Online Shopping

As we all know, internet plays the major means of communication nowadays. We often interact with each other via internet either by facebook-ing, skype-ing or even blogging rather than meeting up or calling by the phones for the sake of communication. There are various reasons why people would prefer to communicate by using internet. If I were to list down all the reasons, I might be ending up publishing a book entitled "Ada Apa Dengan Internet?" 

Basically I am writing this entry because I wanna share with you about an issue which I assume that some of you had encountered it before. ONLINE SHOPPING! Even though I am not an experienced buyer, but there are few situations that really grabbed my attention recently. I am sharing this so that it would not happen to anyone else in the future especially for those who have just started to indulge themselves in online shopping.

Things to be considered before you shop:

1.  The acknowledgement of SSM (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia)

• Most of the dealers who sell their products online do not bother about the acknowledgement of SSM. *click here*
• As a dealer, it is important for you to have a proof of your company's existence to establish trust among the buyers.
• SSM secures our rights as "Pengguna" at the same time to maintain positive growth in business sector in Malaysia.

2.  The Products

• Some of the famous products sold via online shopping are clothes, accessories, make-ups, fragrances, handbags, shoes and many more.
• Look at the product description first before you wanna purchase it. 
• If the dealers claim that their products are authentic but the prices shown are much more cheaper than the original ones in the boutique, please think twice before you buy it. The price must be reasonable equal to the originality, right? For example, if a COACH handbag will cost you about $298 (RM900+) in its boutique, the price offered by the dealers here must not be as cheaper as RM200, right? It does not make sense. But if the price offered is around RM700 to RM800, then it is worth to purchase.
• If you want a replica (A, AA, AAA grades) of the original products, bear in mind that the materials will NEVER be the same as the original ones. There might be flaws and that's the reason why the price is much much and much more cheaper.
• It is advisable for the dealers who sell replica products to upload the actual products that they sell and don't simply copy paste the original pictures from the boutiques.
• Take a look at the pictures below:

This picture was taken from the dealer's website.

The dealer wrote in her caption that this is a Grade AA DKNY perfume, 100ml and RM40 only.

But this is what I got this afternoon...

This is not even 50ml and can you see the bottle? The dealer claimed that the bottle and packaging are 100% original but hmmm...

The space in between really shows how fake the bottle is. So, dealers please don't lie to your buyers that the bottle and packaging are 100% original eventhough it is a replica Grade AA perfume. Maybe you can lie about the scent but how about the amount in a bottle?

Here is the comparison between the Original and the Grade AA of DKNY perfume.

Look at the colour of both perfumes. Grade AA (100ml) and Original (50ml).

*ATTENTION!*. Tolong jangan guna perfume jika ia berkeladak seperti di atas. Ia mungkin menyebabkan kesan sampingan jika terkena atas kulit kita.

Tips on how to identify an original perfume *click here*

3.  The Availability of the Product

• Please make sure that the products that you wanna purchase are in stock (ready stock), so that you do not have to wait weeks by weeks for the items (pre-order) to be sent to you. 

4.  The Services Offered

• Do ensure that the services given by the dealers are satisfactory. Dealers must bear in mind that promises are not meant to be broken. It is crucial in order to maintain good relationship between the dealers and the buyers.

Things which are not suitable for online shopping:

1.  Perfumes

• If it is not properly wrapped before posting it to the buyers, it might affect the scent of the perfumes. The heat factor needs to be taken into consideration too. Besides, the bottle might be cracked because it is fragile. This is what happened in my case:

There is a crack at the edge of the bottle.

2.  Shoes

• Eventhough the size and measurement are given, but the comfort of wearing it can not be felt by just seeing the pictures.

3.  Lingeries

• Errrr, no comment.

In conclusion, buy original products for self-satisfaction!

The end. Thank you! =)