[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Just popped in to see how this thread has grown - unmanageable, like online shopping itself .

Believe me, online shopping is a scam waiting to happen (happening?). I rarely buy online these days and you should avoid the likes of Snapdeal, indiatimes and many other not so reputed ones. You can be sure that Flipkart and Amazon wont stand by your purchase just like the brick-and-mortar ones who shrug off their responsibility in fine print - sigh, if only we'd read the T&C BEFORE we pay. With no laws to rein in the scamsters, you will be the loser [If you've had a good experience, bail out while the going is good. Be aware of these hustlers who know the game well]

Hold on to your horses mate!!

It is not for nothing that these sites have become monsters!!
Snapdeal is a close to USD 4 bil company now.

Obviously, there are bad sellers and products(fakes) on site but you have to use your discretion and get the correct ones.
Buy from sellers of good repute, use Amazon/E Bay protected options, Cash on Delivery etc and safeguard yourself.

Just branding them on generic and random hear says will not really cut ice!!

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Just popped in to see how this thread has grown - unmanageable, like online shopping itself .

Believe me, online shopping is a scam waiting to happen (happening?). I rarely buy online these days and you should avoid the likes of Snapdeal, indiatimes and many other not so reputed ones. You can be sure that Flipkart and Amazon wont stand by your purchase just like the brick-and-mortar ones who shrug off their responsibility in fine print - sigh, if only we'd read the T&C BEFORE we pay. With no laws to rein in the scamsters, you will be the loser [If you've had a good experience, bail out while the going is good. Be aware of these hustlers who know the game well]

Sorry to say this, but that statement sounds prehistoric.
What are you suggesting we bail out of, and what do you presume we've gotten into??

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Believe me, online shopping is a scam waiting to happen (happening?). I rarely buy online these days and you should avoid the likes of

That's quite a generalization. I would counter it with the statement that the real scam has been the one where we've been paying MRP for several goods. B&M stores often sell products at MRP, or just a shade below, thereby raking in significant profits. Online stores have shown that there is profit to be had even when undercutting the MRP. The 'M' in MRP is maximum, not mandatory

Originally Posted by arnabchak

Obviously, there are bad sellers and products(fakes) on site but you have to use your discretion and get the correct ones.

Quite true. Easiest rule of thumb is to look for Amazon Fulfilled or Flipkart Advantage badges. This is equivalent to going to a big name retailer. Then look at seller ratings and feedback. This is equivalent to word-of-mouth about physical shops.

[binand]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Believe me...

Why? What are your credentials that we need to suspend our collective wisdom and believe you?

[saket77]

There is no doubt that the physical stores have reaped good profits over long since we, the buyers had no option. I think they even make profit on most items if they sell stuff for the prices offered online. I have bought a good number of items by negotiating them showing the prices of same stuff online. Most of the times they budge; at times they don't.

I think what mvadg wanted to convey is that with these hefty discounts by online sellers, soon brick & mortar shops will be wiped out of the business. This situation can then later result in a monopoly and the online sellers will roll back all discounts which they offer these days. And with no proper laws governing the e-commerce domain in India, the Govt. will still be toothless to deal with them.

All in all, l would say let us enjoy the party as long as it lasts. We never know how situation pans out in future and thus it may not be bleak at all. I remember that around the year 2000-'01, we used to read chapters that why e-commerce is (and will be) a failure in India. The situation is entirely different today.

Thanks!

[fine69]

If somebody wants us to stay off ecommerce and physically go to retail stores, then please have a concept similar to Walmart (their friendly policies especially e.g. where I could return a product in 90 days, no questions asked)

Its the other way round actually. The retailers are ready to fleece you at every given moment but with the likes of flipkart & snapdeal I can do a lot more research, get other customer's feedback, look at specs without having the sales guy look for the dusty spec sheet etc.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

Hold on to your horses mate!!

Just branding them on generic and random hear says will not really cut ice!!

Full Disclosure: I don't own a B&M store, nor have anything against the online sellers.

Wow! I seem to have touched some collective raw nerve here!

But hey! my cautions are totally optional and there is no diktat to follow them.

Originally Posted by mayankk

Sorry to say this, but that statement sounds prehistoric.
What are you suggesting we bail out of, and what do you presume we've gotten into??

Originally Posted by arunphilip

That's quite a generalization. I would counter it with the statement that the real scam has been the one where we've been paying MRP for several goods.

Originally Posted by binand

Why? What are your credentials that we need to suspend our collective wisdom and believe you?

At this point all I can say is YMMV - I was just cautioning fellow TBHP members after experiencing some not-so-great issues with online shopping, not just with Flipkart and Amazon.in, but Amazon.com as well. Let me include the BIG brands in B&M as well in this list.

I request you to ponder over one question: Why would the e-tailers be any different from the B&M retailers in their behavior towards customers?

Once you answer the above question, you can add into the mix some incentives that the legal / political / governance situation in India provides the etailers with.

Originally Posted by saket77

I think what mvadg wanted to convey is that with these hefty discounts by online sellers, soon brick & mortar shops will be wiped out of the business. This situation can then later result in a monopoly and the online sellers will roll back all discounts which they offer these days. And with no proper laws governing the e-commerce domain in India, the Govt. will still be toothless to deal with them.

All in all, l would say let us enjoy the party as long as it lasts. We never know how situation pans out in future and thus it may not be bleak at all. I remember that around the year 2000-'01, we used to read chapters that why e-commerce is (and will be) a failure in India. The situation is entirely different today.

