I have been an online shopper for a very long time and I must admit, I am quite addicted. I've been hooked since I bought my very first digital camera from Amazon in the early 2000s and I've been happily shopping ever since.
Now you might ask, why shop online? Well, for one, it's very convenient. Sure, it's not the same as going to the mall, trying on a million pairs of shoes just to get a single pair. It might be fun for a lot of people but there's also the possibility that despite spending 4 hours looking at stuff, you might still not find that perfect pair of ballet flats to go with your new cute dress. All that work for nothing. If I did it online, I still might not have found it but at least I wouldn't have walked the equivalent of 5 miles amid a huge crowd.
Besides, I don't really shop for the experience. I only shop when there's something in particular that I want or need to buy. I don't like asking for anyone's opinion when I buy something. I'm a solitary shopper and my friends are all the same. That's why online shopping is perfect for me. I can just browse for what I need and with a few simple clicks, I can buy it. No fuss!
Another reason is the fact that I hate crowded places. Try going to any mall at around 2 PM on a Sunday and you'll get what I mean. I just don't like walking for hours in a mob just to buy 3 items. The mere mention of midnight sale also makes me a little nauseous. Why do that to yourself when you can do your shopping in less than half an hour at home? Seriously?
Now online shopping is not only convenient, it is also saves me money. This is especially true for gadgets and electronics. I bought my laptop for about 40% less than what I would have paid had I gotten it here. It was customized to my preferred specs, too. I bought my digital camera for 50% of it's actual price here. I even bought my running shoes at a 25% discount. All these were inclusive of International Shipping. At these prices, I'd be willing to pay cash than get it here at 0% installment.
Finally, I like online shopping because I have more choices. There are a lot of stuff in the U.S., Canada, U.K. & Australia that are not available here. For example, my purple laptop was only available here in Blue, Pink, Green & White. Of course, I just had to have purple so I ordered it from SonyStyle.com.
My shoes only come in white with blue or red trim here. I wanted dark with a pop of color so of course, I had to get the dark grey and green from Amazon.
Ipods are available here, of course, but how else can you have your funny quote etched on it for free if you don't buy it online?
Now having said all of that, I must say that online shopping is not without it's drawbacks. It doesn't have that instant gratification that you get from finding that perfect cellphone, actually bringing it home and using it the very next day. With online shopping, you'll need patience. You have to wait at least 2 weeks to get it. It could even take a month, depending on where it's coming from. It's all worth it once you get the item but the waiting might put a lot of people off.
There's also the possibility that the item could get lost in the mail. It happens very rarely but if you buy from reputable online merchants like Amazon or Target that have great Customer Service, this is not something to worry about. I've had very good experiences with them for the past decade.
You could also get hooked on it so much that you would buy even the smallest things online. It happened to me despite my FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE. I have ordered everything from silver jewelry, watch batteries, hard drive cases, lip balms, rechargeable batteries, dvds, audio cds.... I could go on and on.
I am proud to say though that despite all this shopping, I never paid for more than the actual price of a single item in the Philippines. I'm a pro at this so if you're thinking of starting online shopping and need advice, just shoot me a message and I'll be glad to help. =)
