Should You Buy a Stroller Online?

Have you considered shopping online for your stroller? If you haven’t, it’s probably because you’re one of the many people who don’t like shopping online because you can’t actually see the product before you buy it. Maybe it makes you nervous to not be able to see the product in person and be able to touch it and inspect its sturdiness and really see all the features the stroller has to offer. Well, you’re not alone. However, although it may not seem like it, there are many advantages to shopping online.

More Choices

When you only do your shopping in stores, the selection of strollers you will have to choose from will be limited. There are only so many items a store has room to stock, so to get a good idea of the variety of strollers on the market, you will likely have to shop at several different stores before you can decide on the stroller you like the most. Who really wants, or has the time, to drive around all day looking for the right stroller? It wastes time and gas and can easily get frustrating and confusing unless you are taking excellent notes on each of the strollers, such as where they were located, what features each stroller had to offer, which design you liked the best. Then, when you do make your decision, you have to drive back to the store where the stroller is located at to make your purchase.

This is where the first benefit of shopping online for a stroller comes into play. Online stores, like Amazon.com and Walmart.com typically carry a larger variety of items than can be found in local stores, so each individual online store is already going to give you many more options to choose from than one local store would. But, if you decide you want to check out the strollers from a few other stores, all it takes is a few clicks of the keyboard and you’re ready to shop at the next store.

Better Prices

Another great benefit to shopping online is the discounts you can get. A lot of times, the prices of items online are cheaper than those same items cost in brick and mortar stores. Many stores also offer exclusive sales and coupons that can only be used in their online stores such as getting free shipping when you spend a certain amount of money, or receiving a percentage off of your entire purchase, or maybe they need to clear some space in their warehouse so they slash prices to sell the strollers faster and make room for new inventory.

When you shop online it is also easier to compare prices. When you find a stroller that you think you might want to buy, you can quickly discover what that same stroller is selling for at other online retailers. In most cases, you can find the exact same stroller you’re looking at is selling for a cheaper price somewhere else.

Reviews

You’re probably thinking that this all sounds great, but it still doesn’t solve the problem of wanting to see and feel the strollers before buying one. Well, that’s where online reviews come in. Whether a stroller is purchased online or at a brick and mortar store, customers go online and leave reviews about the strollers. It is through these reviews that you can find out things like how well the stroller is made, if there are any problems with it, how well the stroller holds up and lasts, especially when it is used for more than one child, and any other thing you want or need to know about the stroller. Each customer that leaves a review also rates the stroller. When you read the reviews you will be able to see how each of the customers rated the stroller, as well as the overall averaged rating the stroller received.

Besides the reviews, most online stores provide detailed descriptions of the strollers and photos from different angles that you can view to help you make your decision. When you shop in a local store you have no idea if the stroller you’re buying will fall apart after only using it a couple times, but by reading the reviews and shopping online, you will know before you spend your hard-earned money if the stroller is a piece of junk or not.

Through the reviews, you will also be able to find out what the online store’s customer service is like. If the reviewers had any sort of trouble or conflict with the store about anything, they will be sure to put that into their review so that other customers are aware that they may have the same sort of difficulties if a problem arises.

Returns

Whether you shop locally or online, chances are at some point you will have to return an item for one reason or another. Maybe the stroller got damaged in the box, or you changed your mind and want to buy a different stroller instead, whatever the reason, returns will and do happen. Most brick and mortar stores have their return policy displayed in several areas throughout the store, so you are probably familiar with them. However, when you shop online, you need to make sure to thoroughly read their return policy before you make your purchase so you will know what can and cannot be returned and what steps you will need to take to make a return. If you are unclear about the online store’s return policy, use their customer service phone number and speak with a representative that will be able to explain it to you more clearly. In some cases, if you buy from an online store that also has a brick and mortar store that is local to you, you might be able to return the stroller to the local store instead of having it shipped back to the warehouse, which can save you time, but this is something you will need to double check before returning your stroller.

Although there are many advantages to shopping online, there are also a few disadvantages

The Wait

When you buy a stroller in a local store, you get the gratification of being able to take that item home with you the same day. However, when you shop online, you will have to wait for the item to be shipped. This is probably the only major disadvantage of shopping online. How long the item takes to ship is usually dependent on which shipping option you choose and how much you are willing to pay to have the stroller as soon as possible. You will probably discover that having to wait a little longer for the stroller or pay a little more for faster shipping may be worth it to you when you consider how pleasant and easy buying a stroller online can be.

Shipping Fees

Before making your purchase, find out how much the shipping is going to cost you. Since you’re shopping for a stroller, chances are the shipping isn’t going to be cheap to begin with unless the online store is offering some kind of promotion or discount on shipping costs, but you want to make sure that the shipping fees are going to be worth the expense. If the cost of the shipping seems outrageous, such as if the total shipping cost is almost as much as the stroller you’re buying or the shipping costs cause you to exceed your budget, your best bet may be to pick up the phone and start calling around to see if any brick and mortar stores in your area carry the stroller you want to buy.

Scam Sites

Another disadvantage to shopping online is the risk of shopping on a site that is set up with the intention of scamming you. If you happen to stumble upon a site you aren’t familiar with, it might be a good idea to do a little research about that website before entering in any of your personal details such as your name, address, and, especially, your credit card number. Or, better yet, just stick to shopping on well-known websites to minimize the risks of having your personal information stolen as much as possible.

Payment Errors

When shopping online, there’s always the chance that an error will occur after you hit the submit button to complete and pay for your purchase. If an error occurs, do not continue to try to submit your purchase or you may end up getting charged more than once for your item. Instead, check your email to see if you received an email from the online store verifying your purchase and carefully review that email to make sure the quantity and total cost of payment are correct. If you do not receive an email or if the information is incorrect, call the store’s customer service number and verify that your payment went through correctly.

Prepaid Debit and Credit Cards

Because online shopping does have the potential to be risky when it comes to identity theft and payment processing errors, a lot of people choose to use prepaid debit or credit cards instead of using a major credit card or debit card that is linked to a personal bank account. With a prepaid card, you can never be charged more than the amount that you actually deposit onto the card and if someone happens to steal the number of the card, you don’t have to be worried about having your credit card limit maxed out or having your entire bank account wiped out.

Always be cautious when shopping online because although there are many advantages to shopping online, there are also risks you need to be aware of so you can protect yourself as much as possible.

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