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| Metal Planter from Heaven and Home |
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| Same Metal Planter from Fashion and You |
I love virtual shopping – period! I can browse through shopping sites endlessly ogling at all the lovely products displayed – good time-pass, I must say J. It’s nice to spot a bargain, grab it before it disappears and revel at the thought of getting hold of things someone desperately wants. I’m so grateful for How Ecommerce changed business practices. The customer definitely wins because of it!
It’s easy to get lost in the sea of online shopping sites, each promising the best deal. Of course, home décor is the first section I rush to when I open a site. Yesterday, I happened to spot some planters on Heaven and Home, a new online shopping site and fell in love with it. Just like any sale, I didn’t want to let go of this planter and ordered two planters without thinking twice.
As I was chatting with Sharon online, I told her about the purchase I made. When she mentioned about a similar sale on Fashion and You, I was keen to see if my impulsive purchase on Heaven and Home was worth it. Guess what? The same product I had purchased was on sale there too. Only difference – the price! Heaven and Home priced the planter Rs. 899 after discount, with original price tagged at Rs.1399 while Fashion and You priced the product Rs.999 after discount with original price tagged at Rs.1550. And both sales were happening simultaneously!Check out the attached screen shots of the products and the prices.
The variation was not limited to only the tagged original price and the discounted price but the dimensions as well. While the Fashion and You says the dimension of the planter is Length – 10 | Width – 8.5 | Height – 6.5, Heaven and Home says Length 10 Inch Width 9 Inch Height – 7 Inch. I am stunned, needless to say at my new discovery.
All sites claim to sell authentic brands, genuine information about the products and give you the best deals. But, my experience has shown otherwise. I know what I’ll be doing the minute the product arrives – cross check the dimensions!
Moral of the story – Don’t get fooled by the tall claims of online shopping sites, use your judgement before you hit that BUY button 🙂
Update: The issue was not to target FNU, it’s just that I happened to notice the difference when I was shopping at that moment. Another product was far less on Fashion and You when compared to Heaven and Home. I agree with Sharon’s version Moral of the story – whenever you shop online, check out the deals on other sites – buy from the one that gives you the best deal! 🙂
Have you had similar online shopping experiences? Share it with us.
OMG!! I am a visitor of both the sites, but somehow never purchased. It is really unbelievable, how can they cheat like this.
Thanks for sharing the information, will of great help in the future..
Shivani Negi
I have been following these websites for a while and haven't bought anything coz they are very misleading. When I was doing my research for the store, I came across a lot of facts that were quite shocking. Website claiming all Indian handmade stuff has made in china things, One government run handicraft shop again had things imported from china, website selling Indian handicrafts at ridiculously high price and talk of supporting artisans and social responsibility. It is very disturbing to see people do this just for business and absolutely no passion involved.
Actually, ahem, confession time…:)both H and H, F and Y are so dear to me! I have bought tons of great stuff from FY, and one or two things from HH…I guess,it's just the way they work out their internal pricing and profit margins…
Rekha is a smart shopper – and I look at the eyecandy – if it pleases my peeps, I buy! 🙂
@Rekha 🙂 @ Preethi – no no no…they are not cheats…they do have good value deals – trust me! I have bought amazing stuff that you can't even imagine getting for those rates in the stores…
@Rekha 🙂 I would add to your moral of the story – whenever you shop online, check out the deals on other sites – buy from the one that gives you the best deal!
Gosh (rolls eyes and smiles) we seem to have opened a can of worms!!
I agree with Sharon. They are running a business, so such price markups are common. Most of the times, the deals are pretty good. But I'm partial to watches on F&Y – used to have great discounts on great brands. I got a Moschino chunky gold watch for under 5k when its original price was 12k. Flipkart is another addiction when it comes to books. And even it has competition from uread and Infibeam.
At the moment though, I'm not looking at these sites 'coz I don't want to be tempted. My Jan credit card statement was partially the reason. 🙂
All in all, be smart about what you're buying online. Check if the same product is available elsewhere. And also run through the shipping and return policies thoroughly.
@J, I must admit that I have made purchases on FNU before too. I agree the deal can vary depending on the site, but can the original price vary, given that they are branded products? What about the specs of the products?
@ Sharon, you are right, I liked your version of the moral of the story better, will update the post with that too 🙂
@preethi, I can relate to your thoughts. I have had the experience of buying a China made product(handbag)from a site that claimed to sell Indian products.
Just to add to Rekha's post….
Comparison of price of the same Wall decor in Fabfurnish.com and Fashionandyou!!!!
http://www.fabfurnish.com/Wall-Decor-3758.html
http://www.fashionandyou.com/fashionandyou-client-http-shop/shop/product/H_12APR08ENC7900/H_12APR08ENC7900$007e64CHFNY5476ENCSA
Cheers
Lakshmi