What are the worst online purchases you can make?
Thanks to the pandemic, it’s now more convenient to buy things online than to go to the nearest store and put them in a basket. But convenience isn’t always that safe. I know you will be tempted to say “Another clickbait article,” but it will take just a few minutes to go through it and convince yourself, which isn’t the case for this one. The digital marketplace has become a vast, sprawling universe of goods, promising everything from everyday necessities to exotic luxuries delivered right to our doorsteps. The thrill of finding a deal and the simplicity of a one-click purchase are powerful lures.
While I am also an avid online shopper, I wrote this article in hopes it could raise awareness of the cautious elements of online shopping. To make wise and satisfying online purchases, you must be aware of these risks, which range from potential fraud to issues with product quality. It’s not about giving up online shopping entirely, but about becoming a smarter, more discerning digital consumer. This guide is built from personal experience and collective wisdom, highlighting the categories of items that frequently lead to buyer’s remorse. Let’s navigate the treacherous waters of e-commerce together and learn which items are best left in a physical shopping cart.
Home goods
This is by far one of the worst online purchases because you never know what you can get—and if you get the item in one piece! For me, going to stores in person and exploring home goods is very satisfying and relaxing. That’s why, during the pandemic, it was very tempting to add a lot of stuff to my virtual cart and spend a ton of money on it. The allure of beautifully staged product photos showing perfect rooms can be incredibly persuasive, making you believe that one special lamp or rug will transform your entire living space.
You don’t want to know the disappointment I had because most of the things I received never matched the pictures. Online sellers frequently play around with measurements, colors, and graphics, which might leave customers disappointed. I once ordered a set of what appeared to be large, ceramic dinner plates, only to receive something closer to a doll’s tea set. Another time, a “plush, high-pile” rug arrived feeling thin and scratchy, with colors so muted they bore no resemblance to the vibrant images online. The hassle of returning bulky or fragile items is another significant deterrent; trying to repackage a shattered mirror or a flimsy bookshelf is a frustrating ordeal that often isn’t worth the refund.
So, I’d advise you to go in person to buy your favorite home goods. It’s safer, and in case something doesn’t match your expectations, you can easily change it without paying a ton for it. Being able to touch the texture of a throw blanket, feel the weight of a vase, or see the true shade of a pillow in natural light is an irreplaceable part of the shopping experience. You make a much more informed decision, ensuring the pieces you bring home truly fit your space and your style.
Plants
I love plants, especially in my living room, and I think I have around 15 now, and I love seeing them grow. But after a bad experience in 2022, I never looked for them online. If you don’t want to believe me, plant experts have something to say about this topic too. My unfortunate purchase involved a beautiful Fiddle Leaf Fig that looked robust and full in the photos but arrived with yellowed, drooping leaves and signs of root rot, likely from being waterlogged and then tossed around in a dark box for five days.
Because of extended shipping times and poor packaging, the gorgeous, lush examples seen online might arrive withered, dehydrated, and sadly dead. If the plants you received don’t match your order—for example, if you ordered begonias but received vinca—you may get unhappy. Beyond just being the wrong species, online plants can also arrive with unwelcome guests like spider mites or fungus gnats, which can quickly infest your healthy, established plants. The stress of transit can weaken a plant, making it more susceptible to disease and pests upon arrival, creating a problem you didn’t bargain for.
Many internet nurseries give replacements for plants that are damaged or die, but a lot of others don’t have return procedures. This can leave you out of pocket with a dead plant to dispose of. To guarantee a fruitful and satisfying gardening endeavor, investigate nearby farmer’s markets or nurseries, where you may personally examine and choose the freshest plants to spruce up your interior. In person, you can check for new growth, inspect the root system, and choose the specific plant whose shape and size you find most appealing. It’s a much more certain path to a thriving indoor jungle.
Formal clothes
If you want to make sure the clothes you’re buying fit you, then never purchase them online. That’s a danger zone, at least for me and a couple of other customers. If a pair of jeans can be easily returned, in the case of formal clothes, that may be a tad bit complicated. Items like suits, evening gowns, and bridesmaid dresses rely on precise tailoring for a flattering look. An inch of difference in the shoulder or waist can be the difference between looking sharp and looking sloppy. Sizing charts are notoriously inconsistent across brands, and “custom” measurements provided online can still result in a poor fit.
The fabric and construction quality are also impossible to judge from a picture. That silk-charmeuse gown might turn out to be shiny, cheap polyester, and the intricate beading you admired could be poorly glued-on plastic. I once ordered a suit for a wedding, and it arrived with sleeves that were comically short and fabric that felt like a Halloween costume. The ensuing panic and frantic search for a local tailor added unnecessary stress and expense. These hidden costs for emergency alterations can often make your online “deal” far more expensive than buying from a local boutique in the first place.
