The worldwide pandemic fueled a surge in online shopping across the world, as the year 2022 is expected to be the first trillion-dollar year for online sales. The surge first hit back in 2020 when online consumer spending hit a record $813 billion, which was a 42% increase from only a year earlier, 2019.

Before the pandemic, online shopping was just another way to shop. If you hadn’t found what you were looking for in a physical store, online shopping would have been your last resource. Now, we have become used to buying groceries, home improvement products, and sporting goods, which have become especially popular, with a single click. So no wonder the e-shopping world has turned its other side on us and we also face many more shopping fails than ever before.

So today, we wrapped up some of the funniest, weirdest and most frustrating examples of what happens when online shopping goes awry, and presents us with a good old “expectation” vs “reality” experience. Let us know if you have also been betrayed by an item you bought online in the comments! More cruel online shopping fails can be found in our previous posts here, here, here and here.

#1 We Ordered Toothbrushes On Ebay From China But Received Eye Masks Instead. I’m Not Mad About This Error, And Will Use Them Wisely

Image credits: aloofwatermelon

With more and more people switching to online shopping, there’s still not enough talk about the dangers lurking behind it. Turns out, online shopping is a perfect place for scams, whether it’s browsing unsafe e-commerce sites, shopping on lookalike pages, or unknowingly disclosing your bank details. So today, Bored Panda spoke with a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, Daniel Markuson.

“Criminals usually find their victims through online pop-ups, banners, or emails. They rely on advertising engines like Facebook and Google to push their banners on users. Although these companies have strong safeguards in place, some banners still slip in,” he explained.

#2 This Is How Amazon Delivered My Body Wash. I Wonder What Are They Expect Me To Do

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#3 I Keep Trying To Order Zatarain’s Cajun Injector Creole Butter, But I Keep Getting Soaps

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“Alternatively, some scammers study their potential future victims and analyze their online behavior, which can be easily done if the victim is browsing the web unprotected,” Markuson added. That’s why it’s important to remember that secure websites have HTTPS in their address.

The cybersecurity expert listed six major scam scenarios you may encounter while online shopping. The first one is “your order has been canceled.” Markuson explained: “These scams can go as far as to say, ‘Sorry, we are out of stock, and your order has been canceled. To claim your refund, please click here.’ Once the victim clicks on the link, they are asked to enter the details of the credit card to which they want to receive the refund and end up with their bank account being wiped out.”

#4 Sometimes You Don’t Expect A Lot From Aliexpress But Dammit

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#5 Ordered A Gromit Coffee Mug Online

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#6 My Son Turned 1 Yesterday. This Was The Topper To His Space Themed Cake. Left Is What We Ordered, Right Is What We Got

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Another threat is lookalike pages. “Amazoŋ.com, eday.com, googIe.comv — most users do not spot the discrepancies in the address bar as long as the website design looks legitimate,” he warned and added that they process the payment for the items in their shopping cart and end up being robbed.

Renewing your membership for the purchases you’ve made is another common scam online buyers should be aware of. “Once you’ve finished with your purchases, scammers will send you an email claiming that your Amazon Prime subscription payment is due and the discount cannot be applied. So if you want your items to get delivered, you have to renew the subscription. Ultimately, the victim gets tricked into disclosing their bank details,” Markuson explained.

#7 Thanks To This Woman’s Amazon Review I Promptly Removed This Dress From My Cart

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#8 My Family Recently Moved To Florida So I Wanted To Protect Them From The Sun

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#9 Op Ordered The Left Painting From An Instagram “Artist” Who Then Blocked Them After Delivery

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If a website requires you to download an app, you are likely getting scammed. Imagine you’re about to make an online purchase. “Suddenly you’re informed that the only way you can grab this ‘exclusive deal’ is to purchase through the app. In reality, you’re being directed to download a fraudulent app run by hackers that has been primed to steal your payment information. Interestingly, most of these fake apps also appear in legitimate app stores, according to research by RiskIQ.

Also, watch out if an e-commerce website claims that there’s a delivery issue with your purchase. “Scammers will send bulk emails to Amazon users that claim to be from UPS, FedEx, or Amazon itself. They might read something like this: ‘We’re sorry, but your package couldn’t be shipped. Please click here to re-arrange delivery or update your method of payment.’” But as soon as you enter payment details, well, you can guess who’ll be cashing in, Markuson warned.

#10 (Found) This Mask From Wish

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#11 For My Son’s 1st Birthday, I Give You The Cake We Ordered And The Cake We Got

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#12 It’s A Scam

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“Another common scam involves free gift cards, winning a loaded gift card from big retailers. The terms often require you to enter a grab bag or text a random code to 7792, for example. To a bargain shopper, it’s too good to pass up. In reality, your details will be collected, your device could be infected with malware, and the scam could be sent to your entire address book.”

