Hi, my name is Tiffany, and I’m an online shopaholic. ;)
I went to boarding school, now I’m at a lovely university that seems to believe fashion is Adidas shower slippers & free T-shirts, & did I mention I don’t have a car?
Full disclosure: my online shopping mania led me to find StyleSays on a friend’s Facebook wall and then bother them until they let me get involved with the site. :)
So yeah. I shop online a lot, & I’ve learned a few things along the way!
5. Free returns: rarer than you think!
In my experience, less than 1/5 of online stores offer free returns.
Can you imagine getting fined $5-15 for buying something from a local boutique and then returning it?? Stores that include a pre-paid shipping label often deduct the cost of shipping from your refund without warning you. NOT cool, man.
Wanna know if you can get free returns on that item you’re thinking about?
4. Try a smaller merchant!
Don’t be afraid to try a new site!
Small stores, especially Etsy & eBay merchants, are often spectacularly good about answering questions. You can ask them to hold items, to measure dimensions, or even for more pics.
3. Shop around, but not too much!
When you see the piece you want at the price you want, buy it! It seems obvious but comparison shopping can be addictive and 10 options is not always better than 1.
If you’re on the fence, don’t let it sit in your shopping cart forever! You’ll feel silly when it goes out-of-stock. If it is indeed an item you only want to purchase on-sale, find a way to save it so you can come back to it later. Or better, spare yourself having to remember and angst and just get a sale alert with StyleSays :)
2. Don’t shop after 2 AM!
You’re delirious! You’re gonna regret this in the morning! Get back to bed, silly.
1. Friends don’t let friends shop alone!
I know online shopping seems like an inherently solitary activity (cue image of blank-eyed girl scrolling page by deadening page) but it doesn’t have to be!
Friends offer a good reality check when you’re going crazy, a kick in the behind when you’re dragging your feet, and they often know your style better than you! Isn’t it always more fun to shop for other people at birthdays and Christmases?
I’ve got friends all over the country (world, really), and after college I know we’re going to be more scattered. Even when my friends & I are in the same city, we chat and browse online during coffee breaks, on lazy Sunday mornings, & when the boss isn’t looking(…jk) :)
Bonus Round!
Final tip?
www.stylesays.com Try it. It’s the best way to shop online with your friends.
Throw out that first image. Picture instead you and your friend strolling down Rue de La You, made of all your favorite stores, & everything your friends have picked out.
With a magic wave of your hand everything that catches your eye—but that you aren’t ready to buy—is put away for later, never to be lost, and if it goes on sale your personal shopping concierge will let you know.
Speaking of which, he brings you everything you ask for but only what you ask for! And he alerts you if and when you’ve earned free shipping, whenever a store has free returns (rule #5!), etc.…everything a girl needs to know!
So get in line and for goodness’ sake be generous and share the invites with your friends! You’ll need someone to shop with, after all! Invite 3 friends and you might win any pair of Yotam Solomon shoes you like—we’re talkin’ handmade leather pumps. After all, we’re all about sharing ;)
<3 Tiffany!