Choose local shopping to support local businesses and make sure you try the garments before buying them, rather than taking a chance on badly made clothing from foreign exporters with unknown sizing charts. Feeling the drape of the fabric, seeing how it moves with you, and getting a professional fitting are crucial steps for such important purchases. You’ll leave the store with confidence, not with a return label and a sense of dread.
Swimsuits
Some of the worst online purchases you will regret are swimsuits. As with formal clothes, you must try them out before buying them. I know that not everybody is comfortable trying them on in public changing rooms in a store, but in most cases, they are tailored way smaller than the number written on the label. Not to mention the color. It may be written as a blue ocean, but you can get a green one instead. A swimsuit’s fit is incredibly personal and depends on torso length, cup size, and how different cuts flatter your unique body shape. A style that looks amazing on a model might offer no support or uncomfortable coverage on you.
Furthermore, the material is key. A good swimsuit uses fabric that can withstand chlorine, salt, and sun without stretching, fading, or becoming transparent when wet. Many cheap online swimsuits are made from thin, flimsy material that loses its shape after a single swim. Another critical issue is the return policy. Due to hygiene reasons, many online retailers will not accept returns or exchanges on swimwear, especially if the protective liner has been removed. This means if it doesn’t fit, you’re stuck with it.
If you still prefer buying your swimsuits online, look for a store that will allow you to return or exchange the products that don’t fit you. Carefully read the reviews, paying close attention to comments about sizing and whether the suits run large or small. Look for customer photos to see how the suit fits on different body types, which can be much more helpful than the professional model shots. Even then, the risk of a poor fit remains high, making in-person shopping the far safer bet.
Jewelry
From my personal experience, something that I deeply regret buying online is jewelry. While Amazon has a plethora of options at very good prices, I’d still recommend you visit the stores in your neighborhood. The temptation is strong, with endless photos of sparkling gems and gleaming metals, but the reality can be lackluster. Photos can be incredibly deceiving, making a tiny, delicate chain look substantial or a cloudy stone appear brilliantly clear.
If you buy jewelry online, you may be disappointed because there are hardly any return options, and the stones, gold, or silver turn out to be fake or of poor quality. It’s a common scam for sellers to list an item as “gold-filled” when it’s merely gold-plated, meaning the thin layer of gold will wear off quickly, revealing cheap metal underneath that can tarnish or even turn your skin green. Furthermore, the personal character of jewelry and the drawbacks of having low size standards could lead to you spending a lot of money on something that doesn’t quite live up to your expectations. The scale is often the biggest issue; a pair of earrings might look like elegant studs in the photo but arrive as oversized, gaudy dangles. Conversely, a pendant that seemed like a statement piece can turn out to be disappointingly minuscule.
Visiting a local jeweler allows you to hold the piece, feel its weight, see how the facets of a stone catch the light, and try it on to see how it complements your skin tone. You can verify the authenticity of the materials and get an accurate sense of its size and craftsmanship. For a purchase that is often sentimental and meant to last, this in-person assurance is invaluable.
Antiques
This is definitely a no-no! It may be convenient to place an online order for a nice vintage plate or a wall clock, but in most cases, it will end up being a scam. Instead of this, go to antique stores, get on some daily walks, and feel free to browse through the items yourself. See if the seller is willing to bargain, and usually they are, especially if they want to sell the product. The world of online antiques is rife with forgeries, reproductions passed off as originals, and items with significant damage cleverly hidden from the camera’s view. A “19th-century” vase could be a modern replica, and that “solid oak” chest might be particleboard with a veneer that’s peeling on the back.
The true joy of antique shopping lies in the hunt—the experience of sifting through dusty shelves and discovering a hidden treasure. In person, you can thoroughly inspect an item for authenticity. You can look for a maker’s mark, examine the patina and signs of wear that indicate true age, check for subtle repairs, and feel the quality of the craftsmanship. You also get to hear the story of the piece from the shop owner, adding a layer of history and personality that you can’t get from a product description. This tactile and historical connection is what makes collecting antiques so rewarding, and it’s completely lost in a digital transaction.
Cosmetics
Whenever we see a huge text with discounts advertised, we’re tempted to click on it to see what it is about. And as a woman, I can agree that cosmetics are my weakness. Especially when I see they’re on sale! Unfortunately, this was one of the worst online purchases, and I’ll tell you why. The allure of a 50% off sale on a high-end brand is hard to resist, but the risks are substantial. One of the biggest dangers is the prevalence of counterfeit products. These fakes are often manufactured in unsanitary conditions and can contain dangerous ingredients like lead, mercury, or high levels of bacteria, leading to severe skin irritation, allergic reactions, or infections.