#13 I Paid $65 For A Cake That Wasn’t Even Worth It

I hate to even have to do this but I want to warn people.  

She refused to do anything about it. They don’t even look close or anything.

#14 Make Sure You Order From The Grown-Ups’ Section

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#15 My Friend Ordered This Rug Online. She Got This Instead, Whatever It Is

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There are a few things everyone who’s shopping online should know before making a purchase. “An address of a safe website should start with “https://.” The letter S stands for “secure,” Markuson said. “Also, look for a padlock symbol in the address bar next to the website address. It means the connection is secure and no one can read or modify the data that travels between you and the website you’re visiting,” he added.

#16 So My Mom Ordered A Memorial Day Wreath For My Grandpa, Who Is A Vietnam Vet

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#17 Ordered A Tool From Amazon. They Sent Me A Bag With Nothing In It. Wish I Could Make This Up

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#18 When You Order Your Halloween Costume From Wish. I Ordered Freddie. Think I Got His Cousin Eddie

Image credits: Mike Robinson

The most common signs of an unsafe online shop or a website are the following: “The website has grammar mistakes; The design looks odd and the website structure is messy; The visuals are not high-quality; The deals are too good to be true; The website URL begins with HTTP, not HTTPS.”

The first thing you should do if you suspect you have just been scammed after paying money for an item on a scam website is to contact your bank, Markuson says. “If you made a payment with a debit or credit card, you may be able to ask your bank to help get your money back through what’s called a chargeback. You can also try contacting the police if the amount of money you lost to a scam is significant,” he said.

#19 Oh, The Joys Of Ordering Online

Two different colors, two different sizes, and both are left shoes. Lovely!

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#20 So I Ordered Some Popcorn From Amazon. Always Check The Size First

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#21 My Sister Ordered A Face Mask From Amazon (Left) And The Photo On The Right Is What She Received

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#22 Ordered A Pot/Pan Set Off Amazon After Recently Moving. Beware Super Low Prices On Kitchenware

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#23 Ordered 100 “Empty” Nintendo DS Cases And Got 100 Copies Of Jonas

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#24 Amazon Shipped Me An Empty Stick Of Deodorant

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#25 So I Ordered Feminine Products Off Amazon And Received Inflatable Basketballs Instead

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#26 What Was Ordered Versus What I Just Received In The Mail Today

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#27 I Can’t Believe It

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#28 TIL To Check Gifts I Order Online Before Giving Them Away – I Ordered A Game Of Thrones Scarf

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#29 I Ordered 3 Hard Drives From Amazon And They Sent Me 3 Cases Instead

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#30 Ordered A “Rose Apothecary” Sweater From Etsy For My Fiancé. This Came Instead. We’re Both Double Vaxxed And Healthcare Workers

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#31 I Ordered 1 Lbs Of Green Beans Online And Got 1 Very Lonely Green Bean

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#32 My New Bath Mat Finally Arrived

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#33 I Cannot Stop Laughing At This Amazon Review

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#34 My Wife Just Got This Huge Banner For Work. Perfect

She’s ordered from the same place before and sent them the same file type as before.

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#35 It’s -35 Today Here In Canada. I Needed Warm Winter Boots. What I Ordered vs. What I Got

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#36 £76 Bouquet

They said they had accidentally sent the “small” version of the bouquet (which doesn’t exist on their website). They offered a re-delivery of the “correct large size” or q voucher for the cost plus £10 extra. I asked for a full refund. Why would I want the bigger version of a terrible bouquet and why would I trust them for future purchases. They didn’t argue.

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#37 The Cat Tree My Mum Ordered vs. What She Received

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#38 Amazon Sent Me 4 Copies Of The Aristocats. I Ordered 0

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#39 Whiskey Advent Calendar

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#40 Axolotl Arrived In The Mail

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#41 Was Super Excited For This Replica Glove (You Can Take It Out & Wear It). What I Got. Even In A Broken Frame

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#42 Heavy-Duty Combat Boots

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#43 Customer Bought Wheels And Tires Online, After Advising Multiple Times That The Tires Are Too Small For His SUV He Insisted For Us To Put Them On

TireSize: 225/45/17

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#44 When You Order A Spooky Shark Costume Online

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#45 Two Baskets I Ordered From Amazon

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#46 My Buddy Ordered Some New Dice And Forgot To Check The Size

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#47 When You Order Clothes On Amazon

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#48 I Ordered Three Collars From An Online Seller For My Cat, But When The Package Finally Arrived It Contained Two Bottles Of Ivermectin

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#49 The New Bathroom Rug I Ordered Online vs. The Actual Rug I Received In The Mail. I’d Say Something Is Wrong Here

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#50 First Time I Ordered Shoes Online

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