Buying a phone online often feels like trudging through a minefield. You scroll past sponsored items, watchful of fake discounts, only to be rushed by a ‘limited time’ deal. Or you forget to remove pre-selected items from the cart and end up paying for them too. Before you know it, you’ve splurged against your will, and now your budget is all out of whack. I know, because I’ve been there too.
But this festive season, I’m going in prepared. Armed with a foolproof plan, here’s how I intend on buying smartphones online without getting caught in the snares of e-commerce platforms during this sale.
Things to Check Before Buying a Phone This Festive Season
For all its convenience, online shopping is not without its troubles. From deceptive tactics that sway the buyer to dark patterns hijacking the decision-making process, there's a whole spectrum of tricks employed online. But that is the nature of the beast. The seller wants to sell, and the buyer must beware.
To that end, I've compiled a list of things you must check before buying a phone online this festive season.
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That Huge Discount Needs a Reality Check
Fake discounts are a scourge for online shoppers. In fact, it’s now become common knowledge that most discounts are not discounts at all.
The trick is simple: the seller marks up the price so that the discount appears larger than it is. Often, the phone is still selling at its original price, without any discount at all.
From Amazon to Flipkart, you’ll hardly find a platform that doesn’t employ this trick. Yes, there are legit festive deals on smartphones too. But as the old saying goes, trust but verify.
So, when you see a smartphone with a big discount, make sure to verify its original price first.
Don’t Let “Only 2 Left” Rush You
Whenever I see the ‘Only 2 left, order now’ message screaming at me all in red, I feel I must act now or forever rue my tardiness. But this is just another way to create a sense of scarcity and rush you into clicking that Buy button.
Even after knowing what the platform is trying to do, I still panic at the thought of losing my one chance to buy the phone before it is out of stock. And for that reason, it’s the most pernicious tactic to get you to skip the calculated patient research that buying a phone warrants, forcing you to spend now.
Look at the Phone Price, Not the EMI
Smartphones are pricy, and not everyone can buy them outright. This is why e-commerce platforms mark the EMIs in big, bold letters and only mention the actual price as an afterthought.
You know you will have to pay monthly instalments if you select the EMI option, often with interest. But it seems like a small price to pay. The deal also looks much more appealing when there’s a smaller number next to it.
I’ve almost always bought more than I actually needed when I’ve purchased on EMI. So that is one change I plan on making this time around, and you should too.
Ignore Anything Marked “Sponsored”
We tend to give more attention and importance to things that appear first, and platforms rely on this primacy bias to get more eyeballs on certain products.
For any given query, about one-third of all search results are sponsored. It also doesn’t help that they’re often ranked much higher than actually relevant results.
To get around this, I suggest you keep your blinders on and ignore items labelled ‘Sponsored’ and those that don't have anything to do with what you're looking for.
Double-Check What’s in the Cart
After adding a phone to the cart, websites entice you with complementary items like added protection plans, cases, accessories, etc. And unless you consciously choose to skip or remove them, they’ll be added to the cart.
Sometimes, an open-box delivery fee or 'Protect Promise fee' is also applied. Depending on the platform, you may not even get to see this extra fee until you’re on the final order confirmation page before making the payment.
I’ve often been lulled into a false sense of security, only to later find that I’ve been charged around Rs 149–299 more. All this just to make sure the buyer gets what was ordered, when it should be guaranteed by the seller in the first place.
It's a fee that is sometimes hidden a little too well, with no way to opt out. So, keep your eyes peeled for these.
New Govt Rules Are Coming, but Not This Year
There is some good news, however. Spurred by the rising e-commerce-related complaints, the Indian government has issued a notice to these platforms to curtail unfair trade practices. As per the new rules, e-commerce websites must comply with the following:
- Mention the prior price of discounted items.
- Clearly highlight info like country of origin, warranty, customer care details, etc.
- Label sponsored listings.
- Ensures search results are not manipulated.
- Participate in NCH's redressal process.
- Self-audit to confirm the platform is free of dark patterns.
- Confirm receipt of complaint within 48 hours and redress within 1 month.
But these new rules don’t come into effect until January 1, 2027. That means you and I are on our own until then. And we have to be vigilant.
My Foolproof Plan for Buying a Phone This Festive Season
First things first, go with a plan. I’m looking to buy a phone with a large battery, so that is my focus point. Everything else can go for a toss, including ‘Sponsored’ items, similar products, and trending now sections.
Next, I'll tackle the discounts. It’s the reason why I’ve waited for the sales period to buy a new phone. So, I have to make sure I’m not being duped. This I’ll do by checking the price trend of the phone on Beebom Gadgets. If there’s no price change, I’ll skip. If there is a discount, I’ll take that into account.
I also don't want to feel rushed into making a decision, especially when I’m spending thousands of rupees. So, I’m basically going to ignore all limited-time deals and items with limited stock.
Once I’ve chosen a phone, I’m going to spend at least a couple of minutes to check if all important information is available, like warranty, return costs, customer care contact details, etc. In case anything goes wrong, I will at least have peace of mind that a complaint can be registered and a replacement or a refund issued.
I’m also going to be very wary of what gets added to the cart. I just want the phone, nothing else. Furthermore, to check if any extra fee is applied, I’ll move forward to the last page (just before actually paying). If there is any open box delivery or protect promise fee being charged, I’ll consider a different seller.
Then, just to be sure that I haven’t unconsciously fallen into a trap, I’m going to set a 24-hour cooling-off period for myself. If I still want to buy it the next day, I will know that the intention is pure and it’s not just another impulse purchase.
Finally, I will buy the phone outright. No EMIs, no credit card. A complete transaction right then and there.
In fact, if I can’t buy it thrice over with my savings, I will refrain from buying at all. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow, especially when online platforms will do just about anything to get you to buy more.
This Festive Sale, Ensure You Have the Final Say
Sure, things may get better from next year when the new e-commerce rules kick in. But I’m not going to hold my breath. Whether or not e-commerce platforms actually clean up their act from next year is a moot matter to me.
I’m the buyer, so it’s up to me to be vigilant, to research thoroughly, and to do my utmost to ensure that I’m only paying for what I’m buying. That is how I’ve bought from brick-and-mortar stores in the past. And online shopping shouldn't be any different.
