Tips to buying clothes online in Nigeria

Posted by Felix Okoli on Saturday January 30, 2016 at 13:31:41:

A growing number of Nigerians now buy things on the internet and this is what we refer to as online shopping. They buy electronic stuff as well as fashion items such as clothes and shoes. When it comes to buying clothes online in Nigeria, it can get a bit tricky and may even be a mistake for someone who doesn't know his/her exact size and normally buy clothes after testing to see if it fits first.

Yes, many Nigerians are used to bend down select boutiques with a few going to classy boutiques but the truth is that most of them don't really know the correct size of clothes or brands to buy and that's why they mostly prefer testing them before buying them. If you are going to buy clothes online in Nigeria, you may not have the opportunity to wear it before buying it and so the best way to avoid regretting your purchase later on is to simply buy clothes that fit your specification.

There are also people who may already know their regular size but not sure if that remains valid since they may have gained weight, grown a bit bigger or shrunk in size and so they still need to test clothes before buying them. The case is different for people who buy clothes regularly like in a monthly or quarterly basis as they simply buy the clothes and brands they know already suits them best.

I used to buy clothes offline by visiting the local market in the past but it's been over 3 years since I did that because I now buy more of my clothes online on local and foreign websites. I shop on local websites like Konga and Jumia as well as foreign websites like Amazon and Aliexpress.

There are now a growing number of websites that sell clothes to Nigerians and also offer a home delivery service afterwards. Some of these sellers prefer to get paid in advance while some are patient enough to wait for payment after delivery. Some of them even accept a return if the clothes you purchased did not fit you or you are simply not happy with it while some hardly offer any returns package. However, as an online buyer, When you consider the time, energy and cost of making a returns afterwards, you'd come to agree that it's better to avoid having to make a return after you buy clothes online.

When buying clothes online in Nigeria, it's always better to avoid having a buyer's remorse for doing so and that's why you should plan on what to buy before you actually place an online order for the clothes.

Helpful tips:
1. Buy from designers and brands that you are used to: If you are used to buying specific brands from designers like Tommy or Kenneth Cole, then it's safer to stick to that brand because you know how it fits you. If you want to buy a new brand, then you could buy a one or two as a sample so that you can test them before placing a big order on a new brand you are not used to. Different brands of clothes fit people differently.

2. Know your size before buying: It pays to know your exact size before placing an order for clothes. If you are buying from foreign markets, then you may need to convert your size to fit the size for that country whether it's in the UK, USA or China. They may have different sizing formats but you can always convert your size to fit into their size. If you've grown bigger or smaller during your last shopping for clothes, then it's good to make adjustments for it.

3. Do your physical testing at a local boutique: If you know any particular type of clothes that you want to buy online but are not sure about if it would fit you well, then one thing you can do is to find local sellers in your area to test their clothes before buying. There are many boutiques in Nigeria close by that allow you to test clothes by first wearing them before you buy. You need to find the one that fits you before placing an order for or online. If for instance you want to buy a pair of Levi Strauss jeans but you are not sure about your size, then you can do you physical testing at a local Levi shop.

4. Buy a few samples first: If you are not sure about what specific type, brand or size of clothes you want to buy online, then it would be safer to buy a few samples first rather than doing a bulk ordering for them on the internet. It would save you a lot of money and stress if you make a mistake and buy a few first that don't fit you unlike if you were to buy many. If you don't like them, you can always return them later on. It may be hard returning items that come from international merchants like Amazon and eBay but it's easier if they were local shopping sites like Jumia and Konga.

5. Consider the acquisition cost: The price of buying clothes online may get cheap at times but you also have to consider other purchase costs before it finally reaches you in order to know if it still makes sense to buy it online. This would include things like shipping costs and tax(Sales, import and others). This allows you to let you know if it's still wise to buy it online or to just patronize your local clothing store.