online purchase

I am not a person who love to make online purchase. Yes, I'm rather an old-school, who raised in a generation where we went to a real brick-and-mortar store for shopping. I was scared of the credit card fraud or internet transactions, I am worry if the package was lost during shipment, or if I have to pay a hefty sum of money for the tax or custom. When I tried to make purchases in Amazon (dot com, not the jungle), most of their products can't be shipped to Indonesia. Other websites have some restrictions as well, such as they don't accept credit card payment from Indonesia. So don't you think what I have said earlier make any sense to you?

Nowadays, there are some local online stores in Indonesia, though nearly impossible to find one selling stationery. However, there are Bhinneka, Lazada, Zalora, low cost airlines.. and hundreds of blogs, facebook account and instagram who also sell products. Instagram?? What the...?! Well, I personally think Instagram has lost its core sense when you post picture for business. Anyway, those local online stores accept payment from Indonesia's bank (clickpay using token) or credit card. However, apart from the convenience of not leaving the house for shopping, I don't think there is any significant value added. I still can find those products from the various malls in Jakarta. I can even touch, feel, and try the product myself before I make a decision. I like to use all of my senses before I bought a product, not only see the details on my computer screen. For example, each paper has its own acidity, texture, colour, smell, thickness, brightness etc.. You can't feel the texture when you buy it online.

These days, I can buy some books -but not clothing and electronic stuff- from Amazon. I use my credit card which has the lowest amount covered, less than $500/month. I use that same credit card for my paypal account. So, yes I try to embrace this online transaction, but very cautious with the risk. Besides, there are inexpensive stuffs offered on ebay which also offer free shipping !! I might go mad just looking those stationery stuff and hit the buy button over and over. Having the small amount of credit balance really help to limit my spending. Always be wise in spending your money.