A couple of months ago, I ordered a pallet that was supposed to have 10 colors. When it came, it had only 7, and it wasn’t what I ordered. The return policy was very bad, and I couldn’t return it. I kept it because the colors were nice, but the experience wasn’t good at all. Beyond receiving the wrong or a counterfeit item, the simple act of choosing colors online is a gamble. Getting the right shade of foundation or concealer without testing it on your skin is nearly impossible. What looks like a perfect match on your screen can end up being too orange, too pink, or too pale in real life, making it a complete waste of money.
It is impossible to replace the in-store experience, where you can sample colors on your hand and make sure your cosmetics are well-wrapped and unspoiled, ensuring their purity. In a store, you can swatch a lipstick to see its true color and texture, test a foundation for its coverage and finish, and smell a lotion to see if you like the fragrance. This ensures you go home with products you will actually use and love, without risking your health or your money.
Furniture
Ikea delivers stuff at home too, but at what cost? If you want to avoid a huge disappointment, I’d say to steer clear of buying your furniture online. As with buying a car, you have to be sure it is suitable for your needs and that it’s comfortable when you drive it. The furniture must be comfortable, practical, and made of durable materials. Plus, going to a furniture store can get you better prices since you won’t be paying any shipping costs. A sofa might look stylishly modern in a photo, but you can’t know if the cushions are rock-hard or so soft you sink into them uncomfortably. An office chair can’t be tested for its ergonomic support, and a dining table’s height might be awkward for your existing chairs.
The materials are another huge gamble. A picture of a “solid wood” bookshelf can’t tell you if it’s actually flimsy particleboard with a paper-thin veneer that will peel and chip within months. Assembly is another potential nightmare; online furniture often arrives in a bewildering number of pieces with confusing instructions. Even worse is the prospect of a return. Discovering that your new couch doesn’t fit through your doorway or that the color clashes horribly with your walls after you’ve already unboxed and assembled it is a logistical catastrophe. Repackaging a large piece of furniture for a return shipment is a Herculean task that many people simply give up on.
If buying new furniture isn’t exactly fit for your budget, consider going to garage sales because a lot of people are selling stuff they no longer use for bargains! Secondhand stores and consignment shops are also fantastic places to find unique, high-quality pieces at a fraction of their original cost. You can inspect the construction, test the comfort, and take home a piece of furniture with character, confident in your purchase.
Paint
Last but not least of the online purchases you will regret buying is paint. Expectations and reality might not line up because of the misleading color accuracy of displays. Choosing to purchase paint from a local store gives a more realistic depiction of your home renovation projects and enables you to see the genuine color in person. Every computer monitor, tablet, and phone screen is calibrated differently, meaning the soft sage green you see online could show up at your door as a sickly mint or a muddy olive.
The biggest factor that digital swatches cannot account for is lighting. The color of a paint changes dramatically depending on the light in your room—the warm glow of morning sun, the cool indirect light of the afternoon, and the artificial light from your lamps at night will all make the same color look different. Buying gallons of paint based on a digital image is a recipe for expensive disappointment. You could spend a whole weekend painting a room only to realize you despise the color once it’s dry on the wall.
The foolproof method is to go to a hardware or paint store, collect physical paint chips, and bring them home. Even better, buy a few small sample pots of your top choices. Paint a large square of each color on your wall and live with it for a few days, observing how it looks at different times. This small, upfront investment of time and money can save you from the major headache and cost of repainting an entire room.
Now, tell me, what are your biggest disappointments when it comes to online purchases? What item did you excitedly wait for, only to be let down when it finally arrived? Let’s take the discussion in the comments section.
After reading this article, you decided to stay away from online purchases and go for the full in-store experience. For that, my friend, you will need some reusable and durable tote bags. I found a pack of six bags available on Amazon. I ordered mine last week, and I am a satisfied customer with my purchase. They’re incredibly versatile and strong, perfect for everything from a trip to the farmers’ market to carrying heavy books from the library. Each bag has reinforced handles, so you don’t have to worry about them snapping with a full load of groceries. They fold up neatly into a small square, making them easy to tuck into a purse, backpack, or the glove compartment of your car, so you’re never caught without one. They’re easy to carry around, washable, and nicely colored. And the best thing about them? They’re just $7.99! It’s a small investment that pays off in convenience and helps reduce plastic waste.
…psst! Before leaving you may want to read Online Shopping? Here’s What Frugal People Always Do To Get the Best Deals.
