Online Comparison Shopping

When you purchase smocks , uniforms or anything online doing a proper price comparison can save you a great deal of money and difficulty. Unlike a standard store comparing merely the price of a product is not enough to make a wise decision. In fact the product price is the final thing you should compare. When comparing products at online stores you should compare all the other expenses and circumstances such as shipping cost, contact information, customer service, site security and return policies. This is particularly true when buying clothing such as work smocks and uniforms when you can’t try them on for fit before you purchase. After you compare all the factors the product with the lowest price may actually be the most expensive.

The initial item you should look for when visiting a web site are the contact information, shipping policy and return policy. Each should be easy to find on the home page and easy to get to with no more than single click of the mouse. You should not have to search for for this information. If you have to hunt for this information you should be weary of making a purchase from this site. Always bear in mind that every item on a web site is placed in a certain place for a reason – either to make it simple for you to find or not.

Contact information should be easy to locate and should include a phone number that you can call. The phone number should be noticeably displayed on the home page and every other page of the web site.  You may have a inquiry when on the product page and you do not want to leave that page to go look for the phone number. trustworthy companies want to encourage you to call them with any questions you may have. Others may not want you to call. You may also need to refer to the contact information after your purchase.

Shipping policies should be short and written very clearly. It should inform you how the products are shipped and by what process. Any geographical exceptions should be clearly stated. For example is Alaska and Hawaii considered domestic shipping? Can it be shipped to Canada or international?  Do you have the selection of next day delivery or express delivery? Most importantly it should tell you accurately what the cost of shipping is going to be for every option. Free shipping is always best. Shipping cost has to be added to the cost of the product price.  For example: product #1 is $28.99 and product #2 is 19.99. When comparing the prices it appears that product #2 is a better deal, however product # 1 offers free shipping and # 2 has a shipping cost of $14.99. Total cost of #2 now becomes #34.98 almost $6.00 more than #1.

Lastly examine the return policy. Under what circumstances can you return an article? This is particularly important with clothing and uniforms. Can you return it if you try it on and it doesn’t fit? Some return policies state that only unopened packages can be returned. In this case you are stuck with a uniform that is unusable. Who is liable for the return shipping? In most cases the customer is responsible and this should be obviously stated in the return policy. Finally look for a restocking fee. Some web sites will charge you up to 25% restocking fee when you return merchandise. These charges also should  be considered when making a choice to buy.

Next time you go shopping online look at the shipping, return policy and contact information initially before you consider the cost of merchandise. The position and language of these policies might make you decide to shop elsewhere without even looking at the products. They should make you desire to buy at that site but be sure you add the extra cost in the cost of the product.