Nov
New to online shopping? Not sure if choosing cushions online is for you? Read on as we break down the basics of online shopping for cushion covers.
With the world more connected than ever before, we live in an age of immense opportunity and this is especially true in the world of retail where consumers have a seemingly never-ending selection of stores and products at their fingertips.
The advent of online e-commerce stores places the modern day consumer in a powerful position, but with this authority comes considerable risk and you may quickly find yourself asking questions that may prevent you from leveraging the great potential of purchasing cushions online.
- How do you ensure you are getting the best price possible for your cushions online?
- Can international stores selling cushions online be trusted?
- Is my payment online secure?
- How will my cushions be shipped and what happens if I need to return them?
All important questions but don’t stress because this guide to buying cushions online will hopefully put your fears at ease and help you to make an informed decision of whether or not you should snap up those stunning cushion covers.
The benefits of buying cushions online
Firstly lets explore the benefits of buying cushions online as opposed to the more traditional, and quickly antiquating, method of purchasing in-store and in-person. Clearly the greatest advantage of buying cushions online is that the consumer is provided with an abundance of choice from the plethora of cushion retailers whom have established websites.
Compare the ability of our online consumer, quickly jumping between these stores and searching effortlessly for what they want, to our in-store buyer, trudging around a shopping centre, begrudgingly searching for the cushion department and then sifting through a limited collection of cushions and you can quickly see the advantages and efficiency of purchasing cushions online.
Throw in the simple fact that online retailers have significantly lower overheads, (no shop rents, low staff numbers, limited utility bills and the list goes on!) which means they can pass on greater savings to their customers, and you have yourself a solid set of reasons to make your next cushion purchase online.
The price is right!
Or is it? Yes buying cushions online will more than likely provide you with a bargain but even before you hit that bright big button to ‘buy now’ there are some simple steps you can take to ensure that your post-purchase ‘bargain high’ is a legitimate one.
First, the easiest thing to do is to throw the product title of your future purchase into a search engine. Doing this will quickly bring up for you a range of other retailers who are selling the same cushions online and should also allow you to quickly compare each site’s price tag for the item.
If Google, Bing or Yahoo fail you here, then your next step is to use one of the numerous online price comparison sites whose sole purpose it is to trudge the enormous virtual shopping centre of online retailers for you to find the best price for your decorative cushions.
These simple actions will take minimal time and could save you some considerable dollars, all potential savings for your next hot cushion purchase. Bear in mind though that the store with the cheapest price may not necessarily be the best to purchase through. There are several other factors you should consider before entering your payment details!
Buying cushions internationally
With the internet surpassing national borders, it has never been easier to purchase cushions online from international retailers. Buying your cushions online from a store based in a foreign land can bring a wealth of benefits to the online shopper including stronger exchange rate purchasing power, the ability to avoid additional tax surcharges (there and at home) and of course access to greater variety and potentially more exotic stock.
There are however some key issues to consider before you abandon your locally situated online store. First and foremost you need to investigate the seller’s shipping policy – a bona fide bargain can quickly contort into a gigantic expense when stores with horrific shipping fees take you to the checkout.
Make sure you always add the shipping fees for any international purchase to the item’s price and then compare it to your locally-based online store, otherwise that slightly more expensive cushion located nearby might be the bargain you miss out on!
The other important consideration to make before buying cushions online from an international store is their returns policy. Shipping your cushion covers back to the seller in China or Europe may completely forfeit any savings you made online so it’s best to do this research first rather than later.
Shipping and returns
Investigating the shipping and returns policy when buying cushions online is important regardless of where your purveyor of gorgeous cushions is based. Finding these policies can at times be difficult, depending upon the layout of your providers website.
Usually sellers of cushions online will have a ‘shipping and returns’ tab or link with a page dedicated to the subject but sometimes these can be difficult to locate. If you do have trouble finding this essential information, immediately assume some suspicion.
A quality online store should be completely transparent about how they ship your goods and what they will do in case of a needed return. If they don’t, you should begin to look elsewhere, regardless of the perceived bargain on offer!
Many online stores these days offer flat price shipping which provides clarity for all involved and negates the nasty surprises when shipping is added later in the transaction.
Some sellers still persist with this method and use item-specific shipping costs for the sale of their cushions online which are usually kept hidden from the buyer right until you credit card details are about to be entered and when your heart is already set on your purchase.
For many, the sight of hiked up additional shipping fees are surpassed by the thought of that sexy cushion hitting your style-starved sofa so be sure to research this cost before you become overly committed to your purchase!
Understanding a retailer’s returns policy is another essential step to smart online consuming. Look for genuine sellers of cushions online who will offer free exchanges or a refund. You may have to cover the shipping costs of your item but that can be a small price to pay than being lumped with a real stinker of a cushion that does nothing to enhance your room!
Paying securely
All the hard work has been done! You’ve been smart about finding your cushions online at the right price, you’ve considered the location of your online store and fully researched the shipping and returns policies of the seller… that’s all there is to do right?
Wrong! This final piece of advice may be the difference between buying stunning cushions online at a sensational price from a reputable seller and finding yourself in financial tatters when unknowingly you become the victim of online fraud. Online financial crime has grown exponentially over the past decade and is a serious consideration for any online buyer.
There are some easy steps you can take though to protect yourself so that some scammer isn’t self-funding their holidays with you credit card. Firstly, always be weary at the transaction page of the store when buying cushions online. Some stores will handle your payment on their site, which is totally fine so as long as you can see that their site is secure.
Look for the little green padlock icon in the address bar of any payment page (you can click on this to see the site’s security certificate) or alternatively the ‘s’ after the http in the address line – these are a sign that your details will be encrypted and kept safe during the transaction.
Additionally you should always make your purchases from a private computer rather than a public one and ultimately you should trust your gut about a particular websites authenticity. If you have a feeling that the website is dodgy, then trust it and move on.
Perhaps the best way to buy cushions online is through a secure payment method such as Paypal. Paypal acts as a middleman in all of your purchases, keeping your financial details secret whilst it deals with the seller thus reducing the risk of online fraud significantly. If you don’t have a Paypal account, get one now! Your gateway to secure online shopping will be complete!
So there you have it! Buying cushions online needn’t be the stressful task that you may perceive it to be! It is fairly clear that the positives outweigh the potential negatives when buying cushions online, and, all of these negatives can be mitigated through some common sense actions. Make the most of the online retail world and get out there and buy yourself some stunning cushions online!
Happy styling!
Simply Cushions Team