Paying just to try on...

[Pheasantlysurprised]

I know that's how it is now, as more and more high street stores close (not surprisingly), and how there is more choice and better fabrics online.
However, apart from having a credit card attached to Amazon, there is no way to try before you buy.

How do you feel about this? I cant quite get used to it.. I see many people on this forum talking about ordering something to 'try on', but considering most things that we used to try on in stores prior to internet shopping didnt qualify actual purchasing, does anyone else feel less inclined to do it?
I find myself buying less over all, now. I wont be as quick to 'try' something, knowing that the money will leave my account just to do so.It is often quite arsey to do returns, too.

I think online suppliers need to offer us the choice to try before paying, to be honest.

The thought of ordering £500 of clothes makes me panic.

I live in a block of flats so there is a small chance someone could take the items as during lockdown the posties started leaving it all in a pile under the stairs through the entrance.

Its also a lot to package up and return if you don't have a car.

The biggest incentive for me to shop online would be free postage offers.

I find it a pain when I am looking for (for example) red trousers and want to try several brands, places like John Lewis are good for that. Or Zalando, Thread but not tried them.

I agree about the free postage being very attractive. Free returns too.

I hate having to buy without being able to try on first. And I have used a credit card for online shopping to order different sizes but last time the returns were so delayed I had to pay the credit card balance before the refund came back

I use Klarna quite a bit and this gets round the problem of having to pay upfront for items.

@Mosaic123

I agree about the free postage being very attractive. Free returns too.

Me too. I loathe paying delivery costs and always buy from free delivery places unless it's something I absolutely love and can't get elsewhere. I realise how illogical that is, when you think that parking your car in a shopping centre would probably cost more than the delivery charge buying online. Also, I daresay the companies that offer free postage probably up their product costs to compensate themselves, so it's all a bit of a con. But I still can't quite make my peace with paying for delivery somehow!

Always hated shopping, and I have plenty of clothes for lots occasions. If I do need new clothes, I'm happy to order using a credit card from decent retailers who provide stickers for 'free' returns.

M&S'a service is worth a mention. Order online for delivery to a store, so you can be sure that the colours, styles and sizes you want to try will be available. Try on everything and return any items which don't suit to customer services before you leave the store.

@Pheasantlysurprised

not what I've found, I have to pay, try on, repackage, print out, or present a QR code. Then go thorough the time to receive a return to my bank account. Not quite so easy as trying on, not liking, then slapping on a rack outside the changing room.

Except that necessitates a trip in to town, someone to watch the kids, my parking costs or train fare. I rarely go in to town for anything else so it'd be a special journey.

I much prefer trying on in the comfort of my own home, on my own schedule and with my other clothes to make an outfit.

Plus there's Klarna - you don't pay for 30 days, or at all if you send it all back.

It's now hit and miss with free delivery/returns.
John Lewis still charge for delivery and their collect in-store is for a fee unless over £30.

I had a return with another store where the post office said I had to print the label as the company had changed it's policy. Waste of a journey and I also had to chase up the refund after 2 weeks.

Ordered a pair of trousers from M&S in a different colour to the same I already have. When I was taking it out of the packaging, I thought they'd sent the wrong item as the material was different. Turns out it's the same trousers but made with a cheaper and thinner material.

If I'd seen it in the shop, o wouldn't have paid for it. Literally had to repackage and send back without trying it on. Another waste of shopping time, paying, waiting and now returning.

Don't get me started on the sizing. DKNY dress that I had to send back without trying also as it was TINY!!! despite having their items on the same size.
I don't particularly love the quieing in cramped changing rooms but at least I can buy exactly what I want. It could take all day , which is better than the few days of waiting to receive, missed post, worrying about it being stolen, not being able to make it to the Post office, waiting for the refund etc.

I’ve finally had my Hermes delivery. Boots are slightly too small so having to reorder - that’s another £3.99 delivery charge and £2 to get a courier to collect the ones already delivered. So a £10 cost to get boots that fit! And if Hermes had delivered when they said they would I could have returned to store for free since I was near a Next yesterday.
It’s not reasonable to have to pay £10 to get one item that fits and not everyone can do bulk orders - that relies on you needing lots of items at the same time and everything you want being available. The store I was in yesterday was small and didn’t even stock what I wanted.

Internet shopping is actually reducing our choices, since we no longer have enough stores to be easily accessible to many people and those that exist aren’t always stocked properly

At least when people pay parking charges they have the opportunity to shop on numerous places - delivery charges with no free returns are like paying parking for the privilege of going to one shop!
And if you want to return to store and duck the courier fee you’d have to pay petrol and parking anyway!

I’m tall and fat so have been ordering online for years. I’m glad it’s becoming more mainstream as it means the delivery and returns options are much better than they used to be.

Yes totally agree. Ordered some stuff recently, i had been into store but limited stock what i was looking for not there.
Came didnt fit, re wrap ,time to take back to post office, was refunded 14 days afterwards minus £3.50 for delivery. WTF if it had been in store, id of got it in the correct size there and then.
Have now had to re order in another size, another £3.50, was supposed to of been delivered last Wed still waititng.... Bring back stores with full stock!

Ordered a pair of trousers from M&S in a different colour to the same I already have. When I was taking it out of the packaging, I thought they'd sent the wrong item as the material was different. Turns out it's the same trousers but made with a cheaper and thinner material. If I'd seen it in the shop, o wouldn't have paid for it.
Yes this. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just nostalgic for a time and a way of life that may never come back, and maybe I am partly. But then I think of all those trucks on the road 24/7, bringing us stuff we wouldn't have thought about twice if we'd had to pick it up and physically carry it to a till.