What would you NOT buy online?

No primary category set

I’ve been looking at new beds and mattresses and decided that whilst I’d happily buy a new bed on eBay, Amazon, John Lewis, Dreams or any number of other websites there’s just no way I’m going to buy a new mattress online.

A mattress is something that you can’t tell how comfy it will be without trying it out. Yesterday I popped down to my local Dreams store to look at mattresses and whilst I didn’t buy one on the day I probably will later today by phone. However having found a very comfortable mattress for under £400 I tested out some others. One that was double the price was absolutely awful and for some reason did it’s best to roll me off the side of the bed. If I’d purchased that mattress online I’d have been very disappointed although someone must like it or they’d never sell any.

This got me thinking though, what items is it impossible to buy from a picture and a description? There aren’t many things I wouldn’t buy online and in the past I’ve bought everything from books, DVDs, clothes, a garden shed and even a couple of cars all sight unseen. A mattress though I want to try before I buy and I certainly don’t want the trouble of sending it back if it’s not comfortable to me. The only circumstances I would buy a mattress online would be if I’d already seen it in a shop previously.

What wouldn’t you be happy to buy online without having physically seen? What items just can’t be described in words or illustrated in pictures well enough for you to part with your cash sight unseen?

22 Responses

  1. I actually would never buy food online, never have and never will!

    To be honest my online spend has really dropped this year, just been buying more stuff in shops. In fact it has dropped so much with Amazon I cancelled my prime membership (well that and the last two deliveries that I did need next day took three days to arrive)

  2. I don’t think i’d ever buy my clothes online. Being a larger shape means I prefer to try on in store before buying.

  3. Anything from ebay, Anyway you cant download the lastest chart albums from ebay.

    Oh and food, I like to wander around sainsburys like a lost sheep lol

  4. Well, surely if it’s a branded mattress, you pop down to the retailer, try the mattress out there, then buy it on-line cheaper from somebody else.

    Isn’t that why they’re all going bust?

  5. In Canada, struggling Best Buy recently quietly added a new category to its website – mattresses. Sold online only, I suppose the margins are pretty attractive compared to the latest ipad etc.

  6. Im currently doing my dissertation for uni and it looks at people buying holidays on ebay. The majority have said they would be interested depending on prices/extra quality but what do you guys think? Also would i be able to publish my questionnaire link on here?

  7. Booked 4 different villas on eBay in the last few years. Every purchase has been gold. No complaints.

    Flights booked separately, never tried a package deal though.

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