fake reviews by unusual grammar or very similar or even identical wording. I like to look at a number of both positive and negative reviews to try to get a balanced picture of what other customers have reported. Sometimes you can track a particular reviewer's other reviews to get an idea of their personal bias too. I have noticed that people are far more likely to spend time bitching about something than acknowledging good products or service so I tend to take at least some of the negative criticism lightly. Also consider the total number of reviews and the ratio of good to bad reviews. A few bad reviews among many good ones will not deter me from making a purchase. I often find reviews tell me a lot more about the reviewer than they do the product!
Always check your shipping and handling charges before submitting your order. Sometimes you will find bargain prices are offset by excessive shipping and handling fees. While some high fees might be legitimate, there are some sellers who deliberately under price their products to suck you in then make it up on high shipping and handling charges. If you question shipping and handling costs you can usually use size and weight of your package to verify legitimate charges from the seller to your zip code. You should be able to get online estimates from UPS, Fed EX, and the United States Postal Service (USPS). Be aware that some large items have to shipped via commercial trucking companies and that can be quite expensive, but most of our online purchases qualify for normal shipping via UPS, Fed Ex, or the USPS. I have seen small items that were sent via First Class Mail with single postage stamp that sellers charged several dollars for shipping and handling! Somebody was charging a high fee for just putting something in an envelope and mailing it! I recently found a small, $11 item online with a shipping charge of $23! Suddenly the trip to town is looking more affordable! When I had trouble finding a local source I went an entirely different route.
Another hidden expense that might pop up sometimes are local taxes. Online sellers are at the very least required by law to charge sales tax if they have any physical presence in a state that charges sales tax. Other taxes may also apply. Note, even if YOU are located in a state that has no sales tax but you send a gift directly shipped to someone in state that does have sales tax, sales tax will be added to your purchase, but the sales tax may be cheaper and certainly faster than re-shipping the item from your home.
Online Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, and Duckduckgo can be used to find alternate sources for most items, allowing you to track down the best price and/or fastest or lowest cost shipping. You can also compare similar products from different manufacturers to read product reviews to make sure you are getting the best value and that the product you choose will meet your wants and needs. Positive reviews can strengthen your confidence but even negative reviews can sometimes provide valuable insights into a product. Personally I tend to be a little wary of extremely negative reviews and often find the reports say more about the reviewer than they do the product!
Online price comparisons can help you find the best overall price. Here is a link to the results of a Google search for ''online comparison shopping''. There quite a few options that can help you track down the best price.
Some popular online websites that I have found useful for getting things for camping and boating include craigslist.org, ebay.com, and amazon.com. Craigslist is handy because it has local listings. Ebay is "the world's biggest garage sale" and has a wide variety of new and used items, some of which are often hard to find anywhere else, and I am frequently surprised by the wide selection of things on amazon. You can also find online shopping for most large retail stores and many of your smaller local outlets.
Online shopping can be an convenient way to get things you need or want. If nothing else you can use online shopping to compare brands and prices in preparation for a trip to the store.
Shop line and enjoy it!
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