My experience with food items has not been quite satisfactory. I had ordered for Nestle's Quality Street candies from Amazon in but to my disappointment they were not original. I have eaten original candies that I got as a gift from a niece of mine from Australia Same applies to Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Is there a way to determine what is genuine and what is not?
I guess the price will always be a good indicator if an item is genuine or not. If the price is too low as compared to other stores that have the same exact product, then you know that it must be fake. To be sure that you're getting the genuine product, then it's best to buy directly from the stores.
@moneymania I agree, a lot of people sometimes don't pay much attention to the price and think they got a good deal when the product is not good.
@iamawriter Sometimes I wonder why someone would conceive the thought of buying food items online. As much as it's pleasing to do your shopping transaction from the comfort of your home but I think it's appropriate to consider health and safety first when it comes to buying stuffs you eat. If it's other things like accessories, furniture, clothes etc, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying them online but once it's something intended to be consumed with mouth, it's paramount that one resist the temptation of buying them online because one can't be absolutely sure how it was processed and packaged, whether it's healthy for consumption.
Sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction of the service that you received from such online food seller. I am afraid to make an order online especially foods for I have read some anomalous service which those sellers online. They misled or tricked their customers.
I am sorry to hear that. That is why I never buy things online. I feel like I'm always being scammed if I would buy something there. Some may sell legitimate products but most of them are cheap imitation of an imitation. Plus the shipping fee is a rip-off. Some would even cost almost as much as the product you're buying. One thing I have noticed if you're going to buy something online. The difference of the price is not that far. They would claim that the product is on sale but if you sum it up, the cost and the delivery charges are almost the same as the actual price. For me, buying online is a big no. I would not dare to buy something there. I do window shop online but I use them as my reference. That is all.
This is one of those risks that comes with online purchasing in the sense that one won't know the authenticity of the products he/she is buying till the delivery of such products and that is also the reason most products sold online are cheaper than what you can buy them in physical shops. I think I agree with you on this that buying food from online stores can be risky and dangerous to health if we end up buying sub standard products. So sorry for your experience and I must confess that this is a great tip for I was planning to order some powdered tea from an online store before the end of the month.
@Zero, That's true, although the only exception to that is when the items are about to expire. They will dispose them by marking the items as "buy one, take one" so that the item won't go to waste and spoil.
@moneymania That is indeed a good idea. Thanks for bringing that to my notice. From now on I shall compare prices. When I find some time I will check what Nestle offers that which is original and that which is not. .I am talking of the Nestle Quality Street candies. @Barida As suggested by a user here you can compare prices of tea that you have plans on buying. There are brands and even then they could be copied. Another disadvantage with food item is there is not return.
I don’t advise in buying food items online. You are still fortunate to receive fake chocolates. It could have been worse if the chocolates sent to you were expired or damaged. I love Milky Way chocolate bar and it is very rare in our country. But I am not tempted to order online. Likewise with the Walker nougat from the UK, it is not available here. You really have to learn the ins and outs of e-commerce before buying from online stores especially with food items.
@iamawriter The brand Nestle Quality Street you mentioned in your post is available only in Woolworths (a grocery store) in Australia so your friend might have bought it from this particular store only. In fact here different stores get customized/tailor-made their brands which may have different ingredients from other brands from the same manufacturer. I don't think a site like Amazon would allow substandard item from any of their associates.
It's tough especially when you buy from places like Amazon. Do you not have any local stores that sell the same product? Sometimes it can be a lot cheaper especially in supermarkets (well it is over here in the United Kingdom). I stay away from buying any type of food items online unless I am buying it from Amazon Groceries (as they are sold by Amazon themselves) or from my supermarket's online website. I just don't trust normal sellers enough to buy food from them because you just don't know what they are.
On the contrary, I always have got genuine food items online, especially through Amazon. I buy all the branded items which are available on a discounted price. So far, they never have delivered sub-standard product or any product which is nearing to expiry. However, I never have tried buying local food items online. There might remain a possibility of delivering sub-standard product as the platform has little control on that.
I am sorry to hear this but I never buy food items online because of the safety issues and the freshness of the products. It can be an easy task to buy them online without having to travel to places to buy our favorite foods and other groceries but I don't think that is a good idea. I am afraid the products will not be good and be expired. But one way to find a genuine product is through the price comparison.
I have not order food online before. As @Ray1 mentioned, perhaps some food are customized in different places too. I have tasted Milo (a brand of chocolate drink) in Australia, it tasted very differently from those we try in our home country. There are some food that I found the taste are different too, though with the same brand. I am not sure if this food are customized for different countries on purpose.
@kaka135 Yes, the foods have different amount of ingredients in different countries. Like here a chocolate may contain lesser sugar, fat etc from the same manufacturer than what we get back in India. People here are too choosy and look for contents minutely compared to what people do in India therefore manufacturers have to be extra careful about their products as the penalties are too heavy and decisions come lot quicker than back home.
@Ray1 I trust Amazon in immensely but must say I did find a lot of difference in taste. My niece lives in NSW Australia and I do not know from which shop she got it from. Talking about Woolworth's I have visited them when I was on a holiday and their store was in a Mall in Queensland. @kingcool52 I have other reasons to shop online. Also we do not have Malls around here nor do we get to choose what we want. Not every food that I buy online has been disappointing but caution is the word that could be used as same brand made in different countries could taste different. Perhaps Amazon could warn us about it.
This is one of the many reasons why I do not shop online. The only thing I buy online are e-books (if I cannot find a free copy to download). I have to see, feel and touch the item, compare prices before I can make the final. Especially for items like foods, clothes and beauty products. I might probably be persuaded to buy electronics or furniture or any other household item online in the future but for now, I will stick my old traditional way
I don't know that I would buy chocolates online because it's just too easy to walk to the nearest shop and buy them and when it comes to food I do like to see what I am getting. It's very tempting to just sit in front of the computer and then get it brought to the door but it's such a hassle if things are not what you want and then you have to go through the returns procedure.
Buying food items on line is not my thing, I prefer to buy it personally at actual shops and establishments. If you buy online, then there is no guarantee that what you will receive is all legit and original as from what you have experience. But customers is always right, true? Then you could have just return the goods and tell the seller that you received a fake item. You could have been rewarded or paid for that, since it might fall under fraud services.