Thanks!

Thanks saket77
I agree, enjoy the party, while it lasts. Much of the money that is used to provide the good deals and discounts comes from borrowed capital. When the time is right, the investors will demand their pound of flesh.

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by mvadg

You can be sure that Flipkart and Amazon wont stand by your purchase just like the brick-and-mortar ones who shrug off their responsibility in fine print

I don't see why they should, anyway. Once they sell the item, their job is done. Sure, customer satisfaction is something to consider, but not necessarily comply with.

If something you buy is defective, the ideal way to go forward is to claim a warranty replacement. Regardless of whether it was bought online or not.

As far as warranty claims go, my Lumia 720 from Flipkart had a solid one years' warranty and my Philips trimmer from Amazon has a 3 year warranty. Both warranties verified on the manufacturer's websites.

Online shopping does have its perks. No haggling with a shopkeeper, no need to time off to go buy the product, no need to search for parking, no need to hurry up the purchase because the sales exec is growing inpatient. As for fakes and phoneys, we just need to exercise the same caution that we do with offline stores. I have bought plenty of stuff online and not a single fake has landed at my doorstep till date.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Online stores have shown that there is profit to be had even when undercutting the MRP.

This, isn't really true.

All major e-Tailers in India are undergoing loss.

Flipkart 281.7 crore loss

Amazon 321 crore loss

Jabong 318 crore loss

Amazon has made profits in only around two years of its 20 year existence.

Originally Posted by mvadg

When the time is right, the investors will demand their pound of flesh.

They will, and they should!

But they will not do this by getting these websites to slash discounts. This will happen by taking the company public.

Even now, Flipkart and Jabong are apparently preparing for an IPO. And when people lap up these shares like there's no tomorrow, these investors will see their cash registers overflowing. Obviously, taking away the USP of e-Commerce players who have already gone public will only cause the value of the shares and in turn, the coffers of the investors to drop.

So, I do not see the discounts going away any time soon.

Look at Amazon.com for instance. Discount sales, 20 years on. e-Commerce is here to stay, unless something goes horribly wrong.

[Gansan]

How long before the MRTP act is invoked against online stores? Can a brand say they will sell only through xyz store and get away with it forever? When I took a couple of Moto phones to a nearby store to fix screen guards their irritation against online stores was palpable.

But do online stores really pass on the economy of scale / lack of overheads to us? Like I said before, I found the Xperia Z Ultra on sale for 18.5k at a popular Chennai based store, while the price online was like 19.5k. Moto phones are on sale only at Flipkart, so there is no way to compare prices.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

But they will not do this by getting these websites to slash discounts. This will happen by taking the company public.

Even now, Flipkart and Jabong are apparently preparing for an IPO. And when people lap up these shares like there's no tomorrow, these investors will see their cash registers overflowing.

Agree with your post except the quoted text. The e-com sites may prepare for IPO and going public, but I do not see going them anywhere from there until their books see green ink. I do not get that why an investor like me & you would invest his money in a loss making firm which is without a ray of hope in near future.

Thanks.

[binand]

Originally Posted by saket77

I do not get that why an investor like me & you would invest his money in a loss making firm which is without a ray of hope in near future.

Can't speak for others; but I invest for capital appreciation - I don't need to see profits today. So even if the firm is loss-making today as long as I can see value creation (and also other things, like committed management and competitive advantages) I wouldn't hesitate in investing. Amazon, for example.

Obviously as I near the end of my income-earning age I'll switch to firms that show steady if mundane profits and dividends. :-)

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by saket77

The e-com sites may prepare for IPO and going public, but I do not see going them anywhere from there until their books see green ink. I do not get that why an investor like me & you would invest his money in a loss making firm which is without a ray of hope in near future.

Thanks.

Actually, for Amazon, it is leveraging the huge revenues to fund other services that offer substantial returns that mitigate losses from its e-Selling. They have the Amazon Cloud Services, the Kindle and the eBooks related to the kindle and other services.

Perhaps Flipkart will go the same way too.

Perhaps not near future, but even if it takes 10 years, if the money one gets back is ten-fold what one put it after an IPO, it is worth the wait.

Moreover, the sheer volume of shares that will be given out to these investors at the time of investing will ensure that the investors reap appropriate returns.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Got a very good deal (I hope) from lenskart for prescription eyeglasses with photochromatic lenses for my 15 year old son.

The glasses arrived today. They look nice and fit well. The power seems to be correct. My son feels no discomfort as compared to his old glasses. The pack also contains a tiny set of screwdrivers for adjusting the frame if necessary! The accompanying paper says they are "Klar" lenses fitted to "Vincent Chase" frames.

Since the package was delivered at 8.00 PM, their darkening property under sunlight is to be checked only tomorrow. For Rs 1000.00, they seem to be a very good deal.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I like the free toolkit!

To test out the photocromic darkening, put the glasses out in the sun with one lens covered. Leave for 10-15 minutes. You can now compare the darkened to the undarkened lens.

Remember: it takes much longer for this glass to loose its tint, and it might be necessary to wait 45mins to an hour before the lenses match again, but don't worry, they will.

Edit: I have done this test, but I never thought of this: make the lenses equal again by darkening both in the sun. It will be much quicker!

[mukeshgoel]

Since we are discussing lenses and lesnkart, can someone decode this prescription.

This prescription has near and far value.

I need to order glasses from lenskart.com just with "near" lenses.