To buy or not to buy on Internet, that’s the issue
By Nigar Orujova
Oh, the hurtful word of shopping is the greatest antidepressant for some people and full of fear for others. One or other way, shopping touches hearts of everyone.
In the high tech era, everything changes. So, making a purchase now and ten year ago are incomparable.
Today, more and more people are fond of electronic shopping, and Azerbaijani population is no exception. Last year e-commerce volume in the country increased by about 2.5 times.
However, the e-shopping has both pluses and minuses. The definite plus is the availability of the every good on sale from around the world through the Internet. Thus, people can find what they really want and not to buy only the assortment of shops in their city.
Online purchasing offers freedom of choice and anyone could find the desired goods for a reasonable price.
Today, customers prefer surfing the Internet rather than wander around endless malls. Thus, they can save a lot of time, but at the same time, some people really like the process of visiting each shop one by one. For these persons, e-shopping is a disaster.
Another minus of the e-shopping is the choice based only on the picture and description that in real life may turn out to be wrong. In these cases, the customer receives not what he/she has purchased. However, for Azerbaijanis it is not a problem as their rights are protected.
The law on electronic sale defends the rights of Azerbaijani customers, Eyyub Huseynov, Head of the Azerbaijani Free Consumers Union, said to a local press.
He said, mostly consumers complaint about receiving a product that does not meet the requirements of the buyer. "The law stipulates that within five days after receiving the good the consumer has the right to return or exchange it."
Moreover, there is no difference in which country or website the purchase has been made, whether it is an official website or an online auction.
Huseynov said, recently they were able to help the consumers who made an online purchase in Indonesia. It was an exclusive product, which was returned to dishonest sellers by the Union.
As the risk to be deceived is being eliminated in the country, online shopping is expected to gain more and more popularity among the population. Nevertheless, do not forget about the issue of delivery.
Today, many famous and major websites around the world suggest even free delivery to Azerbaijan. However, there are still cases, when the packages are lost on their way to your home. In this case, you should visit your post station, for further instruction.
Another popular option in the country is paid delivery via special companies. Many foreigners and locals in Azerbaijan prefer this type of delivery. They want to have their package 100 percent safe and in time. Some of such websites measure packages by their size, others by the weight, and the delivery prize vary starting from $5.
As the number of fashion-oriented people, who want unique things is increasing fast in Azerbaijan and given to the growing e-services popularity, the future of electronic shopping seems promising in the country.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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