<p>I know some people buy everything from clothes to groceries online. </p>
<p>When gift giving, there are some things I just WANT to see in person. For instance, I was looking for a wallet for my D1 - looked online but felt like I needed to see the item in my hand to determine if the size, material, etc. was what I wanted to purchase. </p>
<p>I also don’t like to buy pants/jeans online - sizes/fit vary too much and I feel it’s too much of a gamble. Tops and dresses fine, pants NO! 
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<p>I buy as much as I possibly can. And, I prefer to buy pants online so that I can order every permutation of waist size and cut. This move toward skinny leg cords & jeans is killing me. Apparently younger women like to wear jeans tucked into boots. I just want pants that can skim my calves.</p>
<p>I do not buy groceries online but do order specialty food items.</p>
<p>If I know exactly what I want and where to get it, I’ll often order it, especially if there is no sales tax, free shipping and Ebates cash back. If I want to look and compare, I’ll usually shop in stores. </p>
<p>I think there are some things better bought in person. What I would not buy would be fine jewelry. If you can’t hold it, you cannot see it , feel it closely neigh to check on it’s quality . Particularly if it involves a stone.
I wouldn’t buy anything that requires specific sizing…like a high end bicycle…Amazon cannot provide service for everything, bikes would come to mind.</p>
<p>I agree that pants cannot be bought online, unless it’s for a pair that I already own. Although I did order four pair from Lands’ End, knowing that I would return three of them.</p>
<p>I’ve started ordering 50 pounds of dog food at a time from Amazon. Such a convenience!!</p>
<p>I don’t order things that I have to try on unless there is free shipping both ways (think Zappos), I can return it to a local store, or I have previously tried them on in a store. I don’t order things that I cannot visualize if comfort matters (I need to sit on a couch or chair to determine if it’s right). I don’t order things for which details matter (like a particular shade or design) unless there is free shipping both ways or I can return it to a local store. We live near a BJs and a Costco so I have no need for groceries on line, although I have bought soda that I can’t get locally.</p>
<p>I’ll buy almost anything else on line.</p>
<p>I buy lots online once I have already had it before…eg my fav jeans. </p>
<p>I buy everything from groceries to clothes to tires online. I do not buy some gifts online because I have some folks who are incredibly picky and may want to return. Just easier to buy local and give them the gift and gift receipt. </p>
<p>I’m really trying to buy local and keep my businesses thriving. But I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t order. Sporting goods, I guess. I thought it was important to buy my bike from a brick and mortar store, same with the new XC skiis I bought. Running shoes, I like to try out but will order if I know exactly what I want. </p>
<p>Not big on ordering shoes on line unless I’ve tried that exact shoe on. Then I figure what’s the point. </p>
<p>I buy everything online except most grocery items. I hate going to a mall, department store, etc. I buy mostly from Amazon, where my Amazon VISA gets me 3% back, and Prime gets me free 2-day shipping on most items (and other benefits). </p>
<p>I do not mind returning items that don’t fit. If I might be between sizes, I order both and return one. </p>
<p>I buy coffee beans from a local guy (not Starbucks), produce at the farmers market when available, various grocery stores for other groceries. </p>
<p>My family mostly does the same. My son’s school address is one of the shipping options on Amazon. </p>
<p>Injury and subsequent surgeries this year have kept me from being able to hike through local stores as I prefer, so I have done more online clothing shopping than usual. I focus on sites with numerous reviews (Nordstrom, Zappos, JCrew) and easy, flexible return policies. I have been pleasantly surprised by my 99% success rate with few returns, including on sneakers for my fussy feet. It helps to repeat brands in jeans that work for me and comb reviews for how particular items run. I don’t buy food online, do get some things on Amazon. I try not to select items they require ordering several sizes, due to current inconvenience of getting them back. </p>
<p>Glad for the options. </p>
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For me, the secret is opening the boxes carefully and keeping them until I’m sure that no return will take place. That, and a tape gun (available on Amazon for $10-$20 ), and it’s a piece of cake with preprinted mailing labels, pickup if necessary, etc. </p>
<p>I do most of my shopping online, except for groceries. I like to pick out my own meat and fresh produce.</p>
<p>It is so much easier to have things shipped to my door, especially with free shipping. It does save money, there are fewer impulse purchases on my part. 
And the free gift cards earned when shopping through mypoints or memolink are an added bonus. I have funded my kids Christmas for many years by buying tp and papertowels all year long from target through mypoints.</p>
<p>I’ve definitely been spoiled by Zappos – I love its easy and free returns, especially that I can take a whole year to return something. I’ve ordered 10 shoes at once from them, and returned all but one. (The box that came was enormous.) I also prefer to order from a store where I can return it locally, to avoid the shipping costs. Athleta and the Gap are two examples. </p>
<p>The biggest risk I took was ordering rugs online. I had looked locally, and didn’t find anything I liked, and discovered the thousands of choices on Overstock and Wayfair and some other sites. I got one 9x13 foot rug and another 8x10 foot rug – both weigh 70 lbs (each). When they arrived, I realized what trouble I would be in if I didn’t like them. I love both of them, so I didn’t have to figure out how to repackage an unwieldy 70 lb item. What a relief. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t order a bike online. Definitely not jewelry – jewelry is never a planned purchase for me, I’d rather find something through serendipity. I wouldn’t order soft furniture – I want to sit on a couch, a chair, a bed, to see how comfortable it is. I wouldn’t order appliances like a dishwasher, stove, refrigerator – need to be able to look inside. I’ve never ordered art online – I feel like I need to see it in person to appreciate the size and colors. </p>
<p>(Many states require you to self-report use tax due on your individual tax return for items purchased online on which sales tax was not charged).</p>
<p>I buy nearly all my clothes online, mostly from Nordstrom, and make my returns at bricks’n’mortar stores. I prefer to see how new items play with the rest of my wardrobe. I buy shoes online as well because wide widths fit me best. I also buy laundry detergent online because I like Charlie’s Soap which is not sold near me. I am less likely to buy online if the item might not work and I would have to pay for its return.</p>
<p>I have narrow feet so I pretty much have to buy shoes on line (the Nordstroms a few minutes from my house does not carry narrow shoes). I buy some clothes such as tops or sweaters, but prefer to try on in stores. I also much prefer brick and mortar bookstores to ordering books on line. Have never ordered groceries, but my D who lives in NYC does.</p>
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<p>You can examine them locally, decide what you want, and then look for the best price online.</p>