The worst things to buy online

Online shopping definitely has its advantages: you can easily compare prices, browse at your leisure and search the web for discounts and vouchers all without having to leave the house!

While the convenience of shopping online is a big bonus, sometimes it's smarter to make purchases in person rather than online.

You can judge the product's quality far better in person and you don't have to even think about paying those irritating delivery fees.

Here are three products you should think twice about before buying online:

1. Groceries

Ordering your weekly food shop online can save you the hassle of making a shop to the supermarket. But, if you're picky about your purchases and want to ensure you get just what you want you should go to your local shop to select meats, fruit and vegetables - then you can really guarantee you're getting the best of the bunch. Also you can often end up spending more than you would in store because you can end up paying hefty delivery costs to get something from the supermarket just down the road.

2. Bicycles

Browsing the internet for new wheels can certainly save you time: you don't need to trek from shop to shop to compare prices and you won't have to make notes of all the specifications on tiny bits of paper you've managed to salvage from your bag.

However, when it comes down to making an actual purchase, it's more than likely that you'll want to go to the shop to see the bike in person before committing to buying it. Size is often the main issue here, you need to make sure that your new bike is the right size and shape for you, especially when it's likely you'll be spending a fair bit of money on it.

Also if anything goes wrong with a bike you bought online it's going to be a struggle to get it fixed quickly. You'll have to pack it up and send it back to the manufacturer yourself instead of running down to the local shop and dropping it off.

3. Furniture

There are many reasons to reconsider buying furniture online, and shipping fees are just one of them. Many stockists will levy a delivery charge on top of the standard delivery fee and the bigger the product, the higher the fee. If you buy from a shop on the high street you'll just have one delivery fee charged. There's also the opportunity to haggle over the price of your chosen furniture if you're speaking to a salesman face-to-face, not so if you're sat behind a computer. Judging colour and size is also another issue, not to mention comfort. It's difficult to know what you're really getting unless you see it in person.

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The subtle manipulation starts as soon as you enter the store when you are assailed by the smell of flowers and fresh bread, which are often placed near the door. The smell is intended to put you in a good mood and to get your salivary glands working. You are also more likely to pick up these higher-ticket items when your cart is empty.

Similarly, fresh produce like fruit and vegetables (one of the most profitable sections at the supermarket) is also usually at the front because the bright colours are more likely to lift your mood than bland cartons and cans. Mist is sometimes sprayed on the fruit and veg to make them look fresh but can actually make them rot faster. 

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