One of the big reasons people shy away from purchasing things online is because of all the stress involved with the possible return of goods. If you are purchasing something specific like RAM for your computer it is a little easier because you know exactly what it is, how it will work, and whether it is compatible with your PC. What if you were purchasing clothes, shoes, or some other good, something you don’t really know what it is? Even when purchasing from a reputable company like Amazon there is a certain amount of stress associated in dealing with returns.

Dealing with returning items online can be a huge deterrent for people for example who want to buy gifts online, or something from a website they are not totally sure about. There really are just a few simple steps to consider that should help ease your tensions.

Most websites, at least the reputable ones do not charge for return shipping. If you are purchasing from a brick and mortar store you can even return items to the store itself in most cases. The key is taking a few moments to browse their website or call someone to check on their return policy. It is far better to know ahead of time what you may be dealing with. Let’s take a look at a couple of companies return policies to illustrate our point.

Amazon’s return policy is very clear:
(View it here)

If you take a look at a company like Newegg, their return policy is not quite as clear, while they are a company we trust it proves the point you must read things first.

If you look they have the information about return shipping a little more buried. Newegg that is.  For their products you are totally responsible for return shipping, of course most places are like that. Don’t let that scare you away, just let it motivate you to do a little more research, making totally sure it is what you want. The reason most places cannot pay for return shipping is because their margins are already so low. Selling items online is so competitive, price is one of the most important factors because it is so easy to search for an item from multiple stores within just a few minutes.

If you would like us to help you find out what a websites return policy is just post it below we would be happy to help. It is important to take it a little slow and make sure you understand your return policy.

Here is a great story, last year around new years I decided to get into shape, I went online and ordered the most expensive Bowflex that was offered. (about $3000) We received the item a week later and were really disappointed with it’s craftsmanship. After putting it together it seems really cheap and flimsy. We didn’t save any boxes, but figured taking advantage of their “risk free trial” would be no problem.

Imagine our surprise when it didn’t include return shipping! To return the item is cost $900!!! (that doesn’t include the $200 in boxes!) Can you believe that? We had to take a total bath on it, only getting 60% of our money back because of that return shipping. Just a small amount of research would of made this obvious but we failed to do it. Don’t let it happen to you!

5 Steps To Take On Every Online Purchase:
-Do Your Research
-Read The Return Policy
-Call If You Are Unsure (but get it in writing)
-Double Check To Make Sure It’s What You Want
-Save Your Boxes And Packaging Until You’re Totally Sure

This post is meant to help you, not to scare you, if you have a store share it below. We still buy things all the time online and of course buying things like DVD’s require a lot less research, just be smart about it.