When catalogue shopping, there are a number of different catalogues to shop through, and so many items you can buy online.  Whether shopping for new clothes, new electronics, kitchen appliances, or gaming devices, you have many different places to shop with.  So, consider these five tips not only to choose the right catalogues, but also so you find the items you are looking for, on sale for the lowest price, and best financing term options.

1.  Company

The reputation and track record of a catalogue are extremely important.  If the online catalogue is known for speedy delivery, great customer service, great financing terms, and has a solid reputation, you can trust and order with them.  On the flip side, if it is known for late deliveries, over priced items, poor quality, and customer care, do you really want to order with that catalogue?  Probably not.  So, know what you are getting into, prior to placing your orders.

2.  Shipping or Handling Charges

Many catalogues offer free shipping if you order a certain dollar amount; others will charge a flat rate, and others charge a fee based on what you order, and price of the order.  Either way, make sure you know what you are paying for, what the handling charges are, if there are fees for repackaging and returns, and so forth.  You do not want any surprises; so, make sure you know all fees prior to ordering, so you don’t get caught with huge fees and penalties after ordering with a catalogue.

299.365 :: Cabela’s by Echo9er, on Flickr.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

3.  Know What You Order

The main disadvantage of catalogue shopping is you can’t see or physically touch the items.  With this said, you want to do strenuous research on items.  Especially things like clothes or shoes, you want to know if they are true to size, a little big, a bit tight, and so forth.  Do your research, shop around, read reviews, and find out from others who have ordered the items you want to order.  This will make the final decision a bit easier on you when placing your orders.

4.  Order Now or Pay Later

Make sure you fully understand order now, pay later schemes.  Typically, you will pay a whooping fee on these orders.  However, some catalogues offer a period of interest free, or no interest, so make sure you take advantage of this.  Regardless of the financing terms, or how the buy now pay later scheme works, make sure you fully understand it, and compare a few catalogues.  Doing this not only allows you to find the best terms, but avoid that huge penalty or interest charge, you really weren’t expecting to pay on an order.

5.  Think About It

This seems simple enough, but it isn’t.  Like any impulse buy you make, do you really need the item?  Sometimes people see an item on sale or discount, or interest free for six months; but, would you ever wear it?  Do you really need it?  These are questions to ask yourself.  Although it seems simple enough, step back, contemplate the order, and if you can think of at least one good reason not to buy, then maybe you should not order the items.