The age of online shopping seems to be finally arriving in India. Yay! I'm completely in love with the trend and wholeheartedly shout out to everyone to try it. So many advantages.. It's cheaper than store shopping, saves time when you're looking for the not-everyone-has-that things, the joy when the courier guy rings the bell at 3 in the afternoon and it's not just another bank newsletter!
But, despite the advantages, there's always a darker side to every online story. Here's why I stopped shopping from some specific sites - the so called "exclusive" online sales. The sites in question are FashionAndYou, 99labels and BrandMile. I know there are others out there which offer a similar proposition, but to the best of my knowledge these were among the pioneers for the Indian shop-oholic.
The concept of these stores is amazing. They get exclusive merchandise from luxury brands and retail them at throwaway prices. How exciting is it to log on to a website that is retailing your favorite brands (some that aren't even available in India) at 60% off, 70% off? The reason they are able to sell them (apparently) is because (a) they don't have warehousing costs as they only take items from the manufacturer once they have confirmed orders from their sales, (b) well… there is no other reason that I could find officially. While the initial few orders I made from these sites were quite satisfactory, my faith in these sites is now in negative territory. Here's why..
1. I dont trust the genuineness of the product. A logical mind would say that 70% off will mean either there is a defect in the product or it isn't an original. All of the bags and shoes I bought are definitely no-where close to the quality of the brands they are supposedly from. Take a trip to Bangkok, and be told by a sales-girl in a proper shop how her artisans work so hard to "imitate the original, see the zipper with the brand embossed, see the stitching" etc and you'll know what I mean.
2. They take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to deliver the goods. I understand that it is because of the way they function (sale first, and take product from manufacturer later). But it is tedious to wait for a month and a half when there are other sites these days that deliver the next day.
3. The worst after-sale service (after Sony, but that's a different rant all together). Because of point number 2 above, sometimes you forget what you had ordered! Happened with me once - I ordered a few beauty products and took delivery of the package five weeks hence. After a few months, I was just browsing through old mail and realized that I had ordered 4 products, and they delivered only 3. In a way, it is my fault for being so forgetful and non-meticulous, but I was disappointed. And in case (as it happens so often) the size of your clothes is off, you can kiss your money good-bye. Refunds (if at all) take 2-3 months. The onus for returning the product is on you. The sale is long gone, so you can't exchange the product either. Everything is just so painful.
4. Where is the luxury?? The products and brands started off as luxury, but have now become run-of-the-mill. Sometimes not even high-street brands. The unique proposition is long lost.
So now, when I'm looking for a sale on regular brands, I'll just go on the brand website directly. Some other fun online shops are run by the folks at Fabulloso! or BuyNBrag. I even like UrbanLadder, DoneByNone and FabFurnish. Of course, the Flipkarts and Junglees of the world do a great job too!
These sites give me the important things - an assurance of the quality and genuineness of the product, commitment on delivery timelines, ability to exchange things I don't like and (most of the times) cash-on-delivery as an option.
And no more trudging through traffic on the streets and in the shops during the sale season? Yes please, I'll take one of that in every color of happiness!!
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