BUSINESS NEWS - Online shopping has become an increasingly popular way for South Africans to stretch their budgets, but finding the lowest price does not always mean finding the best deal.
With online marketplaces bringing together large numbers of buyers and sellers, consumers can encounter everything from genuine bargains to counterfeit products, unreliable sellers and payment scams.
Shaheen Price, founder of Uhuru Marketplace, says shoppers can protect themselves by learning to identify a few important warning signs before making a purchase.
“The cheapest price on a page is designed to grab your attention, not to protect your wallet,” says Price.
Knowing what to look for, he says, can help shoppers avoid paying for mistakes they could have prevented.
Check who you are buying from
A reputable seller should generally leave some form of verifiable trail.
Price recommends checking the seller’s history, reviews and contact details before making a purchase.
Look for:
- A consistent trading history: Established sellers are more likely to have listings and reviews accumulated over time rather than a handful of reviews posted within a short period.
- Authentic product photographs: Be cautious when images appear generic, are inconsistent with the description or provide little information about the actual product.
- Clear business details: A seller should ideally provide a business name, location and a contactable support channel rather than relying solely on an anonymous chat function.
- Reasonable pricing: If one listing is dramatically cheaper than comparable products, Price says shoppers should investigate rather than automatically assuming they have found a bargain.
Read the returns policy before paying
The returns policy can provide important clues about what happens if something goes wrong.
Price recommends checking the details before completing a purchase, particularly when buying from an unfamiliar seller.
Three questions are particularly important:
- How long do you have to return the item? Check when the return period begins and how long you have to act.
- Who pays for the return? Find out whether the buyer or seller is responsible for return costs when an item is faulty or incorrect.
- What evidence is required? Check whether the product must remain unopened, whether packaging must be retained and what process must be followed to initiate a return.
“A returns policy tells you almost everything about how seriously a seller takes their customers,” says Price.
If the policy is difficult to find, vague or missing, he says shoppers should treat that as a warning sign.
Avoid these common online shopping traps
Even after checking the seller and returns policy, there are several other pitfalls consumers should watch for.
Never be pressured into paying outside the platform. A request to make a direct EFT payment to avoid fees can remove protections provided by the marketplace.
Pay attention to delivery estimates. Very long or unclear delivery times may indicate that products are being sourced elsewhere or shipped through arrangements over which the seller has limited control.
Read the reviews. A high star rating does not tell the whole story. Look for recent, detailed reviews and consider whether customers describe experiences that are relevant to the product you are considering.
Understand the marketplace’s protections. Not all online marketplaces operate in exactly the same way. Before buying, shoppers should understand how sellers are vetted and what buyer protections are available if an order goes wrong.
A bargain is only a bargain if it works out
As more South Africans turn to online marketplaces, knowing how to shop safely becomes just as important as finding a competitive price.
The cheapest listing may catch the eye, but factors such as seller credibility, product authenticity, delivery times, return conditions and payment protection can ultimately have a much bigger impact on the value of a purchase.
“Marketplace shopping should make life easier, not riskier,” says Price.
For consumers, taking a few extra minutes to investigate a seller and read the fine print could be the difference between a genuine bargain and an expensive lesson.
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