The trend now is to buy everything online, be it furniture or electronic gadgets. There has been a great surge in people buying their cool gadgets from online stores. There is also an increase in online stores popping up on the web. A few of the great online stores today are Amazon and eBay. So, what are the important things to consider when you buy your favorite electronic items online? There are a few important things to consider before deciding to get your hands on the gadget from an online store. We have enlisted a few of the important things to consider when buying electronic items online.
12. Freebies
Some products online come with a freebie as well, this is a business tactic for better sales and to get the business established. We do not recommend you to look for freebies all the time. It is a good deal if one website offers a free case for your mobile phone, whereas the other website doesn’t offer.
11. Discounts and Offers
If you want to buy an electronic gadget, then target for a festive season in your area or country. It is a price saver for you with some price deductions than on a normal day. Some websites conduct flash offers and discounts. Wait for such offers before buying.
10. Free Shipping
Reputed online portals give you a “Free shipping” facility. Some take charge of a few dollars to deliver your product safely. Consider websites which have the facility of “Free Shipping” when buying online.
9. Mode of Payments – Cash on Delivery for Costly Gadgets
Most of the prominent websites have different types of payment methods. The most important modes of payment are “Credit card” and “Net banking”. Some people do not like to buy it using these two methods and rather they want to go with “Cash on Delivery”. This method is one of the safest when you consider buying a costly electronic item online and you feel that the website is pretty new.
8. Customer Reviews
There are two types of reviews – “Product Review by Reputed Websites” and “Reviews from Real Customers”. It is a good deal to check for customer feedbacks generally commented below the product on the website. We recommend you do a full check on reviews from various portals, websites, and complaint redressal forums.
7. Dealer’s Ratings
Online stores like eBay have a good system in place on their portal, where you can see a dealer’s ratings based on past purchases from that dealer. It is always necessary to check for the dealer’s ratings and the number of positive feedbacks before an online purchase.
6. Price differences across portals
Conduct research to find out the price differences of the product across various online portals. There are possibilities that the same product may be priced a little lower in a different online store. Make a clever choice and never forget to research the price before buying. It is your hard-earned money BTW.
5. Replacement Guarantee
Yes, this is a must for products purchased online. The online stores should have the option set to their customers for any product replacement due to mishandled products, damaged products, or wrong product delivery. Guaranteed cashback can also be a good choice for customers.
4. Review of the Product
When a product is released, the product is generally reviewed within a month or two. Until then please wait for the product to be reviewed by reputed websites like Cnet or PC Mag. Do not buy a product that is not reviewed. There is a tendency among people to buy a product as soon as it is released. Do not fall into the trap of advertisement crazy companies, which project their product to a greater next level.
3. Right Model Number/Name
Again, if you do not know what model you are buying, then it is something you are missing out and is the purpose of lamenting later. Conduct full-fledged research on the product you are buying so that you get to know the model number or number name correctly. It is always better to check the product number and name of the production company’s official website. This step is to cross-check that everything is perfect and genuine. For example, LG has two mobile phones which are similar and their numbers are LG E975 and E970. Choose wisely!
2. The Reputation of the Website
“Reputation of the website” is an important factor when buying online. There are many cheap low-quality online stores, which are a big “No”. Always go with reputed stores like Amazon and eBay or any other website which is reputed in your country.
1. Manufacturer Warranty
This is the most important thing to remember when you buy your gadgets online. The electronic items, especially mobile phones generally come with two types of warranties on online stores, they are “Seller Warranty” and “Manufacturer Warranty”.
Seller warranty is the type of warranty wherein you are given only warranty from the seller or dealer and not from the product manufacturer. It also means you have to contact the seller each time you have a problem with your electronic item. This type of warranty generally is for items either imported from a different country or cheap smuggled duplicate electronic items. Never go with this type of warranty! Third-party e-commerce websites like eBay have such listings.
The manufacturer warranty, on the other hand, means you have full warranty support from the product manufacturer. Suppose your product is from Sony or LG then, these companies would give you the service of your products. Always, go with this type of warranty when buying online.
Why not use the new Veryfier app to hire an independent third-party person to go out inspect and check the item before you purchase? It is really important that the inspection should be done by a 3rd party person who will give an honest review and report. Download the app at the Veryfier website or go to iTunes store and install the VeryfierApp.