Everyone has their own way of unwinding and avoiding the uniformity of an ordinary life, and when most individuals need a break, are stressed out or are simply bored, they go shopping. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, people had no other option than to shop online since all indoor store facilities were forced to close worldwide. While it may seem like shopping online was less of a hassle at the time, people  found that they missed going inside stores and shopping with friends. People also started to realize that online shopping brings higher chances of fraud, more fees and gives no opportunity to try on new clothes, none of which is ever an issue when it comes to in-person shopping. 

While shopping online, one of the highest concerns people face is the risk of fraud. There are multiple ways an online seller can scam a shopper, including getting that someone’s payment information stolen. Once an individual enters in their credit card information, the seller  has full access to their bank account if the website and payment is not secure. Most people take the risk thinking this will not happen to them, but it is something that people should be aware of. Another issue that is faced while online shopping is that the seller can take a person’s money then send them incorrect items or no items at all. With that, the seller might not offer returns, which means the shopper is forced to keep the wrong item and is not granted a full refund. 

When people  order from a company that is not located near them, the shopper has to pay for delivery fees. This fee can range from any amount of dollars and can be expensive depending on where the company selling these items is located. Once the shopper receives their package, the item might not succeed their expectations, causing them to return it. If complications with an order do occur and the seller offers the shopper to return the item, there are still fee issues that can arise. If the company does not offer a free shipping label and free returns, that means the shopper has to spend even more money. As a result,  the shopper could potentially have to pay for both the delivery fee and the return fee which could be more expensive than the original item purchased. 

Another struggle shoppers face is that they can not try items on until they arrive at their house. The item someone orders can easily arrive and not be what they anticipated. Material, sizing, and texture are all factors which cannot be determined until they are in the shopper’s hands. This can be an issue when the picture of the item shown on the website is not an actual representation of what the company sends. Not to mention, there is no guarantee when an item will arrive. For example, if someone has an event that they need a specific item for, they have to check the delivery date and give the package enough leeway to arrive before the event. 

Although lovers of online shopping can shop at any hour of the day, it becomes a problem when people disperse an absurd amount of money and spend too much time online. The preposterous prices are not good for someone’s bank account. While shopping in person, most people set a limit and stop themselves from buying when they have spent too much. While online, people tend to forget what they have already bought and do not pay as much attention to prices. 

Online shopping is not worth the risk of someone’s credit card information possibly getting stolen, having to pay for delivery and return fees or even the wrong items arriving at  someone’s house. All these problems can be avoided if people choose to shop in-person. Online shopping is such a hassle and it does not deserve all the hype that it gets.