It is amazing how the internet has evolved the act of buying and selling. I cannot forget how I purchased my own stuff backed by an online platform, OLX.COM. I could not remember well whether I placed an order to sell my TV set a few months ago until I received a call from the company to shift it to the provided address. I remember it was on Sunday, as usually I get busy on my computer playing games as we buy time for boring Sundays to end quickly. I saw a notification reading buy at a discounted price and win OXL platinum. It was an amazing price and well-packaged TV set, almost similar to what I wanted to buy after selling my original TV set. I got excited and placed an order to purchase the TV set as indicated: “Buy now when the offer is still valid and win the card.” It was an amazing advertisement appearing over and over again. I therefore made a decision to purchase the TV set and win a platinum card, as well as get a discounted TV set.
I made a choice and placed an order, keying my personal details, physical address for delivery, and payment details from my debit card. The key details went successfully without noticing anything unique. I was so excited to have ordered a TV set at a discounted rate and won a platinum card as well. A platinum card comes with a lot of advantages if you are the kind of person who loves online shopping. A few minutes after completing the payment process, I receive a text message of congratulations from OLX for winning a prestigious platinum card with 100 USD dollars inside. You can guess the kind of questions which was lingering in my head I wait for a delivery guy after 24 hours to knock my door. However, Instead of a knock to deliver the item, I received a phone call instructing me to send the TV set or item to the buyer. Still, I could not recognize that I had purchased my own TV set in my living room.
It was a double win when I received a call to send the package to the buyer and send the tracking number so the company could transfer the payment to the account. I am so happy, and I started counting myself as the luckiest online user. First, I could not imagine winning platinum card and purchasing a TV set at a discounted price and third celebrating the final sale of TV set played a selling notice months back,. I was in a celebratory mood, and everyone could notice something favoring my living methods. However, 30 minutes after sending the package I received a message with tracking number of the item I have sent to the buyer. First, I wondered why a company would send me a TV set and tracking code. It was shocking news when I got the first briefing from the delivery company where the IT reached.
Strangely, I started to receive double messages from the company notifying me where the product had reached and that it would be on my doorstep shortly. And another congratulation message for using OLX to sell a product online, I was receiving constant update until I received two messages indicating that the Item was at my doo and another one showing the items has reached the buyer. I picked the ITEM, and I discovered that I purchased my own TV set online without knowing. As usual, you can return the product within 24 hours and receive your full payment back. The fact that I purchased my item from an online platform because of being influenced or enticed by offers and the way a product was packaged could not make any sense to me. So the question I asked myself was whether I should send the item to the seller or just keep the item and consider myself lucky to win a card for buying my own item. It was quite embarrassing and being naïve. I took the item, packed it, and sent it back to the seller.
I sent it back so that I can receive my funds back and keep my platinum card. However, immediately I signed that return package and left the post office where I went ship it back. I received notification that my item had been successfully delivered, and the money had been sent to my account. It was funny and amazing receiving payment for the item you sent back to the seller. It is obvious that when items are returned to the seller, the seller has to refund the money to the buyer. Remember I had just received payment notification on my phone before receiving another notifying me that the item has been rejected by the possible buyer due different item deliver.
In the same message, I was told to transfer funds to the company OLX immediately to avoid changes. I immediately transferred the funds back with a lot of anger. I completed the transaction and waited to receive my money back and my item as well. It was a complete letdown, and it shows the manner in which consumerism influenced people’s choices of the kind of items they purchased. It was more painful that I had to wait for a few days to receive the funds back and also to receive my TV set back from the buyer. However, during that period, I came to two facts: I stayed home for 24 hours without my TV set, and I also had to wait for 48 hours to receive my payment back.
It was a clear indication of the way decisions to purchase items are being influenced by consumerism to the extent that buyers do not have control over what they buy online or from a physical store. This is a fact shared by many people. However, from this experience my friends gave me a nickname “Mrbuyitall”. However, I did not lose the platinum card since when a client returned a product safely without any damage, and the mistake was for the seller, the buyer kept the card, and it was the reason I went through a torturing event to send my TV set back to me so that I can earn points and keep the platinum card as well. It was a lesson I learned through hardship and taught me to be careful online, especially with items being advertised online on any platform. It is possible that someone can buy for himself without noticing. It is more like a story of a man who attended an online burial of his father without knowing after his friends announced the death of his father online and invited their friends online for the burial. He attended the burial but never knew that it was the burial of his father after prayers, and everyone was now leaving.
The confusion shows the manner in which consumerism makes people purchase things they do not need, and some people even purchase things they have never been interested in buying, but because of an offer, decisions are made fast, and an order is placed. Since nobody could believe my story, I decided to keep the tale of life for myself and my future audience, and it is a fact that consumerism has affected me. It is obvious that nowadays, we are influenced by advertisements and promotions more than taste or experience to make a choice to purchase an item, and this happens every day. It defines the extent to which consumerism is after the market, and most people who purchase things from an online platform usually fall victim. It is also obvious that it has increased the rate at which people do impulse buying. First, I had no plan to purchase a similar TV set, but I made that decision based on the advertisement I saw, and the fact that I was going to get a platinum card made me put in an order, not knowing that I was purchasing a similar TV I placed on the.
In conclusion, consumerism is here with us to stay, and it affects the way we purchase and sell. It also determines the prices of things we purchase and how we sell our items both on online platforms and even through physical stores. It is because most of the items we purchase are advised online and through TV, Radio, and other outlets, and therefore, it is good to be careful not to fall victim to purchasing your own kidney and thinking you are selling to someone else while you also need one. However, since the day I sold and purchased my own TV set, I have been very careful with every advertisement and have been very suspicious as well. I would never want to be with a TV set for 72 hours and let my money be stuck for 48 hours due to my ignorance and failure to read the advertisement well because if I had read the advertisement well, I would have seen my physical address as the address for the owner for the TV set who is selling the TV set and I would not have bought my own TV set from Myself.
