The new culture of e-shopping

Shopping in your PJs from home with a nice cup of tea? Yes, it is possible. Youngsters are more and more attracted to online buying services. Safe or risky, our young generation cannot resist buying stuffs through a simple click.

 Keshav Radha : “Shopping online is safe”

Keshav often buys online through ‘Ebay’, ‘Graysonline’, ‘Gumtree’, ‘Home’ and ‘Wish’. Living in Australia, he declares: “All my needs are bought from websites related to Australia, like ‘Bunnings Warehouse’ own website or ‘Coles’ online shop”. Online shopping is from his experience “safe like it is not”. Everything depends on which site people are buying their stuffs and people should be very careful.

Websites like ‘Gumtree’ or ‘eBay’ do have unknown sellers who are most of the time scam and scumbags. When size, taste and physical inspection are required, it is better for him to directly go to the store. Whereas, with gadgets and shops that are out of reach, “I will definitely try buying it online.” When he is free, he always feels good to sneak out from home and go to the mall, have a coffee, a brunch and do some shopping. Sundays are made to relax. But most of the time he uses online websites when he already knows what to buy. “It is just the price that often changes my decisions”.

He buys fog lights, Indian napping and loves antiques and collectibles. He recently bought a 1981 Radio which still works perfectly. Obviously, online shopping is way cheaper according to him, as they do not have showroom costs, it also demands less labour and allows the seller to sell it at a cheaper price. There was a time when he was really dissatisfied with a product. “I was really vexed and annoyed, but the seller agreed to exchange it at no further cost. So it pleased me in a way”. But at first contact with the seller, every human will be hostile.

 Sajeedahbee Noordally : “The immense joy when you finally receive them…”

Sajeedahbee buys things mostly on ‘eBay’. It can be anything like make-up or accessories. “You name it, I buy it.” She also purchases bags, clothes and shoes from ‘Asos’ when the sales are on. It is better to look online before going to stores. “I rarely go to stores, I have not been to stores since 2015.”

There is no variety of clothes in here and she admits that shopping in India and Thailand was way better. “I avoid stores because it is way too expensive and sometimes not worth in terms of quality.” Buying clothes is an issue in Mauritius, especially when it comes to sizes. They sometimes import from China without realising that Mauritians are not of the same size.  I also get to buy a variety of shoes and make-up online which are better in terms of quality and affordability.

“Prices shock me here! I can buy stuffs for my phones, for baking, decorations from ebay.” But the wait is worth it. “Buyers are expected to wait for four to five weeks to receive the items but it suits me. I buy everything in advance.” The good thing about online shopping is that “there’s no rush, no queue, etc. I do go to malls for window-shopping. I then look them up online. “My last buy is a pair of blue heels, paid for them on Tuesday and received them on Friday.”

She also adds that it is important to be careful. “Beware of fake sites trying to sell high brand sunglasses shoes or bags. The best part about online shopping for me is waiting for parcels to arrive and also the immense joy when you finally receive them.”

Raksha Aubeeluck : “Online shopping provides more variety than in stores”

“My PayPal account was hacked once but I still do buy my stuffs through ebay more carefully.” Raksha takes a lot of time to look for the product that she needs before purchasing it. Just to be on the safe side, she verifies everything. “I have a look at the feedback concerning the seller and the products.”

Buying online is way more interesting for her than taking the bus and looking for a particular thing. “Online shopping provides more variety than in stores. I can go hunting for the most attractive and better products with a simple click.”

Her sense of purchasing online has become more sophisticated. “The good thing with shopping online is that we are always dealing with latest fashion and it is also cheaper.” On the other side of the coin, when a product is needed urgently, it is better to buy the product in stores. “Sometimes I have to wait at least one month before getting my parcel.” She does compare the prices and if it is in line with her budget, she buys it.

Top 10 most famous sites for e-shopping

Many customers can go through many online shopping websites. Here are the Top 10.

• Amazon
• eBay
• Asos
• Walmart
• Etsy
• Mr Porter
• Alibaba
• Nasty Gal
• Zappos
• Mod Cloth

Ismael Essackjee : “No unsatisfied customer till now”

Using no websites at all, Ismael Essackjee is in the book selling business through his facebook page Bookworm.mu. Books are costly in bookshops but cheaper when one buys online in bulk. This is what Ismael is doing, thus encouraging people to read books in a world without barriers.

How many orders do you get?
Per month, I get a total order for some 150 books.

How do you manage to get the products?
I source the books from suppliers and bookstores around India

Do you think it is safe to buy online?
All payments are through PayPal and this ensures safer online payment. But no online payment system is 100% secure. So, there remains a risk which we have to face.

What are the safety measures you check before buying online?
I check that the site starts with “https”; for any new site, I check the review online first and I pay through PayPal mostly.

What do you do when a customer is not satisfied with your products?
Till now, there has not been any instance of unsatisfied customers. I try to check the title, binding (hardcover or paperback), and author with the clients before completing the purchase.

Are books cheaper when buying online? Is there a reason for that?
Some books may appear cheaper but cost for handling and shipping is significant. Therefore, not all books are cheaper online. I try to bring down the cost of handling and shipping with bulk shipping. It is then that everybody wins and the price is competitive. Moreover, many clients are looking for specific books which are not readily available locally.

How do you process payment of clients?
To cut down on administrative cost, I have been operating on “cash on delivery” mode. But this has put a heavy burden on capital to procure all these books. The main objective is not business driven but mostly to assist people to get books which are hard to find locally as well as low cost editions to make books affordable. It is my contribution to encourage people to read more and students to get books for their studies.

How do you proceed with delivery?
I personally deliver the books at a mutually agreed meeting place. In the future, I will have to devise a better option.

Reshmee Bheemuck