25+ Online Shopping Stories With Incredible Plot Twists That Not Even Every Thriller Has

Online shopping is a totally normal part of our lives now. It’s comfortable, simple, and you don’t need to walk miles in shopping malls. Also, when shopping online, you don’t see exactly what you’re buying, which is why there are hundreds of stories from our readers about how they were disappointed with what they got in the mail.

We at Bright Side were amazed by your comments and stories about the things you bought online. Also, we added a bonus, with recommendations on how to reduce the number of bad online purchases.

• It was my very first time I ever ordered something from a Chinese store. At the time, I didn’t know I should always read the description to figure out the size of what I’m buying. Now, I have this teapot as a reminder that I always need to be on the lookout. © Oksana Roman / AdMe

• I ordered curtains at an online store. I checked all the details and everything looked fine. When I got the box, I found 4 pieces of fabric and 4 bags of sand! I complained to the store and, fortunately, they refunded my money. © Kalima Toktogonova / facebook

• My husband wanted to surprise me: so he ordered a nice T-shirt with a hood that had cats on it. He guessed what my size was. Of course, when the T-shirt arrived, he had ordered a size S (and my size is L). So, we had to give it to our niece. © Lubov / AdMe

• I ordered something to be delivered to my home.
  Expectation: So great! I don’t have to run around stores, try to find things, and waste my time!
  Reality: I cancel everything for the next day and spend the entire day waiting for the delivery guy that might arrive any time between 9 AM and 12 PM. © YURBASS1992 / Pikabu

• You spend the whole day waiting for the delivery and then you get a text that the guy came, but nobody was at home. © Eugene5001 / Pikabu

• I ordered a black bathrobe that was supposed to be knee-length. But what I got could barely cover my butt. I decided to not send it back, I actually used it, but I don’t order clothes from that website anymore. And the reviews were great! I wonder how people order suits for important events from there. © Mama Govarda / AdMe

• I was called from the online store that I often order things from and they asked me to not meet delivery guys while wearing my pajamas. They complain that after these deliveries, they don’t want to work. They just want to go home and put on their pajamas. © Podslushano / Ideer

• I ordered a waterproof suit. So, what I got was 3 sizes bigger than what I needed. I don’t order clothes online anymore. © Gadskiy Papa / AdMe

• I found an online store that had handmade accessories. The prices were crazy, but the reviews were amazing. The thing is, I ordered the same “handmade” pendant on AliExpress for pennies! © Podslushano / Ideer

• I ordered a hairdryer, but it wasn’t delivered on time. I waited for a few days, talked to the person responsible for the delivery, and then I had to wait even longer. Anyway, I still haven’t gotten the hairdryer that ordered in 2015. © Akshaya Sundararajan / Quora

• I ordered a MacBook and instead, I got 2 packs of cookies. © Spartak Chernyavsky / facebook

• I ordered a tracksuit for my wife as a New Year’s present. The shop promised to deliver the present within 7 days, but it didn’t come until one month later. Anyway, at the New Year’s party, in our house full of guests, I bring the box with the present out and the guests were all interested. My wife opens it and sees a men’s tracksuit that looks as if it were worn by an army of men... I had never felt this embarrassed in my life. © Vyacheslav Kashevich / facebook

• I ordered a set of 12 kitchen utensils for kids. Somehow, they all fit into a matchbox. I’ve never laughed this hard. © Marina Scirova / facebook

• Something really interesting happened to me. I got a hat delivered that nobody ordered. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any contact data (phone number, address), so I couldn’t return it. © Anna Dziuba / facebook

• It’s so annoying when you see an ad on some website that asks you to click, and when you click you are redirected to the website where everything else is sold except for the product you clicked on. © Derek Demitrius / Quora

• I ordered cases for my cell phone. Since then, I have changed 3 phones and these cases still haven’t been delivered. I hope they will never get delivered. © Nargiza-nazir Nargiza-nazir / facebook

• I ordered a dress that I wanted to wear to a wedding. I got a box. It was so small, I thought they must have packed the dress in a smart and efficient way, but it turns out that the box contained 2 pairs of sunglasses. © Irina Kuhn / facebook

• I bought some loofahs before, only to find some wasp larvae inside them (packaged). I didn’t see the larvae until mid-shower. I left them in the garage in a bucket to see what they would become... And it was for sure wasps. © KazoBanjooie64 / reddit

• I ordered sunglasses. The website said that the size was good for anyone. I specifically texted the seller to find out if they were for adults or for children. The seller said “universal.” Now, I have a pair of sunglasses for children. © Victoria Sosnovskaya / facebook

• Once, I ordered a toy house, but instead, I got an underwater lamp for a swimming pool. The money was refunded, but they didn’t take the lamp back. And unfortunately, I don’t have a swimming pool. © Elena Alexandra Rozenberg / facebook

• My mom bought something from a company in China, and for months afterward, she kept getting random packages of things she didn’t order and things that didn’t even fit her. It finally stopped after 6 months or so. © unknown / reddit

• I ordered cell phone cases, but I got fake eyelashes. © Victoria Deri / facebook

• I ordered a white outfit for my daughter. They confused the name of my town, so I got the outfit 2 weeks later. Finally, I unpacked it and saw a turquoise T-shirt with shorts. © Yulia Novikova / facebook

• I saw a 60% discount offer in an online store. I decided to save some money and placed an order. The delivery guy didn’t see my car and bumped into it. © Podslushano / Ideer

• I’ve ordered things online so many times. In most cases, people are just not very attentive: they choose the wrong size or buy from bad sellers. A guy I know ordered a watch and he received a photo of the watch. He was so angry, but the description clearly said it was a photo of the watch. © Svetlana Dubkoveckaja / facebook
• Some sellers change the description after you buy something. It happened to me once. © Alexandra Bychkova / facebook
• It’s simple: take a screenshot after you buy something and you will win an argument if you have any trouble. © Sergey Rö / facebook

Bonus: Internet users share tips on how to reduce the number of fails when shopping online

• When shopping on Chinese websites, you always have to read carefully and choose the right size, because they always show the price of the default (the smallest) size. When you choose the size you need, you will see how much the price will change. © Terēze Onufrijeva / facebook

• When I order something from stores I don’t know, I never pay right away. I choose the option to pay when I receive the goods and check them. And if I’m ordering from stores I can trust, I pay online because I know it’s safe. © Maryna Clouse / facebook

• Keep items on your wish list. There is a chance that the e-commerce site might give you a discount offer. © Hridayd / reddit

• It’s important to film the unboxing of your product. © Irina Ershova / facebook

What tricks do you use to buy only the best things online?