With the hasty reality we’re living, finding time to do your shopping can be challenging.

When you’re always on the go and have a ton of things to do in a day, shopping comes second and I completely understand you. Free times seems to be the last thing I have in my life and I hate the fact I can’t dedicate an hour (meaning more than 3 hours ) to go shopping at my favourite mall.

Thankfully, we live in the 21st century and online shopping is a common thing. I’d like to think I do my online shopping well and effectively – I buy things wisely, I check the prices, I roam the internet for all the right eshops and I always buy clothes and accessories with a list by my side.

Recently, I was talking with my sisters about online shopping and how it can be a bit tricky at times and it hit me! There are so many people out there with minimum free time, like me, and they might need my help.

And because, I really want to help you do your online shopping wisely, I sat down, grabbed my notebook and wrote down all the ‘rules’ I have in mind each time I roam the internet buying clothes.

Let’s begin, shall we?

• Make a – wise and thoughtful – shopping list

When you go through one fashion eshop after the other your mind tends to think that you need every single item that crosses your way. No, you don’t need a hat. No, you don’t need a scarf. Or, you already have a billion dresses and zero clothes.
Online shopping can easily make you believe that your closet is almost empty, but trust me, that’s not the case. Do what I do! Make a list – after you’ve gone through your closet– and write down ONLY items you need. For example, a couple of floral dresses, a new denim jacket, a pair of silver high heels. There can be a lot of things you need, but you should begin with the necessities before you go all crazy on it.

• Set a budget

That should be the first thing you do. Set a decent budget you are allowed to spend on shopping, judging by the amount of items you need. Also, when it comes to budget, check the amount you spend regularly when you add a new item, from your shopping cart. Shop wisely.

• Check for offers

While you’re shopping and you’re going in and out of online shops, make sure you check for possible offers. Free shipping, sales, discount coupons – many eshops tend to attract customers this way, benefit from this and use it to your advantage.

• Know your size

Set a budget and then write down your measures. You should know exactly your measurements and check the size chart in every store, so you’ll know exactly what size is going to possibly look good on you. Height, bust, waist and bottom. Those measurements are going to be your friend and your enemy during online shopping.

• Check out the eshops feedback

When you’re not sure if an online store is trustworthy, you can always check its feedback from other customers. Be an investigator for a while and look out for yourself, by knowing all about the store you are about to buy from. That’s very important, especially when you can’t see it physically.

• Read the clothes description

You can’t touch the material, you can only view the design and you don’t know if the dress, for example, is going to be too tight on you (if it’s one-size). That’s why the right thing to do is to read the clothes description carefully. In the description, it will be written every thing you need to know about the item you’re buying and, trust me, you need to have that information.

• Shipping duration and expenses

Although, in most online stores the expenses are pretty standard – as are the days – there is no harm in checking both of those things out. It’s usually at the bottom of the page, or at the end of the checkout – the store informs you about the days it will take for the product to comes to you and the shipping costs.

• Billing address and Payment method

You are free (at most eshops) to pay whatever way you want and your product to be delivered in whatever place you are. However, be wise enough to know if your location is hard to reach (then the costs are double, in most cases) and don’t forget to choose a safe way to pay. That can happen with paypal, your credit card, cash on delivery and pick up from store. Check out all the options and choose the one that works best for you.

Those, ladies and even gentlemen, were all the rules I follow when doing my personal online shopping. I believe that you too need to have them in mind the next time you dedicate time to shop online. It’s a fact you save a lot of time when you don’t have to get out of your house or your work to go shopping, although a walk at the stores is the best stress reliever.

I hope I helped you!

Thanks for reading!

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